Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2021 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 39: 9/24 - 9/30
A book set in a restaurantA Pho Love Story by Loan Le. YA romance. Kids of two competing restaurants end up working on the school paper together. Cute.
QOTW
I blew past my goodreads goal a couple of months ago.
I have a hand full of prompts left for the popsugar challenge but I pulled those books off my shelf so I have them ready to read.
Happy Thursday, y’all.Still trying to get used to a household with one less cat in it. I keep expecting to turn around and see Tiger in his usual napping spot. :( I know it gets better with time, but still...
Books read this week:
Good Morning, Midnight -- am I missing the point of this book when I say “if you write an end-of-the-world story, TELL US HOW THE FREAKING WORLD ENDS” ? Because I found myself not caring about the two unlikable frigid people the book chose to focus on and caring more about what the heck caused the entire human race to just disappear. Beautiful writing, but I hit the end going “what was the point of all that?”
Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two -- I had heard of the Navajo Code Talkers before, but this book really goes into the injustices committed against the Navajo people, and how so many of them fought for the United States despite facing prejudice and hatred at home.
Venture Untamed -- pretty much every ‘90s sports movie ever but in a low-fantasy setting. The worldbuilding was EXTREMELY bland… but I read it anyhow because let’s face it, who doesn’t like a good underdog story?
The Magic Fish -- graphic novel about fairy tales and a boy struggling to figure out how to come out to his immigrant parents. Surprisingly powerful and lovely.
Currently Reading:
All Creatures Great and Small
Trail of Lightning
Stories of Your Life and Others
Interesting Times
QOTW:
I finished the PopSugar challenge back in June, and I'm looking to meet or exceed my reading goal for the year. I'd say I"m doing okay...
Mod
https://www.facebook.com/groups/42747...
I've made two suggestions to the Around the Year challenge for 2022, and if they don't get in (and I suspect they will not), then I will suggest them to Tara and cross my fingers.
Happy Thursday! My manager is off for a few weeks, Great British Baking Show is back, and I finished the challenge this week. Things are good, after a few tough weeks.Finished:
A Fair Return It's an AO3 fanfic that I read for book in a different format than you normally read. My first fanfic and will probably be my last, it's just not for me. Maybe it was just too long.
The Judas Strain for DNF book from my TBR.
Candide
Currently reading:
Milkman
The Hidden Palace
The Kitchen Front
QOTW:
How timely, as I just finished the Popsugar challenge this week. I am going to try to complete my classics bingo challenge, but am abandoning Read Harder and Reading Women. I have no other reading goals, just read for fun the rest of the year.
Mod
This week I finished two books, one for this Challenge, so I am now 43/50.
Welcome to Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo- I thought this was going to be humorous, and it did have some funny parts, but it was not a comedy. The ending surprised me, because I was still expecting something funny and light. From what I know of Nigeria & Lagos in particular (and I'm hardly an expert!), she has perfectly captured the city in all its glory and squalor. I enjoyed this and now I definitely want to read Onuzo's two other books. This was my book with fewer than 1000 reviews.
Be Recorder: Poems by Carmen Gimenez Smith - some of these poems were great, but some of them were just confusing. this is one of the few books I have read for Hispanic Heritage Month. I guess I'm having Cultural Appreciation Fatigue because I've only read four books for HHM. Lately, I'm more interested in reading 2021 publications than I am in reading books chosen as CAM reads.
QotW
I feel like I'm in good shape with the Challenge. I'm tracking progress on three challenges and I compare it to the amount of year elapsed to make sure I'm on track.
Year ...............................74%
Popsugar ...................... 86%
AtY ................................ 85% (although I might not finish this one!! I'm more interested in reading new 2021 publications than I am in reading specific books to finish this Challenge)
My 2021 Must Reads ... 76% (by next week I should be up to 86% on this)
I've got 7 books left for Popsugar, and I have a book chosen for 6 of those (and I'm currently reading 2, including the "longest book"), so I feel confident. I'm leaving "a book chosen at random" open, I'll just fill in whatever book I'm reading when I have finished the other 6 categories.
According to Goodreads, I've read 177 books so far in 2021 (this includes picture books and short stories). If every one of those books were a Challenge read, I'd be done with all three of my Challenges! Alas ...
Mod
I agree COMPLETELY! Beautiful writing, fantastic ideas, but ... did she forget to write the ending? I was so nonplussed.
Mod
Congrats on finishing! I have not watched the new season of the Bake-Off yet, I think we'll save that for when my daughter is home for winter break. But it was a Jeopardy question!! "Because of Pillsbury, this show has a different name in the US" and I was all "what??? what is the different name???" (Googling tells me that "Baking Show" is the US name. I had no idea. I've just been calling it the Bake-Off.)
Who else has been obsessively watching Jeopardy now that Matt Amodio is on a roll??? The man knows EVERYTHING!!
Kenya wrote: "Happy Thursday, y’all.Still trying to get used to a household with one less cat in it. I keep expecting to turn around and see Tiger in his usual napping spot. :( I know it gets better with time,..."
That's so hard, Kenya. My thoughts are with you--it does take awhile to recover from the loss of such furry friends.
Good morning! Work is busy but slightly less overwhelming right now, thankfully. We've selected the two new people we want to hire, so fingers crossed they accept! It's also the beginning of Texas Fall (meaning the high is in the low 90s). Fall is my least favorite season, likely because I'm from Texas and it's not pretty nor consistent. I hate the whole "hot in the sun, freezing in the shade" thing we get. I also always feel weirdly on-edge during the fall. No idea what that's about.
Finished:
Eragon by Christopher Paolini - a book you saw on someone's shelf. I may be biased from having loved this so much when it first came out, but I still really enjoyed it! I will say, knowing what I know about what's going to happen, it's kind of bittersweet being back at the beginning.
Up Next:
Eldest - this will be my "book that takes place mostly or entirely outdoors." I'm pretty sure any book from this series would work in this prompt.
