Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2022 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 39: 9/23 - 9/29
no promptsCaulky by K.M. Neuhold. Contemporary romance. Low angst. Really enjoyable.
Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen. Contemporary fiction. Not my favorite Allen book but enjoyable.
The Most Likely Club by Elyssa Friedland. Contemporary fiction. It was very okay and not much else. I didn't really care about any of the characters. Also some Elon Musk name-dropping isn't he so cool which makes me roll my eyes.
QOTW:
I don't really plan around the holidays or seasons. I did get Sign Here from BOTM this month though, so I'll be reading that.
Happy Thursday, Lynn.I made great strides on The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956. I think I can finish it this weekend and move on to Halloweeny books. I made it through another 2 of the 7 sections.
IV - The Soul and Barbed Wire
V - Katorga (meaning hard physical labour)
I generally read two books at a time. Since the Gulag Archipelago is heavy and depressing, I wanted something easy to read. So I borrowed James and the Giant Peach. Except the book is written in peachy orange print on white paper. So, it also is irritating to read, but in a whole different way.
The First Rule of Punk
ATY prompt: A book by a Latin American author
Popsugar prompt: A book by a Latinx author
ATY - 40/52
PS- 33/35
Series -12/13
Clearing my TBR list: 30/40
Currently reading:
The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956 - 90% done
James and the Giant Peach - about 30% done
QOTW:
I have requested from the library My Best Friend's Exorcism and the next Skulduggery Pleasant book (he's a crime fighting skeleton).
I also plan to read The Fall of the House of Usher: An Edgar Allan Poe Short Story and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
But first I have to get through The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956, which is horrific ... just in a different way.
I finished The Last Mile. Although it was fairly predictable it was enjoyable.I read Anne of Ingleside. I half liked it. Mostly just stories of her kids getting into situations like Anne used to, and then Anne trying to matchmake and thinking Gilbert didn't love her any more. Some of it was good and funny. Other parts were boring--like the quilting bee where they're all gossiping about characters we never met before and will likely never see again.
I'm now reading City of Dreams: A Novel of Nieuw Amsterdam and Early Manhattan. Not the best epic historical novel I've ever read, but it's OK.
QOTW: I don't have anything specifically planned, but I do usually read something either spooky or gothicy around Halloween.
Happy Thursday, everyone!It’s been a very productive week, but not a very exciting one. I’ve continued to pack for my upcoming move, and I am pretty well surrounded by boxes at this point. My cat is loving it, but I'm starting to feel like I'm living in a warehouse.
Unfortunately, I did not accomplish much in the way of reading this week. I’m currently in the middle of two novels, but I just haven’t felt like reading. Hopefully I’ll be able to dig myself out of my reading slump over the weekend.
Goodreads: 490/200
TBR Checklist: 406/973
Finished Reading (Fiction):
None
Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
None
Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
None
DNFed:
None
Currently Reading:
~The Starless Crown
~Ambush or Adore
QOTW:
Since I’m going to be moving during the month of October, I’m probably not going to have as much time for spooky reads as I would like. The only book that I know I will make time for is The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel: A Story of Sleepy Hollow, which I didn’t manage to get to last year. I’ve also been thinking about getting a copy of House of Leaves, but I haven’t decided yet.
Happy Thursday! Tomorrow's my birthday so hubby and I are going camping at one of our favorite local spots - we've dubbed it CatCamp because there are a handful of strays who usually come around to check on us.I finished a few books this week:
Red Knight Falling - 3 stars, and so far the weakest of Schaefer's work. I'm not a big fan of Harmony anyway, so I don't have high hopes for this series, but it intertwines with the Faust books so I figure I might as well press on. Onward to Dan #6, The Castle Doctrine, next!
Witchmark - 3.5 stars. This was really cute! I wasn't expecting the romance, but it was adorable. The magic system was a bit hazy.
Greenwitch - 3.5 stars. I'm finishing this one as we speak, I've got an hour left on the audiobook. I like it better than #2 in the series but so far nothing's been as good as the first book. We'll see how the final two turn out!
Currently:
The Neverending Story - me and hubby are taking this buddy read slowly, but I like this very much already
The Enigma Game - the first part of this one was rockier than I expected, but things seem to have settled in now and we're moving along nicely
What Souls Are Made Of: A Wuthering Heights Remix - hoping to finish this off next week now that I've got the audio
Dreaming the Eagle - back on hiatus with this one for now, I'm hoping I can at least finish it by the end of December at this rate
QOTW: With October just around the corner, do you have any “spooky” reads planned other than perhaps The Ex Hex for our monthly group read?
Well I did just finish a pair of books with "witch" in their title, bahahaha. But for October I'm definitely planning The Once and Future Witches, Goddess of Filth, and perhaps Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories, although if that one bleeds over into November I won't mind at all. I also have a few more Poe stories I should look at re/reading; I've owned one of his Collected Works books since high school, it's a wonder I still haven't read them all yet.
Hi All, I finished all three of my reading challenges so I'm free to read whatever. I also wanted to remind everyone that Cemetery Boys is a banned book. If you are still looking for a banned book here you go. I read 3 books for the weeik.1. The Man Who Died Twice
2. The Maid. I was a little disappointed due to all the hype.
3. Hour Game
QOTW: My planned spooky reads are
1. The Ex Hex
2. A Spell for Trouble
3. Daisy Darker
This should keep me busy.
Mod
haha you say you're behind, but I say you're AHEAD!
