Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Happy Thursday everyone!

Goodreads is still making me sign in multiple times, but at least it usually keeps me signed in once I get there, so I guess there is improvement... :) Although this is my second attempt to post this! :(

My big news is that the pools have reopened at my gym today! I feared they might not be ready, but they are! After a little more than one month. I. CANNOT. WAIT! I usually only workout Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but I’m going down this afternoon to get a head start! On a Thursday! LOL I definitely need that heated therapy pool and the whirlpool to offset the soreness, stiffness, and pain of osteoarthritis. I am at the point that even my hands and feet suffer if I am not in that warm water working out! YAY!! I am anxiously anticipating relief!

I am in the process of rebooting my IRL book club that I initially founded 10 years ago while working at Borders! I am so excited! Two members are not returning but we gained one, so there will be just 4 of us. A good number, I think! Enough to have a good discussion, but not too many so everyone will have a chance to ‘speak their piece’! Our favorite used bookstore has a shaded area outside with tables and chairs so as long as the weather is decent, we can meet outside. My husband (the person with an insatiable sweet tooth) is thrilled since that means I’ll be baking treats at least once a month now!

Financially, I’ll be rebuilding my savings since I just paid almost $1400 to replace the rear brake system in my car including new brake lines, rotors, calipers, etc. And another almost $600 for a rental vehicle during the 2 ½ weeks it was being repaired. *sigh* I guess that’s what savings are for, but yuck! LOL

Other than that, I’m busy reading! As you can see, I have quite a list of buddy reads, monthly group reads, and book club reads for September!

ADMIN STUFF:
As determined by 24 voters, our December Monthly Group Read will be Book Lovers by Emily Henry! This can be used to fulfill prompt #1 A book published in 2022. Thank you for helping with this selection! So we started this year with Emily Henry (People We Meet on Vacation) and now we will be ending it with her as well! LOL

The September Monthly Group Read is Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas and you will find that discussion as well as the thread to post the book you have read to fulfill prompt #6 A book written by a LatinX author in the Current Monthly Group Read folder HERE. This prompt was selected for September to honor National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrated September 15-October 15 in the US. Nadine has graciously posted a discussion thread for Hispanic Heritage Month reading HERE. Since no one else volunteered, I purchased a copy of this yesterday and have posted introductory questions. Although this wasn't a book I had planned to read, I’m rather enjoying it thus far. I particularly appreciate the diversity amongst the characters!

The August Monthly Group Read discussion of The Dog Stars by Peter Heller will remain in the Currently Monthly Group Read folder HERE for awhile yet to allow for completion of the discussion. The August "I Finished!" thread is HERE! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #35 A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title. The theme was selected for August to coincide with the Perseid Meteor Shower which is typically from mid-July to around mid-August. It was expected to peak August 11-12 this year.

We currently have THREE Monthly Group Reads still needing discussion leaders:
1) October: a “knowledgeable navigator” to lead the discussion of The Ex Hex (The Ex Hex #1) by Erin Sterling
2) November: an “official organizer” to lead the discussion of The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
3) December: Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer! While I do plan to read or reread all 3 of these, I’m sure everyone would greatly appreciate it if others would volunteer to facilitate these discussions! :) I admit I'm looking forward to reading all 3 of them!

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

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Have you ever read a “classic” book/author and had a distinctly opposite reaction to the majority of readers and/or reviewers?
I always think of Holden Morrisey Caulfield from J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. It seems the majority of reviews I’ve read truly despised this poor child. They call him “whiny” or “obnoxious” but I felt very sorry for him. It was obvious (to me, at least) he was not well emotionally. But…I was in my early 60s the first time I read this, while I believe most readers are much younger upon first encountering this classic, so perhaps that could explain much of the difference between my reaction and others’.

How about you?

Though I am STILL not quite caught up with documenting books, my challenge totals are:
Popsugar: 45/50
ATY: 50/52
RHC: 18/24

FINISHED:
*The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo (5 STARS) was a very interesting read. Though I am not typically a huge fan of mythology, Choo’s writing style made this a quite enjoyable reading experience. I particularly appreciated her historical information regarding mythology in the Notes section. Interestingly, if a person was to be wedded to a ghost/someone who had died, a rooster was used as place-holder for the groom during the ceremony! LOL That just made me laugh!
POPSUGAR: #12, #25, #36, #40-2015: prompt #7 A book with nonhuman characters, #46, #47
ATY: #1-Tian Bai, #4-A book related to Shelley's poem Ozymandias (Nadine’s proposal): …passion…desolation…despair…, #7, #11, #18, #19, #30, #36-a dragon, #40-The Chariot, Strength, Death, Justice, Judgment, The World, #41, #44, #46-Er Lang, #49, #50-Li Lan’s father
RHC: #24-2017: prompt #2 A debut novel

*The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George, translated by Simon Pare (5 STARS) is one of the most delightful books I’ve read in quite a while. Some might term this a “character study,” while I prefer “a slice of life” novel. These characters are my friends and I will miss them. Definitely want to read more of her writing!
POPSUGAR: #2-a book barge, #9, #19-summer, NEW #23, #25, #31, #36, #40-2015: prompt #29 A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit, #42-French and English, #47, #49/#50-Paris, France
ATY: #3, #4-A book whose author is younger than you, #6, #7-Recovery from grief, depression, anger, #15, #19-alternate reality, #29, #35-herbs, spices, vegetables, fruits, #36-fish, #40-The Lovers, The Chariot (Lulu), Strength, The Moon, The Sun, The World, #41, #50
RHC: #2, #7, #24-2019: prompt #10 A translated book written by or translated by a woman

CONTINUING:
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas for our monthly group read!
Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano. I had just started this one yesterday morning! :)
Mrs. 'Arris Goes to New York (Mrs. ‘Arris #2) by Paul Gallico
*Beloved by Toni Morrison
*The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed No new information available this week. I haven’t had time to read any further.

PLANNED:
8 Buddy Reads, our Monthly Group Read, and 1 IRL Book Club read! Yikes!! LOL
*Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
*The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
*Red Bones (Shetland Island #3) by Ann Cleeves
*Silent Voices (Vera Stanhope #4) by Ann Cleeves
*Started Early, Took My Dog (Jackson Brodie) by Kate Atkinson
*I, Alex Cross (Alex Cross #16) by James Patterson
*The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
*The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
*The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
This will actually be a reread for me, but I’m looking forward to it since I enjoyed this book so much the first time! And I’m sure I’ve forgotten some of the details!
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

I read Anne's House of Dreams as my book about a found family. I feel like everybody Anne meets becomes family.

I'm about 20 pages away from finishing The Gate Thief and it leads me to a dilemma. It was the second book of my duology. But, I was thinking there was no way this could get wrapped up in 20 pages and I looked it up, and yeah, you guessed it. It's really a trilogy. But, if I only read the two books it's a duology to me, right?