QOTW:
I'm back on track with the challenge but still unsure if I'll finish it, mostly because several of the books I have left are on the long side. BUT, The Inheritance Cycle books, while long, are fast reads, so we'll see. If I don't hit another reading block, I might just make it! If nothing else, I should be able to finish the main prompts.
I have 10 main prompts left and 7 advanced. That looks like a lot to get done, so we'll see what happens!
Kenya wrote: "Happy Thursday, y’all.Still trying to get used to a household with one less cat in it. I keep expecting to turn around and see Tiger in his usual napping spot. :( I know it gets better with time,..."
I know this feeling. We unexpectedly had to have one of ours put down a few years ago and it took me a long time to adjust. Sending you all our love, Kenya!
Nadine wrote: "Milena wrote: "Happy Thursday! My manager is off for a few weeks, Great British Baking Show is back, and I finished the challenge this week...."Congrats on finishing! I have not watched the new ..."
Me me! Although we record it, so we haven't watched this week's episodes yet. My husband has been focusing on the Yankees' wild card run, so no time for Jeopardy.
Do your daughters like Jeopardy also? My daughter insisted on watching every day during dinner, which is why we started recording it.
Nadine wrote: "Who else has been obsessively watching Jeopardy now that Matt Amodio is on a roll??? The man knows EVERYTHING!!"I haven't been able to watch much because of rehearsal lately, but our show opens next weekend; hopefully he's still going the following week because then I'll have Mon/Tues/Weds nights available!
Kenya — So sorry for the loss of your fur baby. It’s never an easy choice, no matter how long and good a life they’ve had. Nadine — Amodio is impressive, though he’s made me nervous with some of his huge wagers that took him down to zero. Would be cool to see him best Ken Jennings.
Happy Thursday!! It's my birthday so hubby and I are doing an overnight camping thing and I'm so excited -- the weather is perfect. We did this a few months ago for our anniversary and it was hot and wet. Autumn truly is the best time. We've also binge-watched Only Murders in the Building and it's the perfect kind of cozy thing.Three books this week:
The Woman Who Died a Lot - 2.5/3 stars, my least favorite of the series thus far but still packed with plenty of wacky goings-on! And now we wait for Dark Reading Matter...
The Hummingbird's Daughter - Another DNF. My Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month reading is not going very well at all. Like House of the Spirits, I'm keeping my paperback and hoping I get more "in the mood" for this at some later point.
Meat Cute: The Hedgehog Incident - 5 stars. I've missed the Parasolverse and this was absolutely adorable and just what I needed.
PS 45/50
Currently reading:
Next Year in Havana - This is good so far, and I'm excited because I've been wanting to read Chanel Cleeton's books for awhile now
Circe - Past the halfway mark and still deeply enjoying this one
Queen of the Night - Finally finishing this series. I'm so glad to have started reading Craig Schaefer this year, he's brilliant Starts with Q/X/Z
Working on a Song: The Lyrics of HADESTOWN - I love these kinds of behind-the-scenes, process-type books, and I LOVE this musical
QOTW: As we enter the LAST QUARTER of 2021, how are your reading goals faring for the year?
I'm pleased with my progress this year! I've got five more slots to fill for Popsugar, I've read more inclusively than any other year, made progress with various series, and discovered so many new-to-me authors!
Mod
Do your daughters like Jeopardy also? My daughter insisted on watching every day during dinner, which is why we started recording it...."
Ashley Marie wrote: "I haven't been able to watch much because of rehearsal lately, but our show opens next weekend; hopefully he's still going the following week because then I'll have Mon/Tues/Weds nights available!"."
Heather L wrote: "Amodio is impressive, though he’s made me nervous with some of his huge wagers that took him down to zero. Would be cool to see him best Ken Jennings."
My older daughter, Lily, loves Jeopardy, and we are in the habit of watching it when we visit with my mother in the summer. Usually we stop once it goes into repeats, but this year is unique since Amodio caught our attention. It's funny, at first I didn't like him, he seemed smug. But I was gradually won over. What I at first saw as "smug" is just his incredible depth & breadth of knowledge, combined with a sort of boyish "omg I can't believe this is happening to me" joy. His knowledge of history, geography, literature and arts is amazing!
So now I watch it every night, and Lily at college watches it at the same time, and my mother in NJ watches it (she gets it a half hour earlier than us, for some reason, so she can't text me about it "live") and my younger daughter who is still at home with me just complains.
He has nerves of STEEL! He always bets it all on double jeopardies in the first round. And omg that one time he actually went NEGATIVE and he stayed cool and calm and recovered and won (obviously). I am so amazed at how he does not get rattled. I guess once you've won a half mill, it's all gravy ...
He's got a long ways to go to catch up to Jennings, but I'd love to see it happen.
I missed last week’s checkin, which only means my “finished” list is twice as long as it was then. 😄First, QOTW. I have actually increased my Goodreads goal twice this year. Not knowing how the year would pan out, I originally set my goal at 85. Then a few months ago I reset it to 100. I completed book 98 last Friday, at which point I was 26 books ahead of my goal, so decided to increase it to 120. Most years I’m around 100, though I managed to finish 130 last year. Currently 104/120 (15 books ahead).
I am also now 42/50 for Popsugar and planning to cross off at least three more in October, as they fit with other challenges for the month. And, as mentioned earlier this month, one of my main goals this year was to finish a 1900 page anthology of short stories started last year. I read the last two stories this month, so that was a huge accomplishment that freed up a ton of space on my Nook.
Finished in last two weeks:
* Unleashed, Lock, Stock & Jingle Bells and Naughty but Nice by Donna Kauffman (Hamilton series) — It occurred to me the other night that this is a series a friend would like, so YAY! another Popsugar prompt completed (now 42/50).
* Coraline by Neil Gaiman — Creepy middle grade book, but good. Have not seen the movie.
* Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott — A Classics group read that I thought was tedious and overhyped by others in the group. Definitely not my cuppa. Finished only because it fit a classics challenge.
