Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Happy Thursday!!  It's been hot hot HOT around here!  I went out to Home Depot and bought hose timers, to keep my containers well-watered in this heat.  Now I just have to go set them up.  Temperatures dropped a bit, into a more normal range, but the humidity has gone up, so the a/c is still running.  I'm packing for my trip and trying to figure out how to fit ALLLLL my library books into one tote bag.  

Admin stuff
Group read of Piranesi for July is here:https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


August starts on Monday! And our August group read will be The Dog Stars.


Nomination poll for November is here:https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...
Keep in mind this is the nomination round only.  Based on our new rules:  books that were chosen in 2019 and earlier are again eligible to be group reads.



This week I finished one book, and it was for this Challenge, so I am now 38/50.

Eve by Anna Carey - Best thing I can say about this book is:  it sure enough has a palindromic title!  And it was an easy read, idiotic but painless.  I will not be continuing this series.

The Trespasser by Tana French - this was very good but not French's best (but still very good).  This was one of my books on my personal 2022 challenge list, and I was so looking forward to reading it, and now I've finished it, and ... that's it.  I have now read everything Tana French has published.  I'm feeling a great emptiness now that I have nothing to look forward to!!   I hope she publishes something soon!!  (and I hope it's better than The Searcher)



Question of the Week
Name a classic author you have never yet read (but want to)


In a previous weekly check-in, we started talking about classic authors we have never read, and I thought that was interesting.

I've never read Hemingway, or Faulkner, or Willa Cather, or Tolstoy, and I feel like I really should!  ... Someday.  

I finished Madam as my palindrome title. It was just OK. I found it hard to buy the premise.

I read The Whale Rider as my Pacific Islander author. I felt like there should have been more to it, even for a YA novel.

I'm about halfway through The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress as my Hugo winner. I can't figure out how the marraiges/families work, but it's pretty interesting for a sci-fi book.

I've started Hissing Cousins: The Untold Story of Eleanor Roosevelt and Alice Roosevelt Longworth as my book with an onomatopoeia in the title. Not too far into it, but pretty ineresting.

QOTW: I feel like I've read at least 1 book from most of the classic authors. You mentioned Willa Cather an i realize I haven't read any by her, so maybe her and Edith Wharton. I'd also say Kafka, but I'm not sure I actually want to:)

Happy Thursday! It's been hot and HUMID here. We had a bit of rain yesterday which was much appreciated, and it's fairly overcast this morning too. They're not calling for rain until next week but I'm keeping my fingers crossed anyway.

My current audiobook, The Makers of Scotland, sent me back into my semi-regular spiral of Gaelic music on Monday, and in all that excitement I discovered a new (to me, it's been going since 2019) podcast where stories from Irish myth are retold: https://candlelittales.ie/

Feeling very accomplished on the book front this week, I knocked four off my list!
The Accidental Empress - I'd been away from this for long enough that it was time to DNF. Surprisingly clunky writing. Which also means I can ditch the sequel from my plans and shelf. ((More space!!))
The Warmth of Other Suns: the Epic Story of America's Great Migration - 5 stars. Just incredible. I don't care how long it takes Isabel Wilkerson to write her next book, I'll be right there waiting for it. Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner
Catwoman, Volume 8: Run Like Hell - 4 stars. A great wrap to this uneven run and a solid ending to the mafia storyline.
One of Us Is Lying - 3 stars. I was never bored and I liked the main characters, but I had my suspicions about the whodunnit and I didn't like it. Misleading title

PS 38/50

Currently:
Dreaming the Eagle - This is dense, 450p with small print, but the writing is incredible and I'm enjoying myself very much. Begins with the last letter of your previous read
The Makers of Scotland: Picts, Romans, Gaels and Vikings - Happy to find a shorter nonfic/history piece after Warmth of Other Suns, and it's an excellent period to learn about!

Upcoming:
Women in the Picture: What Culture Does with Female Bodies - Nonfiction art history choice in my Radical Reads group
A Plain-Dealing Villain - Back on my Faust BS. I'm hoping to get caught up before the end of the year (this is book 4 of 10, and 10 just released last week), but there's also the Harmony Black spin-off series to worry about and the Wisdom's Grave trilogy... I'm salivating just thinking of it all.
The Reign of Wolf 21: The Saga of Yellowstone’s Legendary Druid Pack - I read the first book in this nonfiction trilogy last year and I'm excited to get back to it!
The Name of the Rose - Another one of my "I think it's finally gonna happen" books
Clap When You Land - I actually can't believe it's taken me this long to get ahold of more Elizabeth Acevedo

QOTW: Name a classic author you have never yet read (but want to)
Oh gosh, a bunch! Tolstoy for sure. Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Maya Angelou. James Joyce. George Eliot. Richard Wright. George Sand.

Feeling a bit more like myself this week, though still tired and coughing. At least I tested negative. Was meant to be going to the New Forest Show this week but just not got the energy to be walking round all day.

Finished:
The Trees by Percival Everett for Anisfield-Wolf winner. Looking at reviews most people who loved this found it funny, but I didn't. Humour's so subjective but without it this felt really flat. (view spoiler)[On the AW prize website it said the author didn't like zombies books, and he didn't want to write a zombie book, but he came up with an idea that was zombies. Why on earth did he write this with the random zombies at the end? (hide spoiler)] I did listen to this while having covid so maybe I missed something but it was so random. I see this is Booker longlisted so I've actually read one of them for once.

Dead Water by C.A. Fletcher for ATY (set near a body of water). I loved the Scottish island setting. It's super slow to get going because instead of just killing of faceless nobodies, everyone on the island is introduced before the horror stuff gets going. So I can see people giving up on this but it was a good second half. There are two disabled characters in it (view spoiler)[and it makes a point not to sacrifice them (hide spoiler)].

Hothouse Earth: An Inhabitant's Guide by Bill McGuire for man-made disaster. We're all doomed. This wasn't a very cheery read but very informative on the science of climate collapse and I now understand what the impacts of the global average rising by a few degrees are.

Eve by Una...it's clearly the week for getting the palindromic title prompt out the way! This was dreary and aimless, not a patch on Becoming Unbecoming, but at least it was quick.

Currently reading Her Majesty's Royal Coven and listening to The Secret of Life: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and the Discovery of DNA's Double Helix.

QOTW:
As a mostly SFF reader I find a lot of the authors of genre classics turned out to be terrible people and I don't really want to read their books which will no doubt echo their views. I'm not usually that interested in older classics so I don't feel I should read them. I have never read any of the Brontës and I do like the Brontë Sisters Mysteries so maybe I should read one of theirs...

Happy Thursday, everyone!