Mod
I've been busy with my OTHER hobby, which is tie-dyeing. I didn't do it for a long while, but I picked it back up again this summer, and now I have SO MANY ideas!! The absolute thrill of tie dye is you never know what you will get - sometimes my idea turns out to be a work of art, sometimes it's a hot mess. Either way, I have a colorful shirt to wear. One of my very best ideas, which I really should have done ages ago, is a sample shirt. I have so many different dyes, it's hard to remember what I've got, and sometimes it's hard to choose which color to use because I can't remember the exact shades. (How many colors are there, you ask? check this out, if you want an idea: https://www.dharmatrading.com/dyes/dh... ) So I wrote down all the colors I have with a permanent marker on a big shirt, and I add a blob of whatever colors I'm working with. It's filling out nicely. And, oddly, my daughter loves this sample shirt and wants it.
This week I finished 4 books, 1 for this Challenge, so I am now 43/50.
The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams - I had no idea what my "favorite season" is - but I wanted to read this book, so I chose "summer." Almost this entire book takes place during summer. It was a bit sappy and predictable, but I loved it anyway. Five stars!
Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse - I had been REALLY excited to read this, and I was REALLY disappointed. I thought this series was a duology so I was expecting ANSWERS from this volume. This is not the final book! this is just the second book in a series. NOTHING HAPPENS. Ugh. If I had known it was just the second in a series, I would have been more patient. (It takes place in late winter / early spring, if that's anyone's favorite season!)
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin - wow did I hate this. Major hate. I hated it so much that I couldn't even read the entire thing to give it a proper ranting review, I just skipped around enough so that I could know what my book club is talking about when we discuss it. I didn't DNF, but I didn't exactly "finish" it, either. When the entire point of a book is to "tug at your heartstrings" with two terminally ill characters, then that book is going to be a fail with me. I guess my heartstrings are calcified or something. Lenni was incredibly annoying, Margot was blah, and together they were very boring. Book club is Oct 12th so I've got to remember it until then.
A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying - poems by Laurie Ann Guerrero - the second collection of poetry I've read for Hispanic Heritage Month. The poems in this book just did not connect with me.
QotW
For reading, I've got all I can handle right now with Hispanic Heritage reading and new 2022 books I want to read and finishing the Popsugar challenge and planning for Native Heritage reading ... so, no, no more reading themes. No spooky books on my list. (I do have The Hacienda borrowed from the library, for HHM, not sure if I'll get a chance to read it before it's due back, and I've got The Daughter of Doctor Moreau on hold - it's a loooong hold, don't know when I'll get it)
I recently read The Fervor, and that was interesting. Not super scary. I enjoyed The Hollow Places and I definitely plan to read the rest of Kingfisher's books, maybe I'll squeeze one into October ... I like Stephen Graham Jones's older stuff, but his newer books tend to be a bit too "slasher" for me. I've enjoyed most of Neil Gaiman's "spooky" books like Neverwhere, Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October is fun, and I always always love a zombie story. (Sophie Littlefield's Aftertime series is one of my favorites.) If anyone wants to recommend good zombie books, I'm interested!
Other than that, the "scary" books I read are murder mysteries where the bad guy might be stalking the detective.
My daughter and I are indulging in Spooktember/Spooktober TV viewing. Nothing TOO scary, because I can't handle that, but "spooky" stuff is a GO. So far we have watched Little Monsters on Hulu (fantastic Aussie zombie comedy movie), Knock Knock on Hulu (REALLY bad), the first Scooby Doo movie (also REALLY bad), we are re-watching the fantastic German series, Dark, on Netflix, and we just started watching the Korean zombie series, Happiness, on Viki. Dark & Happiness are both excellent. But I'm using the free version of the Viki streaming service and the commercials are driving me batty - they put commercial breaks in the WORST spots! right in the middle of the action!! and it's the same set of commercials over and over, sometimes even the same exact commercial plays twice - we've started shouting out which commercial we think it will be. (Daughter has a good track record on that, I'm always wrong.)
49/50Finished: The Prince of the Skies Novel based on Sir Antoine de Exupery's life. Interesting action-oriented.
The End of October medical thriller. Read for prompt takes place in favorite season (Fall.) I rarely read this genre, but I rarely enjoyed this. It was spot on for its predictions of pandemic and Russian politics.
Started: A Sense Of Life A collection of essays written by Sir Antoine de Exupery. So far, just so-so.
The Bone People for prompt written by Pacific Islander. I felt like there weren't enough choices for this prompt, but so far, I'm enjoying it. This is my last prompt for the 2022 challenge!!!
Qotw: Wasn't planning to. I don't really like creepy reading. Might read some Ray Bradbury, but that was more for the writing-style rather than Halloweeny content.
Good Thursday Morning!I did not post last week. I got the newest booster shot because public libraries are cesspools of disease if you are not careful, and I have the privilege of having 12 or so kids come once a week for story hour with parents and siblings. So I made it to 1:20 in afternoon before I was hit with the icks. Then, my mom was sick with a fever from Thursday to Sunday and that was joyous as well. I stayed home that Friday and watched over her and finally went back to work on Monday.
I binged some Viki, anime episodes, GBBO episode, and read.
This week, I have two 18 inch tall stacks of books that need processing three 12 inch stacks that need records, and three stacks of books that need due date slips, covers, and stamping. Not to mention the four stacks of books behind me that I haven't touched yet. sigh.
What I really need a cold front to come in. I'm tired of summer, wasps, and flies. It's fall, dang it! I want chilly mornings and colder nights! I want hoodie weather!
