Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Happy Thursday!  We are hip-deep in autumn here in NY, it's gotten brisk out there!  But it hasn't gone below freezing yet - I should harvest the last of my basil (I really should have done this weeks ago when it was still lush!)

This is an especially happy Thursday for me because it marks the start of Fall Break for my college kid!  I took a vacation day today so I can drive down and get her this morning.  Can't wait!!!   


Our Spooktober viewing at home continues!  We continue to re-watch Dark and watch Happiness (Happiness is so good!!  But the streaming supplier Viki is so annoying to watch because they put the commercial breaks in the WORST SPOTS, sometimes mid-dialogue.)  We've watched Priest (wow this was bad - eyeroll eyeroll eyeroll), Scooby Doo and Zombie Island (you all were right, this was fun) & Scooby Doo and the Alien Invasion (I think this was good but our DVD got stuck in the middle and we missed some), and Labyrinth (always excellent).  We tried to watch Cat People but the DVD wouldn’t play, and that was the only copy in the county library system. :-(   I think my daughter would like it, so that's a sadness.



This week I finished 2 books this week, none for this Challenge.

The Trouble With Poetry - And Other Poems by Billy Collins - this was good (but not amazing).

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata - wow what a gut punch!  Reviews did not prepare me for how devastating this book would be. I did end up loving it and giving it five stars, but Chapter 2 was a tough go.




Question of the Week

This week's question was just suggested by JessicaMHR!
Have you ever read an author who sets their novels in the same location(s) as another author you read/favorite author? And has this enhanced or ruined your perception of the place/location it is set?


I don't think exactly this situation has happened to me. I'm not sure if any of the authors I read set their books in the same locations.

But I liked this question because a similar location thing just happened to me. The week before when I read Didn't Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta, the story kept mentioning that Carlotta had been in prison in Ithaca, NY. But there is no prison in Ithaca. I know Ithaca pretty well since I live just north of it. So, this book did not ruin my perception of the location, but its incorrect description of the location ruined my perception of the book.

I mean, why'd he have to do that? Why Ithaca? A lot of reviews are trying to tie the book to the Odyssey and say that Carlotta's adventures are like Odysseus's, but (a) nah, I didn't see it, and (b) Odysseus was returning TO Ithaca, not leaving Ithaca. Odysseus was leaving Troy. New York is rich in goofy classical place names thanks to some mapmaker who was in love with the Greek & Roman classics, so we have both a Troy and an Illion, and Hannaham could have had Carlotta go to prison in one of those cities. There is actually a prison near Illion. It would have made sense!

I finished The Matchmaker of Kenmare. I really ended up liking it even if I did get off to a rocky start.

I read The Stepford Wives. Even though I knew what was goin gon probably before I was supposed to it was a really enjoyable ride.

I'm about halfwaythrough West Like Lightning: The Brief, Legendary Ride of the Pony Express. Very interesting.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Happy Thursday!  We are hip-deep in autumn here in NY, it's gotten brisk out there!  But it hasn't gone below freezing yet - I should harvest the last of my basil (I really should have done this we..."

Man, I remember harvesting basil at my mom's house. We'd chop it up and mix it with olive oil, pine nuts, and garlic to make homemade pesto, then freeze it in blocks that we could thaw out and add to pasta later.

Also Scooby Doo on Zombie Island is one of the best Scooby Doo movies out there. And that includes the live-action films, heh...

Katy wrote: "I finished The Matchmaker of Kenmare. I really ended up liking it even if I did get off to a rocky start.

I read The Stepford Wives. Even though I knew what was goin go..."

Hey, I'm currently reading The Wicker Man, and despite knowing what's going to happen there I'm enjoying the ride. So I know what you mean about "Stepford Wives."

Happy Thursday!

This week is book sale week at the library. I'm actually managing to resist the temptation to go down to the book sale and fill a box, haha... (Though only because I'm the one in charge of going through donations/deleted books and I tend to purchase my picks on the spot before they even make it into the book sale... my job has perks.)

Books read this week:

Alex -- part ghost story, part journey of a man struggling with grief after the death of his son. Heartbreaking yet with a note of hope.

Under the Skin -- weird and vaguely disturbing story about a woman who picks up hitchhikers and has sinister plans for them. More sci-fi than horror, and I ended up a little disappointed. The author’s The Book of Strange New Things was much better.

Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts -- I normally don’t read true-crime, but this was an unexpectedly light-hearted true-crime novel that also taught me quite a bit about Hungary. I highly recommend the audiobook, which has a full voice cast, sound effects, and musical interludes between chapters.

The Accursed Vampire -- graphic novel. I really wanted to like this one, especially as it’s rare to have a nonbinary main character in ANY media. But while the story was interesting, the dialogue was clunky, the characters were fairly unlikable, and the art was lackluster.

DNF:

Plague -- anyone else just done with reading books about diseases and plagues? I could have stuck with this one if it had decent writing or an interesting premise (like Station Eleven), but this one just started getting clunky.

Atomic Anna -- are there any time-travel books out there that actually focus on the time-travel and not so much on the relationship drama?

Currently Reading:

The Wicker Man
The Seas
Tenderling
The Last Cuentista

QOTW:

I went through a spate at one point where I was reading a LOT of books set on Mars -- The Martian, Red Planet Blues, The Martian Chronicles, even attempted but never finished Rainbow Mars. And I STILL find myself reading a lot of books set on the red planet -- The Lion of Mars, Mars Evacuees, A Rover's Story. I don't think it's enhanced or ruined my opinion of the red planet, just whetted my curiosity, hehe...