I don’t know about you all, but I’ve spent almost the entire week sitting in front of the television, watching Shark Week on the Discovery channel. It’s been a lot of fun, because I absolutely love sharks, but I’ve gotten very little done this week as a result.

Because I’ve been so focused on watching Shark Week, nearly all of this week’s reading has been done during commercial breaks (just like my reading during the Olympics). I did manage to finish a few books, but definitely not as many as I did in previous weeks.

Goodreads: 351/200
TBR Checklist: 298/1033

Finished Reading:
~Murder at Mallowan Hall — This was a very enjoyable mystery, especially since the main character was Agatha Christie’s housekeeper. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series when it’s released.
~The Princes in the Tower — This was an interesting look at the mystery surrounding the murder of King Edward V and his younger brother.
~Tidy the F*ck Up: The American Art of Organizing Your Sh*t — This may be meant as a parody of Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, but I actually found it to be a very insightful and applicable read. I’ll definitely be using a lot of the author’s suggestions as I get closer to moving to a new place.

DNF:
~Basho: The Complete Haiku — I got about 85 pages into this book, but just wasn’t interested in continuing it.
~Spindle — I might give this book another try at a later date. I just wasn’t in the mood for it this week.

Currently Reading:
~Lucrezia Borgia: Life, Love, and Death in Renaissance Italy
~Fairy Tail #23

QOTW:
I feel like I’ve read most of the classic authors whose work I’ve been interested in. That being said, there are a couple of authors that I haven’t read but would like to…

~Alexandre Dumas — I’d really like to read The Three Musketeers, The Women's War, and The Count of Monte Cristo.
~Geoffrey Chaucer — I’ve read select parts of The Canterbury Tales, and I would like to read the rest.

Yae, happy Thursday everyone. For once I am in a very good mood. I don't think I've ever been so excited like this in a very long time.

I applied for a Master's program and I got in. It's beyond thrilling. The coolest part is that this program happened to be very new to the college. They just got grant approval this month. I had applied to the Education track but when I saw that they had Education with English I went for it.

Can't wait to start in the fall!

*****

On another note:

I got through this one- How the Mountains Grew: A New Geological History of North America .

Definitely a 5-star. It was kind of dry at first but the more I got into it the more fascinating and thrilling it was. I tab and annotate my books so there was a lot of information, lots to remember.

*****

This will be my next read which will be arriving today- Mental Illness Is an Asshole - And Other Observations .

In this one the author talks about his bipolar disorder so I'm looking forward to that. I'm always looking for books on the subject since I have the illness too.

****

as for the QOTW :

There are so many on that list. I haven't read Maya Angelou, she's the first one that comes to mind. Oscar Wilde is another. Emily Bronte. And a whole list of others.

Good Morning, I'm at that point in all of my challenges where I'm very close to finishing. The problem is the library is holding me up. It feels like my holds will never come in. On the up side I'm catching up on my favorite series. I read 5 books for the week.
1. Olga Dies Dreaming. This is one of my favorite books of the year. 5 stars. PS # 6 A book by a Latinx author.
2. This Body I Wore: A Memoir. I liked the book & it was well written. 5 stars. PS # 37 A book about gender identity.
3. Winterkill. Not used for any challenge. 4 stars. If you haven't read any of the Joe Pickett series & you like the Western genre you should try this series. The first book Open Season was published in 2003 so it's an older series. Also there are 22 books in the series. The latest was released in March this year. Even though it is an older series it is never on the library shelves. I always have to put a hold on the next book. I read this one from Over Drive.
4. Second Chance Pass: A Virgin River Novel. This series does get on my last nerve with the "My Man" & "My Women" stuff. I do keep coming back to check in on Virgin River but I may never finish the series. This is another older series with a lot of books in the series. 3 stars. Not for any challenge.
5. An Offer From a Gentleman. 4 stars. Not for any challenge. I can't believe this but I read this book in a day.
QOTW: Authors of classics I haven't read but would like to:
1. Brideshead Revisited

Ron wrote: "Yae, happy Thursday everyone. For once I am in a very good mood. I don't think I've ever been so excited like this in a very long time.

I applied for a Master's program and I got in. It's beyond t..."

Yaaaay! Good luck!

Ellie wrote: "Feeling a bit more like myself this week, though still tired and coughing. At least I tested negative. Was meant to be going to the New Forest Show this week but just not got the energy to be walki..."

I hope you feel 100 percent soon. And that end-of-sickness exhaustion is the pits. :(

I am not officially doing the challenge but still have finished 40 of the prompts. A couple of the ones left I'm planning on reading for Hispanic/Latinx Awareness in September. The categories that are still hanging out include a duology, palindrome (of course!), Anisfield -Wolf since there aren't too many books on the list that call to me,and a book I know nothing about because even knowing the title tells you something about a book,right? QOTW: as luck would have it, for another challenge next month I need to pick a book I "should " read that I haven't yet. I've never read the Iliad or Odyssey although I'm familiar with their stories, so here's my chance.

Happy Thursday.

It is HOT in Idaho! Supposed to be 105 degrees Fahrenheit today. At least I work indoors, right? (Weird aside -- does anyone else know how to spell Fahrenheit thanks to Fahrenheit 451? That has to be one of my favorite books that I was ever assigned to read in school.)

Also, this week marks the end of the Summer Reading Program here at the library. Whew... get a couple weeks to breathe before school starts this fall -- for me AND for the kids who like to use the library as a hangout place.

Books read this week:

Last Day on Earth: Stories -- short story collection. Rather meh -- obsessed with sex and none of the stories even attempts to have an ending or resolution of any kind. Maybe “literary” short stories aren’t for me…

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld -- I get that Patricia McKillip is considered a master of fantasy, but this book felt really overhyped to me. It was surprisingly dull, and while the last quarter of it actually gets interesting, the payoff didn’t feel worth the journey.

The Green Mile -- whoo… what a ride! I think this is one of Stephen King’s best novels, hands-down. And if you don’t like horror… well, this one gets a bit graphic in points but aside from a character with mysterious abilities there’s very little supernatural going on in here. Think of it more as “historical magical realism,” if you will. (Would still count for “social horror” if you haven’t filled that prompt yet, though…)

The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor -- graphic novel, and both a hilarious homage to gothic novels and an entertaining portal fantasy.

DNF:

Dead Silence -- hey authors, beginning the story in media rens isn’t a bad thing, but if you could NOT give away most of your plot in the prologue, that would be great…

Currently Reading:

Nightmares and Dreamscapes
The Emperor's Edge
A Buffalo in the House: The True Story of a Man, an Animal, and the American West
Charlie Hernández and the League of Shadows
Sea of Rust

QOTW:

There are a ton of classic authors I haven't read yet (Austen, Bronte, Hemingway, Melville, etc.), but I've never really felt an overwhelming urge to actually read any of them, haha...