QOTW: I'm sure I have tons. If we just take Jane Austen, I don't care that much for Persuasion, but Mansfield Park is one of my favorites by her. I feel like that's opposite. And, this is probably more polarizing than unpopular, but I didn't care that much for Jane Eyre, but loved Wuthering Heights. And, I don't know how unpopular this is the grand scheme of things, but we read Huckleberry Finn in high school and everyone else in the class hated the Tom Saywer parts, but I loved those parts I ran right out to the library right after we finished with Huck and read Tom Sawyer (which I'll have to admit, I didn't like as much.)

Like a 3 or 4 week update. School has started and I’ve decided to cope by going down a KU rabbit hole and I only ticked off one popsugar prompt.

fave past prompt: microhistory

Not All Diamonds and Rose: The Real Housewives Spilling Tea, Throwing Shade, and Sharing Secrets by Dave Quinn. If you are a fan of The Real Housewives franchise, then this is a must read. I took notes to share the best stuff with my sister. I need books like this on other Bravo shows.

KU Rabbit hole

Salacious Players’ Club series all by Sara Cate. Normally, the step sibling trope or age gap do not work for me but these were all over tik tok and I did actually enjoy them. However, I would check triggers. Also super spicy.

Eyes On Me . Step brother romance.
Praise. Age gap.
Give Me More. throuple.
Mercy. Age gap.

Never Stay Gone by Tal Bauer. Contemporary romantic suspense. M/M. Really enjoyed this. CW: murder of women; homophobia. I have read 2 books by Bauer since discovering him last month and have thoroughly enjoyed both. You and Me is probably one of the best romances I’ve ever read. I've put basically his whole backlist on my TBR pile.

Love and Luck series by Isla Olsen. Contemporary romance. M/M. Are they the best written romances. No. Did I devour them? Yes. Would I recommend them for someone looking for romance or m/m romance if they weren’t a reader already…probably not because they aren’t the best examples.

Fake it Til You Make Out".
Virtually Screwed. age gap
Crazy Little Fling . age gap
Hopeless Bromantics
Two Men and a Baby.

Rookie Move by Riley Hart and Neve Wilder. Contemporary romance. M/M. pretty good.

Tease by Melanie Harlow. Contemporary romance. Enjoyable but not nearly as spicy as tik tok claimed.

Thick as Thieves by Lucy Lennox. Contemporary romance. M/M. Enjoyable.

Unexpected series by Cora Rose. I read Luke first because it was a rec for trans romances on tik tok. It was good, not great and it was the best of the them but I went ahead and read the rest of the friend group.

Whit
Emery. Step brother romance.
Sem
Luke

Playing Games by Riley Hart. Contemporary college M/M romance. Enjoyable.

Necessary Evils series by Onley James. Definitely check the triggers. The mains are killers of the Dexter variety. Not normally my thing but I'm enjoying them.

Unhinged.
Pyscho.

Non-KU reads
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness by Michelle Alexander. Non-fiction. Fantastic book.

An Indigenous People's History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. Non-fiction. Informative but a bit dry.

The Matchbreaker Summer by Annie Rains. YA romance. Did not like this at all. I won't even put it in my classroom. It reads very, very immature and the main character is awful.

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeny. Contemporary thriller. I hated the twist in this book so much. Hated it and hated the ending even more.


QOTW:
I am one of those people who hate Holden Caulfield, I won’t teach Catcher because I dislike him so much.

A little jealous of the pool. I survived the first two weeks of the semester and my students seem engaged so that's good.

Since I've been busy I only managed to finish one of the arcs I have from Netgalley A Trip with Trouble: The Mountain Lodge Mysteries by Diane Kelly which I enjoyed.

QOTW Oh yes, honestly MANY of them. I found nothing I liked from Steinbeck, Hemmingway, James Joyce and several others (somewhere in my litany of degrees is one I left one class shy of completion in english lit/creative writing so I have read so much classic lit) My instructors all thought those were great authors and everything we read left me cold.

I saw so many people read Wuthering Heights as a great tragic romance but I thought Catherine and Heathcliff were simply toxic awful people. ANd the list goes on

How is it Thursday already? And September too! Time is flying by, and now I can't say I'm taking the summer off work, which sounded better than I just don't want to find a new job yet.

Finished:
Ithaca by Claire North for ATY (mythology). I keep thinking I'm done with Greek retellings, and I probably wouldn't have read this if I hadn't been sent a random review copy, but I enjoyed it. Told from Hera's point of view, it adds an extra element and it focuses on the question of how Ithaca kept going when all the men were away and poor Penelope was having to spend her days avoiding marrying a new husband.

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood for ATY (2022 release). This was cute, even though I think Ali Hazelwood might be a bit of a one trick pony. At least publishers are aware there are people like both science and romance, and I hope the inevitable copy cats don't just copy her plot.

I'm taking the opportunity to read a book starting with the last letter of my previous read now, since I finally had two books that matched up and I'm now reading Notorious Sorcerer. I've stalled on Flowers for Algernon a bit, I'm not loving the smart version of Charlie, and there is a lot of child abuse in it, so it's not really a relaxing read.

Maybe my QOTW answer is Flowers for Algernon, though I do think it's all very sad, which seems to be the general gist of reviews.

Happy Thursday!

Lynn, I feel you wrt car work. I got all four brakes and rotors replaced last week and I was out $700. Oof. Time to lie low and READ!

Hubby and I are doing a quick (local) overnight camping trip to test out our new tent and air mattresses as soon as I get off work this afternoon. It’s been ages since we’ve been tent camping and I’m excited because the weather is nice (AND IT’S SEPTEMBERRRR). We’re doing our regular September motorcycle trip next week, so this gives us time to at least break in the new equipment.

I didn’t finish much in the way of books this week, but that’s mostly because Babel has consumed my every free hour when I haven’t been working.

Finished:
The Dark Is Rising - 2.5 stars. This was a disappointment after loving my reread of book 1, but I’m holding out hope for book 3 because the original MCs will be back. I’m kind of reminded of Narnia when Lewis randomly ditched the Pevensie kids for Eustace Scrubb (although Will Stanton is nowhere near as awful, thankfully).

Conspirata - DNF. I couldn’t pay attention to the audiobook to save my life. Between the overload of Roman names and the change of narrator, this had me fearing the worst as far as audio slumps go. I may yet come back and try again, but not right away.

The Reign of Wolf 21: The Saga of Yellowstone’s Legendary Druid Pack - 3.5 stars. Rick’s not a great writer and his field notes are often repetitive, but the moments when he can weave together a narrative of how the wolves are interacting, those are magic. My husband also stumbled on the Yellowstone Wolf Dynasty documentary on Hulu, so I got to see 21 in action. What a gorgeous animal. Starts with the last letter of your most recent read - I started this after my reread of Fantasy Heartbreaker

PS 41/50

Currently:
Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution - My most anticipated book of the year is INTENSE beyond all imagining. The depth of the world-building, the characterizations, everything about this is so incredibly good and infuriating and mind-blowing. I’ve had to put it down multiple times to do calming breathing exercises – certain characters are absolutely AWFUL and if this wasn’t a library book I’d’ve thrown it against the wall ten times by now. In the span of two pages, no less. Favorite past prompt - dark academia.