And no, I haven't read Red Mars yet. I bought a used copy at my last bookstore run, though, so it's on my "get to it eventually" list, heh...

Kenya wrote: "Man, I remember harvesting basil at my mom's house. We'd chop it up and mix it with olive oil, pine nuts, and garlic to make homemade pesto, then freeze it in blocks that we could thaw out and add to pasta later...."



yes that's exactly what I do, I make a pesto w/o cheese and then freeze it in an ice cube tray

Nadine in NY wrote: "Happy Thursday!  We are hip-deep in autumn here in NY, it's gotten brisk out there!  But it hasn't gone below freezing yet - I should harvest the last of my basil (I really should have done this we..."

My mom insists on subscribing to Viki. So no commercials. $10 is expensive, but does come with additional content.

It's October and it looks gorgeous outside. Anne Shirley used to gush about October and she was right. (Not that I've seen PEI in the fall ... only the summer.)

Sppoky watching - watched Curse of Bridge Hollow about halloween decorations coming to life. Started Midnight Club - radio said there were 21 jump scares the first episode, so I wasn't scared because I was expecting it.

In book land, it is pouring. I ordered a 400 page book from interlibrary loans. I'd already received, read, and returned the book I ordered in the same email. Since, I had no idea when it would come in, I borrowed the 400 page book I was going to read in November. Of course, the interlibrary loan came in 3 days later. It may take weeks to finish both books.

Finished:

My Best Friend's Exorcism
ATY prompt: A book related to one of the 22 Tarot Major Arcana cards
Popsugar prompt: A duology - with The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

ATY - 44/52
PS- 36/35
Series -12/13
Clearing my TBR list: 33/40

Currently reading:

Hench - About 20% done

The Faceless Ones - Just started

QOTW: I can't say this has ever happened to me.

Kenya wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Happy Thursday!  We are hip-deep in autumn here in NY, it's gotten brisk out there!  But it hasn't gone below freezing yet - I should harvest the last of my basil (I really sho..."

This is what I always meant to do with my basil while it was still lush and beautiful. And every year I procrastinated and it all died.

Nadine in NY wrote: "yes that's exactly what I do, I make a pesto w/o cheese and then freeze it in an ice cube tray."

My roommate after college would do that. Unfortunately, our only freezer was the one attached to the refrigerator, and the pesto was kept next to the regular ice cubes. We got so many confused looks about our green "ice."

Good morning! Happy Thursday!

This is the second time I’ve been up today. My dear darling chihuahua and chiweenie were being obnoxious pills last night. 1:45 am Ribs woke me up for the third time. 1) Ziggy trying to step on her. (Between 9-1 am) 2) She got out of bed and out of room. (Between 9 - 1am) 3) Reebs had to go outside to poop at 1:45. (And i discovered she piddled on the carpet when there are piddle pads for this purpose. Grr.)

So cold now at night. Still not dragon breath weather but nice. We are supposed to be into the 60s soon. The wind is supposed to be ablowin’ this weekend as well. Finally, Vincent Price weather!

(Must dress for work now. Will continue there)

At work now listening to the the Happy Writer podcast. It's fun because I can hear voices of all the ya authors I shelve at the library. It's making my tbr even longer.

I'm hating the new book pages. I've been switched over by them an no way of switching back. sigh. They are way too big and too user unfriendly.

Finished:

Creepy Carrots!
Girl Giant and the Monkey King
Ranma 1/2 (2-in-1 Edition), Vol. 1: Includes Volumes 1 & 2
Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 3
Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 4
Bossy Beard
Steins;Gate 0 Volume 3

Continuing:

The War of the Worlds

Planned:

Kiki's Delivery Service (PS witches)
The Eye of the World (PS palindrome)
Convergence of Desire (PS quote)
A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix (PS sapphic)
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race (PS Anisfield)
Pumpkinheads (PS seasons)
Star Mother (PS constellation)

Unless, of course, I find something else that fits the prompt.

It's pretty darn Fall over here, too. The leaves are in full color, and starting to cover the ground. It looks like we've seen the last of the mild temperatures, too: last night I had to put on my gloves for the first time since March.

Books finished:
Third Time's a Charm - Finally got around to reading the latest volume, and it was honestly a little annoying all around, since the plot centers on the main characters' lives being rewritten without their knowledge, so you have to wade through all the "do I know you"s and "this feels so familiar!" bits first. And, unlike the previous two volumes, it ends on a cliffhanger. Fortunately, the fourth volume is set to come out next year, but still.

Needle and Thread - This one ended up being a nice story, but it took a bit for the characters and their predicaments to grab me. But having cosplayed myself, I liked that angle.

Still Lives - (RH's 9 the book that's been on your TBR the longest) Overall I liked this one, how everything kept changing as the main character got new information, but I feel like the ancillary information could have been toned done just a tad. Seriously, almost everything the main character did made her think about something else, usually history or art related, and that could kill the moment of the plot at times. The book's ending wasn't completely satisfying either, but I think that was the point.

The Ex Hex - Someone else summed up my feelings on this pretty well: I liked the plot parts a lot, but the romance parts were just a little too romancey for me. I started speed-skimming the bits in the middle of the book that were too steamy, especially since the curse still needed to be solved at that point. The characters got called out for it later, but that doesn't make up for it. Still, the book was a quick read, so at least I can give it that.

Currently reading:
Dreaming of You: A Novel in Verse
Humble Pi: A Comedy of Maths Errors
Snow Crash
Secrets of the Looking Glass
The Priory of the Orange Tree

QOTW: I'm sure I've read books that are set in the same location, but none are springing to mind. And if I have, they're probably locations that are used in a lot of books, like NYC, so it wouldn't really stand out.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Scooby Doo and Zombie Island (you all were right, this was fun)"

Yay! Glad you liked it!