Nadine in NY wrote: "Happy Thursday!!  It's been hot hot HOT around here!  I went out to Home Depot and bought hose timers, to keep my containers well-watered in this heat.  Now I just have to go set them up.  Temperat..."

Happy Thursday! It's been rainy here in our country. I attend some seminars this week. This week, I helped my aunt run her cafe and I'm glad to help her.

I already voted for the November poll!

I have already finished Shouting at the Rain by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. I gave it 5 stars. I loved that book. This story combs through themes of abandonment and loyalty in a way that kids will appreciate.

Question of the Week
Name a classic author you have never yet read (but want to)
- I think, I'm going to choose Persuasion by Jane Austen. I think this book is a classic. I have never yet read Persuasion but I really want to read it:)

Currently Reading
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Happy Thursday! it was a busy week for me and listening to Audio Books definitely helped lol.

What I have read this week :
All of Us Villains - Hunger Game themed YA dark fantasy book, I actually liked it.

The Plot it was written well but I was like meh.

The Naturals Another YA super power book, it's kind of good and meh. In general entertaining.

Ark Short story from Forward location! beautiful.

This One Looks Like a Boy: My Gender Journey to Life as a Man A very powerful memory of a transgender police in Vancouver, BC.

Question of the Week
Name a classic author you have never yet read (but want to)
There are many classic authors that I want to read but have not had a chance yet but I would go with War and Peace. Leo Tolstoy has been always a mystery for me :)

Currently reading :

The Book of Cold Cases Already liked it a lot.

Palindrome
Last week, I said that the palindrome was my least favorite because I was having trouble finding one that I hadn't read and wanted to and then I realized one of my BOTMs fit this

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Character study about a trio of video game makers (although it focuses on 2 mainly). I really enjoyed it.

Romance by a POC
First Comes Like by Alish Rai. I generally really enjoy Rai but this is probably my least favorite of hers. The romance development was really lacking

set in the '80s
Paper Girls Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughn. Graphic novel about a group of girls that get involved in a war between time travelers. I really enjoyed it aside from a few homophobic moments that honestly weren't needed. And it fits becoming a show prompt.

QOTW:
My degree is in literature and I teach high school English so I've read practically everything. I will say there is no shame in skipping them because some of them aren't that great.

Happy Thursday! Work is really busy lately. I am taking a class for work and that's also using up a lot of my free time. Good thing I am done with the challenge.

Finished:
Heartstopper: Volume Three I have not seen the show yet. I guess I should get around to that.
The Book of Cold Cases Enjoyed this, as I usually do with her books.
Counterfeit
The Hacienda

Currently reading:
Adult Assembly Required
Upgrade on audio

QOTW:
So many. As mentioned in a previous discussion, I have never read Fitzgerald. Also:
Willa Cather
Herman Melville
James Joyce (extremely intimidated)
Anton Chekhov
That's all I can think of right now, though I know there are so many more.

Happy Thursday! I have a ton of stuff to follow-up on today. Information -seeking phone calls, appointments to schedule, etc. Ugh. Not my favorite activities, but necessary!

Our weather has calmed down and we didn’t get near the high temperatures that had been predicted, so that’s good for us…and I am sorry for those who are not so lucky in the weather department. :(

ADMIN STUFF:
The July Monthly Group Read discussion of Piranesi by Susanna Clarke will be finishing up! You can find that discussion in the Current Monthly Group Read folder along with the posting for July’s “I Finished” discussion thread. Those are HERE. Thank you so much to Teri for leading this month’s discussion! Piranesi will fulfill prompt #47 A book featuring a parallel reality.

Erica is the "marvelous manager" who has graciously volunteered to lead the August discussion of The Dog Stars by Peter Heller! Thank you, Erica! That will be opened and added to the Current Monthly Group Read folder as well as the August "I Finished!" thread on Sunday! This can be used to fulfill prompt #35 A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title. This was selected for August to coincide with the Perseid Meteor Shower which is typically from mid-July to around mid-August. It is expected to peak August 11-12 in 2022!

We currently have two Monthly Group Reads still needing discussion leaders:
1) September: a “savvy superstar” to lead the discussion of Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
2) October: a “knowledgeable navigator” to lead the discussion of The Ex Hex (The Ex Hex #1) by Erin Sterling
Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!

The nomination poll for the November Monthly Group Read can be found HERE! It will end at 11:59PM on Tuesday, August 2 PDT. Go ahead and vote now! This will satisfy prompt #9 A book about a “found family” as was decided by a group poll!

The comprehensive listing of Monthly Group Reads for 2022 is HERE.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Is there a classic author you have never read (that you always think you “should” read)?
PLENTY of them! :)

Oh, my, I have yet to read a book written by any of these classical authors:
Chinua Achebe
J.M. Barrie
Elizabeth Bowen
Charlotte Brontë
Willa Cather
Joseph Conrad
Roald Dahl
Charles Dickens
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Alexandre Dumas
George EliotJames Joyce
Elizabeth Gaskell
Thomas Hardy
Ernest Hemingway
S.E. Hinton
Victor Hugo
James Joyce
D.H. Lawrence
Thomas Mann
W. Somerset Maugham
Henry Miller
Iris Murdoch
Irène Némirovsky
Ayn Rand
Salman Rushdie
Mary Shelley
Patrick Süskind
William Makepeace Thackery
Leo Tolstoy
Anthony Trollope
Evelyn Waugh

Okay, that was rather depressing, since I have been conscientiously reading at least 3-5 classics each of these past 5 years or so… I definitely have many more to go!

Classical authors of whose works I have read one book, but should/want to read more:
Louisa May Alcott
Jane Austen
Francis Hodgson Burnett
J.D. Salinger
H.G. Wells
Edith Wharton
Ruth White
Virginia Woolf

My one very disappointing encounter with a “classical author” thus far is Gabriel García Márquez, and as you may remember I did finish reading Chronicle of a Death Foretold and begrudgingly awarded it one star since I could at least get through it. But I DNF’d One Hundred Years of Solitude at 100 pages in. Now, since I do own a copy of Love in the Time of Cholera, I will give it a try. Hopefully yet this year. I have a feeling that will be the end of my reading Marquez!

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is another I just could not get into. After 3 books I’ve called it quits with his writing.