Finished this week and last week (in that order):
Fall Is Not Easy
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (double dipped this one for PS 1980s and aty Time 100 YA)
Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening (PS Hugo Award)
The Italian Boss's Mistress (totally did this one for nationality on aty)
Revealing Her Nine-Month Secret (again aty Light source)
A Diamond for My Forbidden BrideHarlequin Presents - May 2021 - Box Set 1 of 2
Naruto (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 5: Includes Vols. 13, 14 & 15
The Great Puppy Invasion
Continuing:
Crash (PS Onomatopoeia)
The War of the Worlds (PS Social Horror)
The Case of the Missing Marquess (Double dipping PS Sister City and aty Historical Fiction)
Planning:
American Born Chinese (aty Powell's Award)
QOTW:
I don't have any spooky books planned. Sometime between now and December 31 I will get to the book involving witches.
I'm not a horror buff. I like my horror more psychological than jump scare. If I do watch/read it, think more The Woman in Black movie (creeped me out good) than Jeepers Creepers.
Mod
haha you say you're behind, but I say you're AHEAD!"
That is definitely a positive spin! :)
Finished:Dujonian's Hoard by Michael Jan Friedman (4/5, reread)
The Candymakers by Wendy Mass (5/5, reread)
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark (3/5, for book club)
Currently Reading:
Roadmarks by Roger Zelazny (for book club)
Time's Enemy by L.A. Graf (reread)
The Candymakers and the Great Chocolate Chase by Wendy Mass (reread)
Question of the Week:
I don't have any Halloween reading or watching planned. I may end up watching Hocus Pocus 2 with the kids this weekend.
Nadine in NY wrote: "the first Scooby Doo movie (also REALLY bad)"Haaaaaang on. Not Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, surely? That one's a CLASSIC.
Finding it hard to feel enthusiastic about much while the UK government decides to destroy the economy. My partner says I should remind myself if Truss can be PM than I can do any job I want. But it just seems a terrible time to be job hunting.I read one book again this week, I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston for constellation in the title... The constellation being Ara. At this point in the year I'll take it! I liked this, it was a bit John Green scavenger hunt for missing person type thing but also had a side element of kids being queer in a Christian school, and how they deal with it.
Currently reading A Restless Truth (it's set on an ocean liner, that's close enough to a cruise ship for me) and listening to Stone Blind: Medusa's Story.
QOTW:
I am really trying to finish my challenges so not sure if anything scary fits my remaining prompts. I'd like to read What Moves the Dead.
It took 2,5 years, but finally covid got me. That cold I felt coming last Thursday, well that was covid coming. It wasn’t that bad. The worst thing was that I got almost all symptoms in a row, so it was kind of exhausting. Only headaches and loss of smell and taste weren’t ticked off. Now I’m still a little short of breath, but I started working again today (no meetings, best excuse ever). On the bright side: I found out Netflix didn’t remove Downton Abbey after all, so Netflix was my friend this week.I didn’t read much because of covid, too tired.
PS: 18/40
Total 2022: 46
Currently reading
In the Country of Others by Leïla Slimani
De Nieuwe mens by Auke van der Woud
QOTW
Nope. I don’t read because it’s spooky month or because it’s summer or anything else.
Only one book finished since my last check in, A Late Frost by Sheila Connolly, book 11 in a series. Doesn’t fit any of my remaining prompts, but would fit “a book with a recipe”. PopSugar progress: 47/50
Starting: Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay for a classic group read. It’s short, so hoping to finish by tomorrow night, Saturday morning at the latest.
QOTW:
I have an ambitious October TBR list that has five cozy mysteries plus a few “seasonal” selections: Berenice by Edgar Allan Poe (classic horror short story), The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (Thriller/classic group read), and Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (PS #16; witches and vampires). If I have time, I may also read another classic group read, Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, which is described as a “sinister tale.”
Mod
Haaaaaang on. Not Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, surely? That one's a CLASSIC."
No I didn't even know about that one!!! It was the 2002 movie w/ SMG/Prinze - maybe more accurate to say "the first live action Scooby Doo" (because I had no idea there was an animated movie!! maybe I should put that one on hold at the library!)
Hello! It got cold (relatively). We had our first frost Wednesday morning, and there were reports of snowflakes near the Canadian border on Tuesday morning, so it is officially Fall. Temps are supposed to rise today and tomorrow, putting us back in the 70s by the weekend. Which is good, because I refuse to turn on my heat this early, and I have been cold the last few mornings. Extra blankets go!I keep getting distracted and reading my old novels from National Novel Writing Month. I completely reread the novels from 2013 and 2014, plus large chunks of 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 (and smaller chunks of 2018) in the past few weeks. Unfortunately, only the novels from 2014 and 2016 have an ending that resolves the plot, while 2017 could be said to have completed Part 1. The rest all leave the plot hanging at the precise point I reached word 50,000. Well, I finished the sentence, but not always the scene. (In 2006's novel, I stopped at the walk home from church on the way to confront the Bad Guy.) I can't count any of those as "Read," but they're definitely a factor in my decreased Completed count the past few weeks. I really need to finish writing them.
Finished This Week:
Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown. The book that inspired the movie, musical and all that. It's been a while since I saw the movie, but the big plot points are the same. There's a lot of changes, though. In the book, she goes to Stanford Law School, not Harvard, leaving her not too far from her friends and family. Her manicurist is only mentioned a few times, and serves no plot purpose beyond telling Elle she should ditch Warner. I think Movie!Elle is a better character and person, as Book!Elle doesn't seem to grow or change much from her experiences. Oh, and Victor Garber's character isn't a horrible person in the book. Using for Read Harder's #14, Read the Book Where You've Already Seen the Movie.