As far as spooky watchlists: Can you believe I'd never seen SCREAM before this past week?? I'm so ready to binge the rest now. I'd only known Matthew Lillard from the live-action Scooby movies (and taking over Shaggy's voice in the cartoons more recently) but the role of Stu was MADE for him!!

And we watched the newest HELLRAISER (on Hulu) last week, which I thought was very good. And my hubby swears Predator is more sci-fi than horror, but regardless, PREY was phenomenal.

Happy Thursday!
It hasn't been an especially busy week aside from working later hours than I'm accustomed to, because my supervisor is out of town. It's not awful aside from 5pm traffic (ugh) but hubby and I got to have breakfast together twice this week, which I've deeply missed. And Cleveland is out of the MLB playoffs, so that frees up some time (Go Padres/Phillies!!). And I got early voting out of the way this morning!

Books read this week:
The Paradise War - 3 stars. I'll probably read book 2 because I own it, but I've heard decidedly not-great things about book 3 so I may leave the trilogy unfinished. This felt like Timeline but for Celtic mythology.
The Hellbound Heart - 4 stars. I wasn't expecting the at times gorgeous writing, and the Cenobites don't feature nearly as much as they do in the film. Time to rewatch Hellraiser!
Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality - 4 stars. The monthly group pick in my Radical Reads group. Sarah's story is beautiful.

PS 47/50
Hoping I can make time in Nov/Dec for those last few!

Currently:
The Castle Doctrine - I heart Dan and Cait. And we're starting to dip our toes into the multiverse Schaefer has so ambitiously built!
The Neverending Story - It's sadder than the movie because Artax can talk :((((
The Once and Future Witches - Started yesterday and already in love with this. A good witchy slow burn, perfect for October.
A book with a recipe in it - I'm stretching this one, but Ms Cleo's spellcraft is called "Aunt Nancy's recipes" and every chapter lists the instructions for a spell. Spellwork recipes!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Still can't believe this book is 5yrs old and the waitlists at the library (print and ebook) remain insanely long. Dove in last night and love it already!

Have you ever read an author who sets their novels in the same location(s) as another author you read/favorite author? And has this enhanced or ruined your perception of the place/location it is set?
I mean, how many people set their books in NYC? Soooo many! I do follow a few local-ish authors who set their books here in Ohio, which is fun.

This is going off the rails from the question a bit, but I think the one that threw me the most was Neal Shusterman's Unwind - specifically Connor, one of the leads, is from Akron (my town!) and is dubbed the Akron AWOL in the media. By the end of the series, they end up back in Akron and I like to imagine I'll stumble on the antique store where they discovered the *spoilery thing* one of these days.

We are at the point of Oklahoma weather where it is nice and chilly and you have to scrape ice off the windows in the morning and then it'll be in the high 80s on Friday again.

book with tiger in the title

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo. It was just okay for me but it could be turned into a pretty beautiful series.

no prompts

Football Royalty by Eden Finley. Contemporary romance. Enjoyable. Not my favorite of the series but up there in the top 3.

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman. Thriller. It was an enjoyable ride. And I didn't hate the twist quite as much as I have lately with thrillers.

Counterpoint by J.E. Birk. Contemporary romance. OK but it seemed to drag a lot.

Hey everyone, happy Thursday!

So far so good on my end. Weather has been nice lately, though we'll be getting into the high 70s/80s (F) which is a drag especially since it's fall. I need that colder weather.

Other than that all is well. School started this week so I've been excited about that. I have a lot of interesting reading these next few weeks so it should be fun.

One of the books I have to read in two more weeks is The Picture of Dorian Gray . While I don't have to read it just yet, figured I'd get a head start and read the first 7 chapters we need for that week. I'm about to start chapter 4. Not sure what to make of it quite yet. It's certainly not a boring book that's for sure.

I've wanted to read this book for a while so I'm glad class is finally giving me a reason to.

I'll share more of the books later since I'm still waiting for them to arrive.

*****

QOTW:

Have you ever read an author who sets their novels in the same location(s) as another author you read/favorite author? And has this enhanced or ruined your perception of the place/location it is set?

Interesting question. Honestly, it's not something I've ever thought to pay attention to. The location is the last detail I consider because I focus more on the dialogue.

I haven't checked in in a while. I have been going into the office on Thursdays, so can't do it right then, and later I forget to. Last night I didn't sleep well so I didn't go in. Luckily, with Covid still around no one is requiring us to go into the office. Also, we are able to work just fine from home the other 4 days.
The weather is perfect, I could have used a real jacket walking the dog last night. I've been getting by with just a puffer vest.

Finished:
The Midcoast
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking I didn't read this for Halloween specifically, but the timing worked out. I liked it.
The Book of Delights I only finished about 80% of the book. I honestly didn't get most of the delights. I'm sure that's just me.

Currently reading:
Base Notes
Bearskin I picked this book at random from my TBR. I do that occasionally when I don't have a clear idea of what I want to read. There are so many snakes in this book. It's taking a lot of willpower not to DNF.
Life Ceremony
People Person on audio

QOTW:
Yes. I recently read 3 books set in Maine: Fellowship Point, Flying Solo, and The Midcoast. Of course, Maine is huge and I don't know if they are set anywhere near each other. I could have looked it up, but I am lazy.
I also read a few books set in Appalachia: Even As We Breathe and the book I am reading currently: Bearskin. Again, Appalachia is a large area and they are not set in the same state.
Also, earlier this year I was accidentally reading two books at the same time set in Texas: The Bodyguard and More Than You'll Ever Know. Yes, again, Texas is a huge state.
I agree that NYC and London don't count.