Though I am STILL not caught up with documenting books, my challenge totals are:
Popsugar: 41/50
ATY: 50/52
RHC: 15/24

FINISHED:
*Double Cross (Alex Cross #13) by James Patterson (4 STARS) was another installment where I felt there was way too much of the serial killers and not nearly (very little, IMO) enough character development for Alex and his life/family. But I will continue on with the series…
POPSUGAR: #9, #25, #29, #40-2015: prompt #10 Read a mystery/thriller, #46
ATY: #1-Alex/Ali, #4-A book related to Shelley's poem Ozymandias (Nadine’s proposal): The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed; The brother/sister team definitely mocked Alex by posing as therapy clients the whole time…, #26/27, #31-2007, #33, #40-The Lovers, Strength, Justice, Death, Judgment, The World, #44, #49, #50
RHC: #24-2021: Read a book with a cover you don’t like

*Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (4 STARS) was a good solid read and I enjoyed it way more than I thought I might. I just didn’t feel as connected to the characters as I would have liked. This reminded me much of Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic which I much preferred overall.
POPSUGAR: NEW #6, #9, #18, #25, #40-2015: prompt #7 A book with nonhuman characters, #42
ATY: #4-A book related to Shelley's poem Ozymandias (Nadine’s proposal): Perfect!, #7, #11, #20, #30, #35, #36, #40-Strength, Justice, Judgment, The World, #44, #46, #49,
RHC: #7, #11, #13, #24-2017: prompt #4 Read a book set in Central or South America, written by a Central or South American author

*Almost American Girl by Robin Ha(5 STARS) was an amazing read! I never read graphic novels/comics unless there is a reading challenge prompt to fulfill! But I am truly grateful for the Read Harder 2022 Reading Challenge prompt #6 Read a nonfiction YA comic so I could enjoy this book and hopefully understand much better the isolation experienced by those who emigrate to a different country/culture and have virtually no help integrating, especially as a young teenager! Those years are difficult enough!
POPSUGAR: #24, #40-2015: prompt #40 Read a graphic novel, #42, #46
ATY: #4-A book related to Shelley's poem Ozymandias (Nadine’s proposal): The complete desolation and isolation of being thrust into an unknown environment and unable to communicate using the common language, #7, #34-Mrs. Halls, the English teacher, journaling, #36-Barry, #40-Strength, Judgment, The World, #41, #42, #47, #49
RHC: #1, NEW#6, #24-2020: prompt #1 Read a YA nonfiction book

*When the Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe (5 STARS) was a very intense and difficult read due to the realistic depiction of the subject matter, but was excellently written, IMO! I highly recommend this as a book set in the Philippines and dealing with WW II and the occupation by the Japanese, then fighting between the Japanese and US forces, and the travails of the Philippine citizens as victims and rebellion fighters. It took almost a month for me to complete this since I needed to break it up due to the intensity, but I feel grateful to have read it. I’m sure this will stick in my mind for the span of this lifetime…extremely thought-provoking, IMO! This was my last June Buddy Read! Bonus! :)
POPSUGAR: #9, #25, #26, #31, #33, #36, #40-2015: prompt #13 A book set in a different country, #46
ATY: #1-Alejandro, #4-A book related to Shelley's poem Ozymandias (Nadine’s proposal): Ah, yes, the despair…, #7, #11, #14-3,302 ratings, #20, #31-2002, #37, #40-Strength, Justice, Death, Judgment, The World, #41-the lack thereof…, #44, #49, #50, #52
RHC: #24-2018: prompt #9 A book of colonial or post-colonial literature

CONTINUING:
*Beloved by Toni Morrison
*The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
*One Good Turn (Jackson Brodie #2) by Kate Atkinson

PLANNED:
July Buddy/Group Reads:
*Raven Black (Shetland Island #1) by Ann Cleeves
*Cross Country (Alex Cross #14) by James Patterson
August Buddy/Group Reads:
*Alex Cross's Trial (Alex Cross #15) by James Patterson
*Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
*Hidden Depths (Vera Stanhope #3) by Ann Cleeves
White Nights (Shetland #2) by Ann Cleeves
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
SFB Book Club:
*A Study in Honor (The Janet Watson Chronicles #1) by Claire O'Dell

STILL PLANNING THESE BELOW AS WELL!
*Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk
*The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
*Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz
*Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
*Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

Hello! The weather broke over the weekend, and we had a gorgeous Sunday and Monday. Naturally, we spent Sunday working on the yard. The second coat of the deck stain is finally done, and now we just need to do the touch-ups on the walking areas. But the heat is supposed to come back this weekend, and my husband is getting LASIK tomorrow, so no yard work for a few more days at least.

Last week, my big boss was in town for a conference, and a bunch of us met her for lunch on Friday. She had last been here in Fall 2019, so it was good to see her again. After lunch, she was going to the airport, and we heard her say we could take the rest of the afternoon off. (The group of us agreed we'd all heard the same thing and that made it binding.) So I went to the big branch library near where we'd eaten and checked out far too many books. Despite that, I only read three books this week, all of them fairly short.

Finished This Week:
Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman's Fight to End Ableism by Elsa Sjunneson. Hugo nominee for Best Related Work. Elsa is a Hugo Award winner, and wrote a memoir about being Deafblind and how she came to accept the disabled label and stopped trying to pass as able-bodied to make other people more comfortable. Tough to read at times, but very important. Using for Read Harder #23, by a disabled author, but would also work for PS #8, Protagonist With a Mobility Aid, as Elsa has both a cane and a guide dog.

Conundrum by Jan Morris. This was my pick for Read Harder's Trans or Nonbinary Memoir, and I'm disappointed. It was originally written in 1974, and it is full of colonialism, racism, and harmful gender stereotypes. While I admire Jan for transitioning in the 60s and 70s, what she went through is not what transgender people are facing today. Could be used for PS #37 About Gender Identity.

Die, Vol. 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker by Kieron Gillen. Volume 4 of this comic is nominated for a Hugo, for Best Graphic Story or Comic, so I picked up volume 1 from the library. The premise sounded interesting: a group of teens playing a D&D type game get sucked into the game, but when they escape, one is left behind. (A review called it Goth Jumanji.) Twenty-five years later, they get sucked back in, and their missing buddy is now the Big Bad. Everyone is depressed, everything is dark, and there is precious little explanation about anything. Not my kind of story, although the art was lovely. Will not be reading the rest of the series.

PS: 38/50 RH: 10/24 ATY: 44/52 GR: 106/100

Currently Reading:
Stormsong by C.L. Polk. Next book in the Kingston trilogy, nominated for the Best Series Hugo. Just started chapter two, picking up about a week after book 1. Looking forward to this one.

Up Next:
Optimistic Hugo Reading List (only two weeks left!):
A Desolation Called Peace
Project Hail Mary
Fireheart Tiger
Winter's Orbit
Iron Widow
Clockwork Boys

QotW: Name a classic author you have never yet read (but want to)
I've read a lot of the classic authors, but not their most famous works. I read Bernice Bobs Her Hair by F. Scott Fitzgerald, but not The Great Gatsby. I've read Persuasion by Jane Austen, but not Pride and Prejudice. I've read the history books by Isaac Asimov, but none of his science-fiction. I read The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King, but none of his horror.