The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. Graphic Memoir about the author's life, from growing up in Iran after the Islamic Revolution, moving to Vienna as a teen to attend school (without her family), and then returning to Iran. Lots of content warnings, as she had a rough time in Vienna and after she returned to Iran. I can see why places have banned it. It's also interesting to read about a woman's experience in Iran a generation ago, given what's happening there now. Using for PS #13, Set in the 1980s.
Sweep of the Heart by Ilona Andrews. The Innkeeper Chronicles weekly serial finished up this week, but the authors are deliberating holding back the final chapter for the published version releasing in December. They've resolved the core plot of the novel, but not the inciting event. I'll probably count it as Read once I get my own copy and see what the final chapter holds. I've also been rereading this too much, since they're pulling the serial chapters from their blog on Monday to start the edit.
PS: 43/50 RH: 13/24 ATY: 48/52
Currently Reading:
Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements by Adrienne Maree Brown. Due back to the library on Saturday, and I have just under 100 pages to go, which is about 8 stories. I'm enjoying more of the stories than I'm not, which is always the goal of an anthology.
Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul by Charles King. Been engrossed by this one, and had to stop to knock out the library books that were coming due. With most of those finished, I can get back to this.
Up Next:
The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik. Barnes and Noble says my book is arriving tomorrow, although I'm skeptical. Will be reading as soon as it gets here.
QotW: With October just around the corner, do you have any “spooky” reads planned other than perhaps The Ex Hex for our monthly group read?
I don't normally do that, but I may use the timing as an excuse to fill Read Harder's prompt for A Horror Novel by a BIPOC author. But no solid plans for spooky reading.
Mod
Job hunting is HARD and demoralizing. Be gentle with yourself, as much as you can.
K.L. wrote: "Happy Thursday, everyone!It’s been a very productive week, but not a very exciting one. I’ve continued to pack for my upcoming move, and I am pretty well surrounded by boxes at this point. My cat..."
Good luck with the move! Just make sure your cat is out of the box before you seal it up for the move...
Ashley Marie wrote: "Happy Thursday! Tomorrow's my birthday so hubby and I are going camping at one of our favorite local spots - we've dubbed it CatCamp because there are a handful of strays who usually come around to..."Have fun camping! I think it should officially be called CatCamp now -- they could charge extra and call the cats a "feature." On second thought, don't tell them about the cats, it might give them ideas...
Nadine in NY wrote: "Happy Thursday!! It's been so rainy here, rain every day. We are getting EVERYBODY'S rain. The grass loves it, but it's hard to find a few dry days so the grass can dry out and I can mow! Amazi..."Tie Dying sounds so much fun! Got any favorite color combos?
Katy wrote: "I read Anne of Ingleside. I half liked it. Mostly just stories of her kids getting into situations like Anne used to, and then Anne trying to matchmake and thinking Gilbert didn't love her any more. Some of it was good and funny. Other parts were boring--like the quilting bee where they're all gossiping about characters we never met before and will likely never see again."That is where I stopped reading the Anne books. Guessing I found the boring parts too boring. That had to have been more than 20 years ago, so I really should try again...
Nadine in NY wrote: "No I didn't even know about that one!!! It was the 2002 movie w/ SMG/Prinze - maybe more accurate to say "the first live action Scooby Doo" (because I had no idea there was an animated movie!! maybe I should put that one on hold at the library!)"Ahhhh definitely check it out! Zombie Island still freaks me out 20+ years later :D it's one of my favorite spooky October movies, and the soundtrack is fantastic. I think a lot of people actually credit it with reviving interest in the animated series :D
Kenya wrote: "Ashley Marie wrote: "Happy Thursday! Tomorrow's my birthday so hubby and I are going camping at one of our favorite local spots - we've dubbed it CatCamp because there are a handful of strays who u..."Thanks Kenya! It's through a site called HipCamp, which is like AirBnB for campsites :) I love it to bits. We have yet to start naming the strays, probably because we don't stay very often lol
Battling a cold this week. I'm just stuffy and out of sorts now, but it's cooling down outside, and the leaves are starting to change colors. I love fall!Challenge Progress: 46/50: Only four to go!
Completed:
The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity: This book was huge and dense! But I ended up really appreciating it. (Book Club pick) ★★★★
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev: I loved Daisy Jones & The Six, but this one just didn't work as well for me. (PS 21: a book about a band or musical group) ★★★
I'm Glad My Mom Died: Intense and honest. ★★★★
Carrie Soto Is Back: I guess I'm just a huge Taylor Jenkins Reid fan... ★★★★★
The Book Eaters: What an original concept! Adventurous story (with room for a sequel). ★★★★
Tell Me Lies: I've noticed that several people have DNF'd this one because of the unlikable characters, but I think their "unlikability" is kind of the point. I'm looking forward to watching the series on Hulu. ★★★★
We've Got to Try: How the Fight for Voting Rights Makes Everything Else Possible: Beto O'Rourke. What more can I say? ★★★★
Misrule: Oof. What a miss. The first book in the duology, Malice, was a masterful retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the Dark Fairy's point of view. But this one has none of the magic of its predecessor. ★★
Currently Reading
The Most Likely Club
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (Banned Book)
The Book of Gothel
The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe
The Marriage Portrait
The Siren of Sussex
Nothing More to Tell
QOTW: I love spooky reads, and although I'm not very good at planning my reading Alexis Henderson's new book House of Hunger is waiting for me at the library!