* Stellaluna by Janell Cannon — Because sometimes you need a good children’s book, especially after slogging through a book you didn’t like. Found in a neighborhood LFL (and left in a different neighborhood LFL). Cute story, highly recommend.
* The Misanthrope by Molière — Another Classics group read, but more to my liking.
* Family Affair by Debbie Macomber (romance)
* Killer Insight by Victoria Laurie — While I do like this cozy mystery series, the excessive “just thens” grate on my nerves and irritate my internal editor to no end.
* The Séance by Joan Lowery Nixon — Creepy young adult mystery, appropriately atmospheric for this time of year.
In Progress:
* Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne — Thoroughly enjoying this adventure story, which I hope to finish today. Definitely my favorite of the four books I’ve read by Verne. (Book 105/120 for the year.)
QOTW: I came to the challenges late, so of course I'm late to be finishing.I finished my original Harry Potter Challenge, and I surpassed my GoodReads Challenge, but I'm behind on the others. I think the hardest one is Reading Women, since I have to plan to read books that fit those prompts, instead of just reading what is on my TBR list.
PS: 31/50
RH: 7/24
RW: 1/28
GR: 382/365
HP: 62/62
ATY: 14/52
Currently Reading:
One of Us Is Lying
The Last Garden in England
The Maidens
High-Five to the Hero: 15 Classic Tales Retold for Boys Who Dare to Be Different
The Library of the Dead
Malibu Rising
The Samurai's Garden
History Smashers: The American Revolution
The Message in the Hollow Oak
The Mystery of the Ivory Charm
The Scarlet Slipper Mystery
Hairpin Bridge
Cool for the Summer
All the Young Dudes
Finished:
Hades, Argentina
See What I Have Done
The Ickabog
Firekeeper's Daughter
Band of Sisters
I Survived the Galveston Hurricane, 1900
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
I finished The Last Full MeasureI read The Emerald City of Oz and learned that I am most definitely a flutterbudget.
I am now reading The Far Pavilions. It is forever long. I'm almost 200 pages in and still don't really feel that invested in it. Oh well, only 1000 left.
QOTW: I finished the Pop Sugar reading challenge and that's the only challenge I do, so I guess I'm feeling pretty good. This is the earliest I finished, but have to admit I read some awfully short books. My current average pages for the year is 377, and I would like to see if I can get it up to 390. I don't really know why. Does it make a difference how many pages per book I read? Probably not.
Mod
... We've also binge-watched Only Murders in the Building and it's the perfect kind of cozy thing."
Happy Birthday!
I've got Only Murders on my "to watch" list, but right now we are watching the German Netflix series Dark and it is so awesome! It's like if you combined Lost with Stranger Things, plus time travel, and threw in a soupcon of Twin Peaks, and then made it really really good with amazing casting... you would have this show. And I also need to finish the last season of Orphan Black, plus we started a few anime shows that are really good (in particular: Hunter x Hunter and Neon Genesis Evangelion). And when Lily comes home for break we need to finish Atypical and Lucifer. So, Only Murders has to get in line.
And while I'm recommending shows, I MUST recommend the Japanese series on Netflix: Alice in Borderland. It's dark and disturbing and ridiculous and I was completely sucked in. The characters are so compelling, in large part due to the amazing casting. I can't wait for season 2!!
And of course season 4 of Stranger Things comes out soon. ...
I actually don't watch much TV! Which is why it takes me so long to finish shows, I guess.
Mod
My mother, who knew I loved to read speculative fiction but isn't really much of a SFF reader herself, bought this for me when I was little. I never did read it. I have no idea what happened to my copy, but this book haunts me. I feel like I MUST read it someday, since mom bought it for me.
Mod
oh this book gets recommended all the time! I guess there's a reason I've never read it. I hate long books, and books that feel long are even worse for me.
Rainy Thursday in the PNW this morning! I am starting to get back on track with my reading for the challenge and not reading everything else. Finished:
Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy. This was really interesting. This book is about the history of Oxycontin and how drugs and addiction affect not just the addicted but those around them. I talked to my friend who is a nurse practitioner in NYC about pain management in hospitals and it was really fascinating.
Currently Reading:
One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus. Still going with this one - it is a little slow but hopefully will pick up.
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle. I have been putting this one off since January but finally started it. It is short and I am already half done (I started it on Wednesday) which is fast for me. I am dying to see how this one plays out. It is better than I was thinking it was going to be and I'm bummed I put it off for so long but better late than never.
QOTW:
I was cruising along - mostly ahead of the game around the half way point then just lost momentum. I am still "on track" but struggling this week to read.
POP: 37/50
ATY: 38/52
Last year I tried the side challenges and even tried to add some like the Read Harder and Reading Women but it felt overwhelming and reading for me is relaxing and fun not stressful. I am happy with both challenges and will definitely find more time to read this quarter.
Hello! Sports are sportsing, so my evenings and weekends have been occupied with watching sports on tv. The regular season for baseball ends this weekend, but my husband's team will be in the playoffs. College football has ranked my team very high, so it's very weird to see national media discussing them. And now preseason hockey has started. Football is great for reading, hockey moderately so (especially preseason!), but playoff baseball is not. I keep trying, but I care too much about the game.Finished This Week:
A Killing Frost by Seanan McGuire. Finished the reread to prepare for the next in the series.
When Sorrows Come by Seanan McGuire. The wedding! I loved seeing so many characters from the entire series show up to attend Toby's wedding, and how Toby's friends handled how Toby usually ends up covered in blood. The short story at the end about the wedding reception was fantastic as well. Nice to have a happy Toby book. Using for #1, published in 2021.