Ron wrote: "Hey everyone, happy Thursday!

So far so good on my end. Weather has been nice lately, though we'll be getting into the high 70s/80s (F) which is a drag especially since it's fall. I need that cold..."

Dorian Gray is one of my favorites! I'm hoping I can make time to reread it next year.

Dubhease wrote: "It's October and it looks gorgeous outside. Anne Shirley used to gush about October and she was right. (Not that I've seen PEI in the fall ... only the summer.)

Sppoky watching - watched Curse of ..."

How did you like My Best Friend's Exorcism? Just curious -- I read it this year for "set in the 80s."

Kenya wrote: "How did you like My Best Friend's Exorcism? Just curious -- I read it this year for "set in the 80s.""

I love Grady Hendrix. I like that his books have great characters and have a sense of humour. I really like the humour in them. And they all have a quirky structure - from horrorstore to its fake IKEA map and products, to The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires and it's use of books to define chapters, to My Best Friend's Exorcism and all it's chapter titles being 80s songs.

I gave the book 4 stars. I believed in all the characters. I did like how it played into the tropes of "all adults are useless" because they saw the signs of demonic possession as just teen girl angst. (Having been a teen girl bullied by other girls, and raising 2 girls - I get how the early symptoms of demonic possession can look like mean girling.)

I loved that my copy (hard cover) was like a yearbook, complete with the nonsense teens write in each other's year books and fake year book ads. I spent 20 minutes just reading that.

I haven't read a lot of exorcism books. I saw the Exorcist movie and I came across it in one chapter in a book on evil. I think he put the most Grady Hendrix twist on the final exorcism.

What did you think?

Finished:

The Candymakers and the Great Chocolate Chase by Wendy Mass (reread)

My rating this time around dipped from 5 to 4 stars. It is still a worthy sequel that does not mess up the ending of the first book. However, there was a lot of contrivance and even more impossible things than the first book, and it did not work quite as well for me this time around.

Bond On Bond: Reflections on 50 years of James Bond Movies by Roger Moore (3/5)

This book had a lot of Moore's charm and wit. It also had that feeling of being both too long and too short. You can almost predict what Moore is going to say about certain topics before he says them about halfway through the book, so I didn't necessarily want more. However, a lot of the early parts of the book were summaries with color commentary, and I would have preferred greater depth on the shooting of his seven movies than we got.

Revenant by Alex White (4/5)

This is a Star Trek book that centers on Jadzia Dax shortly after the revelations of the episode "Equilibrium." The character work is very well done, and the stakes for both Jadzia and her world are appropriate for the story. If you liked The Lives of Dax, then you should definitely read this book, and vice versa.

Currently reading:

The Many Lives of James Bond: How the Creators of 007 Have Decoded the Superspy by Mark Edlitz

So far, I'm really digging this book, and it is on pace for 4 stars. Some great and some unexpected people were interviewed for this book.

Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Warfare by Jason Fry

Fate of the Jedi: Backlash by Aaron Allston (reread)

Question of the Week:

I've read lots of stories that take place on Vulcan, Coruscant, or the Enterprise. I'm sure I have read multiple stories that take place in various real world locales, but I am judging the story more than the setting.

Finished: Chores Without Wars: Turning Housework into Teamwork Really helpful advice for how to turn your family into a team when it comes to chores (as you might be able to tell by the subtitle! ;)~)

College-Prep Homeschooling: Your Complete Guide to Homeschooling Through High School It was fine. Helpful. Made me feel like I could do it.

A Lay Preacher's Guide: How to Craft a Faithful Sermon The book was much better than the class!

That's it? That's all I've read this week. Bummer.

Started: Positive Discipline I'm sure this book has some helpful ideas, but it seems so obvious, I'm not really getting a whole lot out of it.

The Stolen Year: How COVID Changed Children's Lives, and Where We Go Now Oh my gosh! This book is totally reminding me how privileged we were. Sure, COVID changed our lives. But we had it easy compared to most. This book is really depressing, but important.

Qotw: The location this question makes me think of is San Francisco. Book Scavenger is set in San Francisco, which is really fun, because I'm familiar with most of the places it mentions. But in the Percy Jackson series, San Francisco is the location nearest to the gates of the Hell, and this pleases me.

Hello! The few days below freezing have finally killed all of the plants. They lasted much longer than I thought. I caved and turned the heat on after posting last week about how cold I was when the house hit 58. We're supposed to be back in the 70s this weekend, somehow, so my husband wants to get the yard ready for winter. I'm also need to decide on a plot for NaNoWriMo, which is rapidly approaching no matter how much I pretend it isn't.

My boss in California is coming to visit for the first time in three years, and I'll have to spend a full day in the office when he's here, and I'm not sure how I'm going to handle that. My husband had no sympathy, as he's in PPE all day. He also thinks it'll be good for me to get out of the house.

Finished This Week:
One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews. Finished the Graphic Audio production with the full cast. Orro and Helen were a delight, as promised. I really think I'm going to end up buying the full set of these. Reread, not for prompt.

Misrule by Heather Walter. Despite everyone saying this was disappointing, I read it anyway. And regretted it. I thought the characters made all of their decisions because the author needed them to, rather than making the characters believable as people. And then the ending resolved absolutely everything in a magically perfect way. Except for the dead people, but we can ignore them, honest. Two stars, not for PS prompt, but could be part 2 of duology.