Melissa wrote: "Katy wrote: "I read Anne of Ingleside. I half liked it. Mostly just stories of her kids getting into situations like Anne used to, and then Anne trying to matchmake and thinking Gilbert didn't love..."Honestly, I have got so much more re-reading them with my daughters than I did the first time. I had originally thought Anne of Windy Poplars was boring the first time I read it because it wasn't the same Avonlea characters and it was epistolary. I need to re-read the rest. As a kid/teen, I found Anne of Ingleside and Rainbow Valley boring because none of her kids or neighbors quite had the same charm. Rilla of Ingleside is different because it's WWI. Now that I know what to expect plot wise, I wonder if I'd get more out the second time.
Nadine in NY:Your tie-dying sounds like fun.
I love your comments on spooky movies. My kids (20 and 17) can watch slasher stuff right before bed, but I'm more of a Hocus Pocus 2 or Haunted Mansion kind of a Halloween movie girl. (I'm also more a Grady Hendrix or Poe over Stephen King kind of a reader).
Harmke wrote: "It took 2,5 years, but finally covid got me. That cold I felt coming last Thursday, well that was covid coming. It wasn’t that bad. The worst thing was that I got almost all symptoms in a row, so i..."Ugh... I hope you feel better soon! Covid is no fun, even if you get a milder case of it.
Heather L wrote: "Only one book finished since my last check in, A Late Frost by Sheila Connolly, book 11 in a series. Doesn’t fit any of my remaining prompts, but would fit “a book ..."I really liked "A Picnic at Hanging Rock." I'm curious to see how you'll like it -- I know not everyone's fond of it for various reasons...
Hi all! That bright round thing showed up in the sky this afternoon... I don't remember it. Hopefully it shows back up quickly for those in Florida, South Carolina, etc. Be safe down there! I'm doing dumb things like packing up shorts and tank tops and looking at my sweaters. Grr. (though I am leaving out 1 set of warm weather clothes for that random day in October when it gets to 85 degrees again for no good reason but to make me sweat!)
I finished Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. It doesn't fit any open prompts, though I feel like I should get partial credit for the onomatopoeia. Fabulous words like "snarf" and "harang" and "hungk" appeared on like every other page to describe laughs or evasive sounds or other not-really-words that teenagers use. Also a banned book, so that was cool.
Almost done with The Final Revival of Opal & Nev. Still loving it, but it has slowed down a bit. When will she (view spoiler) Don't answer that.
Got a lot of other books laying around, but haven't picked them up as I've been working on those 2 this week.
QOTW: I was really thinking about rereading The Historian for October, but I have so many other books that it's pretty unlikely that I will get to it (plus, it's huge). I did just pick up Tidelands for a book about witches, but it's historical witches, so not spooky or scary, just terrifying (if you're a woman). I usually try to read a classic scary story, but I haven't picked one yet, maybe Dracula or The Turn of the Screw or The Invisible Man. Or something else entirely.
Happy Thursday, book lovers!Not much to report, except that school is still kicking my butt and that I'm doing my best to kick back, hehe...
Books read this week:
Book Scavenger -- if you like books and puzzles, this is a good read! It makes me wish the Book Scavenger website and game existed in real life. I’d play!
Galax-Arena -- feels like a proto-Hunger Games, what with kids being encouraged to compete in an arena and risking death to survive. The twist was one I didn’t expect, but like many books of its type it feels incomplete, like it expects you to read the next in the series to finish the story. And given that the author hasn’t completed the series yet, well…
The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart -- delightful middle-grade fantasy about a dragon who becomes obsessed with chocolate. And man, it will make you crave chocolate as you read…
What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions -- hilarious and informative follow-up to the first What If book. Ex-NASA engineer and webcomic artist Randall Munroe uses scientific fact to answer ridiculous questions people pose to him on his blog.
Lumberjackula -- graphic novel about a boy who’s the son of a vampire and a lumberjack. Silly and adorable, with an art style that reminds me of “Steven Universe” and a sweet message about being true to yourself.
DNF:
The Keeper of the Bees -- man, the author loves her descriptions… and her characters’ long-winded stories that go nowhere. I know Gene Stratton-Porter is a classic author (she wrote A Girl of the Limberlost after all), but I could not get through this one.
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer -- the best part of this one is the title (Elton John reference for the win!). The book itself failed to hold my interest. When I put off listening to an audiobook for as long as I can, then that generally means it’s time to switch audiobooks…
Currently Reading:
Song of the Summer King
Castle Hangnail
Malice
Carter & Lovecraft
QOTW:
For October I'm planning on reading the novelization of The Wicker Man. The movie has fascinated me for some time but I don't have the guts to actually watch a horror movie, so I'm going to read the book instead, haha...
Also plan on reading The Accursed Vampire for my spooky graphic novel of October. Should be fun.
Nadine in NY wrote: "No I didn't even know about that one!!! It was the 2002 movie w/ SMG/Prinze - maybe more accurate to say "the first live action Scooby Doo" (because I had no idea there was an animated movie!! maybe I should put that one on hold at the library!)"I love Scooby so much! I would recommend checking out Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island! It's much better than the live action movie, and definitely has some creepy moments. I'm also a big fan of Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School, as well as Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf, if you're looking for more Scooby movie ideas.
Happy Thursday! This was my last week of physical therapy! I'm so glad its done. PT did help me get more mobility back after my fracture but it is so much work. On the upside I'm much more flexible now than I was before my injury. The therapist said I should look into Pilates to keep my core strengthened so I guess that's my next plan. Challenge progress 40/50
Finished:
Seveneves (PS palindromic title) 3 stars. This was a good book but would have been better if it wasn't so long. It was 900 pages and probably 200 of which were super detailed science explanations. The author could have been much less detailed and it would have been a tighter story.