What Stars Are Made of by Sarah Allen. My Read Harder book for A Children's Book that Centers a Disabled Character but Not their Disability. Libby was born with Turner Syndrome, only one chromosome, and an enlarged heart (I couldn't tell it that was part of the syndrome). For a class project, she has to give a report about a woman not in their textbook, and she chooses Cecelia Payne, the woman who discovered the makeup of stars, but had a man take credit for it. Very sweet book. Not for PS prompt.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. One of the extra challenges I'm doing has Read a book by Kristin Hannah, and everything by her had very long waiting lists at the library. This one became available first, and I've always loved World War II stories. Not for PS Prompt, but could be Everyone Seems to Have Read But You.
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.. Nadine mentioned it was Banned Books Week, so I picked this out of my TBR lists. It was much shorter than I expected. Plus the main character is an optometrist, which was my dream job. Using this one for #39, Everyone Seems to Have Read But You, as once I marked it as complete, it took over as the most popular book I'd read this year.
PS: 42/50 RH: 17/24 RW: 20/28 ATY: 48/52 GR: 142/150
Currently Reading:
Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey. On page 3, so only just started.
At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor / Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents / Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle - Still intending to read.
DNF:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Gave up. Just don't care right now. Will go pick a Bronte sister for anonymous author.
QOTW: As we enter the LAST QUARTER of 2021, how are your reading goals faring for the year?
I have a lot of things happening in November that I need to prepare for in October, plus playoff baseball happening in October. I'm not sure how to balance those things with the reading challenges and Hugo reading I also want to do.
I have eight to go in Pop Sugar, seven in Read Harder, eight in Reading Women and four in Around the Year. I also have 20+ books for the Hugos. There is some overlap between the challenges and the Hugos, but not enough. Finishing the challenges will finish my Goodreads goal, which was arbitrarily set at 150.
I'm feeling very stressed about my progress for my reading goals for 2021. I know I can do it, because I'm a very good reader, but with other things happening in November, I don't know if I'm okay taking time away from those things to accomplish these.
Happy Thursday! I, too, am exhausted. Getting in the routine of taking daughter to school and such has been draining. But, I'm back to writing fantasy again! It's been years! The time she's in school gives me freedom to disconnect from "mom" and get back into "creative" mode. Which is probably another reason I'm so tired!Currently Reading
Oathbringer for "book from TBR chosen at random". I spent most of last night screaming at this book. Oh it hurts so good!!! Sanderson is crushing my heart right now. The psychology is dead on in this book too. I love it!
QotW
I think I'm doing ok! Popsugar is my only reading goal this year. I don't have time for anything else. But after this book, I'll only have 10 more to go! I think I can do it!
Finished: Zero.Started: Being and Nothingness
Qotw: I am on track to finish my PopSugar challenge in probably another couple of days!!! I can't imagine participating in all the challenges you do, Lynn. I like having some constraints, but I also like having choice. I've created a new monthly challenge for myself and it looks like I'm not going to finish the prompts challenge book, re-read, or philosophy book by the end of September. But I'm still really happy with the challenge because it has encouraged me to read books I otherwise wouldn't have gotten around to. I started an Umberto Eco book and confirmed that I guess he's just not really for me. I'm partway through a philosophy book I might not have picked up otherwise. And I did re-read a book with a family member, but am not counting that since I intended to re-read something on my own.
This week I finished: The Nature of Jade: I thought the plot of this book left some things to be desired, but the writing itself was so well-done that I still rated it 4 stars.
DNF:
I don’t finish books all the time. Normally before the 10% mark and I don’t ever note them on here, because I don’t want to turn someone else off a book. BUT I stopped a book at the halfway mark this week, after 290 some pages, because, while I wanted to know how it ended, it had so many problems that I was not willing to give it another 4 hours of my time. So I looked up spoilers to see how the book ended and was glad that I hadn’t invested any more time in it. I know that The Perfect Daughter got really good ratings from some others, but as someone who has worked with a teen with DID before and regularly has contact with lawyers, this book was too far afield from genuine for me to enjoy.
Currently reading:
Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law: I LOVE MARY ROACH! I also really enjoy this subject matter, so this one is a win for me so far.
Follow Me: I continue to make no progress on this, but I have not given up.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life: Not making progress on this either, but it is patiently waiting for me.
QOTW:
I completed the Popsugar challenge a few months ago, and my Goodreads goal of 100 books a few weeks ago. The only other goal that I had was kind of general in nature, which was to read all the books that I physically own in book form, but considering that I inherited an awful lot of books that are not necessarily my cup of tea, I have not made it very far with that goal. I try to sneak a few into Popsugar every year.
@Lynn: I’m with you on frustration week.. mine was packed with it this week. The worst of it: I lost total control over my agenda. I hate it when I can’t reschedule immediately (me ❤ scheduling). So I woke up at 4 this morning (because of pain in my wrists and ankles due to the buckets of rain we are getting in the next days) and my brain was getting started and doing all this thinking about all possible scenarios, both good and bad… Didn’t sleep anymore, so I’m pretty tired right now. Tomorrow I start focussing on what I can control and taking things step-by-step. 35/40
Finished
Nothing
Currently reading
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
QOTW
I’m 5 books ahead of schedule (according to GR) and I have 5 books left for the Popsugar Challenge!!
Happy Thursday!September has been a great reading month for me. However I'e been reading what I want to read not challenge books...
Finished Reading:
My Name Will Grow Wide Like a Tree: Selected Poems ⭐⭐⭐ (2021 black and white cover)
I grabbed the first book that had a black and white cover off of overdrive. It's a translated poetry collection. Some were interesting some were confusing.
Well Played ⭐⭐⭐
This was not as good as the first book. I didn't really like the mc and the love interest. I also found the poor me my best friend is getting married and I'm single thoughts obnoxious. Still like the other characters and I'm waiting for book three to be published in October.
Run: Book One ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Graphic novel continuing John Lewis' memoir. What happened after the March series. Most of the book was approved by him before his death.
Saga volumes 1-7 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rereading a beloved series and realizing you forgot so much that it seems new again.
The Secret Keeper of Jaipur ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Set 12 years after the first book this follows old beloved characters and new ones. A little predictable but enjoyable characters and writing style.