PS: 46/50 RH: 15/24 ATY: 49/52 GR: 156/100

Currently Reading:
Nimitz at War: Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay by Craig L. Symonds. I read this author's book about the Battle of Midway two years ago, and when I saw he had written a book about Admiral Nimitz, I had to read it. Published in June, my library finally got their copy into circulation. Instead of being about what happened in the Pacific War, it focuses on Nimitz's actions and decisions to lead the war effort. Battles aren't about what the ships and Marines did, but how they were planned and what Nimitz knew about them back at his headquarters in Pearl. There's a lot about the personality clashes within the Navy, between the Army, Navy and Marines, and between the Pacific and the Atlantic theaters. I'm in 1943 now, and the US war production has finally started sending completed ships to the Pacific, including much needed carriers, so the US is about to go on the offensive. Probably not for someone who doesn't already know the Pacific War, as even with how well I thought I knew it, there's plenty in here that's new. Not for PS prompt.

The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2020 by Michio Kaku. Read Harder prompt for Best [X] Writing of [Year]. I picked 2020, thinking it would be about Covid, but it's the one published in 2020, making it the last one before Covid hit. I'm only a few essays in, but one was about prions, reminding me of the terrible medical thriller I read for PopSugar 2020, The Line Between. My library does have the 2021 collection, which is all about Covid, and I'm debating if I want to read that one too. Enjoying this one so far - the next chapter is about the Moon! Not for PS prompt.

Sweep of the Blade by Ilona Andrews. Next Graphic Audio production that I've had to keep pausing my hold until I finished One Fell Sweep. Ready to start.

QotW: Have you ever read an author who sets their novels in the same location(s) as another author you read/favorite author? And has this enhanced or ruined your perception of the place/location it is set?
Most of what I read these days is fantasy or science fiction, so there's almost no overlap between authors. Even if multiple books are set in the same place, the Atlanta of the Kate Daniels world is not going to match the Atlanta of anyone else's.

For anything set in the modern world, I feel like the authors I read either set their books in completely made up towns, or sufficiently huge cities where it's easy to generalize everything. But if you set your novel on Long Island, and reference streets and landmarks, I want A, a map, and B, everything to be accurate. (Looking at you, Partials.)

Nadine, what you mention is something I'm perpetually afraid of as a writer. The year I moved to Minneapolis, I set my novel for NaNoWriMo here, and then picked a random name for a sports bar that played a central role in my plot. Except it turned out to be the same name as a famous restaurant in St. Paul, and all the local people I had beta read it told me they thought I was referring to the real restaurant. (I changed the name.) I've been paranoid ever since about repeating that mistake whenever I set a novel in a real place. Made up worlds are safer, as no one can tell you that Chiron Beta Prime doesn't have a mine (or robot overlords, I mean protectors).

Dubhease wrote: "Kenya wrote: "How did you like My Best Friend's Exorcism? Just curious -- I read it this year for "set in the 80s.""

I love Grady Hendrix. I like that his books have great characters and have a se..."

I really enjoyed it, even if it got pretty brutal at times -- Hendrix is NOT nice to his main characters, I've noticed. I might have to back off from reading his stuff for awhile, though -- it doesn't leave me in a good headspace afterwards.

Melissa wrote: (or robot overlords, I mean protectors)..."

Nice reference!

Hey all!

Finished:
Winter's Orbit - 4 stars - It was a little slow to get started and I would have liked a little more worldbuilding - I felt like I only vaguely understood the political situation, and I only knew that certain things were bad because the characters said so - but I enjoyed it overall.

You Only Live Once, David Bravo - 4 stars - A light, fun middle grade involving time travel. I enjoyed it.

Comics and manga:
The Complete ElfQuest, Volume One - 3.5 stars rounded up - I know I read some ElfQuest as a teen in the 90s (dating myself) but I think what I read was much later in the story than this volume. I decided to start at the beginning and catch up on some classic comics. Some of it feels very dated, and I'm not super fond of the "fated mates" tropes, but overall I'm interested enough to read more.
Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 37
Something's Wrong With Us, Vol. 10

Currently reading:
The Ones We're Meant to Find - picked this on a whim from my TBR. So far it's interesting. From the cover I was expecting more fantasy, but this is a dystopian, post-climate-change future.

Planned/upcoming:
Into the Riverlands
Broken
Over the Woodward Wall

QOTW: I don't really pay too much attention to setting details in most books. But I grew up in NYC, and while most of the time I just get a rush of nostalgia when a book is set there, if an author blatantly says something untrue or mixes up a detail on a place I'm familiar with, that can throw me right out of the story.

Doni wrote: "Melissa wrote: (or robot overlords, I mean protectors)..."

Nice reference!"

Hahaha!

It turned out I was not the only covid-patient at work. I guess almost half the building has it or has had it. Or has the flue. Or a cold. It’s coughing and sneezing and sniffing everywhere. I feel quite immune now, since I was part of the start of this wave. Well, I hope this is it and we can work like before at the office. I love working at the office and am enjoying every bit of it now I’m back. I know some of you don’t, but I was really unhappy working from home.

I went to buy gloves Saturday. My old ones are very thin and poor protection when I ride my bike. Couldn’t fit any of the lady’s gloves, so I finally tried men’s gloves. Fitted perfectly. I really wonder if most women really have such small hands… Haven’t used them yet, temperatures are very mild over here. And will stay for at least another week.

PS: 18/40
Total 2022: 51

Finished
Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not for PS
Beautiful story! I liked that the stories told in the book were also part of the plot. And I learned a lot about the Chinese civil war, Taiwan and what this meant for the people in China.

Currently reading
The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra by Helen Rappaport
The Ensemble by Aja Gabel

QOTW
I don’t think this happened to me. I mean, I do read books that are set in the same city. But they are all set in a different time. Or another street or neighbourhood. It never occurred to me as ‘same location’.

Mandy wrote: "My mom insists on subscribing to Viki. So no commercials. $10 is expensive, but does come with additional content..."


I've been really frustrated with the awkward commercial breaks, so I see the appeal! but yeah $10 is a lot when I'm not sure how much I'll be watching it after I finish this show. But I cannot say enough good things about this show!!! It's got EVERYTHING: the angst of two mains who won't admit they love each other (will they kiss this time?? no! someone walks in!), the hapless cop partner who is a big chicken, a cute little kid, an elderly couple who are the stereotypical Asian parents, their son who is a self-centered vlogger hoping to finally make it big, a snooty rich lady upstairs, four cleaning employees (there were five, but ... zombies) to provide plenty of tension with the rich lady, a reclusive superrich penthouse resident, a rich doctor that you just love to HATE because he is vile, his dead wife, his mistress, the thirsty lawyer down the hall who thinks he can get with said mistress, a work at home author and her brother who got stuck with her when the zombie outbreak happened, a badass military guy with hidden motivations, and his badass lieutenant sidekick, an eeeeevil CEO who might or might not be behind the zombie outbreak, conspiracies, zombies ... and more!! And I know that sounds like A LOT of characters to keep track of, but the show is brilliant with how slowly they are introduced, so you have time to get to know each one.

Milena wrote: "This is what I always meant to do with my basil while it was still lush and beautiful. And every year I procrastinated and it all died...."


That makes me feel better about not harvesting mine last month when it was gorgeous.

Hi all. I feel like I've been sick forever. My kiddo gave me a cough/cold and it's kicking my butt. I've bruised a rib or something from coughing and all I want to do is sleep. I tested negative for covid, but having no immune system really sucks. Also, it's cold out. That sucks too. 1 positive: comfort food!

I've had no energy to read, I think I read a few pages in The Historian this week. I did read a kid's picture book that has been banned, A Dog Named Haku: A Holiday Story from Nepal which would work for the holiday prompt. It had cute illustrations, the story itself wasn't that interesting, tbh.

QOTW: I don't think that's ever really happened, though I do try to be aware that I don't read 2 books set in the same place at the same time, just cause it could confuse me.
I love finding books set in Maine. Oddly more than I do upstate NY. The book I geeked out over the most was Ticket To Ride: Lost And Found In America because she went to Bar Harbor and described things so well that I could identify what she was talking about. :D

Hello all! I'm back from a fabulous Road Trip through the Dakotas with stops in parts of Wyoming, Montana, Minnesota and Wisconsin. It started in Milwaukee, headed west across SD, then north to Devil's Tower, then back east across ND, Minnesota and back to Milwaukee. Main reason was to visit Mt. Rushmore with a secondary to visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park (I know - no one knows about it - it's SPECTACULAR!) and every roadside attraction and national whatever we could discover along the way. Truly a fantastic road trip with a friend met in a good reads group. We are the perfect travel companions.

Very little reading happened on the trip though we did listen to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in audio though it is very long and we did not finish. Jim Dale reading HP books is just the best road trip listen.

But I did finish one bit of nonsense reading last week:
Undercover with the Undead - a light novella length murder mystery set in a town used for a popular zombie tv series. Very light plotting but the whole zombie set and tv show fandom was fun.

Even before the road trip, my weeks were so filled with work, I got little to no reading done. I'm really hoping that this weekend I get some serious reading time.

Currently reading:
Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt
The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - restored to currently reading from my DNF shelf where it has languished for months while I was busy. I'd re-read all of the books and got distracted early in Deathly Hallows. Now after listening to most of it again, I'm eager to finish the re-read.

QOTW: Well, geography in a book is one of those things I really look for and in fact, there are books set in certain cities or other locations that I just automatically gravitate towards - such as books set in Paris. Some authors make the location a critical part and others just sort of identify it and incorporate little more about it. Of course, I really love the ones with a strong sense of the place, let's say Paris, than those set in Paris that don't make much effort to incorporate into the story what makes Paris what it is and use that as part of the story. What really ticks me off though is when an author does incorporate the location heavily into the plot and gets the information on the location wrong - especially when the location is very well known and the info is easily verified! For example, The Da Vinci Code has major scene in The Louvre and the Paris streets around it which are iconic, and he gets them wrong in the car chase scene, and even the Louvre isn't quite right. Ticked me off big time. However, in Paris by the Book, the author really gets Paris right, the experience of living there for a time as an American, and he has only visited a time or two, never lived there. It added so much to reading that story, was one of the strongest aspects of the book.

Nadine in NY wrote: "But I liked this question because a similar location thing just happened to me. The week before when I read Didn't Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta, the story kept mentioning that Carlotta had been in prison in Ithaca, NY. But there is no prison in Ithaca. I know Ithaca pretty well since I live just north of it. So, this book did not ruin my perception of the location, but its incorrect description of the location ruined my perception of the book.

I mean, why'd he have to do that? Why Ithaca? A lot of reviews are trying to tie the book to the Odyssey and say that Carlotta's adventures are like Odysseus's, but (a) nah, I didn't see it, and (b) Odysseus was returning TO Ithaca, not leaving Ithaca. Odysseus was leaving Troy. New York is rich in goofy classical place names thanks to some mapmaker who was in love with the Greek & Roman classics, so we have both a Troy and an Illion, and Hannaham could have had Carlotta go to prison in one of those cities. There is actually a prison near Illion. It would have made sense!"

Nope, no prison in Ithaca. There is a jail, and there are several youth detention type centers in the area.

There are 2 prisons near Ovid, NY, too. None near Homer, NY that I'm aware of, though. ;)

Ashley Marie wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Scooby Doo and Zombie Island (you all were right, this was fun)"

Yay! Glad you liked it!

As far as spooky watchlists: Can you believe I'd never seen SCREAM before this past w..."


I have never seen Scream, either! It's not on my list (nor is Hellraiser). I like sci-fi horror, and suspense-horror, and vampire-horror, but I don't usually like teen-slasher-horror, so I tend to just skip all of those.

We did watch Prey a few months ago - I've never seen any other Predator movie (and yes I would count that as sci-fi horror - it's still horror!!) and I didn't even realize it WAS a Predator movie until we were watching it! It was PHENOMENAL. Everyone who likes action movies should watch Prey!! It would be perfect for Native American Heritage month next month, too!!

Ashley Marie wrote: Dorian Gray is one of my favorites! I'm hoping I can make time to reread it next year.

Awesome!

I'm liking the book so far.

Jennifer W wrote: "Hi all. I feel like I've been sick forever. My kiddo gave me a cough/cold and it's kicking my butt. I've bruised a rib or something from coughing and all I want to do is sleep. I tested negative fo..."

I also love Maine. That's how I ended up reading 3 books set there. Here is where I got the idea to read them from: https://modernmrsdarcy.com/maine-lite...

Nadine in NY wrote: "I have never seen Scream, either! It's not on my list (nor is Hellraiser). I like sci-fi horror, and suspense-horror, and vampire-horror, but I don't usually like teen-slasher-horror, so I tend to just skip all of those."

I can see the teen-slasher aspect but I would definitely categorize Scream as comedy-horror, which made it easier to stomach.

I still need to watch Prey with the full Comache dub!

Nadine in NY wrote: "Mandy wrote: "My mom insists on subscribing to Viki. So no commercials. $10 is expensive, but does come with additional content..."


I've been really frustrated with the awkward commercial breaks,..."

you might like this show:

https://www.viki.com/tv/30854c-w

it's literally named W. that's it. W. It was really good.

What I love is that there is plot! lot's and lot's of plot. and no 5 minutes later we're in the bedroom like on american tv. they took the good doctor (korean) americanized it and added a bed scene before the opening credits.

glad you liked viki despite the commercials.

Ashley Marie wrote: "The Neverending Story - It's sadder than the movie because Artax can talk :((((..."




OHHHH NO THANKS The movie was sad enough, I'm sorry I watched it. Now I'm glad I never read the book.

Ron wrote: "One of the books I have to read in two more weeks is The Picture of Dorian Gray . While I don't have to read it just yet, figured I'd get a head start and read the first 7 chapters we need for that week. I'm about to start chapter 4. Not sure what to make of it quite yet. It's certainly not a boring book that's for sure...."


I have never read this!! Someday I will ... I mean, we all know the basic plot, so I'm glad to hear it's still interesting even knowing the basics.

Milena wrote: "Finished:
The Midcoast..."



I want to read this, it's so intriguing and I love the cover. But, then I look at the blurb, and it starts with "The story of a family of lobstermen" and I'm thinking "snoooooozefest" so I keep putting it off. I see you gave it four stars, so it was good?

Milena wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Hi all. I feel like I've been sick forever. My kiddo gave me a cough/cold and it's kicking my butt. I've bruised a rib or something from coughing and all I want to do is sleep. I..."

Thanks, but dangerous! lol :)

Nadine in NY wrote: "Milena wrote: "Finished:
The Midcoast..."



I want to read this, it's so intriguing and I love the cover. But, then I look at the blurb, and it starts with "The story of a family of lobstermen" an..."

I liked it, yes. I am very bad at explaining why. It's not full of action, but it was not at all boring to me. It is much more from a male perspective than most of the books I read, so just be aware of that. But it is not very focused on the family of lobster men aspect, without giving much away.

I see Theresa is also reading a book set in Maine. An unofficial theme this week.

Happy Thursday! I made an apple pie this week which I thought was slightly too liquid. But it was perfect the next day so clearly I just cut into it too soon. I decided I was gonna watch all the Simpson's Halloween episodes since I have never seen the later ones. It turns out the later one's are mostly crappy so lesson learned. I also decided I was going to attempt both the PS and ATY challenges next year since I noticed the ATY new list was decided.

Challenge Progress: 43/50

Finished:

Cemetery Boys (PS 2 languages) 3 stars. I liked this story. The romance was cute and the Day of the Dead stuff was interesting.

The Paris Apartment (PS sister city 1) 3 stars. I liked The Guest List more than this one. I like her writing style in general, its just this mystery wasn't as engaging.

Currently reading:

The Guncle (no prompt)

Coming up;

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels (PS victorian)

The Trees (PS Anisfeld winner)

QOTW:
I've never really consciously thought about it but I tend to avoid novels set in Boston unless I know the author is from there. I've lived in and around Boston all my life. When an author gets the details wrong, it takes you right out of the story. That's why I prefer reading about places I've never been or made up worlds.

Oh, so much is going on! We're expecting a new baby in the house just any day now. We're living as an extended family right now - me, my husband (Todd), our two sons (Rhys and Seth), our daughter-in-law (Ashley), and grandson (Elijah). And soon another grandson! Rhys works on the road, and his family moved in with us so Ashley would have help/support during her pregnancy. He's got three weeks paid paternity leave - flying in tomorrow and Saturday is their due date!

I took Elijah to story time at the library this morning. I'm exhausted! He's really been enjoying books this month. In between all the songs and activities (and chaos), they read Five Little Monkeys Trick-or-Treat and We're Going on a Pumpkin Hunt. At home this week we read: Bear Says Thanks, Blueberries for Sal, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. We picked up six more at the library.



Challenge Progress: 47/50

Completed: I enjoyed my scary/spooky reads last week much more than this week's selections.
Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals ★★★
Drunk on Love ★★★★
If You Ask Me ★★★
Take My Hand ★★★



Currently Reading:
The Retreat
Other Birds
Heartstopper: Volume One
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
The Women Could Fly (PS 16: A book about witches)
The Belle of Belgrave Square
Twice a Quinceañera

QOTW: I don't think this has happened to me. But it really bothers me when a book (or movie) is set in a familiar place, and the author gets it wrong. I love reading a book when the author gets a place right!

Melissa wrote: "My boss in California is coming to visit for the first time in three years, and I'll have to spend a full day in the office when he's here, and I'm not sure how I'm going to handle that...."


It is EXHAUSTING to be in the office all day! No wonder why I was always tired in the past. I'm normally the only one on my team up here in Syracuse, but this week two coworkers came up, so I went in every day, three days in a row, and wow I was BEAT! We had leftovers last night because I couldn't manage to muster up the energy to cook dinner.




Nadine, what you mention is something I'm perpetually afraid of as a writer.

It's an error that doesn't need to happen, because a few minutes on Google would avoid it. If you want your character to be in state prison in NY, just Google "state prisons in NY" and pick one.



But if you set your novel on Long Island, and reference streets and landmarks, I want A, a map, and B, everything to be accurate.

Yes I hate the inaccuracies!! One of the Percy Jackson books had the kids take a bus from NYC to NJ, and as soon as they got out of the tunnel, the bus crashed or something, and BOOM just like that the kids were in a rural backwoods area at the shore. But ... a quick glance at a map will tell you, there is no rural area near the Holland or Lincoln tunnels, and you are NOT right at the shore!!

Harmke wrote: "It turned out I was not the only covid-patient at work. I guess almost half the building has it or has had it. Or has the flue. Or a cold. It’s coughing and sneezing and sniffing everywhere. I feel..."


I work on a global project with teams in the US, France, and China. And by complete coincidence, my counterpart in France ALSO was out with Covid the same week I was!! (And the technician over there was out too.) Obviously we didn't catch it from each other since an ocean separates us, but it sure seemed like it LOL



I went to buy gloves Saturday. My old ones are very thin and poor protection when I ride my bike. Couldn’t fit any of the lady’s gloves, so I finally tried men’s gloves. Fitted perfectly. I really wonder if most women really have such small hands…

I have short fingers, so men's gloves are usually too big on me, but I have wide hands and wrists, so women's gloves are often too small. It's annoying!

Hi All,

Weird weather week. Been cold and nasty all week, culminating in SNOW all morning. gross. None of it stuck, luckily. Now it's 41 and sunny, tomorrow it'll be a high of 64, and saturday it'll be in the mid 70's. Michigan doesn't know what it wants to do. But all the indecision has given me a migraine all week.

This week I finished:

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau - this was just ok for me. I didn't like it as much as most her other books I've read. I liked Catherine from the Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club better than Carlota, frankly. Carlota just seemed too...i don't know. Easily swayed I guess. Didn't really start standing up for herself until things had already gotten far out of hand. I think too much of the book was spent on Montgomery too. I didn't find him that interesting of a character. Maybe if it had just focused on Carlotta she could have been fleshed out better and been more interesting.

The Halloween Moon - this was a cute book, kind of wish i saved it for next week. Oh well, maybe i'll read it the week of halloween next year.

The Bear and the Nightingale - finished audio re-read

currently reading:

The Girl in the Tower - audio re read

The Yellow House - next books & brew read for November. Not really liking it much so far. It's running through family members so fast they're all blurring together, not really forming a coherent narrative for me.

QOTW:

I don't think I've read any beyond the obvious like people mentioned, multiple books set in London, New York, LA, etc. Or general states, not specific towns where there would be a really direct comparison.

I do agree with Nadine that it annoys me if I'm familiar with a place and details are wrong though. I've encountered it more in visual media, since stuff set in michigan/detroit is rarely filmed there and it's often obvious. Like the OA on netflix is supposed to be set in a Michigan suburb but there's a mountain range in the background of the shots. Michigan is flat, unless you're in the UP. But the UP does not have the kind of suburbs depicted in the show, it's much more rural. Or there was a cyberpunkish video game set in a futuristic Detroit that had an abandoned subway. Detroit is the Motor City. Any effort to get any workable public transit beyond our tiny people mover, 3 miles of a street car, and a haphazard bus system has been routinely voted down (by the rich suburbs mostly who don't want city people to be able to come into their suburbs) or crushed by the auto industry in the past. The chances of us getting an above ground rail system are slim to none, much less a subway that would have to be dug out from beneath the city.

Jennifer W wrote: "Hi all. I feel like I've been sick forever. My kiddo gave me a cough/cold and it's kicking my butt. I've bruised a rib or something from coughing and all I want to do is sleep. I tested negative fo..."




Are you okay? Does your doctor give you anti-viral drugs to help, or do you just have to wait it out?


What books have you read set in upstate NY? I'm always looking for that!! Often they depict the area wrong, act like the Hudson valley is the full extent of the entire state (example: Panic), or describe things as farrr more backwater than they really are (example: The Sun Down Motel - maybe somewhere in the Aidrondacks, NY is like that??).


I have a shelf of "NY not NYC" books. I still need to read Seneca Falls Inheritance!! What else can I add to my shelf?
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...