What Souls Are Made Of: A Wuthering Heights Remix - I was hoping to finish this before I started Babel but it didn’t happen, so it’s waiting patiently for me to come back. This is actually my first Tasha Suri book and I’m enjoying her writing style. Heathcliff is choppy in his narrations but it doesn’t bother me too much.

Pointe - My first Brandy Colbert book! I’ve had this on my TBR since 2014, the year I joined GR. This is darker than I expected but I’m enjoying it considerably.

Dreaming the Eagle - On hold until I can knock out Babel and Souls. My poor neglected Breaca.

Upcoming:
I'm Glad My Mom Died - The audio came available after I’d already started Pointe, but I started listening to it in the car on my commute home. I’ll probably get to it properly tomorrow. It’s not an easy listen by any means but I’m glad Jennette wrote it and narrates it.

House of Whispers, Vol. 1: The Power Divided - I didn’t realize this was a continuation of the Sandman universe and it makes me even more glad I finished Sandman already. Bring on the new characters!

Mademoiselle Revolution - Another new release I snagged from the library, hoping I'll have time for it!!

Red Knight Falling - I’m ready for more Harmony

QOTW: Have you ever read a “classic” book/author and had a distinctly opposite reaction to the majority of readers and/or reviewers?
I've tried Jane Eyre twice and I just can't get into it. Everyone I know loves this book. LOVES it. I'm gonna try it one more time and if it doesn't work then I'll know it's just not for me.

Happy Thursday!   It's sunny here right now, but that's been subject to change at a rapid pace - we've had several storm fronts move through this week.


This week I read 3 books, DNF'ed 2, none for this Challenge, so I remain 40/50.  

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley- this was my book club's choice for September.  I hated it.  This is the second book I've read by Foley and that's it, I'm never reading another book by her. Our meeting is this Wednesday, and I'm going to be polite about it (because it's one of "those" book clubs, where negative opinions are frowned on) but you heard it here first! I hated it!

Deaf Republic poems by Ilya Kaminsky - very disappointing.

Passing by Nella Larsen - one of the must-read books on my list to read in 2022; this was really good, but I expected it to be fantastic and it was "only" really good, so I was a bit disappointed. Even though it was really good. Apparently it ruined me for other books, because I've been doing nothing but DNF since I finished it!


And I DNF'ed two books in a row (have you ever found yourself in a sort of DNF rut, where every book you pick up, you drop again?)

Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes - this is just NOT for me.  If you love Becky Chambers, you might enjoy this.

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia - In fairness, it might just have been the audiobook reader who set me off, but it was sooooo full of draaaaama, I just could NOT with this book.  If you love Chanel Cleeton, you might enjoy this.

So my HHM reading is off to a "great" start.     Hopefully my next book is better. (I just downloaded The Regional Office is Under Attack! - fingers crossed!)


My reading pace really slowed down this year, and that's kind of intentional - last year I started to feel like I was racing through books too quickly.  But I apparently neglected to inform that part of my brain that puts library books on hold!  I have so many books on hold!! I've been suspending holds all year, pushing them back and back and back, and it's starting to look like I'm just not going to get to some of these books this year :-(



QoTW
LOL YES!!!   I loved everything by Salinger, including The Catcher in the Rye.  I read all his stuff back when I was in high school.  I don't know why people hate poor Holden so much.  Perhaps the book has become dated, but it's still recent enough to feel contemporary, so today's teens are expecting it to BE contemporary, but it's not? Or maybe I just enjoy books about terrible people.

Classics are generally classics because people love them, right?  loving a classic doesn't usually count as an "opposite reaction" - so I'll focus on classics that I hated.

The following beloved classics were positively DREADFUL reading experiences for me, and I recoil whenever I see them recommended:
A Tale of Two Cities (so long! just die already)
The Count of Monte Cristo (even longer - why all that nonsense about Franz??)
Villette (long, and boring, and I hate the characters, and it's not even all in English)
The Grapes of Wrath (so dull and dusty - but at least I understood that Bruce Springsteen song thanks to reading this)
Catch-22 (just ugh)
Emma (she was such a supercilious meddler, I couldn't even finish - yes, I know the point was she meddled - I will just enjoy my memories of Clueless and try to forget the book)
To Kill a Mockingbird (I'm not even going to go into it because I know you all love it)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (same as TKaM)
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (I really detested everyone in this, it was like poverty-porn, and it felt racist and very fat-shamey, that poor deaf Greek guy)
Fahrenheit 451 (dreadful writing, despicable main character, TOTALLY sexist)

Ashley Marie wrote: Upcoming:
I'm Glad My Mom Died - The audio came available after I’d already started Pointe, but I started listening to it in the car on my commute home. I’ll probably get to it properly tomorrow. It’s not an easy listen by any means but I’m glad Jennette wrote it and narrates it.

This is my upcoming too. I ordered a copy like 3 weeks ago but it's been taking forever for it to arrive since it's been sold out and they've needed to get new copies at the warehouses. Hopefully, I'll be able to finally get it by next week.

Cornerofmadness wrote: "I saw so many people read Wuthering Heights as a great tragic romance but I thought Catherine and Heathcliff were simply toxic awful people. ..."


I LOVE Wuthering Heights!!! For sure it's no happy romance, it's a tragedy about two assholes who destroy each other and themselves. In some ways it's a precursor to books like Strangers on a Train where people get gripped by a complete downward spiral and cannot escape.

Ellie wrote: "How is it Thursday already? And September too! Time is flying by, and now I can't say I'm taking the summer off work, which sounded better than I just don't want to find a new job yet.
..."


Right? I spent most of yesterday thinking it was Tuesday. I suspect I sent out some very confusing work emails thanks to that misapprehension of mine. And today I woke up, looked at my phone as I blearily stepped into the bathroom, and I just STARED. How could my phone calendar say "1"????? I spent far too long considering that maybe my phone was broken. Because there was NO WAY today is Thursday, Sept 1st. NO WAY

now that I know it's one day closer to our US holiday weekend, the entire day has felt like a goddamned holiday.


good luck on your impending job hunt.

Can't believe it's already Thursday and September! Crazy to think we're getting close to the end of the year now. Even though summer doesn't officially end until late September, it's never felt like a summer kind of month, September always just seems to feel like fall.

Plus it helps that we've been getting a lot of rain lately so summer feels like a long time ago.

*****

Didn't read many books within a week but that's okay. I'm in no competition with myself. My GR goal was 25 books and I long surpassed that. Now whatever I read is just general. I'm currently at 53 though so I am more than satisfied.

*****

All that said, I am close to finishing Louise Erdrich's Justice Trilogy: Cultural and Critical Contexts . I just have a couple more essays to finish from it. I have mixed reviews but it will still most likely be a 5-star for me. My full review will come in a couple days.

*****

I found out Debbie Tung has a new graphic novel coming out this month, Everything Is OK so I'm excited for this one. I loved Book Love and Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert's Story. I plan to do rereads on those now.

*****

Lastly, there's a tag on TikTok called #ReadBIPOCBooks which I'm planning on doing. It's basically that, reading books by bipoc authors in the month of September.