Crave ⭐⭐⭐
So the cover suggests that this is a Twilight book, and the plot does too. It was entertaining but the main character does Bella things that are cringy. However this book has dragons which is awesome.
PS 2021 43/50
PS 2017 45/52
Goodreads 210/250
Currently Reading:
Saga 8 & 9
The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion
Green Willow and Other Japanese Fairy Tales
QOTW:
I have 7 prompt for each of the two popsugar challenges I'm doing. I am a little worried because I'm enjoying shorter books and I have prompts for long book left. I'm happy with the classics and big name authors that I've finally read this year though.
Nearly forgot it was Thursday! I've not been working this week so have lost all sense of time. Plus autumn has crept up on me and it seems to be dark far too early. Weather is horrid today and I tried to avoid the dog's second walkies but my partner annoyingly said to her "you won't be getting toodle pips today" right around time we would go out, and she wouldn't leave me alone. Toodle pips is the codename for second walkies, obviously it is no longer a code name. So yeah, we went out and got wet.Finished:
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff for ATY (long book). This could easily have had 100 pages cut out and not suffered, but I ended up liking this a lot considering it is probably grimdark. The oral telling of the story takes a bit of getting used to as I kept wondering why there were speech marks, but it's because he's telling the whole story to a vampire.
Labrador: The Story of the World’s Favourite Dog by Ben Fogle for related to my favourite thing (my Labrador!). Mix of microhistory and memoir, some I didn't know, but now I think about it totally makes sense.
PS: 47/50 | ATY: 43/52 | GR: 98/100
QOTW:
Well as you can see I'm nearly at my reading goal for the year, bit I do try to set this a bit lower than expected so not to feel pressured by being behind!
Nearly finished Popsugar, I've been pushing through the final few prompts and I think the ones left are all subjective and I just need to get on and make up a dream job based on a book I want to read, assume another will be something my partner will like and then pick the prettiest cover! These are not my favourite sort of prompts as I overthink them.
I have more left in ATY but my remaining prompts I can mostly fill with new releases so I'm less worried that it will feel like it's dragging on.
I haven't updated my spreadsheet this week but I also think I'm sticking to my target of at least 30% authors of colour.
Since I'm home today, I thought I'd post now while I was thinking about it. I read three books that all worked for open prompts this past week! I'm at 26/40 and 4/10 for this challenge, and 52/100 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge. Finished:
* Three-Fifths by John Vercher and narrated by JD Jackson, which I used for "a book with a black-and-white cover." I opted for the audiobook version when I saw who the narrator was -- he narrated one of the Hush Collection short stories/novellas I listened to earlier this year and was fantastic. I really enjoyed listening to him again and will keep an eye out for other books he's narrated;
* Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini and illustrated by Dan Williams, which I used for "a book by a Muslim American author." Gorgeous and heartbreaking; and,
* The Wedding Game by Meghan Quinn, which I used for "a book that has a heart, diamond, club, or spade on the cover." I wasn't sure I was going to like it at first, but am glad I stuck with it and found it to be a fun read.
Currently Reading:
* The Book of Delights written and narrated by Ross Gay, which is the One Maryland, One Book pick this year. It is, indeed, a delight! I'm signed up for a virtual book tour stop next week and can't wait to hear the author speak;
* Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, which I'll use for one of the advanced prompts;
* The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey, which is the latest in the Perveen Mistry series. Depending on where I end up slating Mexican Gothic, I *may* use it for an advanced prompt; and,
* Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR by Lisa Napoli. I'm thinking of using it for "a book about a subject you are passionate about."
QotW:
As we enter the LAST QUARTER of 2021, how are your reading goals faring for the year? I'm looking at them as suggestions at this point 🤪 I *should* be able to finish this challenge, but don't think I'll be able to finish any of the others I've been (sort of) working on (BookRiot Read Harder, Modern Mrs. Darcy, and the Goodreads Reading Challenge). I feel like 2020 finally caught up with me and I hit a wall with reading challenges this year, so I'll just see how far I get and be happy with wherever I end up.
Happy Thursday. I have the day off since I had surgery yesterday. It's great to not be working, but I'd rather not have the pain and sleep issues that come with all these stitches in my arm. :/Very sorry for your loss, Kenya. I think I missed that last week. Losing pets is really tough. <3
This week I finished:
It's Not About the Burqa Great collection of essays on Muslim women's experiences. Highly recommend! 5 stars
Of Women and Salt My review: What great timing! I was just discussing Assata Shakur's autobiography with one of my book clubs a few days before reading this, and the complexity of Cuba and different experiences there came up. I felt like this story captured those nuances well, and I appreciated the exploration of how immigrants from different countries are treated differently in the U.S. (even among Latin American countries). I enjoyed the different generations and stories included here, and am amazed by how the author packed so much into just 207 pages. Cheers to this fantastic debut! 5 stars
Chasing the Sun I appreciated the historical context throughout the story, but the characters didn't really pull me in. I've loved all other books by this author though. 3.5 stars
Everything Inside Great collection; I look forward to reading a lot more from this author. 5 stars
The History of Love I somehow got lost in the middle of this one, but enjoyed the beginning and end. 3 stars
L.A. Weather This held my attention well but I wasn't fully invested in the characters. 3.5 stars
Currently reading Negotiations in print and Things I Have Withheld on audio.
QOTW: I'm doing well with reading goals. I've somehow read 215 books already this year (about 70% were audiobooks, which boosts that number a lot - I'm always listening to a book) and I finished the popsugar challenge in June I think. I don't have an official goal related to it, but one thing I've been trying to do is get through more of the books on my shelves (which keep increasing) by checking out the audio version from the library and doing a mix of audio/print for them. It's working pretty well and helping me read through my shelves. I'd like to do this at a rate of about one per week (the other books being new releases, books for the novel I'm working on, or book club reads), but I'm not really tracking it.