Of that list, I definitely plan to read Pride and Prejudice, and possibly some of King's horror, but not sure about the rest.

Well, my parents hit the road early this am, around 8:30am. I thought they would stay a little longer, but I'm certainly happy to have my place back. My dad was starting to grate on my nerves by the end, but we mostly made it almost an entire week with no issues, so I'll call it a win. I'm exhausted and have some cleaning ahead of me, but I did take off this entire week of work, so I'm REALLY happy about that.

43/80 GoodReads Challenge
34/50 PopSugar Challenge

Finished:
1.) Stay Awake by Megan Goldin (No PS Prompt) ⭐⭐⭐1/2: I loved the premise of this- a woman cannot remember the past two years after she falls asleep. She writes notes up and down her arms and walks around like a caffeine zombie. It didn't quite work for me, but I did enjoy figuring this out.

2.) Lethal White by Robert Galbraith (#8 Mobility Aid) ⭐⭐⭐: Waaaay too long and covering my least favorite topic of politics. I enjoyed the banter between Strike & Robin the most. Should I read the next one??



Currently Reading:
1.) Mercury Pictures Presents



QoTW: Name a classic author you have never yet read (but want to)
Faulkner
Isabel Allende
James Joyce
Ayn Rand
Dostoevsky

Ron wrote: "I applied for a Master's program and I got in. It's beyond thrilling. "

Congratulations Ron! How exciting. :)

Hi! Happy Thursday!

Summer Reading Program is finally over for the year. I can now concentrate on the piles of books that have stacked up in my office because I didn't have time to process.

I had an interesting experience last night. A sheriff came into our yard around 8 something last night. I'm like "what the heck" because i have no idea why a sheriff would come out unless something bad happened to my brothers or sister.

But I say hi. He tells me that they'd been getting 911 calls from my house but all they got was static. this made me dumbfounded because that's just freaking weird. nobody had made a call at all since i had been home at 5.

he asked to come in to see my mom because. i was like sure. don't mind the ankle biters. I had to pick up ziggy because he was being a pain. He checked on my mom and he left.

Well, I know for sure we definitely did not call. I hadn't touched my cell since about 6 and mom hadn't either. I think after that heavy rain we got made the att phone lines messed up and it's messing with the system.

Of course my cell phone could be haunted since it turns on things when i talk on it. so freaking weird.

so that was my exciting night last night.

Other than that I have been binging episodes of Three Lives, Three Worlds, The Pillow Book (aka Eternal Love of Dream) (stream on Viki). If anybody has watched Eternal Love (stream on Viki and Netflix), this is the true story between Bai Feng Jiu and Dong Hua Dijun.

To the Sky Kingdom - Eternal Love
Three Lives Three Worlds, The Pillow Book, Upper Volume has links to fan-lations of of the books
Three Lives Three Worlds, the Pillow Book II

Finished:

Inuyasha. VizBig Edition, Volume 1: Pulled Through Time!
Inuyasha. VizBig Edition, Volume 2: New Allies, New Enemies
The Apothecary Diaries Manga, Vol. 1
The Apothecary Diaries Manga, Vol. 2
The Apothecary Diaries Manga, Vol. 3
The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 4 - I've read some of the light novels(The Apothecary Diaries: Volume 1), but our library got these on libby. and coincidentally, i was reading 2-4 before the sheriff arrived.
Ceres: Celestial Legend, Vol. 6: Shuro
Ceres: Celestial Legend, Vol. 7: Maya
Ceres: Celestial Legend, Vol. 8: Miori
Fushigi Yûgi: VizBig Edition, Vol. 3
Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Vol. 2
Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Vol. 3

Currently reading:

Fushigi Yûgi: VizBig Edition, Vol. 4
Steins;gate: The Complete Manga
Heart of the Sun Warrior

Planning:

Ceres: Celestial Legend, Vol. 9: Progenitor
Ceres: Celestial Legend, Vol. 10: Monster
Inuyasha. VizBig Edition, Volume 3: New Allies, New Enemies
Fushigi Yûgi: VizBig Edition, Vol. 5
Fushigi Yûgi: VizBig Edition, Vol. 6

QOTW: Wow, there are lots of classics I want to read. Austen, the Lupin books, Scarlet Pimpernel books, Andrew Lang fairy tales, the Nutcracker E.T.A. Hoffmann and Alexandre Dumas versions. Plus, a ton of others i can't remember.

I missed last week’s check-in. The heat was too much for me, mentally and physically. I worried a bit too much about it and then my body (as usual when temperatures are over 30 Celsius) was a bit more fragile, so I had to take it easy.

I did finish a lot of books this week. Taking it easy has its bright sides. I’m on schedule for a book a week, never thought I would ever manage that.

PS: 15/40
Total 2022: 33

Finished
Patronen Doorbreken: Negatieve Gevoelens en Gewoonten Herkennen en Veranderen by Hannie van Genderen⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not for PS
This book is a great help to me after finishing my psychological therapy for coping with my back problems (I did ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). It helps me recognize my coping, why I’m doing it and how I can change it.

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not for PS
O wow, how messed-up the series portrayed Laura’s life! I knew it wasn’t real, but I didn’t have a clue it was this bad. I think I like her real life better. I still like the books. And the tv-series. I know now what is true and what not. But still, the books are a great nostalgic time capsule. And the series is just a moralistic soap opera where you can think the world is a safe place. Kind of.
On a personal note: I like LIW’s temper. It can bring you to places you never thought you ever would.

Unterleuten by Juli Zeh⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not for PS
There is a wind farm coming to a small German town. It lashes a chain of rumours, quarrels, old feuds, new people from the city’ versus ‘town’s people’, accidents (were they?) and other fuzz in town.

Currently reading
The Bell in the Lake

QOTW
Meanwhile I’ve read most of the classic authors I wanted.

Happy Thursday! I actually finished TWO books this week! Go me!

Finished 27/50

The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor's Journey Into Christian Faith for "book about a secret". Really good. I appreciated her insight and vulnerability. Definitely enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

On Pascha: With the Fragments of Melito and Other Material Related to the Quartodecimans for "book set during a holiday [Pascha, ha!]". This was kind of heady, but I learned a ton about ancient Christian practices, so that was cool!

Currently Reading

The Lion and the Saint: A Novella for "book with two POVs". I thought this would be middle-grade, but it's not! Interesting little book so far!

QotW

Oh man this is tough because I love classic literature and have read so much. Bronte, Hugo, and Rand are the only ones that come to mind who I haven't read that I'd be interested in.

Ah, temps are a bit better here but humidity is the name of the summer game in NYC.

I only have 8 more prompts and have the books all lined up....now to read them.

Finished:

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels - a romp, a spoof, and I chortled all the way through it!
Murder for Christmas - my last Christmas in Juy read - and first Mordecai Tremaine series read. This is a long forgotten author from the Golden Age of Detective fiction - early 20th Century. Loved it and happy to see more of this series coming into print.
Small Wonder - beautiful collection of essays
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Currently reading - seems a lot but most are well under 300 pages:

High Tide in Tucson - more essays
Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing
An Artist of the Floating World
When Women Were Dragons
Klara and the Sun
Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt

QOTW: My first reaction was there aren't any...I'm really widely read with a literary education behind me as well. Then I remembered: Anthony Trollope! I have never ever read any. He wasn't 'popular' or read much in US back in the 1970s, 80s, even 90s when I was reading more classics than anything other than mysteries. Not part of literature courses either. Many of his novels have been successfully adapted to film and series. I have friends and clients who are groupies. And Dickens, who wrote during the same era (and whom Trollope considered a hack) is one of my favorite authors. An oversight I mean to rectify.

Sherri wrote: "... The first book Open Season was published in 2003 so it's an older series. ..."



LOL at "older" - anything published this century still counts as "new" to me! The mystery I'm currently reading (Bonecrack - for onomatopoeia ) was published in 1971.

Ron wrote: "Yae, happy Thursday everyone. For once I am in a very good mood. I don't think I've ever been so excited like this in a very long time.

I applied for a Master's program and I got in. It's beyond t..."



Very exciting!!!

Britany wrote: "Lethal White by Robert Galbraith (#8 Mobility Aid) ⭐⭐⭐: Waaaay too long and covering my least favorite topic of politics. I enjoyed the banter between Strike & Robin the most. Should I read the next one?? ..."



I vote "no." Troubled Blood was just not good, and I probably won't even read the newest book because of that - they are getting too long and bloated. Each book is longer than the last!!

Milena wrote: "James Joyce (extremely intimidated)..."


I've never read Ulysses and I probably never will, but Joyce doesn't HAVE to be intimidating!!! Read Dubliners to start, it's a book of short stories.

Hi all! Been hot and humid around here, but not as bad as some places, so I try not to complain. A little cooler the last couple of days. Feeling like a zombie today, no energy, not sure why.
My 4 yo daughter hosted her first sleepover last weekend. Overall, it was good, and she and her guest actually went to bed!
I heard this week that my "long" term disability was approved- for 2 months! Lol, that wasn't quite what I had in mind... In September, we'll reevaluate and see if I'm better. I've tried a couple new meds, but haven't noticed improvement, so I'm skeptical.

I didn't finish anything this week. Didn't read too much, the heat fried my brain. I debated not posting until I finished Full Count: The Education of a Pitcher, but I've got 100 pages left, so it'll be done by next week.
I made a little progress in Pachinko. I think everything else I've been working on either went back to the library or I just didn't pick up this week.

QOTW: I mentioned that I hadn't read Faulkner, so there's him, but I'm a little intimidated. Some of the others, I've only read 1 work and need to read more. Like I've only read A Christmas Carol by Dickens, The Sun Also Rises by Hemmingway, or The Murder at the Vicarage by Christie. There's one of the Bronte sisters I haven't read, but I can't remember which one. Oh! I've always wanted to read The Bell Jar by Plath, but haven't gotten to it. And more classics by African American authors. And Mark Twain, I've never read anything of his. Or HG Wells. (hehe, clearly my brain turned on partway through this post! lol)
Curse you, Nadine, now I want to go to the library! ;)

I actually really enjoyed reading Virginia Woolf and F. Scott Fitzgerald. I haven't picked anything up by either of them in quite a while, I should.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Sherri wrote: "... The first book Open Season was published in 2003 so it's an older series. ..."



LOL at "older" - anything published this century still counts as "new" to me! The mystery I'm cu..."


Older? I just read first in series published in 1959!

Sorry, older means first published prior to 1970....

It just keeps getting hotter and hotter! 110 F today (43 C). I thought moving north would mean cooler temperatures. So far no luck. At least it's not humid in eastern Washington!

Challenge Progress: 34/50

Completed: It was a really good reading week. I'd been in a bit of a slump, but this week cured that!

The Wright Brothers: Biography of Orville and Wilbur Wright. Interesting enough, but not really groundbreaking in any way. I thought their sister was more interesting than they were. ★★★

Tender is the Flesh: Dystopian novel involving cannibalism. Disturbing yet fascinating. ★★★★

The Heiress: The Revelations of Anne de Bourgh: I won this one in a Goodreads Giveaway about 18 months ago and finally got around to reading it... and enjoying it! Set in the world of Pride and Prejudice. I would definitely read another book by Molly Greeley. (PS5: a sapphic book) ★★★★

Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show: I also won this in a Goodreads Giveaway. Karl's account of the end of Trump's presidency is backed up in every way by what we're seeing from the January 6th Panel. (PS29: a different book by an author you read in 2021) ★★★★★

My Evil Mother: A Short Story: Bittersweet tale of mothers and daughters and the myths they create to protect themselves and their families. ★★★★

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow: I loved this book! Really more of a character study than anything else, but Sam and Sadie felt real, complicated and human. I really liked all the video game references. (PS8: a book with a protagonist who uses a mobility aid) ★★★★★

A Gracious Neighbor: Secrets, misunderstandings, and judgment among neighbors. It could have been great, but Martha's neediness was intolerable. ★★★

Seth and I picked up our library cards yesterday, so we read a book together after dinner: Bears and Blossoms.



Currently Reading:

Upgrade
Native Tongue
The House Across the Lake
Paradise Falls: The True Story of an Environmental Catastrophe
How to Be a Wallflower
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina
Island Time



QOTW: I have books by Willa Cather and Katherine Anne Porter in a box somewhere (we're still unpacking and I'm still trying to figure out where to put all our books!) that I'm looking forward to reading. And I want to read some Edith Wharton... probably The Age of Innocence. All three women have won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Ron wrote: "Yae, happy Thursday everyone. For once I am in a very good mood. I don't think I've ever been so excited like this in a very long time.

I applied for a Master's program and I got in. It's beyond t..."

That's so exciting! Congrats! I hope the program is everything you want it to be!!

Nadine in NY wrote: "Milena wrote: "James Joyce (extremely intimidated)..."


I've never read Ulysses and I probably never will, but Joyce doesn't HAVE to be intimidating!!! Read Dubliners to..."

Thanks, Nadine. Will give it a try.

Mandy wrote: "Hi! Happy Thursday!

Summer Reading Program is finally over for the year. I can now concentrate on the piles of books that have stacked up in my office because I didn't have time to process.

I had..."




That is EXTREMELY creepy. Was the sheriff alone? Do you know he was legit??

Jennifer W wrote: "Oh! I've always wanted to read The Bell Jar by Plath, but haven't gotten to it.


Oh it's so short! Just read it!! I read it back when I was in college, but from what people say, it still stands up.


Or HG Wells. (hehe, clearly my brain turned on partway through this post! lol)
Curse you, Nadine, now I want to go to the library! ;) ..."


LOL! That happens to me every time I read these posts :-)

I have read Wells, but there are books by him that I still want to read, like ... actually now I'm not sure. I am pretty sure I read The Time Machine (that had like ewoks or moglis or something right? ELOI) & I read The Island of Dr. Moreau, so that means I still haven't read The War of the Worlds or The Invisible Man

Question of the Week:

I do not have a classic author that I am interested in but never read. I am over 30, and all of the classic authors I am curious about have either been sampled or explored. My TBR is currently only showing living authors.

Laura wrote: "And I want to read some Edith Wharton... probably The Age of Innocence...."


In highschool we had to read Ethan Frome. And I'm really glad they managed to assign some books by women, but WOW I HATED that book. SOOOOO DEPRESSING!!! Looking back on it now, I think we were just too young to appreciate it.

So I DO want to read another book by Wharton, give her another chance now that I'm old and grey and maybe a tiny bit wiser. Perhaps The Age of Innocence or The House of Mirth. But I hated Ethan Frome soooooo much, it's hard for me to get motivated to pick up Wharton again. I'd rather go re-read Virginia Woolf's books (some I read in college, and really enjoyed - I dont' mean this as "I'd rather eat earthworms!" LOL I mean, I DO want to re-read her books, and my reading time is finite, so I'd rather devote it to something I enjoyed)

Thanks, everyone. I'm excited for this program. I know it's going to be a lot of hard work but I'm determined to do this. At this point, I know I can. I know I'm ready for it.

I did have to let go of some people in my former life just recently but it's the only way I can move forward. If they reach out to me then fine if not then I'm done. I've held on to those friendships that have been strained for a long time. No more. Now this Master's program is the thing I need to let go of those friendships. The funny part is, I'm not even sad about it.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Mandy wrote: "Hi! Happy Thursday!

Summer Reading Program is finally over for the year. I can now concentrate on the piles of books that have stacked up in my office because I didn't have time to p..."

oh yeah. blazoned truck and all the gear and we live in a 1500+ town so all faces are pretty much known faces. and yes, here they are pretty much alone. not enough money to hire a bunch of them.

the phone part was creepier to me.

Nadine in NY wrote: "I'd rather go re-read Virginia Woolf's books (some I read in college, and really enjoyed..."

I haven't read Virginia Woolf either. I should definitely add her to the list.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Laura wrote: "And I want to read some Edith Wharton... probably The Age of Innocence...."


In highschool we had to read Ethan Frome. And I'm really glad they managed to assign some boo..."


A friend is rereading The House of Mirth - first read 45 or more years ago. She says it is awesome and that she is finally old enough for it. I like Wharton but have never read The House of Mirth, which I want to read soon, or Ethan Frome which I don't.

We've got a heat wave going on here in the PNW, and we don't have AC. This is the one time of year I miss not going into the office everyday. I hate hot weather - definitely an autumn and winter girl.

Finished since last check-in:
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy - 4 stars, not for a prompt. I liked it, but not quite as much as the first book. It was still excellent, though.

Mexican Gothic - 4 stars, for the social horror prompt. Actually, T. Kingfisher's author's note at the end of What Moves the Dead is what convinced me to pick this up right now. They make an interesting pairing, read together. I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did.

Comics & manga: Fruits Basket Another, Vol. 1, Fruits Basket Another, Vol. 2

I am currently at 45/50 overall for Popsugar (36/40 and 9/10).

Currently reading:
Signal to Noise - for the book set in the 1980s prompt. So far, I'm enjoying it.

Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories - not for a prompt, I'm reading this to get inspired to write.

QOTW: I kind of got my fill of classics in school, between AP English and English Lit classes in college. Every so often I'll pick one up if it interests me or it's an old favorite, but I can't think of any classics authors I really want to read that I haven't already.

Well, I knew I'd missed a couple of check-ins, but didn't realize I'd missed the last three until I checked my check-in list. At least I've finished a few books in that time and one of them fit one of my open prompts 😊 I thought about using another for an open prompt, but, it was a single short story, so I talked myself out of it (even though it counts for my overall Goodreads total). I'm at 11/40 and 6/10 for this challenge and 42/75 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge.

Finished:
* Her Name Is Knight by Yasmin Angoe, which I used for the advanced prompt "a book that features two languages." It had some Twi and French sprinkled in;
* The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, which one of my book clubs read as our July pick -- we had a great discussion last weekend; and,
* The Woman on the Island by Ann Cleeves, which was the short story (Vera Hope series). It has a blurb from Louise Penny (who is one of my favorite authors) on the Amazon page, so I was thinking about using it for "a book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page." But it was a short story (plus, an excerpt from the new Vera novel) and not a full length book, so I thought that might be a stretch.

Currently Reading:
* Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward, which I will finish one of these days;
* Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead, which is one of my book clubs' picks -- we'll discuss it next weekend. I plan to use this for the onomatopoeia prompt (shuffle); and,
* From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur C. Brooks, which is one of my book clubs' picks for August. No idea if it will fit any of my open prompts but suspect not. We shall see! :)

QotW:
Name a classic author you have never yet read (but want to). Of the classic authors whose works are on my "To Read" shelf but I haven't read anything by them yet, Ann Petry, Masako Togawa, and Seishi Yokomizo are the classic authors I'm most eager to read. I've also got a bunch of Golden Age mystery authors who I want to check out.

Happy Thursday! A friend from out of town came up to visit this weekend, which was really fun. Got to take her to one of my favorite restaurants and bookstores, and just walk around since it wasn't too crazy hot. It also gave me motivation to get my apartment in order again. Which is nice.

I'm not doing great on the challenge- I think I'm at 18/50 right now. But I could potentially finish if I get my attention span back in order. We'll see!

Finished:
The Music Shop- this was fine, but maybe a little too twee for me. But I originally bought it for my mom, and she loved it. So not a total loss, just not for me
13. A book set in the 1980s

Currently reading:
A ​Court of Silver Flames- I had not intention pf reading this book this year, but one of my friends borrowed the first book in the series from me last weekend- and she's about to start book 4 now. And I know she'll want to borrow this one next, and I got very twitchy about her reading it before me. Which I normally don't care, but for some reason I did this time. So now I'm reading it. Maybe I can use it for found family?

QotW
Probably the Russian authors like Fyodor Dostoevsky or Mikhail Bulgakov- I feel like that's a big hole in my reading. Or maybe Alexandre Dumas, since I actually started The Count of Monte Cristo last year and then bailed when I stopped reading pretty much at all. I liked the parts I read, I should pick it up again

I finished reading nothing this week. My 11yo niece shamed me into watching "Stranger Things," which I had avoided as being too scary. I'm nearly finished with it all. Binge watching at its finest.

QOTW:
We had a card game when I was a kid called "Authors," and they have stuck in my head as ones I should read. I've read some, like Alcott, Cooper, Dickens, Irving, Shakespeare, Stevenson, Twain. The ones I haven't are: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Washington Irving, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Sir Walter Scott, and Alfred Lord Tennyson. No, I didn't remember them all - thanks Wikipedia.

Whew! Summer is flying by. I leave in a week to head back to Switzerland, so I'm hoping the weather cools off there. However, with the heat in the Midwest, it's kept me mostly inside, so I'm getting a lot of reading done. I still have 2 more books to go to finish the PS Challenge, which I hope to finish before the next school year starts!

Read
The Marlow Murder Club - cosy British mystery book with a good dash of humor

Crying in H Mart - I read this for prompt #36 - a book I know nothing about. I didn't really, other than it was recommended by a lot of people. Had no idea it was memoir until I started reading it. It was good in the way she was honest about her grief for her mother, with whom she had a complex relationship.

The Paris Apartment - to be honest, this Lucy Foley was better than The Hunting Party, and maybe even The Guest List. It was creepy as, had really sinister and horrible undertones, and seemed more mature in the plot and style.

Horse - I haven't read Brooks in awhile, and this was a knock out of the park. The historical perspectives and modern day parallels blended pretty well together.

Lessons in Chemistry - I get the fuss over the book this summer, and it was fraught with moments of humor and warmth, but I wouldn't go all 5 stars on it. Just my opinion.

Peach Blossom Spring - Historical fiction told in a supremely readable format - a young Chinese woman and her son struggle to survive the Japanese invasion in China, then the Chinese Civil War, all before the son goes off to America and tries to forge his life there between the ghosts of his past and the suspicion of anything remotely Communist in the 1960s-1990s.

A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting - I enjoyed this book a lot. A mix of Bridgerton and Jane Austen's novels (notably P&P), it's a romp through Regency London as eldest daughter and sister Kitty Talbott tries to secure herself a man of fortune. Easy read, a fun summer book.

Reading
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird for prompt #47 - a book featuring a parallel reality. Dear heavens, this book starts out terribly sad and as a meditation on grief. I'm about 60 pages in and want to cry with every page.

The Hacienda - picked it up and looks interesting, a cross between Mexican Gothic and Rebecca from what the reviews say.

And if I get to them, before leaving:
At the Wolf's Table
Keya Das's Second Act

Question of the Week
I've had to read a lot of the classic and not-so-classic canonical authors due to being an English major at university. Not all of them were fabulous - Thomas Hardy, I'm looking at you! I'd like to read at least one Steinbeck book as I've never actually read anything by him. I'd also like to pick up Oscar Wilde, Jules Verne, Faulkner, and Octavia E. Butler.

Finished:Light from Uncommon Stars So, I know this is a nominee and hasn't won the Hugo award yet, but I'm counting it for that prompt because I wouldn't have read it otherwise. And isn't expanding our repertoire the point of our challenge after all? I LOVED IT! Such a crazy combination of things that blended together beautifully.

Started:Da Vinci's Cat
Decision Leadership: Empowering Others to Make Better Choices

QotW: Dante's Divine Comedy and Milton's Paradise Lost.

Happy Thursday. I flew through my thriller book, but am struggling with reading my French poem. I'm going to try to get that thing finished by the end of July so that I can start on my August books.

Finished:

One by One
ATY prompt: A book related to inclement weather
Popsugar prompt: A book with a palindromic title
(summer prompt: Author's initials contained in "HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF")

ATY - 31/52
PS- 26/35
Series -10/13
Clearing my TBR list: 25/40

Currently reading:

Le Bonheur: Poeme - 20% done

Reading with my kids:

At Home in Mitford - 13/24 chapters

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - 16/37 chapters

QOTW: I have a couple on my TBR list. Kafka comes to mind as one I've never tackled.

Reading 14th to 28th July

Books read
She Would Be King by Wayétu Moore (Liberia) 15 Jul 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

Aya: Life in Yop City by Marguerite Abouet (Côte d’Ivoire) 16 Jul 2022⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy (England) 18 Jul 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review

Spring Clean for the Peach Queen by Sasha Wasley (Australia) 25 Jul 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

Sisters of Freedom by Mary-Anne O'Connor (Australia) 25 Jul 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak (Cyprus. Turkish author) 27 Jul 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

My Fathers' Daughter by Hannah Azieb Pool (Eritrea) 28 Jul 2022 ⭐⭐⭐ my review


Challenges
Popsugar: completed!
ATY52: 50/52
Aussie Readers July Challenge: completed
Aussie Readers Winter Challenge: completed
Middle Eastern North African Challenge: 7/10
52 book club: 16/52
Booklist Queen: 17/52

Question of the Week
Classic author I have not read: Fyodor Dostoevsky and Mary Shelley

Hi everyone. The heat has been replaced by drizzle here, so back to the status quo really. I'm still not liking the new job so I think it is time to look for other options already.

This week I finished my re-read of Persuasion. I still loved it, still my favourite Austen, but I haven't managed to watch the Netflix version yet. The clips I've seen seem completely the wrong vibe that I'm scared it will ruin it for me. Has anyone watched it?

Currently reading: Blood of Tyrants. I read the first seven books of the series back in 2018 and I got a little dragon-ed out and took a break. I think I took too long of a break though because Laurence is not the only one with memory problems. I can't remember who so many of the side characters are and what misadventures brought them into the story but I still love Iskierka and Temeraire and Laurence's bond is as strong as ever.

QOTW: I think I've read at least one of most of the most famous classic authors. I still have a few to go though.
Virginia Woolf
Fyodor Dostoevsky
R.D. Blackmore
Graham Greene
William Makepeace Thackeray
Gogol, Nikolai
Tenessee Williams

Mandy wrote: "Hi! Happy Thursday!

Summer Reading Program is finally over for the year. I can now concentrate on the piles of books that have stacked up in my office because I didn't have time to process.

I had..."

and i was right. the phone line is the culprit. the land line has now been unplugged from the jack. so it shouldn't make any more random calls to 911 from the house.