*****

Have you ever read a “classic” book/author and had a distinctly opposite reaction to the majority of readers and/or reviewers?

If you want to count Beloved as a classic (whether past or semi-current) this one certainly fits. I just could not get into the storyline. I tried but it got to the point that after the first three chapters I DNF'd it. I then read the ending to see if I would like it and if it was worth continuing the rest but even then I did not get into it.

As for other past classics, can't say that there are much. I read a lot throughout school but none that I could really classify for this. There were ones I didn't like, sure, but nothing like this.

I suppose if anything, one that could come close is/was Of Mice and Men. Both of the characters, Lenny especially, were so annoying. I always tried to skip Lenny's scenes even though he was essential to the storylines.

Cornerofmadness wrote: "I saw so many people read Wuthering Heights as a great tragic romance but I thought Catherine and Heathcliff were simply toxic awful people. ANd the list goes on..."

I love Wuthering Heights, but I in no way, shape, or form think it's a romance. It's a story about lust, jealousy, power, and control.

Ashley Marie wrote: "Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution - My most anticipated book of the year is INTENSE beyond all imagining...."


This has been getting some GREAT reviews, but I'm super hesitant, because I tried to read The Poppy War and I had to set it down because I couldn't handle the flowery writing. So far, no review has said the writing style is different. What are your thoughts?


(I wasn't a huge fan of Jane Eyre, either. Just, in general, I'm not a fan of Charlotte Brontë.)

Good Morning!

It is two weeks 'til I start story hour once again. So my reading list will definitely add at least one easy book per week.

I've begun the process of getting a ton of books out of my office. It's been hard. Baker & Taylor (my book ordering place for work) has had a ransomware attack. I haven't been able to buy this month's books. I'm not sure when I can. It puts me in a bind. Sigh.

I'm also doing my yearly weeding of the YA section. It definitely needs it. I have a few shelves that are at capacity and there isn't much room to shift, especially in the M section. Sooo full!

Finished:

Steam Train, Dream Train
Time for School, Little Blue Truck
Fiona the Hippo
Grumpy Monkey
As you can tell, my nephew visited for a few hours on the weekend. So my reading schedule was disturbed.

How to Treat Magical Beasts: Mine and Master's Medical Journal Vol. 1
How to Treat Magical Beasts: Mine and Master’s Medical Journal, Vol. 2
How to Treat Magical Beasts: Mine and Master’s Medical Journal, Vol. 3
How to Treat Magical Beasts: Mine and Master’s Medical Journal, Vol. 4
How to Treat Magical Beasts: Mine and Master’s Medical Journal, Vol. 5
Inuyasha. VizBig Edition, Volume 4: Hard Choices
Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Vol. 4
Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, Vol. 5
Sad that our system does not have any more in either physical or ebook. 😭

Came the Mirror & Other Tales

Continuing:

Cemetery Boys
Inuyasha. VizBig Edition, Volume 1: Pulled Through Time!
Onmyoji and Tengu Eyes: The Spirit Hunters of Tomoe Vol. 1


Planning:

I'm so up in the air right now I don't know what I'm going to read next.

QOTW:

I definitely dnfed Huckleberry Finn about 10 pages into the book. I don't like the use of a particular word (even within historical context) and I put it down. I never looked back. Still got a passing grade for it in high school english. (thank you HF movies and Wishbone 🤣)

37/50

Finished: Witchlings Used this for prompt set in a matriarchal society. The characters were interesting, but it was just a meh read for me. Didn't realize this would fit until partway through the book. It's my favorite when this happens! Happened for the next book as well:

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid for book set in the 1980's. This is a tiny bit of a stretch since it was published in 1979. But it has frequent reference to record players, so definitely feels very dated. The attempt of this book to compare isomorphisms of music, art, and math was very interesting. I'm afraid I didn't get all of it though and had to gloss over parts of it like prepositional calculus.

QotW: Pride and Prejudice supposedly has one of the most complex female characters in English literature. I found Elizabeth to be vapid, with nothing to do better with her time than attend salons and moon over bachelors. I've read it twice. The first time was on my own and I liked it all right. The second time it was for high school English class and I HATED it. A lot of the problem had to do with the teacher, who hit us over the head with any symbolism. The Scarlet Letter was even worse. That book already hits you over the head with symbolism. No need to do it twice. Since my high school days, I've pretty much lost interest in reading classics. Been there, done that.

The Dark Is Rising - 2.5 stars. This was a disappointment after loving my reread of book 1, but I’m holding out hope for book 3 because the original MCs will be back. I’m kind of reminded of Narnia when Lewis randomly ditched the Pevensie kids for Eustace Scrubb (although Will Stanton is nowhere near as awful, thankfully)...."

Oh man! The Dark is Rising is one of my all-time favorites and one of my most common re-reads. I like it way more than the first one and am more connected to Will Stanton than the other characters. I like the quest element and the concept of sinister forces rising at the darkest time of year is very captivating for me. Sorry it was a disappointment for you!

Happy Thursday, everyone!

It’s been a week filled with plumbing repairs, house hunting trips, and doctors appointments, and I have to say that I’m really looking forward to staying home and doing nothing this weekend!

I did have a chance to look at a couple more houses this week, one of which was almost perfect. Unfortunately, the basement just didn’t meet my requirements. I am going to take a look at another house tomorrow though, so fingers crossed.

In addition to house hunting, my “clean out the condo” project is still going full steam ahead. I managed to make a decent amount of progress on my bedroom and office closets this week, and I’ve actually started boxing up some of my books and games for my future move.

My biggest reading accomplishment this week was getting caught up on my manga title backlist. In addition to finishing Rurouni Kenshin, I finally had the opportunity to read the updated translation of the Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon series. I’ve been a huge Sailor Moon fan ever since I was a kid, and I loved having the chance to re-read the manga with a more accurate translation!

Now that I’m up-to-date on my manga (with the exception of recently released titles that I have not yet purchased), I’m turning my attention to my comic book backlist. I’ve got quite a few titles on this list, and I’ve decided to start with one of my favorite Marvel superheroes…Doctor Strange.

Goodreads: 460/200
TBR Checklist: 400/1022

Finished Reading (Fiction):
~Vezendi's Shadow
~Gaav's Challenge
~King of the City of Ghosts
~The Hacienda

Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
None

Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
~Rurouni Kenshin, Vol. 7 #19-21
~Rurouni Kenshin, Vol. 8 #22-24
~Rurouni Kenshin, Vol. 9 #25-28
~Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 1
~Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 2
~Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 3
~Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 4
~Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 5
~Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 6
~Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 7
~Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 8
~Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 9
~Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 10
~Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 11
~Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 12

DNFed:
None

Currently Reading:
~Essential Doctor Strange, Vol. 1
~The Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook: Extended Edition
~Forensics and Fiction: Clever, Intriguing, and Downright Odd Questions from Crime Writers

QOTW:
The two books that spring to mind are Catch-22 and Slaughterhouse-Five. I just did not care for them.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Ashley Marie wrote: "Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution - My most anticipated book of the year is INTENSE beyond all imagining...."

This ..."