Hi all, glad to see some sunshine and nicer temperatures this week! Might not be outright summer, but it's the kind of fall transition i can at least kind of deal with. Can get away with long skirts and no socks!
This week I finished:
Joust - finished re-read as a break
Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 3 - creepy comic, I liked it. Need to find the House of Slaughter spinoff.
All Systems Red - found the murderbots on hoopla as audiobooks, so have been listening to them while working. I was thinking the narrator sounded really familiar, realized it's Kevin Free from Welcome to Nightvale! (Who voices Kevin, the Dessert Bluffs radio host). It's kind of nice shotgunning them back to back like this, haha. I'm keeping the story more straight without having gaps to forget.
Sea of Shadows - my DNF from my tbr. I'd bought it years ago, accidentally sent to my phone not my kindle. I had started reading on my phone, but i don't like reading on my phone if i can help it. Forgot to ever send to kindle, so never got around to finishing. Now that i've read it, I can kind of see why I forgot. It's not that it's BAD. It was just pretty...standard fantasy. The world building/character building didn't really jump out and grab me. Ended on kind of a cliffhanger, and while I generally like the author, not sure I care enough to finish. them. It's solidly "fine". If I had the rest of the books I'd finish, it's just more that i don't really care enough to find them now and I'll probably forget about it later.
Artificial Condition - another audio re-read
Rogue Protocol - these ones are really short, easy to get through in a day while working. I've read them a couple times, so i don't have to pay super close attention. It's how I like my audiobooks haha.
Piranesi - I had decent hopes for this, it sounds like the kind of book I SHOULD like. But i just found it kind of meh. Maybe I'm not really a fan of her writing. I slogged through Jonathan Strange and Mr NOrrell because so many people LOVED it. I thought that was suuuper boring. This at least had the benefit of being short. I just never really connected to Piranesi, and I kinda guessed what was going on pretty early on so was kind of impatiently waiting to be told I was right. And I more or less was.
Currently reading -
Exit Strategy - another audio re-read
Under the Whispering Door - might count this for ATY book by the author of a best read from last year. Technically I read the House on the Cerulean Sea this year. but....it's been a long year, it FEELS like last year.
QOTW:
Suppose it depends on the metric, haha. I have one prompt left for popsugar, just waiting on library hold to come in. So woo!
For general GR challenge, i managed to get one book ahead due to the rapid fire murderbot re-reads. I've been reading a lot more longer books than usual this year, so for the first time in a while keeping up has been a struggle. Think next year i'll set the goal lower.
ATY I think i have 5 left, might try to finish those since it's close.
I don't think i'm even halfway on Reading WOmen or Read Harder, I've kind of decided those are just not getting done this year. I'm getting burnt out on the challenges, and i just want to go do free reading.
Book nerds I'm at 74/100 but I went into that not necessarily planning on finishing. I just want to see how far I can get without having to try TOO hard.
I'm kind of considering not doing any challenges next year. Or at least just free reading and then fill in later to see if any fit. I feel like i keep back burnering books I do want to read but they don't fit a prompt. But then by the time I finish challenges and have time to free read I end up wanting to do re-reads or just do fun filler. So then they keep going unread.
Hopefully people wouldn't mind if I still posted, even if I wasn't actively participating in the challenge! I do like this group a lot :)
Mod
Oh I like him, too! I definitely will listen to audiobook solely for the narrator, so I just added this book! It looks good. Jackson also read Bluebird, Bluebird and he was one of the voices for Broken Monsters
Mod
PLEASE stick around!! The reason we all joined this group was to do the Challenge, but once you've started participating in the discussions, you're a family member for life, challenge or no challenge.
Also, I've been reallllllly reluctant to pick up Piranesi, because I disliked Strange & Norrell SO MUCH, it was just torture and I can't imagine ever liking anything she writes. Some authors I really like always praise her, but that's just an example of how someone can write books I love but yet not be able to recommend books I would like.
Nadine wrote: “My mother, who knew I loved to read speculative fiction but isn't really much of a SFF reader herself, bought this for me when I was little. I never did read it. I have no idea what happened to my copy, but this book haunts me. I feel like I MUST read it someday, since mom bought it for me.”Ooh...gift guilt. I understand that problem all too well. If you like SFF, you might like Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions more than I did. It’s not that I never read SFF, just not very often. I had difficulty making it through some chapters without falling asleep. 😐
As for Netflix, the last show I binge watched was The Bureau of Magical Things — twice. The episodes are only about 24 minutes long and Netflix doesn’t have season two. I watched the first two seasons of Stranger Things in July, but haven’t gotten back to season three yet. I do not like horror, but there’s something about this series that makes it difficult to stop watching. 😳
This week I discovered Roku has The Dead Zone, so I started watching that. I think I’m up to episode 7 or 8 of season one. I only saw the last year or two when it was on USA network, so fun to start from the beginning.
Hi everyone. I've had a busy week with my mum's birthday and my first concert since Feb 2020 (so weird to be in a room with thousands of people lol). The weather is totally miserable right now so I think autumn is fully on the wayThis week I finished Zulu Dawn. At first look, it seems like the kind of book I'd dismiss as something I wouldn't enjoy, but I was totally wrong. It was actually really interesting and I'd like to know more about that period of history
Currently reading: The Witness for the Dead. I loooooooved The Goblin Emperor so I've been eagerly awaiting this one.
QOTW: Goodreads says I'm ahead but I normally finish in September/October so I feel very behind. I am probably not going to get to my longest book any time soon either so that'll push me back even more. Chuffing War and Peace!
haha good to know Nadine! I figured that'd be the case :) I do like posting every week! Frankly, I wouldn't bother with Piranesi if you didn't like Jonathan Strange & Mr Norell. I mean it's significantly shorter, i think 250 pages? So at least it's not a time sink like that one was. But while i know plenty of people LOVED it, I'm wondering of those people were also people who loved JS&MN. I'm thinking her style just is not my style, so likely not yours either.