Signal Moon (no prompt) 4 stars. This was a pretty cute short story. Two people communicating across time.
The Mercies (PS non-patriarchal) 3 stars. A good book but not really my type of story. 1600's small fishing village in Norway and a storm kills all the men in the village. The women have to survive and its also the time of witch burnings so you can fill in the blanks there. I did find it interesting that it was based on something that really happened.
Currently Reading:
Cemetery Boys (PS book with 2 languages)
Coming up:
The Guncle (no prompt)
Carrie Soto Is Back (no prompt)
QOTW: I don't really do a theme read for October. I like to read supernatural stuff but generally throughout the year. I know I'm planing on reading Practical Magic at some point.
Mod
That book was AWESOME!! I didn't fully appreciate it while I was reading it, but years later and scenes from it are STILL burned into my memory.
Brace yourself for a complete lack of answers in Hanging Rock, though. I still think of that book, too ... with annoyance
Mod
No frost yet here in NY. But we've had some cold nights, and I've also stubbornly refused to turn the heat on yet.
Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown. The book that inspired the movie, musical and all that.
I had no idea this was a book!
Mod
Tie Dying sounds so much fun! Got any favorite color combos?"
Oh, too many!! Terracotta and turquoise look really good together, and I like a rainbow effect when I add grape purple to it to really contrast with the lemon yellow (have to be careful to keep the colors separate or you get sludge on the shirt) Purple is my favorite color in general, but with the dyes, my favorite shirts have black cherry & navy blue. I find I like shirts better when they have fewer colors, or colors all in one shade (like a spiral all in blues)
Mod
It's on hold at my library :-)
Mod
WOW your bookclub does NOT fool around, choosing a brick like that!!! Sounds like you recommend the book? It looks interesting.
Author bio is interesting too - I assume this was written by the author, and he's got a chip on his shoulder about Yale. Sometimes opinionated authors make for very interesting books, other times it's just tiresome.
David Rolfe Graeber was an American anthropologist and anarchist.
On June 15, 2007, Graeber accepted the offer of a lectureship in the anthropology department at Goldsmiths College, University of London, where he currently holds the title of Reader in Social Anthropology.
He was an associate professor of anthropology at Yale University, although Yale controversially declined to rehire him, and his term there ended in June 2007.
I’m so excited it’s finally starting to feel like Fall outside! Perfect for cuddling up and getting reading done. Finished:
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore
This book wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either. Pretty much your standard Victorian romance novel. It was interesting to the Suffragette elements brought in, just not enough to set it apart from other books I’ve read. I found the romance, chemistry, and characters to be fairly lackluster as well.
Prompt: A book set in Victorian times
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
I LOVED this one. It was so poignant in the way it examined relationships with parents as they age and the relationships between fathers and daughters. I really enjoyed the way the sci-fi/fantasy elements were down. It was evident and an important part of the story, yet subtle and didn’t distract from the characters or plot. I will say, there were some parts of the plot that were hard to keep up with and figure out, especially when it came to keeping up with what was going on when she would return from her time travel trips. I was so invested in the characters and the emotions that it didn’t bother me much though.
Prompt: Two books set in twin towns, aka “sister cities” (NYC, planning a London read later)
Currently Reading:
What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Sivera
Prompt: A book with two POV’s
Overall Progress:
36/50
QOTW:
No, I don’t. I’m not big on Halloween and scary stuff. I do enjoy a good thriller, but I’ll read those anytime of year. I am going to read The Ex Hex for the group read though.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Ashley Marie wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "the first Scooby Doo movie (also REALLY bad)"Haaaaaang on. Not Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, surely? That one's a CLASSIC."
Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost was AMAZING!! Best of the animated scooby movies, imo. Definitely watch that one. The awesome Tim Curry voices a character in it. so, of course, it's fab!
Felicia wrote: "Happy Thursday! This was my last week of physical therapy! I'm so glad its done. PT did help me get more mobility back after my fracture but it is so much work. On the upside I'm much more flexible..."Yaaaay! That's a milestone worth celebrating.
Seveneves (PS palindromic title) 3 stars. This was a good book but would have been better if it wasn't so long. It was 900 pages and probably 200 of which were super detailed science explanations. The author could have been much less detailed and it would have been a tighter story.
That was my feeling on this book. Though Stephenson has a tendency to write LONG books -- it's like he thinks "I did all this research so I have to show it all to my readers."
Mod
And that's exactly why I tend not to read Stephenson. He's got great ideas, and he's not a BAD writer, but wow does he like to hear himself write.
It's finally starting to feel like fall, though I still have to get used to remembering to grab my coat! Finished:
The Mirrorwood: (PS 41 A book with a reflected image on the cover or Mirror in the title) I liked this one a lot! An adventure middle grade novel that deals with being one's true self and what makes a blessing or a curse.
MACNOLIA: Poems: (PS 10 Anisfield-Wolf award winner) - I'd never heard of MacNolia Cox before looking up a book for this prompt, which is kind of the point of the book. Poetry is hit or miss for me, but I always enjoy it more when there's a story to be told, and that was the case here. I especially liked the passages that were structured like dictionary entries.
The Trees: (RH 10 & 19, Political thriller by a marginalized author, Horror novel by a BIPOC) I'm not a fan of either genre, so I double dipped for this one. I have mixed feelings on this book, as it was compelling enough to keep me going to the end, but there were a lot of parts that were pretty tedious. But it was a quick read (I listened to the audiobook and it's a little under 8 hours), so there's that.
Shadow of the Bird: The second book in the Lightfall series, but not the last, as this books ends on a cliffhanger. I enjoyed this volume about as much as the first one, though a minor character I was fond of had a bigger part in this one. Assumptions are challenged and history is confusing.
Radium Girls: Despite the heavy subject, this is a breezy read, as it focuses more on the lives of the titular girls before the radium poisoning set in. The artstyle is loose and appealing.
Currently reading:
She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs
Waiting for Bojangles
Life of Pi
The Hidden Girl and Other Stories
Secrets of the Looking Glass
QOTW:
I didn't have any plans to read anything spooky for Halloween (not a big horror fan in general), but someone else's post reminded me that I wanted to read My Best Friend's Exorcism, so I might get to it next month (if I can make a dent in my currently reading pile OTL). Oh, and I've been following Dracula Daily, and since that ends in November, the action is bound to ramp up in October.
Good morning! I finished a couple of books this week, and I'm getting close to finishing this challenge. PopSugar 43/50
Finished
Star Mother by Charlie N. Holmberg. For some reason I've been putting off this read for months, and there was no reason to. It was lovely - sweet and heartbreaking in turns, with some amazing world building. (Prompt: Constellation on the cover)
Help for Women with ADHD: My Simple Strategies for Conquering Chaos by Joan Wilder. Short and helpful read. I kept getting distracted by the author's name, though. Wasn't Joan Wilder the author in Romancing the Stone? (No prompt)
Currently Reading
QualityLand
DNF
Walkaway. I was really expecting to love this, but it didn't do it for me. I've had to find something new for a different book by an author you read in 2021.
Coming Up
Isn't It Bromantic?
My Tender Matador
QOTW
No plans for spooky reads. I'm not a fan of the horror genre, generally. And I already read my witches book - I should have waited a couple of weeks!
Heather L wrote: "Only one book finished since my last check in, A Late Frost by Sheila Connolly, book 11 in a series. Doesn’t fit any of my remaining prompts, but would fit “a book ..."I live near the house where they filmed the 1975 Picnic at Hanging Rock film. It's open for tours and is still the creepiest place I've ever visited! I'm sure I saw a ghost.
What a day! Just one thing after another and topped off with my cellphone dying. As a friend said, at least it died in NYC and not in the middle of nowhere in the Dakotas while on my road trip the next two weeks. Tomorrow is going to be crazy busy.I only have 5 more to read to finish challenge!
Finished:
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - my BookTok reccomendation. Excellent!
The Ice Queen - hated this
After those 2 I needed light romance:
Believe in Me
The Invitation
An Island Christmas
Currently reading:
Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt
Vermilion
Leavin' Trunk Blues
QOTW: i don't plan spooky reads for October generally, except maybe a cozy mystery. However, another group I am in has a 'read something scary' theme going for October so I will come up with something.
Truthfully, I should have waited a couple of weeks to read The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. It fits scary and spooky!
Happy checkin! This month I set a goal of trying to read one short story a day, since I have so many collections I've been wanting to read but never seem to get to. I finished three collections this month, which wound up being more than one story a day. So I think I'll keep the goal going next month too, and see if I can keep the streak going!Finished:
Spy x Family, Vol. 3- this is still so much fun, and three books into this series I finally realized I can use it for the double life prompt.
46. A book about someone leading a double life
The Boat- this was a collection where I really liked the writing, but didn't necessarily love stories.
10. An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner
Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution- I wanted to love this, but I found it disappointing. Maybe a good intro to Riot Grrrl, but it never went much deeper than someone telling stories about their friends. I thought there's be a little more introspection.
21. A book about a band or musical group
Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal- Mary Roach is a very funny writer, but this book is just so gross. I probably would have bailed on it if it didn't fit the onomatopoeia prompt.
7. A book with an onomatopoeia in its title
Currently Reading
Cemetery Boys- I'm really trying to finish this before the month is done. We'll see...
QotW
I have so many books planned for the Spooky season- I love making themed reading list. I never stick to them, but I love making them. (Also making spooky movie lists for movie night with friends- I love a list.)
The main books I want to get to are:
My Best Friend's Exorcism
Lovecraft Country
This Savage Song
Sheets
After the People Lights Have Gone Off
2022 Challenges:Popsugar: 49/50
ATY: 51/52
A to Z: 24/26 (Only letters left Q, U)
Read Harder: 15/24
50 States:
2021.....44/54
2022.....20/54
Goodreads: 126/150
Finished:
2 finished, 0 for Popsugar
Valentine
AtoZ
This was an interesting read and a bit of a depressing one. It is set in Odessa Texas back in the 70’s when an oil boom happens and all these men appear and the story is about all these women who have to deal with their new way of life and the abuse, harassment and assault they endure. It often has these “jokes” as chapter openers that are slightly disturbing and also SO not funny, which of course I know is the author’s point. It is not descriptive in anyway but more of a in the life of kind of telling.
Gone Girl
’21 50 States
I missed big chunks of this but I don’t really feel as though I missed important parts since it was mostly in the first half. I feel like this was hyped WAY up. I thought it was just O-Kay. Also I’m actually not a fan of the ending. Oh also, never realized this book was so long.
Currently Reading
At First Light
Aesop’s Fables
While Paris Slept
The Unhoneymooners
On the Backburner
Overdrive
Hope Rides Again
Reckless Girls
Physical Library Rentals
Cemetery Boys
Violet Ghosts
Wicked As You Wish
An Unreliable Magic
Magazines: (47/158)
Read since last check-in: 0
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Glass Room (other topics)Wicked As You Wish (other topics)
Cemetery Boys (other topics)
The Ex Hex (other topics)
An Unreliable Magic (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Isabel Allende (other topics)Elizabeth Strout (other topics)
Helene Tursten (other topics)
Sulari Gentill (other topics)
Elly Griffiths (other topics)
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I discovered this article in the Guardian to be quite interesting and added some books to my TBR: Top 10 Books About Women Written Out of History by Janina Ramirez
https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...
Note: The third book’s title is misspelled. It should be Medieval Woman: Village Life in the Middle Ages. I mention this because I was unable to pull it up in Goodreads using Women…
I just counted and I have another 10 Buddy/Group/Book Club reads scheduled for October! When will I ever learn not to sign up to read every single book I want to read?!? Evidently never! LOL Ah, well, it keeps me out of trouble I reckon! However, I definitely need to label the front cover of each book with the month it is for, since I inadvertently read the wrong Vera Stanhope book for September (#5 rather than #4), so am working to read the correct one (#4) today and tomorrow! I love that series, so it’s not as if it is a trial to read two in a row, but now it puts me behind! LOL :) That’s me, always behind! :) As you will note I have yet to list prompts for the two books I managed to read this past week! I now have 9 books to document to catch up. But I will persevere!
I’m trying to calmly convince myself we are entering the fourth and final quarter of 2022! Yikes! They do not lie when they state time seems to move much faster the older you get! Inevitably I am now beginning to wonder when the 2023 Popsugar prompts will be announced. I know…I should learn to be patient about such things…but… :) 'Cause as you know I need more to get behind on! LOL
ADMIN STUFF:
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. I am posting some final questions/comments today and will keep this in the Current Monthly Group Read folder for a few days into October, just in case. Anxious to hear others’ reactions to that ending!
I have moved the October Monthly Group Read discussion posts to the Currently Monthly Group Read folder HERE .
No one has yet volunteered to lead and I already have a copy of the book, so I will plan to post some questions/comments if there is no last-minute brave soul volunteering!Sherri has saved the day! She has very graciously volunteered to lead the October discussion!! THANK YOU, SHERRI! I don’t expect this one to offer much in the way of discussion-provoking issues, but we will see! (I have been fooled before!) I am expecting a relatively light-hearted entertaining read.We currently have
TWOONE Monthly Group Read still needing a discussion leader for 2022:THANK YOU, SHERRI!
1) October: a “knowledgeable navigator” to lead the discussion of The Ex Hex (The Ex Hex #1) by Erin Sterling NOTE: IT’S NOT TOO LATE! LOL :)2) December: Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!
November: Jennifer W. is the “official organizer” who has graciously volunteered to facilitate the discussion of The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune. THANK YOU JENNIFER W! I am anxious to reread this one and then read his newest release Under the Whispering Door as well!
The comprehensive listing of Monthly Group Reads for 2022 is HERE.
Also, just a reminder that every single past 2022 Monthly Group Read discussion and “I Finished!” thread is open and available to all in the 2022 Monthly Group Reads folder HERE.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
With October just around the corner, do you have any “spooky” reads planned other than perhaps The Ex Hex for our monthly group read?
Cemetery Boys would definitely qualify as “spooky” in my opinion! They live in a graveyard after all! LOL And that ending!
I am planning to read Strange Sight, the second installment in Syd Moore’s Essex Witch Museum mystery series. Other than that I do have 5 mysteries scheduled as Buddy Reads. Alex Harrow’s The Once and Future Witches for an IRL book club and Erin Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea for another IRL book club. As I recall The Starless Sea had some creepiness to it. Not sure about Harrow’s book.
How about you?
Popsugar: 46/50
ATY: 50/52
RHC: 18/24
FINISHED:
*The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner (5 STARS) was just as good the second time around! I will plan to read The London Séance Society which is her sophomore novel due to release next year.
POPSUGAR: #9, #23, #25, #40-2016: prompt #10 A NYT Bestseller, #46, #47, #48
ATY: #4-A book whose author is younger than you, #11, #12-glass vials, #13, #15, #19, #29, #34-Nella was Eliza’s teacher, #35, #40-Strength, Justice, Death, Judgment, The World, #41, #44, #49
RHC: #24-2017: prompt #2 A debut novel
*The Glass Room (Vera Stanhope #5) by Ann Cleeves (5 STARS) was NOT the Buddy Read for September, but rather for October. Now I’m working to read the fourth installment, Silent Voices before the end of this month! YIKES! I guess it was bound to happen considering how many Buddy Reads I have going right now, including two different Cleeves series! This was a good one though!
POPSUGAR: #9, #25, #38, #40-2019: prompt #6 A book with a plant in the title or on the cover, #46
ATY: #4-A book written by an author you might like to meet, #5, #6-window, #7-Mark Winterton was definitely “daft”, #15, #19, #31-2012, #32, #33, #34-Ferdinand was obviously not much of a teacher, #40-The Lovers, Justice, Death, Judgment, The World, #43, #44, #49, #50
RHC: #24-2020: prompt #3 A mystery where the victim is not a woman
CONTINUING:
*Silent Voices (Vera Stanhope #4) by Ann Cleeves
*The Perfectionist by Lane Kauffmann for a Read Harder prompt.
*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 This is scheduled for this weekend! :)
PLANNED:
*The Ex Hex (Ex Hex #1) by Erin Sterling
*Murder at the Serpentine Bridge (Wrexford and Sloane #6) by Andrea Penrose
I cannot wait to read this one! It will probably be one of the first I read in October! I adore this series! My copy is on its way to me since I pre-ordered it. It was just released on Tuesday!
*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