I don't know that I'd call the writing flowery, but it's pretty in-depth. There's footnotes. I love them, and I think they add to the overall academia vibe of the book, but if you're looking for something more straightforward maybe... not this one? That's not to say there's long-winded tangents (when I think of tangents Les Miserables always come to mind), because everything comes back to white supremacy and anticolonialism, but it is definitely a lot to take in.

Ashley Marie wrote: "I don't know that I'd call the writing flowery, but it's pretty in-depth. There's footnotes...."

yeah that doesn't sound like my kind of thing. I hated the footnotes in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, this sounds like more of the same. Thanks for saving me hah!

Nadine in NY wrote: "To Kill a Mockingbird (I'm not even going to go into it because I know you all love it)"

I feel you on this one. The last time I read this was in 2016 and I happily, willfully ignored the white saviorism and everything else in favor of the nostalgia. Not sure if I'll ever read it again, regardless of what my review says.

Hi everyone. It's been a bit crazy here so I missed last week's check in. In short, I've quit my job so I've been going through a lot of mixed emotions. Disappointed that things didn't work out but relieved to not be in such a toxic environment any more. I'm going to take my time looking for a role that's a good fit rather than jumping into the first available job.

I've finished two books in the past two weeks. First up was Once Upon a Broken Heart. I loved the world building and the idea behind the book, but the main character was really unlikeable and I can't decide whether to read the next one or not.

I also finished Lone Rider: The First British Woman to Motorcycle Around the World. I love books like this. It really made me want to go travelling more - but not on a motorbike.

QOTW: Contrary to most people, I hate everything I've ever read by Charles Dickens but I normally enjoy William Shakespeare

Happy Thursday and happy September! I’m in a reading flow: read 3 books this week!

PS: 17/40
Total 2022: 42

Finished
Violeta by Isabel Allende - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
PS #1, a book published in 2022
She still has it: this book is an old-fashioned Isabel Allende. Loved it!

HHhH by Laurent Binet - ⭐⭐⭐
Not for PS
I watched the tv show about this book. The book is almost the same. Impressive way to reconstruct the murder on Heydrich.

De kaalvreter by Machteld Siegmann - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not for PS
This is the debut of the Dutch writer Machteld Siegmann. It’s about a woman who has a severe depression because of war trauma (she is Jewish). The book has a sweet balance between dark and light. And always a glimpse of hope and love.

Currently reading
Roller-Coaster: Europe, 1950-2017. Interesting. And very timely with the passing of Michael Gorbatsjov this week since one of the key moments in European history after WW2 is the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The Mountains Sing

QOTW
Le Petit Prince. I just don’t get what everyone is so excited about.

It’s been months since I’ve actually checked in here. I read fifteen books in August, three of which applied to the PS Challenge:

* Chick with a Charm by Vicki Lewis Thompson (duology)
* The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan (#BookTok)
* Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (BIPOC SFF)

That puts me at 44/50 — only six prompts left! While finishing seems doable, I’m not feeling that confident b about it—yet. I was about the same place this time last year, and only managed to get to 46, so...we’ll see how the fall goes. 😐


QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Have you ever read a “classic” book/author and had a distinctly opposite reaction to the majority of readers and/or reviewers?

Definitely! I’m in a classics group here at GR, and there are always books I dislike or feel are kind of “meh” while others rave about them. While I did like Dubliners by Joyce, overall I am not a big fan. Ditto Yeats.

I love Jane Austen, with the exception of Emma, which took four attempts over numerous years to get through. While many put it top of their JA list, it’s at the bottom of mine.

Other classics I have disliked include: Moby-Dick or, the Whale, Lord of the Flies, The Catcher in the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, The Great Gatsby, The Tin Drum and Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions.

Nadine: I’ve read and liked seven of the books on your list in message #7. 🙄

Mandy: When we read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in high school I hated it. It was the first book read that year and the book to which every subsequent work was compared. In short, the teacher though Huck Finn was a god. I had to read it again four years later in college, and actually liked it then and gained more of an appreciation for the writing. The prof definitely made a difference!

I'm finally back on here. Apparently getting a new job, welcoming a new niece, getting COVID and bronchitis will really do a number on being able to interact with the group (and read). But I have made some progress on the challenge so I have an update. I am a little under halfway, which is disappointing after my strong start. But I am recommitting to trying to finish!

I have lots of books that I have technically finished since the last check in, so don't think I read them all this week! But, I will try to keep my summaries short. I just like having them to go back and look at.

QOTW:

Mine would absolutely have to be Jane Eyre. I really thought I would like it, given that one of my favorite authors is Jane Austen. But I barely finished it. At least I know I am not alone in this! I may need to give it one more try though.

Finished:
Tiny Pretty Things
⭐⭐⭐
Good and entertaining. It was a quick read for me, but nothing crazy special. Has all the drama and leaves you on a cliffhanger for sure.

Shiny Broken Pieces
⭐⭐⭐
I think I like the first one just a smidge more, just because I was iffy on Gigi's character development in this one. But all the storylines were wrapped up, even if they weren't the "happy" ones we all wanted.

Listen, Slowly
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I really liked this one. Even though it is technically a kids book, the characters were endearing and it was definitely a feel good happy ending. Mai grew so much from beginning to end, but the whole time you could absolutely understand what she was going through.

Under the Whispering Door
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I bawled like a baby at the end of this book. This was my first book by TJ Klune and I immediately recommended it. I don't know what it is, but Klune makes you fall in love with all of his characters. If you like audiobooks, definitely listen to both this and The House in the Cerulean Sea.

The House in the Cerulean Sea
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Love love love. I keep trying to decide which of TJ Klune's books I liked better and it's tricky. Under the Whispering Door may win out just slightly, but I loved this one too. The characters are great, the character development is even better. I wish I could read them both for the first time again.

Legendborn
⭐⭐1/2
For fans of fantasy, you will probably really like this one. It is not that there was anything wrong with it, I just don't really have a desire to come back and read the second one. Still had some twists that I didn't really see coming though!

Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships
⭐⭐⭐
Entertaining, quick read romance. Cute, happy ending.

Rock Paper Scissors
⭐⭐⭐1/2
Definitely kept me guessing until the end. Didn't knock it up to 4 because I finished it a couple months ago and I can't quite remember everything. To me, that means I have read better thrillers.

Currently Reading:
Accidental
The Menagerie
The Vanishing Half

Happy Thursday!

We're having some plumbing work done at the house today, so I'm actually in the office. There's no one here, so it's actually kind of nice and quiet (and air conditioned). But I'm also not used to typing on this keyboard anymore, so I keep making typos.

I officially finished the Popsugar Challenge! I finished my last book on August 31. I think this is the earliest I've finished so far.

Since last check-in, I've finished:
Heroic Hearts - Not for a prompt. I was surprised that I liked almost all the stories, even some of the ones where I wasn't caught up on their accompanying series.

The Winter of the Witch - For the prompt, a book about witches. I loved this entire trilogy. This is going on my future rereads list, for sure.

Holiday Heroine - For the prompt, a book set during a holiday. Although only some parts of the book are set during Christmas, most of the story revolves around the main character's love for the holiday. A fitting ending to this series. I definitely teared up a few times toward the end.

Comics & manga:
The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, A Rún, Vol. 6
The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, A Rún, Vol. 7
The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, A Rún, Volume 8
The Girl From The Other Side: Siúil, A Rún, Vol. 9
The Girl From The Other Side: Siúil, A Rún, Vol. 10
The Girl From The Other Side: Siúil, A Rún, Vol. 11
Daily Report About My Witch Senpai, Vol. 2
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 23
Wonder Cat Kyuu-chan, Vol. 2
Wonder Cat Kyuu-Chan, Vol. 3
Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Vol. 14
Skip and Loafer, Vol. 1
Honey So Sweet, Vol. 2
Honey So Sweet, Vol. 3

Currently reading:
I just started Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen. She's one of those authors whose books I never expected to like until my old book club read Garden Spells and I devoured everything she'd written. This is her first new book in several years, and so far it's good.

QOTW: I hated Wurthering Heights when we read it in school. I also hated Of Mice and Men and Jude the Obscure.

Lynn wrote: "Happy Thursday everyone!

Goodreads is still making me sign in multiple times, but at least it usually keeps me signed in once I get there, so I guess there is improvement... :) Although this is m..."

Yaaay on the pools being reopened!

And I didn't realize "Cemetary Boys" was a group read this month -- I just picked up the audiobook because it looked good. Maybe I'll actually participate in a group read this month...

Ashley Marie wrote: "Happy Thursday!

Lynn, I feel you wrt car work. I got all four brakes and rotors replaced last week and I was out $700. Oof. Time to lie low and READ!

Hubby and I are doing a quick (local) overnig..."

Have fun on your camping trip! Stay safe too.

K.L. wrote: "Happy Thursday, everyone!

It’s been a week filled with plumbing repairs, house hunting trips, and doctors appointments, and I have to say that I’m really looking forward to staying home and doing ..."

Ack... sounds like you had a rough, crazy week. Hopefully you can just sit and recuperate this weekend.

Hi y'all.

Still trying to get into the groove of school. I finally realized that I don't have to break myself trying to get every assignment done in two days -- I can spread it out over the week and have a much lighter workload every night. I'll get the hang of this... and I've found playlists of Nintendo music on YouTube help me chill as I study.

Also went to my brother's wedding in Utah this weekend. It was a beautiful event. :)

Books read this week:

Dragons at Crumbling Castle: And Other Stories -- a collection of Terry Pratchett’s early work. Some clever ideas here, including two stories that would go on to inspire his novel The Carpet People, but you can tell he’s a brand-new writer and the stories are somewhat rough.

Phoenix Extravagant -- I read and was disappointed by another of this author’s works this year (Ninefox Gambit), so was a little reluctant to read this one. It was actually quite a bit better, albeit still with some issues. Gorgeous cover though.

Elsewhere -- some gaps in the worldbuilding, but otherwise a lovely story about death, the afterlife, and rebirth.

Static Ruin -- third book (or rather novella) in the Voidwitch series. Exciting as always, but also a bittersweet end to the series.

DNF:

Brood -- is there even a point to this novel? If there is I’m not seeing it…

Currently Reading:

Nightmares and Dreamscapes
Cemetery Boys
In the Wild Light
The Jumbies

QOTW:

Why, oh, why does everyone love The Great Gatsby so much? I hated it. I hated the protagonists, I hated the secondary characters, I hated the story, I hated the flowery descriptions of everything, I hated it. People tell me "well the POINT of it is that everyone is unlikable and it's a satire of the superficiality of the times," but just because it's meant to be that way doesn't mean I have to enjoy it.

Hello! I can't believe it's September already. The Hugo awards are this weekend, and I can't wait to see the winners. Fingers crossed for Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children for Best Series!

Finished This Week:
Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci. One of my dad's favorite authors, and he loaned me the first in a new series about a woman FBI agent who's jurisdiction includes the Grand Canyon. I wrote a novel years ago for NaNoWriMo involving a murder in a national park, so it was interesting to see a similar plot by an author who (presumably) researched how the various agencies would cooperate in that situation. The plot itself was a little far-fetched, and I'm not sure I'm going to read the others in the series. I also noticed how everyone was referred to constantly by their last name, including two women talking to each other, and chalked that up to guy author trying to write women characters. Using for Read Harder's #16 Friend Rec with Different Tastes, as my dad enjoys adventure stories and political suspense like this, which I normally don't read.

Ruby Fever by Ilona Andrews. Last book in Catalina's trilogy, and wraps up the series nicely, including a few plot points I didn't expect to get resolved so easily. I completely did not call a lot of the plot reveals, which makes me happy. I was also glad that the revelations from earlier books were explained in ways that made sense and didn't feel like a betrayal of the reader's trust. Using for #1, Published in 2022.

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher. Next book in the World of the White Rat series, nominated for the Hugo award. This is a series only in the sense that everything is set in the same world, but the characters from the Clocktaur Wars duology don't appear, and there's only a passing reference to the end of those wars a few years ago. This book itself was enjoyable - I saw someone called it Cozy Fantasy, where it's a fantastical setting, but the stakes are not world-ending. Halle's relatives are trying to steal her inheritance, and she's trying to secure it, with the help from someone who's stuck in an enchanted sword. Using for Read Harder's #7, Romance with Protagonist over 40, as it's mentioned that Sarkis was over 40 when he went into the sword, and he's been in the sword for a very long time.

PS: 40/50 RH: 12/24 ATY: 47/52 GR: 129/100

Currently Reading:
Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews. Listening to the Graphic Audio full cast production, and am getting close to the end. Maybe an hour and a half to go. Love Orro and Cookie.

Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul by Charles King. No progress, need to get back to it.

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser. Also no progress. Probably need to start over.

See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon. I tried to write a time loop novel for NaNoWriMo years ago (a different year than the Canyonlands murder novel), so I was eager to read this book when I discovered it was someone reliving the same day repeatedly. I read the first few pages yesterday, and I already don't like the protagonist (she left multiple full bowls of pasta in her room overnight. Ew). Hoping the character gets better as the book goes on.

Up Next:
Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher. Next in the White Rate world. Not sure if there is any connection to Swordheart or not. There were paladins in that book at one point, and I'm curious if it's them in this trilogy. Haven't started yet.

Be the Serpent by Seanan McGuire. The latest book in the October Daye series came out on Tuesday, but I preordered it from an independent bookstore across the country, and they haven't shipped it yet. I'm not sure when it will arrive, so I have time to reread earlier books in the series as I need. Definitely When Sorrows Come, but I'm not sure what else I'll need to hit.

QotW: Have you ever read a “classic” book/author and had a distinctly opposite reaction to the majority of readers and/or reviewers?
The question implies that you disliked something others consider an amazing classic, and that you are in the wrong for disliking it. My reaction was the opposite. I had to read Persuasion by Jane Austen in my freshmen lit class in college, and I was the only person in the class who did enjoy it. I maintain that everyone loving Snow Falling on Cedars when we read it next was a reaction to how glad they were to be done with Persuasion.

Kenya wrote: "Hi y'all.

Still trying to get into the groove of school. I finally realized that I don't have to break myself trying to get every assignment done in two days -- I can spread it out over the week a..."

Keeping you in my thoughts with good wishes for school, Kenya! I have a few friend who've gone back to college in their 30s and it looks like a big adjustment. I toss the idea around sometimes but I'm waiting until I don't owe $11k in loans, which will take a few more years yet.

Heather L wrote: "It’s been months since I’ve actually checked in here. I read fifteen books in August, three of which applied to the PS Challenge:

* Chick with a Charm by [author:Vicki Lewis Thompso..."

Ohhh how did I forget Lord of the Flies?? In high school we could choose that or the Hobbit - 2 boys in class chose Flies and the rest of us went with the Hobbit, and I don't regret it at all. I read Flies several years ago as an adult and the lack of quotations threw me so hard. No thank you!

Harmke: For The Little Prince, I have seen an adaptation of it on Netflix that was pretty good on its own merits (I have no real memory of reading the book).

For a few classics that I have disliked, I will mention Neuromancer and Hyperion, and I add my voice to those saying Wuthering Heights was terrible.

I finished The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi last week. It did a good job of set-up and payoff, and it was overall an enjoyable read. I'd give it a 3.5 (rounded down to 3 for the Goodreads scale).

By the way, when Jamie says that they could have been doing personal bedroom type stuff after someone barged in, they used a euphemism that I have only ever heard applied to men, so I'm switching to considering Jamie to be male.

Sarah wrote: "Hi everyone. It's been a bit crazy here so I missed last week's check in. In short, I've quit my job so I've been going through a lot of mixed emotions. Disappointed that things didn't work out but..."



Wow that's a lot!! Best wishes in finding something that is a much better fit.

Heather L wrote: "... Nadine: I’ve read and liked seven of the books on your list in message #7. 🙄 ..."



Hahaha LOTS of people love those ten books I list!! But you and I both dislike Emma, so we can bond over that 😊

I'm so glad it's September! Sure, it's going to be 100+ degrees the next couple of days, but I know that fall with be here soon. We're really starting to settle in to our new home in Washington State, establishing a routine and learning our way around without using Google Maps... BUT my books are so disorganized! We have a beautiful set of knotty pine floor-to-ceiling bookcases that we can't find the hardware for, so it's sitting in pieces with most of my books still in boxes. Ugh.

Challenge Progress: 41/50

Completed: I missed last weeks check-in, so this is two weeks worth of completed books. I don't have that much time on my hands!

Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir (PS 10: An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner) ★★★★
Nightbitch ★★★
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau ★★★
Tracy Flick Can't Win: I love Tom Perrotta! I'll read anything he writes. ★★★★★
Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things: Empowering poetry. ★★★★★
Blood Sugar ★★★★
O Pioneers! ★★★★
The Night Tiger (PS 4: A book with a tiger on the cover or tiger in the title) ★★★
Birds of California ★★★★
Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD ★★★★★
A Mirror Mended (PS 24: A book you can read in one sitting) ★★★★
Homicide and Halo-Halo: Too much halo-halo, not enough homicide. The ending felt really rushed. ★★★
The Love Hypothesis (PS 22: A book with a character on the ace spectrum) ★★★★



After reading Negative Cat a couple of weeks ago, the boys (Seth 30 and Elijah 5) are still on cat kick. We read Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins, Marigold Finds the Magic Words, Atticus Caticus, and Cat Problems. We loved Cat Problems! I'm going to try to steer them toward some Halloween or Fall books next week.



Currently Reading:
Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation (PS 27: A Hugo Award winner)
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art (PS 32: A book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page - Neil Gaiman "You must read this book.")
The Space Between Worlds (PS 47: A book featuring a parallel reality)
Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation
The Diamond Eye
Noor
All Good People Here (PS 26: A book with a misleading title)

QOTW: A couple of years ago I read Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms and hated every single second of reading it. I don't like his staccato style of writing, and I found it repetitive and incredibly misogynistic. I have no intention of ever reading anything else Hemingway wrote.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Heather L wrote: "... Nadine: I’ve read and liked seven of the books on your list in message #7. 🙄 ..."


Hahaha LOTS of people love those ten books I list!! But you and I both dislike Emma, so we..."

The irony is that, though I dislike Emma, I love the movie Clueless, which is supposed to be a modern adaptation. Go figure! 😄

Kenya wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Happy Thursday everyone!

Goodreads is still making me sign in multiple times, but at least it usually keeps me signed in once I get there, so I guess there is improvement... :) Altho...

Yaaay on the pools being reopened!

And I didn't realize "Cemetary Boys" was a group read this month -- I just picked up the audiobook because it looked good. Maybe I'll actually participate in a group read this month..."
Yes, do! I am finding this to be quite an enjoyable read!

Heather L wrote: "The irony is that, though I dislike Emma, I love the movie Clueless, which is supposed to be a modern adaptation. Go figure!..."



Same! Great movie, dull book. Perhaps Rudd & Silverstone can take some credit.

Lynn wrote: "Happy Thursday everyone!

Goodreads is still making me sign in multiple times, but at least it usually keeps me signed in once I get there, so I guess there is improvement... :) Although this is m..."


I've been having to log in a lot lately, too. It's so annoying! I'll open my GR page, then click on the notifications, and it will give me some bullshit about how it can't display notifications, and what that means is I've been logged out. Grrrr.

Hi all! Beautiful day here today. But it was cool last night, I can feel fall creeping up on us, and I am not happy! I don't like long sleeves, I don't like layers, I don't like putting away my sandals, I don't like socks and real shoes. Grump, grump! lol
We met my kiddo's pre-k teacher yesterday. Tomorrow we practice getting on the bus. Tuesday is the first day! I still can't believe it.
Last Friday, we took the kiddo to the Museum of Play in Rochester. OMG, it was so fun! If you get a chance, go. Even if you don't have a kid to take with you, it was a blast. We didn't even get a chance to play video and pinball machines because we didn't think the kiddo would be patient while WE played! Lol! We definitely want to go back. But with my health issues, I still think I'm recovering, been slow moving this week. (still, worth it)

Didn't finish anything this week. Made some more progress on When She Woke, it's so stinking realistic (other than the skin coloring part) that sometimes I have to put it down. I think it would work very well for Social Horror- if you define that as society inflicting horror (or horribleness) on other people. There's nothing scary in the jump out and "boo" sense, but terrifying in the destruction of women's rights sense.

Also listened some more to The Nature of Fragile Things. I was starting to get a little bored with it last night, but then a character said some things that makes me think the husband is Up To Something, and now I'm curious again.

Today or tomorrow I'm going to start The Satanic Verses for a buddy read. I've always wanted to see what the controversy was about, and with the author having been attacked recently, now seemed a good time. But I have to finish When She Woke before I next go to the library, so that will probably take up most of my reading time.

QOTW: I can't stand Holden! The Catcher in the Rye is the one that always jumps to mind. I read it as an adult and found him whiney. I think if I'd read it as a teen, I might have related better.
I liked Animal Farm when we read that in school, and of my classmates, I was definitely in the minority of that one.
A couple of years ago, I read Summer by Edith Wharton and I had a visceral reaction that no other reviewers seemed to have had. I liked the writing, and she really triggered a response from me, so she wrote it "well", but I can't get past how I perceived things.

The Emma conversation is making me laugh. I thought Clueless practically copied the book exactly, so I really liked it.

Jennifer W wrote: "... Last Friday, we took the kiddo to the Museum of Play in Rochester. OMG, it was so fun! ..."


we loved that museum!!! I've been there so many times with my kids, and our favorite parts changed as they got older (and as the museum made changes). I've logged some serious hours sitting somewhere in the play Wegmans waiting on my kids to finish "shopping" or baking pizza or whatever they got up to. I hope the Wegmans is still there?


They do such a good job of having all ages appeal, but it really is the most fun when you are with a kid. My kids are older now so we haven't been there in several years.

Wegmans is still there, but we didn't go through it, too much stuff to see. We went to Paw Patrol, a temporary exhibit, for quite a while.

I liked playing Centipede and original Mario! :D

Wow, it's September! Even if the heat continues into Sept. (it always does in NYC), the end is truly in sight.

Still have 6 books to go to finish. Must start target reading as I have the books sitting in a TBR Tower....

Finished:

Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike of 1983 - nonfiction and Barbara Kingsolver's first book. The women's voices scream off the page. Highly recommend.
The Sea Glass Cottage and The Path to Sunshine Cove - both part of RaeAnne Thayne's Cape Sanctuary series of standalones set in same Nothern California town. Very enjoyable.

Currently Reading:
The Kingdom of Copper
Paris by the Book

coming up: The Lincoln Highway

QOTW: Oh let's see....

The Catcher in the Rye - cannot see what anyone ever saw in this to make it a classic! I never read it as a teen but it never appealed to me either. Finally reading it in my 60s...piece of crap.

The Left Hand of Darkness - what the heck was Ursula Le Guin doing in this?

Anything by Thomas Hardy -- Kill me now.

Green Mansions -- admittedly when I was a teen and first read this I liked it, even reread it then. But...when I read it again a couple years ago? Ugh.

Jennifer W wrote: "Wegmans is still there, but we didn't go through it, too much stuff to see. We went to Paw Patrol, a temporary exhibit, for quite a while.

I liked playing Centipede and original Mario! :D"


yeah you need to take your time in that place - there is so much to do and you'll miss it if you hurry!! But you also need to GO BACK AGAIN!!! (When you are feeling better) There is so much more to do!!

Theresa wrote: "Green Mansions -- admittedly when I was a teen and first read this I liked it, even reread it then. But...when I read it again a couple years ago? Ugh. ..."



LOL I have never read that! But my parents (neither of them big readers) both had books they had to read in school that they HATED and they never stopped complaining about. My father's was The Last of the Mohicans and my mother's was ... Green Mansions!!! So I have never read either of those books.

Finished:
All Systems Red - PS 27 (Hugo Award winner) I've heard good things about this series, but the first book didn't really wow me. I'm willing to give the second book a shot, though not until I get through the other books I'm currently reading.

Scout Is Not a Band Kid - Another one that didn't really do it for me, though as both a former band kid and cosplayer I was willing to see it through to the end. But neither of the main characters really drew me in, and their friendship developed too slowly. I did, however, like the 4 panel comics included after the main story.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy - I enjoyed the first one, and I enjoyed this one, too, even if it felt a little more like a series of vignettes than a true story. But the characters are fun to watch interacting, no matter what they're doing. Here's hoping for a third book in this series!

Currently reading:
Cat's Paw
True Biz
Life of Pi
Burma Chronicles
The Dog Stars

QOTW (almost forgot!)
I don't know if this necessarily counts, but a few years ago I tried to read Infinite Jest. The consensus was that if you could get past the first 200 pages or so, then the stories would start coming together, and the payoff at the end was worth it. Well, I got 200 or so pages in and realized I didn't care about any of the characters, and I really had no interest in reading about tennis players and drug addicts, recovering or otherwise. The gimmick of the footnotes was interesting at first, but in the end the book was not for me.

Katy wrote: "Cornerofmadness wrote: "I saw so many people read Wuthering Heights as a great tragic romance but I thought Catherine and Heathcliff were simply toxic awful people. ANd the list goes on..."

We read it in class for my senior year and I thought it was soooo romantic at the time (especially because my bf at the time was called Heath). I saw it far more clearly when I tried rereading it as an adult. I'm not sure how my English teacher could handle the opinions of 17yo girls on this book year after year!

Good morning, everyone! I've had a busy week. I'm house sitting for the next 2.5 months, so I've moved into a beach house with a German short-haired pointer. It's still very cold, especially with the sea breezes, but I'm hoping that it warms up before I leave. I'm here for 5 weeks, then a week in the foot hills, then a final month near the city. After that, I'll be in my new place and no more house sitting.

End of month was quiet at work, so I got quite a bit of reading done.

PopSugar 36/50
Finished
The Crow: Death and Rebirth by John Shirley. I actually picked this up thinking it was the graphic novel of the Brandon Lee film, but it's a later reboot. It's set in Japan and had an interesting premise. Prompt: Book about the afterlife

Resistance: A Graphic Novel by Val McDermid. This was ... a lot. It's about a pandemic and people's responses to it. Prompt: Favorite past prompt - book by an author from a country I've never visited

Together We Will Go by J. Michael Straczynski. Wow! I read books on tough topics this week. This one was about suicide and approaches the topic in a kind way, I think is the best word. Serious and funny in turns. Light-hearted at times, with humor that makes sure it doesn't become too depressing. But, yeah... kindness. I really enjoyed it - it will stay with me for a long time. Prompt: Blurbed by your favorite author (Cory Doctorow)

Currently Reading
Thriving With ADHD Workbook: Guide to Stop Losing Focus, Impulse Control and Disorganization Through a Mind Process for a New Life

Golden Retrievers For Dummies

Coming Up
I'll be starting All That I Am today and going straight on to Muster Dogs to fit the "starting with the last letter of your last read" prompt. I feel like I'm coming to the pointy end of the challenge and when I pick up something that looks interesting, can't automatically fit it into an open prompt.

QOTW
I hated just about every book I had to read for English Lit 101. The two that stick out the most are David Copperfield and Mrs. Dalloway.

I know Dickens was wordy because he got paid by the word, but I really wanted him to just get to the point. My experience with Woolf was interesting, because I kept underlining things going "this is beautiful" and "I love this phrasing". But the lack of quotation marks? The complete absence of anything resembling a plot? Maybe it came later, but I couldn't finish it and I ended up dropping the class.

Ulysses is another one I didn't finish. However, I tried reading it when I was in my teens - fifteen, I think. It's possible that if I was brave enough to try again now, almost 30 years later, I'd have a different opinion. But, I'm not that brave.

I was tempted to put Waiting for Godot on the list, but I can never decide if it's genius or just really boring. Maybe I should reread it and see if I can come to a decision.