Although I did like the Jonathan Strange & Mr Norell miniseries the BBC did. I thought the series fixed a lot of the problems I had. It moved some of the plot around so it wasn't all stacked up in the back half, cut out a lot of the tedious research/footnote stuff, generally tightened it all up to flow nicer. So maybe if they make a movie I'll like the Piranesi movie haha.
The Strange & Norrell series was so much better than the book. I quite liked it. The book was OK but WAY too long. The book was not better! FREE BOOK ALERT!
For International Translation Day, you can get one of the offered six translated audiobooks free, today only (Sept 30) before midnight Eastern. They will email you a link tomorrow.
https://blog.libro.fm/international-t...
Mod
A Pho Love Story by Loan Le. YA romance. Kids of two competing restaurants end up working on the school paper together. Cute."
This sounds cute! (BTW, I couldn't get the link to work... Darn Goodreads! LOL)
"QOTW
I blew past my goodreads goal a couple of months ago."
Cool!
"I have a hand full of prompts left for the popsugar challenge but I pulled those books off my shelf so I have them ready to read."
Sound as if you are ready and organized! 👍😊
Hi all! Been tired since the weekend. The kiddo came down with a cold and she wakes up crying because she's congested and/or coughing, so I've had a lot of interrupted sleep since Saturday. She's finally sounding better, so hopefully that's over with. Its definitely turned chillier here. I turned the heat on last night (have I ever mentioned I don't like the cold??). I've got to get new sneakers because the ones I have I've worn for 2 days and they've rubbed the back of my ankles painfully. They were fine last fall...
Haven't finished anything, but got more read in She Who Became the Sun and I'm really liking it, but I may not finish it before it's due back at the library. I've made a good start on Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness. I also started The Hunger and Little Fires Everywhere on audiobook. I just barely started both of them, so not sure if I'm going to like them or keep up with them.
QOTW: Goodreads says I'm on track to read 25 books this year. Obviously at that rate, I won't finish Popsugar. But that's OK, I start the year out knowing that'll be the case. With a kid (2 if you count the SO! LOL!) and a full time job and health issues, any reading is a good thing!!
My week was frustration a plenty. I did get two books read thoughFor the prompt A book by an author who shares your zodiac sign
I read Unnatural Death by Dorothy l Sayers. I didn't like this prompt much because it was hard to find authors I wanted to read with my sign. I came up with Sayer or Rick Riordan and went with what the library had. Should have went with Riordan. I liked Peter Wimsey on PBS but this particularly one had a very old fashioned writing style (no shocker there it's nearly 100 years old) and went well beyond the casual racism of that time (even the protagonist was commenting on how racist this other character was while being racist himself with his own bias)
I also read Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia for A book about do-overs or fresh starts. An Aztec inspired vampire has had her life destroyed and has to flee Mexico to start over. I really enjoyed this horror.
QOTW For my yearly i'm way behind but that's okay because I spent a good part of the beginning of the year hospitalized and only had what Mom could find to bring me from my apartment. As for the Popsugar challenge I'm pretty well on target and I finished the Alphabet challenge so not so bad.
Mod
FREE BOOK ALERT!
For International Translation Day, yo..."
How do you listen to it? Is there a libro app that plays it?
Mod
Still trying to get used to a household with one less cat in it. I keep expecting to turn around and see Tiger in his usual napping spot. :( I know it gets better with time, but still..."
I know that feeling. How many felines do you room with? 😋
"Books read this week:
Good Morning, Midnight -- am I missing the point of this book when I say “if you write an end-of-the-world story, TELL US HOW THE FREAKING WORLD ENDS” ? Because I found myself not caring about the two unlikable frigid people the book chose to focus on and caring more about what the heck caused the entire human race to just disappear. Beautiful writing, but I hit the end going “what was the point of all that?”"
Wish I could help, but I've not read this one! Your comments did make me laugh however! 😊
"Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two -- I had heard of the Navajo Code Talkers before, but this book really goes into the injustices committed against the Navajo people, and how so many of them fought for the United States despite facing prejudice and hatred at home."
Wow. I should read this one sooner rather than later...
"Venture Untamed -- pretty much every ‘90s sports movie ever but in a low-fantasy setting. The worldbuilding was EXTREMELY bland… but I read it anyhow because let’s face it, who doesn’t like a good underdog story?"
YES!! Go UNDERDOGS!!
"The Magic Fish -- graphic novel about fairy tales and a boy struggling to figure out how to come out to his immigrant parents. Surprisingly powerful and lovely."
Graphic novels are not typically my jam, but this one sounds like one I would enjoy!
"QOTW:
I finished the PopSugar challenge back in June, and I'm looking to meet or exceed my reading goal for the year. I'd say I"m doing okay..."
I would say you are doing G-G-G-R-R-R-E-E-E-A-A-A-T-T-T!!
Mod
https://www.facebook.com/groups/42747...
I've made ..."
Cool! I like your suggestions, Nadine!
Nadine wrote: "I just saw that Tara posted a 2022 suggetions thread over on Facebook (for anyone who is also a member on FB):https://www.facebook.com/groups/42747...
I've made ..."
Do you know if she also checks our suggestions? I'm not on FB.
Happy Banned Books Week everyone!I’ve missed a couple weeks, I think. There were some great QOTWs that I wanted to answer, but there is so much to do to keep the world spinning and not enough time. I hear you, Lynn!
I’m so happy Autumn is here! Tomorrow begins my favorite month!
Finished:
The Vagina Monologues . I love this book, which is really performance art for your eyeballs. Banned in Uganda, 2005 – 2006. My little womanist heart needed this for nourishment. Highly recommend!
For Banned Book Week.
El coronel no tiene quien le escriba Yes, it’s Gabriel García Márquez, and yes, it is bleak and depressing, and yet the theme is all about irrepressible hope when there is no possible way one can go on hoping. I find that astounding!
I think if a reader has ever been 5 minutes away from homelessness and utter destruction of their own life, books like this and Dark Places will resonate deeply.
OK. There is cock fighting, so trigger warning for us bird and animal lovers. But it is realistic, like it or not. Definitely read if you love layer upon layer of symbolism and allegory!
Read for Hispanic Heritage Month and my own Spanish language lit challenge
Rock Paper Scissors. A great, super twisty novel, with deeply flawed characters and gorgeous Scottish Highlands. I always need a dark read at least every so often. Loooooved this,
QOTW:
Feeling really good about the challenges I completed: this Pop Sugar challenge; 3 local IRL challenges, including 2 Summer reading challenges and 1 yearlong challenge; and a tribal challenge. Glad to have kept up a few French language novels – big thanks to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry .
Reading more fellow First Nations authors and poets, especially First Nations language lit. Thrilled to find a little bilingual poetry and kids’ books out there!
@Kenya - I'm so sorry for the loss of your cat. There is nothing like the unconditional love of our animal family members. I wish you comfort and peace.@ Ashley Marie - Happy Birthday!
@Sheri - Happy Belated Birthday!
@Lynn - Massive Congratulations on finishing The Third Angel!!
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (other topics)The Vagina Monologues (other topics)
Magic Lessons (other topics)
The Thursday Murder Club (other topics)
Magic Lessons (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Peter Heller (other topics)Louise Penny (other topics)
Christopher L. Bennett (other topics)
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Jessica Townsend (other topics)
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I trust your week did not include as many frustrations as mine did, and that whatever you have encountered you have been able to deal with in a positive way. It took me a day or two, but I worked through the emotional turmoil and am definitely feeling better now! YAY!!
I just realized that this coming weekend I will be finishing Project Hail Mary and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, as well as reading Cat & Mouse, and Children of the Mind! LOL Of course, I'll have PLENTY of time to get all that reading done AND complete the other typical weekend tasks of errand running, cooking, and yes a bit of cleaning! Never. Enough. Time. 😉
ADMIN STUFF:
The monthly group read for September is
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab and that discussion is here. It will officially wrap up tonight! (Unfortunately, I have yet to read this one, but that is a top priority for this coming weekend, so I’ll look forward to reading everyone’s reactions once I’ve finished!)
Don't forget to post the book(s) you've read to fulfill prompt #11 A book about forgetting which was #2 in the selection poll here.
I’ll plan to move these two back to the Monthly Group Read folder tomorrow. That means a new month and a new discussion!
October’s book is Anxious People by Fredrik Backman and that discussion is here in the Current Monthly Group Read folder!
And you can post the book(s) you’ve read to fulfill prompt #13 a locked-room mystery here!
I already created a document with 2022 monthly listings to be prepared to begin our Monthly Group Read selection process just as soon as the 2022 POPSUGAR Challenge prompts are announced! (I do love to make book lists! LOL)
Question of the Week:
As we enter the LAST QUARTER of 2021, how are your reading goals faring for the year?
I, myself, am quite pleased with my progress. In reviewing the challenges I have completed thus far across all Goodreads groups to which I belong these are my totals:
Monthly Challenges: 26
1st, 2nd, and 3rd Quarter Challenges: 9
Year-long Challenges: 0
But I am so close on 5 of these year-long challenges! And most of the books I’ll be reading to complete these year-long challenges count for more than one challenge! (That always gives me a thrill!)
And most importantly, I reached 100 books read for 2021 on September 13! That is quite the achievement for me!
Plus I set myself the challenge of catching up completely with the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series and am on track to complete that goal!
Trying to decide which series to catch up with in 2022 now! I decided to select a series each year to work on and I think that is working for me. I still read books in other series, but purposefully am scheduling books in that one every month or so. I love it when a plan works! LOL
While I adore the larger challenges such as Popsugar and ATY, I really enjoy the more specific prompts of Reading Harder and Reading Women as well. I have been better organized this year and obtaining books for those smaller challenges throughout the year and purposefully fitting one into my reading every now and then and I’m quite pleased with my ‘slow but steady’ progress. Admittedly, I have more remaining for Reading Women than I would like, but it’s okay… There are still 3 months remaining!! And that’s 25% of the whole year, right?!? LOL I am really limiting the buddy and group reads these last 3 months and that should help me reach my challenge goals! 😊
How about you?
Popsugar: 44/50
ATY: 48/52
RHC: 16/24
Reading Women: 12/28
FINISHED:
I enjoyed A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2) by V.E. Schwab ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ even more than the first installment, A Darker Shade of Magic! That rarely happens for me. I do believe it was greatly due to the further details of characterization and less action seemingly mainly just for action’s sake! I am enthralled and can’t wait to obtain a copy of the third and final installment in this trilogy, especially since this one definitely ended in a cliffhanger!
POPSUGAR: #18-independence and respect for young females, #21-Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Magic, Romance, Young Adult, #27, #46, #47-definitely a favorite fantasy series!
ATY: #1-In the beginning I thought Lila’s situation was impossible!, #8-London, #10-Lila, #13-I read A Darker Shade of Magic in 2020, #14-Three different Londons: Red, White, Grey, #20-A definitely cliffhanger into the future, #23-Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Magic, Romance, Young Adult, #28-The magicians use water to create weapons and shields of ice, #34, #43, #49
CONTINUING:
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I am seriously in LOVE with this man! Well, at least with his writing!
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
City of Silver: A Mystery by Annamaria Alfieri
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi.
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
PLANNED:
September Buddy Reads:
Fortunately both of these are carrying over into October. My reading buddies are also running a bit behind…
Children of the Mind (Ender’s Saga #4) by Orson Scott Card
Cat & Mouse (Alex Cross #4) by James Patterson
And…
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende to fulfill the 2020 Reading Women prompt #26 A book written by Isabel Allende.
Paradise by Toni Morrison to fulfill the 2020 Reading Women prompt #25 A book written by Toni Morrison.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi