Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Wow how do we only have two weeks left in this year??  I'm still getting used to writing "2022" and now it's almost over.

My car is finally all fixed!!  I've been without a car since before Thanksgiving.  I mean, I had my car, but it just sat in my garage and served as a glorified shelf for leftovers (now that it's cold, my garage is a walk-in refrigerator, very convenient, the best thing about winter). The on/off button was no longer working properly, and it got so bad that one day it just wouldn't start.  It probably could have started again, but I never tried, because I was afraid if I did get it to start, I wouldn't be able to get it to shut off. I learned how to use DoorDash and InstaCart!    The dealer is so backed up, I had to wait weeks for my appointment.  Happily, it DID start on Tuesday so I could drive it to them and I didn't have to call a tow truck.  Now it's all fixed!!  Annoyingly, I could have gotten this fixed years ago - I brought it up to them back when the button started getting flakey, and the guy brushed it off as no big deal and told me it would be a lot of labor, so for years I put up with a faulty button, when it turned out to be less than $200 to fix!! (LESSON LEARNED)  Now my car is all spiffed up!!  Oil change, new ignition button, new air dam, new battery, new brakes.  I'm ready to drive south and pick up my college kid!!   ... just as soon as this winter storm passes.  I was going to pick her up on Friday but now it looks like I need to wait until Saturday.




Admin stuff -The FINAL poll for January 2023 is here: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...
This poll is now live! It will run until Wednesday morning.

The nomination poll for our February group read (book that takes place in one day) is here: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/1...

December group read of Book Lovers discussion is here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...





This week I finished 2 books:

An Island by Karen Jennings - last year I told myself I was NOT going to read books just because they were on the Tournament of Books longlist, I was going to wait for the shortlist and I was not going to push myself to read all of them.  Hahaha so the longlist comes out and I got caught up in the excitement and put a bunch of the books on hold.  This was the first of the bunch.  I REALLY did not like this book.  It was tedious, and miserable, and I did not feel it added one single thing to my life for having read it.  But it was short!   (This book also made it to the short list for the "play in" round, so I guess I'm glad I suffered through it.)

Dr. No by Percival Everett - this was on the ToB longlist, and it didn't make it to the final short list, but I read it anyway because I LOVED Everett's previous book (The Trees).  This one was ... weird.  I'm glad I read it, because it was different, and entertaining, but I still only gave it three stars.  One of the main characters ("cleverly" named Eigen Vector - anyone who has been through matrix algebra is now having flashbacks from that name!) was a woman who is a math professor, so I checked off one of my remaining two categories in 2022's AtY challenge: a woman in STEM.




Question of the Week
Now that we've had a chance to mull over the 2023 list, what is your favorite prompt?



To my surprise, I'm really looking forward to the book set in Hollywood!!!  If you had asked me a month ago, I would have said ugh no I don't want that category, but once I looked into it, I got excited to read!   ALSO to my surprise, I'm looking forward to the celebrity memoir, because Steve Martin has a new graphic novel memoir coming, and I love that format for memoirs.  I never would have predicted that these would be the categories that I'm excited about!!  

I did not finish my last book. But I did go from being 25% done to over 70% done. That's the best I could do at this busy time of year.

ATY - 51/52
PS- 41/35
Series - 15/13
Clearing my TBR list: 40/40

Currently reading:
The Remains of the Day - over 70% done

QOTW: Like Nadine, I also think it's the Hollywood prompt. 2023 is the 100th anniversary of the Hollywood sign. I tried twice at ATY to suggest the prompt "A book related to Hollywood". I'm going to use it for my "A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 list". I laughed when I saw it as a Pop Sugar prompt. Not sure if they knew about the sign, but I feel somewhat justified.

A modern retelling and a book with "girl" in the title are my other favourite prompts.

Happy Thursday!

Nadine, yaaay for your car being fixed! I'm glad it ended up being a relatively inexpensive repair too -- car repairs always seem to be really exorbitant, heh...

This week is finals week... but thankfully it was far less stressful than I thought it would be. I passed my first semester in college with straight As. Whoo! I dunno if this will be the case with any of my other classes, so I'm going to savor this, heh...

Also, I may be about to do something stupid -- I may participate in TWO reading challenges in 2023 instead of just PopSugar. Our library did an Extreme Book Nerd challenge this year, and it proved popular enough that we're doing it again for 2023. A LOT of the prompts have been recycled from previous PopSugar challenge prompts, but I'm okay with that... and I'm planning to "double-dip" and count some of my PopSugar books towards the Extreme Book Nerd challenge as well. Because why not.

Books read this week (or not read -- dang I DNFed a lot of books this week):

8-Bit Christmas -- pretty much the plot of “A Christmas Story” except set in the 80s, and instead of a Red Rider BB gun the protagonist wants an original Nintendo Entertainment System. Silly seasonal nostalgic fun.

The Raw Shark Texts -- what. A. Trip. Think "Jaws" but with a trippy intellectual twist. Weird but strangely fascinating.

Star Wars Life Day Treasury: Holiday Stories From a Galaxy Far, Far Away -- a fun and heartwarming collection of holiday-themed Star Wars stories.

Maya and the Robot -- cute read about a science-loving girl and her robot companion. And it’s nice to see a girl in STEM who’s also a POC.

DNF:

Pony -- just wasn’t working for me. Maybe someday I’ll try Wonder by the same author…

Zamba: The True Story of the Greatest Lion That Ever Lived -- I had to bail when the author claimed that feeding a lion a vegetarian diet was completely healthy. Either he’s lying or this lion was actually malnourished its entire life…

Goldilocks -- okay, this was too depressing to read in the dead of winter and with the current political climate. Might try again later.

Currently Reading:

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
The Puppetmaster’s Apprentice
The Legend of Holly Claus
The Merciful Crow

QOTW:

I'm absurdly happy that "book with a rabbit on the cover or in the title" made it onto the list -- it's one I suggested for the Extreme Book Nerd challenge prompt list, since 2023 is the year of the rabbit. Maybe they'll continue with the Chinese zodiac theme in future years?

Also, I wasn't originally looking forward to the "book that used to be fanfic" prompt, since it seemed like a very narrow prompt. But I found a book for said prompt that looks fantastic, and I can't wait to dive in. Mothman, gay romance, and used to be a "Supernatural" fanfic -- what could go wrong? *knocks on wood*

Random, but is anyone having issues changing how they receive notifications for following a discussion in a Goodreads group? For some reason the site isn't letting me change my option from "individual e-mails" to "notification only." I don't want my inbox to be bombarded...

Kenya wrote: "Random, but is anyone having issues changing how they receive notifications for following a discussion in a Goodreads group? For some reason the site isn't letting me change my option from "individ..."



Oh I hate that email option and I hate that it defaults to the email option - why would anyone want a barrage of emails??? I do occasionally get stuck on that option, and I've assumed it's because I just neglected to switch it to my preferred "notification only" mode. I didn't have any trouble setting notifications for this post.

I've had notification issues as well, the "Load More" button has decided to stop working 😕 and yesterday there was something... I think it was either the notification alert wouldn't appear on book pages but would on the homepage or vice versa.
Maybe just glitches due to the time of year, things do happen around new year...

I finished Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, I thought it was hilarious.

I'm now reading Wings of Fire

QOTW: HIstorical Fiction is my favorite genre, so in a way that's my fave prompt. But, I read tons every year, so the prompt I like best that I might not read is a retelling of a classic.

Good morning! The winter storm has arrived in Ohio as rain, which makes me grouchy bc the worst driving conditions for me are rain + dark, but I suppose it's better than freezing rain or a blizzard. My productivity at work is hella down bc all I want is to be at home reading (whoops). I've decided to tackle the ATY challenge in 2023 as well, so if you're over there you'll probably find me lurking.

Finished this week:
NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette - 5 stars, this caught me in the right mood and was hilarious. It's been on my TBR since 2014 and I found it on Hoopla, so knocked it out quickly.
It's a Magical World - 5 stars, and I teared up a bit at the ending because it's OVER. Book with a tiger on the cover
Silver on the Tree - 4 stars, this wasn't the best ending but it did feel better than the end of Narnia. All the Welsh history and mythology made my nerd heart happy.

PS 50/50
I did it!!

Currently:
Bloodmarked - hoping to finish up this weekend, rehearsal means less time for print books
Black Water Sister - this one is growing on me!
The Children of Gods and Fighting Men - this will probably take me into January. I like it very much!
The Wicked + The Divine: Book Two - very much one of those "don't trust ANYONE" books. sheesh.

Upcoming:
The Goblin Emperor
possible Code Name Verity reread

QOTW: Now that we've had a chance to mull over the 2023 list, what is your favorite prompt?
"Favorite past prompt" is always one of my favorites bc then I can recycle things like Found Family or Dark Academia. Also excited for Self-Published because one of my favorite authors (Craig Schaefer) takes that route, so hooray for another excuse to dive into that backlog!

Happy Thursday! It's a snow day here only with ice instead of snow. Still, nice to have a slow day before the weeks of celebrations begin for us (my baby turns FIVE on Saturday...can't even believe it...).

Finished 42/50

Winter for "book with a protagonist who uses a mobility aid". FINALLY finished the Lunar Chronicles. It was cute. I loved the unique retelling of fairytales into sci-fi stories. Very fun!

Currently Reading

The Jesus We Missed: The Surprising Truth About the Humanity of Christ for "favourite past prompt (first book you see in a book store)." This is good but kinda heady. Very appropriate for the Christmas season though.

The Empire of Gold for "#ownvoices SFF". Finally getting to finish this series too!

QotW

Omg this has been the best list ever so far for me. I have fit SO many books from my TBR on it, I'm THRILLED. The "celebrity memoir" prompt was great because there's a ton of those I want to read, and the "forbidden romance" gives me the excuse to read Lore Olympus: Volume One which I've had my eye on for years now. And the different prompts for books published at different times of the year is GREAT for those of us doing Year of Sanderson. I'm STOKED!!!

Happy Thursday! I can check in because I am not in the office today.
I also can't believe 2022 is already ending. It was a terrible year for me personally, so I am happy to see the end of it.

Finished:
The World We Make
Apparently, I only finished one book this week. That surprised me.

Currently reading:
A Perilous Undertaking
The Tale of Genji
Troubled Blood

QOTW:
A book with song lyrics in the title - that always appeals to me
Celebrity memoir - I read a lot of them anyway
Hollywood
Modern retelling
A book about an athlete/sport - I strangely always enjoy this category, even though I don't much care about sports

It's been a week. I went out socialising at the weekend and fell on my head, proof that I am better off at home with books. I knocked myself out and because I had been drinking the paramedics insisted I be seen by a doctor, so that was a night spent in an ambulance, waiting for an A&E space to be available. All the NHS staff were so nice and kind and patient. They definitely deserve a pay rise and better working conditions, so I'm fully in support of their strikes. My head is fine, I just have a mild concussion and feel very stupid.

And then my partner's elderly nan had a fall (not on her head at least) and no one can find any available carers this side of Christmas, so that is ongoing...

But I did finish ATY last week!

Finished:
A Stitch in Time by Kelley Armstrong for ATY (time word in title). I thought the ghost story was great but the going back in time romance seemed a bit on the silly side. I guess she's self-publishing now? Her books definitely all feel like they need a bit more polish.

All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie, a short origin myth of the Icelandic Horse. I really liked this, but I think you will need to be into horses to get a lot out of it.

What Moves the Dead by T.Kingfisher, gothic mushroom horror! I loved this so much, it's a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher, and I tried reading the Poe story afterwards but Kingfisher has made a huge improvement on it if you ask me 🙊

Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley Jones, my festive romcom pick for this year and it was fun and warming. It's a queer, fat-led romance if someone is looking for one for next year and doesn't mind it being set at Christmas.

The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal, a fun murder mystery set on a cruise space ship. Super cute assistance dog included.

QOTW:
Probably rabbit on the cover, it ties into the year and is a fun scavenger hunt that turns up plenty of options.

Ellie wrote: "The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal, a fun murder mystery set on a cruise space ship. Super cute assistance dog included...."


Oh so not only does that work for "vacation" it also works for "involves a pet"!


I know so many of you are MRK fans, but I wasn't crazy about Calculating Stars and I never read another book by her. Maybe I'll give this one a go.

I got my start on the 2023 challenge this week! At first, I didn't think I was going to do full participation, but I was able to come up with a possibility for all 50 prompts, so here I go.

Finished:

Rogue (3/5, reread)

Fate of the Jedi: Vortex (3/5, reread) (some injuries sustained in this book by Luke and others are a bit much, so know what level of squeamish you are before reading this)

Muppets Meet the Classics: The Phantom of the Opera(3.5/5 rounded up to 4 for Goodreads)

I am using this for modern retelling of a classic. It also works for a book with two languages (Spanish and French words from Pepe and Piggy, respectively) and a book with a love triangle. The Muppets work better in visual form, but this prose outing is still quite fun. When the jokes land, they are usually pretty funny, and those that don't are probably appealing to other people. The book says Gaston Leroux for its source material author, but it seems like Webber was the bigger influence. Expect plenty of anachronisms and Muppet weirdness. I would recommend this book for fans of The Muppet Show and The Phantom of the Opera.

Holes (4/5, reread)

I am using this for a book that I should have read in high school. It came out during my high school years, but I did not read it until a decade after college. I love how the past and present stories inform each other, and the characters make strong impressions in a short amount of time. Perhaps the best thing the book does is show just how stupid racism is in the course of one devastating chapter.

Question of the Week:

My favorite two prompts are a book based on a popular movie and a book you meant to read in 2022.

Hello! Happy Thursday! I'm currently desperately trying to finish my 2022 challenges before the end of the year.

Currenty reading
The Thursday Murder Club: I like the characters, but the mystery itself is so boring. I thought I would love this, but it's honestly a struggle to get through.

The Science of Murder: The Forensics of Agatha Christie: An extremely introductory level book about forensics and how AC incorporated forensic techniques into her books. Perfectly fine, but not breaking any new ground.

Heartstopper: Volume One: I'm about 2/3 of the way through this and so far it's sweet but not living up to the hype.

Apparently I'm just in a grumpy judgy mood at the moment.

QOTW
I'm not sure! There's several that I think will lead to great books, but I've learned that the prompts you think will be easy are often the hardest!

I finished the challenge and everything is stressful so nothing but my comfort genre: romance.

Budding Attraction by Saxon James. Contemporary romance. Friends to Lovers. It's maybe my least favorite of the series but still enjoyable. Would work for a queer character on the 2023 challenge.

Protective Heart by Brighton Walsh. Contemporary romance. Grumpy/Sunshine. Like it more than the first in the series and I really liked the first one. Spicy.

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun. Contemporary romance. It is giving Hallmark movie (but more spice than a Hallmark movie and if Hallmark movies were full of queer characters). It has the absentee parents, kooky relatives, holiday shenanigans and meet cutes. I really enjoyed it. Would also work for a queer character on the 2023 challenge.

QOTW:

I always like the favorite past prompt one because I usually look for a microhistory specifically for that prompt.

Nadine in NY wrote: "I know so many of you are MRK fans, but I wasn't crazy about Calculating Stars and I never read another book by her. Maybe I'll give this one a go..."

The main character is very similar to the one in the Lady Astronaut series, but there's a lot less real science to get annoyed at, and her husband styles himself (at least in his holiday mode) on detectives from pulp fiction novels, so feels less serious.

Jackie wrote: "Heartstopper: Volume One: I'm about 2/3 of the way through this and so far it's sweet but not living up to the hype..."

The first time I read it, I didn't love it as much as I do now. I think it's one of those long-term affection for the characters things. The first volume ends before they reach peak adorable.

Happy Thursday!

Finished:
Kiss Her Once for Me - 3 stars - this was cute and I emphasized a lot with the main character and her anxiety, but ultimately this was just average.

Well Traveled - 3.5 stars - I loved being back in the Renn Faire world of this romance series, but it wasn't as good, IMO, as the first or third book. Still fun, though.

Comics & manga:
Shuna's Journey
NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette

Currently reading:
A Million to One - I am just starting so I don't have an opinion yet. I thought about saving this for the historical fiction prompt for 2023, but it's due back to the library before then, and that prompt should be easy enough to fill.

Planned:
I might just get a head start on the longest book on my TBR next, The Way of Kings, so I can finish it in January. :)

QOTW:
I agree, I am looking forward to the Hollywood prompt, especially since it should let me finally get to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which I've been meaning to read for a while.

I also kind of like the prompt for a book about a holiday that's not Christmas. It's so easily to fall back on Christmas books for holiday prompts. I like that this prompt forces you to look for other, maybe less-represented holidays.

Jen wrote: "Happy Thursday!

Finished:
Kiss Her Once for Me - 3 stars - this was cute and I emphasized a lot with the main character and her anxiety, but ultimately this was just average.

[bo..."

I also started my longest book already. It's [book:The Tale of Genji|7042], and it will take me forever to read. I am only at 4%.

Glad your car is fixed Nadine. I'm in the slow reading time of year for me between holidays and the end of the semester (survived it but I'm already working on prep for January)

I only finished one book a forgettable mystery The Woman Who Married a Bear by John Straley

OQTW Okay after managing my disappointment I have managed to fill in the blanks next to the prompts on my list (though I am going to have to use the library more than I want) I have found a few I'm excited for.

A historical-fiction book as I read a crap ton of historical mysteries so this is like falling off a log for me

A book your friend recommended - I've already been sent 3 books from friends for the holidays so this another easy peasy one

A book with a queer lead - because I'm looking for the easy ones I guess based on this list I'm compiling. Ha

A book that's been banned or challenged in any state in 2022 and this I AM glad to get through the library because in theory it helps them build a case that people DO want to see this stuff

A book you bought from an independent bookstore - because it's a joy to support them

Hello! It is snowing again. We had rain on Tuesday, heart attack snow Wednesday morning (lots of moisture in it, making it really heavy, which causes heart attacks because it's so much more work to shovel it), and lighter (but way more) snow today with more tomorrow. Duluth and the North Shore are getting 3 feet, and I think we're only supposed to get 8 inches here in the Cities. But that's still a lot. I have a library book waiting for me and I'm not sure I'm getting there before Sunday.

I finished Pop Sugar! I suspected a book released Tuesday would have a recipe in it so I was waiting for it since I knew I would be reading it. It did, fulfilling my final prompt. Now to finish the other challenges, as I had to finish PS first (for some reason).

Finished This Week:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I have somehow made it to my 40s without having ever read this, and one of the challenges had read a classic you've avoided. I actually liked it, even if it was absolutely not what I was expecting. After I finished, I watched the Colin Firth miniseries I've always heard is the best adaptation (available on Hulu!). Not for PS prompt, but could absolutely be Book You Know Nothing About, because it turns out I really didn't.

Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik. Reread to prep for book 2, but when I read it in the spring, I used it for #32, as Ilona Andrews has a rec on their author page.

Eclipse the Moon by Jessie Mihalik. Book 2! I won this in a GR giveaway months ago, but hadn't gotten to it. I was in a sci-fi mood, and figured this week was a good time for it. Very enjoyable sci-fi romance, although some of the final battle got confusing regarding just where they were in the station, how big the area was, and where everyone was. Will need to reread it when book 3 comes out next spring. Not for PS Prompt, but could also be #32, or #1 as it came out in July.

Sweep of the Heart by Ilona Andrews. The official release of the serial they wrote all year, with editing and a final chapter. I need to reread the new bits again, but I totally called the very end. Using for #23, contains a recipe, as it has Dina's apple cake recipe in the supplemental materials. A very satisfying entry in the Innkeeper Chronicles.

PS: 50/50 RH: 18/24 ATY: 51/52 GR: 178/100

Currently Reading:
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Book club for tonight got canceled again, so have not yet finished. In part 3. Library keeps renewing it, enabling my not finishing it. Will finish this year.

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory. In chapter 2, so slightly ahead of where I was last week.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. Still very early, haven't touched since Thanksgiving. May not finish this year. Reread, not for prompt.

QotW: Now that we've had a chance to mull over the 2023 list, what is your favorite prompt?
A Book With a Map! That was the prompt I used as my favorite from a prior year, as books that usually have maps are fantasy or non-fiction history, and I read a ton of both.

Also, them reusing it means I can use favorite past challenge to do microhistory again. (*eyes Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World*)

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Unpacking my moving boxes seems to have become a never-ending job, but I am slowly continuing to make progress. The kitchen is still a complete disaster though, which is making it really difficult to cook. Hopefully I’ll manage to find my crockpot this afternoon. That will make things a lot easier.

Other than unpacking, most of my free time this week has been spent reading. I managed to finish quite a few books this week, including my new Calvin and Hobbes books (which were awesome) and a couple of really good Christmas mysteries.

Goodreads: 556/200
TBR Checklist: 426/1009

Finished Reading (Fiction):
~A Murder at Balmoral
~Hercule Poirot: The Complete Short Stories:
~The Christmas Murder Game

Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
None

Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
~The Complete Calvin and Hobbes - Book Two
~The Complete Calvin and Hobbes - Book Three
~The Complete Calvin and Hobbes - Book Four

DNFed:
None

Currently Reading:
~Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman
~A Highland Christmas

QOTW:
I’m not going to be doing next year’s challenge, but my favorite prompt is “a book you meant to read in 2022.”

Finished: The Origins of Totalitarianism The last chapter was the best. I finally read the whole thing, which I've been meaning to do for decades now!

Outsmarting the Sociopath Next Door: How to Protect Yourself Against a Ruthless Manipulator Used this for Nadine's mini-challenge prompt 23rd book on a list. It was on my TBR list and I counted backwards. The tricky thing about this prompt is it keeps changing every time you add more books you want to read! The book was just meh. I didn't feel like it had really great advice.

Putin: His Downfall and Russia's Coming Crash Oh crap, if you want to read a really depressing book, this one is a sure bet. Talked about how the next geopolitical battle may be over the melting Arctic for drilling and how difficult it is going to be to clean up oil spills. Just what we need-- something else to worry about.

You can tell that I really went for light reading this past week!

Started: The Grasshopper: Games, Life and Utopia This reminds me a lot of Godel, Escher, Bach in feel, though much more accessible. I love it as an object: green cloth-bound book with gold grasshopper embossed on the cover and funky illustrations between each dialogued chapter.

Kant's Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals: An Introduction I probably should be reading Kant in a more systemic way since he's a systemic thinker. This book seems pretty accessible so far.

Qotw: Since I'm doing Nadine's mini-challenge, but no longer in for the whole PopSugar challenge, I'll focus my answer on that. I'm excited about Nadine's prompts because in general, I can fulfill them with books I already have. However, I think I'm most excited about the one set on an island, not only because of it's awesome tie-in with Lost (one of my favorite shows), but also because I'm going to fulfill it with a book I've been meaning to read for a long time: No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison written by a Muslim prisoner on an island. I was planning to read this for a Read Harder challenge a couple years ago, and then I just gave up on the challenge partway through. I think that's actually when I switched over to Popsugar! The rest, as they say, is history. :)

The Big Storm that is bringing snow to Nadine is only going to be days of rain here in NYC. We did have a little dusting earlier this week - first of the season!

I still have 2 books to read for PS. One is started and I will be resisting other distractions to read the easier of the two and make progress on the slower read.

Finished - two first Cara Black Aimée Leduc mysteries:
Murder in the Marais - actually a reread - I had forgotten much since first reading it around 2000.
Murder in Belleville
Both excellent.

Currently reading:
Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries
The Making of a Marchioness, Part I and II

Need to start:
Under the Whispering Door
Migrations
Improbable Patriot: The Secret History of Monsieur de Beaumarchais, the French Playwright Who Saved the American Revolution

QOTW: Since I don't plan out my challenge reading, just fit to prompts as I go, I can't say I am excited about any one prompt. Except...I did have to figure out my longest book because I need to factor in a block of time to read it - it's Les Misérables at over 1400 pages. I am a little excited to read it and even researched translations to pick a recent one that had great reviews. I have read portions a long long time ago in French, so I do have a sense of what this will be to read.

You know there are funny synchronicities in my current reading that lead me to think that this was meant to be the time I finally read the unabridged Les Miz. First of course is that it is the current longest on my TBR, sneaking ahead of The Count of Monte Cristo by just a few pages. Then I just read Murder in the Marais Aimée spends time hiding in The Victor Hugo House Museum on the Place de Vosges in Paris where Hugo wrote it. Lastly I am starting to read a biography of Beaumarchais who lived in the world described by Hugo in Les Miz.

Morning!

I'm at work. It's grey outside. I'm kinda just sorta blah today. Plus, I forgot my phone -- again! It was charging in the kitchen while I got ready for work, but I left without it. And I tend to need it when it's pitch black outside at 5 pm!

Anyway, I've been not reading anything substantial. And nothing that would fit any of the prompts I have left. I don't think. I haven't looked. Again, just being blah.

Ziggy, my chiweenie, had some tummy issues this week. Nothing serious cuz he ate and was still active, but he wasn't as energetic as he normally is. Think the difference between jet versus propeller plane. still fast and furr-ious but not as fast. and he was all about the cuddles. But I know he's feeling better because we had a case of the uber zoomies last night. oh boy! he zoomed from one end of the house to the other and nearly ran into me.

QOTW:

I'm looking forward to book published in spring of 2023. I received The Poisoner's Ring from NetGalley and can't wait to start it!

It’s freezing! So, as always, this country has a fever. Skating fever. Old men in tiny thermal suits (please, quit that, your knees are sticking out as well as your bellies) are skating on a tiny layer of ice (1 or 2 cm, it’s only safe for groups at 10 to 12 cm). Afterwards, they tell every journalist it’s so special and great. I think it’s irresponsible. And selfish. Anyways, the E-word hasn’t dropped yet (it’s only December), but if the freezing lasts on, we get even crazier over here. (The E-word is the famous skating race through 11 cities in the north of the Netherlands, the ‘Elfstedentocht’.)
I’m hoping the freezing will last until Sunday, maybe the ice on the fen is thick enough to carry half the city. And me.

PS: 19/40
Total 2022: 59

Finished
Emma by Jane Austen⭐⭐⭐⭐
You hate her and you love her.

Currently reading
De kaasfabriek by Simone van der Vlugt

QOTW
First-time author. Because I will read Aleksandra for this prompt. It’s on my TBR since November 2021, it’s even more actual because of the war in Ukraine (it's about the Ukrainian family of the author) and it has won this year’s debut author’s price in the Netherlands. To my surprise, I look forward to ‘a queer lead’. I bumped into a memoir of one of our country’s beloved opera singers, Francis van Broekhuizen: Bij twijfel hard zingen.

Hi all,
Finally having a Thursday with a little breathing room, so I can check in!

Still been a busy week, just finally have a little tiny window of breathing room. I did finally get to go on a little vacation, my first real one in a few years! We went to New York, and I got to go to the Strand! That was cool! Also saw a musical, Strange Loop, ate good food, saw the Rockefeller tree all lit up, did some holiday shopping at the Union Square market, saw some museums, it was a good time.

The last few weeks I finished:
Half-Off Ragnarok - one of the libraries in the collective my library joined actually has all the InCryptids digitally, so I decided my end of year project is catching up with the series. I only had the first two in paperback and I never managed to find them used. It's a fun series!
Pocket Apocalypse
Chaos Choreography - this one was fun, I LOVE so you think you can dance, so this was fun kind of seeing the references. (And i'm super devastated about tWitch this week)

Magic for Nothing
Tricks for Free - i actually had to google Lowryland to make sure there wasn't another giant theme park in Florida I somehow didn't go to growing up, I was pretty sure I'd been to all of them in the course of numerous family vacations.

That Ain’t Witchcraft
A Psalm for the Wild-Built - audio re-read for my december book club (which was also the holiday white elephant exchange this week, lots of fun! Someone stole my book that i rightfully stole, boooooo. I'm not enthused about the book I ended up with instead. But I'd gotten my husband to come and he ended up with The Echo Wife and i claimed it for myself anyhow. So that's fun)

Sparrow Hill Road - the library let the Imaginary Numbers license expire so I had to wait for the physical copy come in, SIGH. But the Angel in the Over pass takes place right after That Ain't Witchcraft and I hadn't actually finished the Rose books so I went ahead and re-read this one and figured while i waited was a good time to catch up on this little trilogy anyhow.

The Girl in the Green Silk Gown

Angel of the Overpass

Currently reading:

Imaginary Numbers - physical hold came in, so yay my reading can continue. Luckily the next two are still available digital.

QOTW:

I wasn't that enthused with the prompts this year. Nothing against popsugar and who wrote them, it's more about having done this challenge, and ATY, and Read harder so many years, I've done pretty much all of the prompts before in some form. That's not to say I couldn't find new books for them, but it just didn't feel exciting. I liked the look of Read Harder this year, so I might try that one again.

I like the read a book you know nothing about based solely on the cover prompt. I know, I know, don't judge a book by it's cover. but I'm a sucker for a good cover, and I 100% will grab books at the library or book store based on a cool cover design. So this'll be a good excuse to give in to the "ooh shiny" grabbing instinct.

Sheri wrote: "Hi all,
Finally having a Thursday with a little breathing room, so I can check in!

Still been a busy week, just finally have a little tiny window of breathing room. I did finally get to go on a ..."

Me too on tWitch and So You Think You Can Dance. I don't know any details, my husband told me yesterday when I got home from work. It's just so sad.

Harmke wrote: "It’s freezing! So, as always, this country has a fever. Skating fever. Old men in tiny thermal suits (please, quit that, your knees are sticking out as well as your bellies) are skating on a tiny l..."



Do they ever fall in??? one-two cm doesn't sound very thick!!

Sheri wrote: "Tricks for Free ..."


That would be a good one for "song lyric in the title"!


I like the read a book you know nothing about based solely on the cover prompt. I know, I know, don't judge a book by it's cover. but I'm a sucker for a good cover, and I 100% will grab books at the library or book store based on a cool cover design. So this'll be a good excuse to give in to the "ooh shiny" grabbing instinct


SAME!! I am constantly wanting to read books solely because of their covers!!! (and, conversely, avoiding books because I hate their covers)

Sheri wrote: "I like the read a book you know nothing about based solely on the cover prompt. I know, I know, don't judge a book by it's cover. but I'm a sucker for a good cover, and I 100% will grab books at the library or book store based on a cool cover design. So this'll be a good excuse to give in to the "ooh shiny" grabbing instinct.
..."

I am such a cheap date - a good cover has me picking it up and forking over the money in about 10 seconds flat!

Kenya wrote: "Random, but is anyone having issues changing how they receive notifications for following a discussion in a Goodreads group? For some reason the site isn't letting me change my option from "individ..."



LOL funny, I just checked my email and I have 18 Goodreads emails! Because this post morphed itself from "notification only" to "instant email"! I KNOW I chose "notification only" this morning because I was thinking about it since you posted the question.

Nadine in NY wrote: "I'm ready to drive south and pick up my college kid!! ... just as soon as this winter storm passes. I was going to pick her up on Friday but now it looks like I need to wait until Saturday...."

When I think of the three years I spent on buses during law school (could not afford a car) between Syracuse and Binghamton when I visited home....and so envious of those on the bus who went to SUNYBinghamton and were being dropped off or picked up on campus while I had to take the only taxi available...back to a town that the bus drove through but did not stop in...

Ah, memories of the days just after we all used to walk miles through all weather, nearly barefoot, to go to school ....

Nadine - I am sure your daughter must be wiped out from exams although this feels really early for Christmas break! Barnard just started reading week.

Theresa wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "I'm ready to drive south and pick up my college kid!! ... just as soon as this winter storm passes. I was going to pick her up on Friday but now it looks like I need to wait un..."

Jennifer said Cornell is already done! And Christmas is next weekend, so this feels late to me.

Lily has her last exam tomorrow morning at 8. THEN she'll be wiped. And probably having "fun drinks" all afternoon, since she and several of her roommates will just be killing time all day until the storm passes. I hope she's not TOO hungover on Saturday morning when I get her LOL.

I feel for kids who need to rely on public transportation to get home on breaks, because there is really no good option for them, except for alllllll the charter buses that go to Long Island. If you need to fly? GOOD LUCK, you'll be needing to figure out how to get up to Syracuse. And forget about taking Greyhound, because Greyhound doesn't go to the Syracuse airport (this absolutely kills me - Greyhound goes to the Syracuse train station, only Megabus goes to the Syracuse airport).

There's a Nor'easter predicted for my state, but where I live it's just supposed to rain. Right now they're predicting we'll get some snow in time for Christmas, but who knows what the forecast will be once we get a little closer to the actual day?

Finished:
Hotel du Lac - (RH An award-winning book from the year you were born) My goal was to finish this by Sunday night, and I succeeded. I'm not really sure how I feel about this book, as it was kind of gloomy and not much happened, but that was by design. There was enough going for it that I wanted to finish, if only to see what the main character ultimately decided to do.
Fraggle Rock Classics Volume 1 - I started rewatching the original series, so I checked out the comics, too. Since a couple of the stories were based on actual episodes, I'll wait until I finish to read the next volume.
Twelfth Grade Night - Gorgeous art and a fun story, but the the opening threw me for a loop while I waited to find out (view spoiler)[if the magic was supposed to be real or metaphorical (hide spoiler)], since the book's description didn't mention that at all.
Recommended for You - (RH A book set in a bookstore, PS A book set during a holiday) I don't read a lot of YA these days, but this book reminded me why I used to. The drama kept me reading, and I finished this one in record time. The story was cute, although the main character did make one particular mistake that had me going "really?"

Currently reading:
Humble Pi: A Comedy of Maths Errors
One Boy, No Water
Royal Holiday

QOTW: I don't really know which prompt I'm the most excited for, but the first ones I went to find a book for were the Shortest and Longest on Your TBR List.

Alex wrote: "Happy Thursday! It's a snow day here only with ice instead of snow. Still, nice to have a slow day before the weeks of celebrations begin for us (my baby turns FIVE on Saturday...can't even believe..."

The Empire of Gold is my read over New Years as my Feminerdy Book Club is discussing it in early January. We started the series in January 2022, read The Kingdom of Copper in July, and ending year/starting 2023 with the last. We have had great discussions, some widely varying ooinions and impressions, and the first time we dedicated ourselves to starting and finishing a series in one year. I am looking forward to reading it.

Ashley Marie wrote: "Good morning! The winter storm has arrived in Ohio as rain, which makes me grouchy bc the worst driving conditions for me are rain + dark, but I suppose it's better than freezing rain or a blizzard..."

Ashley - I really enjoyed Black Water Sister. There are some blips here and tgere with the writing but still a really good read. You will also crave Malaysian food when done. Fortunately I live in NYC and could get it delivered as I read this during our extended lockdown.

Wow! Deep Breath...in and out.

This will be the third start to getting this post completed. I have wiped myself out twice now by closing the wrong tab in the top bar.

Congrats on getting the car functional and all checked out, Nadine. And, nice going, Kenya on those exams!

And, without scrolling and possibly loosing this post again...good luck with the unpacking...whoever. (Sorry, I am afraid to look for your name.) EDIT: I looked...K.L.

My exciting news of this week is that I have decided to write a short story. I tend to dream in stories but last weekend I awoke with most of the story in my consciousness. So, I decided to write it down. Much easier said than done, believe me. I have about 550 words written and many issues to solve to make it a cohesive story as I tend to dream in scenes. Anyway...I have started doing something I never dreamed I would attempt.

I am also still actively working to get my plans for a Scotland vacation up and a vision board created.

And then there are Christmas gifts to make - cookies and breads to share. So...baking to be done.

Finished:
Kneaded to Death - Cozy Mystery
Pleating for Mercy - Cozy Mystery
Book Lovers - Really surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.
Under the Skin - Mystery/Cozy Mystery

Reading:
The Dressmaker's Gift - Kindle, 43% done, library books take precedence over books I own
The Wisdom of Father Brown - Ebook, 52% done
Nine Perfect Strangers - Audiobook, 49% done, only listen when driving (usually errands)
The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds - 63% done

Starting:
Family History 101: A Beginner's Guide to Finding Your Ancestors - Q1 challenge, this one will take me awhile as I will be doing research while reading it.
Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen
Reading Up a Storm
The Devotion of Suspect X
A Sense Of Place

Quote of the Week: What prompts are you excited about in 2023?

One I am hoping will be fun is #40 author with same initials. I love the title: Wild Pork and Watercress.

I also like the title of the book I chose for #24 rabbit on cover: The Chocolate Bunny Brouhaha

And, finally, I am excited about #3 vacation. I have chosen a book looking forward to my own vacation in Scotland: Scotland with a Stranger (a memoir).

Nadine in NY wrote: "Ellie wrote: "The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal, a fun murder mystery set on a cruise space ship. Super cute assistance dog included...."


Oh so not only does that work for "vacation" it also ..."

Oh that sounds PERFECT for my Feminerdy Book Club! We did like The Calculating Stars when we read it, though the older members in the group who were born between 1945 and 1955 more so than younger ones. There were parts that disappointed us but it certainly did not get shredded to bits like A Discovery of Witches did recently.

Ellie wrote: "The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal, a fun murder mystery set on a cruise space ship. Super cute assistance dog included."

Isn't this one of the voting options for February monthly read?

Woah, lots of posts to catch up on!

*****

QOTW: Now that we've had a chance to mull over the 2023 list, what is your favorite prompt?

Kind of hard to choose but I think I'll be going with several mainly because I found I'm able to fit in quite a lot of Indigenous nonfiction. So these are the ones:

- A book with a color in the title
-A book you wish you should have read in high school
-A book you bought from an independent bookstore
-A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past challenge
-A book about an athlete/sport

(these are just a few. I have other prompts that I'm able to fit in Indigenous books for.)

Man, still dealing with Covid symptoms. 4 weeks already. I just want it over with.

*****
Bought a few books from the Indigenous bookstore BirchBark Books (which happens to fulfill the independent bookstore prompt so that's cool.)

*****
Lastly, I finished the book Settler Memory: The Disavowal of Indigeneity and the Politics of Race in the United States . I rate this a 5/5. It was incredible! It read like a textbook and there were a lot of technical details but that's what I enjoyed about it. It's a book that was out of my wheelhouse in terms of Indigenous politics.

This one also happened to fill the BookTok rec since I saw it on there.

*****

Now my current read is Education for Extinction: American Indians and the Boarding School Experience, 1875-1928

Nadine in NY wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "I'm ready to drive south and pick up my college kid!! ... just as soon as this winter storm passes. I was going to pick her up on Friday but now it looks like I..."

There was one year when I was at Barnard that my last exam ended too late on December 23rd for me to catch the last bus of the day to Binghamton. I got a morning Greyhound bus on 24th, only a blizzard was raging through and after 6 hours of struggle it got to Binghamton. We actually lived on a farm 6 miles from the small town of Owego which is about 23 miles from Binghamton. I still had a ways to go to get home. No parents waiting so I fished out a dime and called home from the pay phone. This was mid-70s. No cellphones. No text. No email. They could not drive through storm to Binghamton. I was lucky to catch the last Shortline local bus to Owego, my home town, as my parents thought they could still manage to pick me up there as only one bad hill to drive, not several. By the time I got to Owego (took an hour), the town was closed up and no parents to be found. There is no bus station in this small town, you are left on a street corner. I found a pay phone and called home only to be told all the roads were closed. There were no hotels in downtown not that I had money. Restaurants were all closed ( I was starving). No more buses anywhere what to do? My old piano teacher had retired to an apartment in downtown, a block from where I stood in a phone booth. I called her and she took me, the storm waif, in and fed me and gave me a bed on Christmas Eve. Storm blew out overnight and by noon Christmas Day all had been plowed, my parents came to pick me up on the way to mass. I had a lovely time with my piano teacher , and she would have been alone otherwise as the storm had blocked her family from coming until after Christmas, but it wasn't home.

Forever after, I have made sure that if I need to travvel somewhere for Christmas, I leave no later than the 22nd.

Hi all! I started sleeting/raining this morning around 11, by 2 it had turned to snow- thank goodness! It's not my Birthday (this weekend)/Christmas without the white stuff! But it's also been windy all day, so it's a gross weather day. I suspect my kiddo will be home from school tomorrow, we'll see.
Nadine, good luck getting your girl. I was in Ithaca yesterday and it was like a ghost town, so the students must have left already. I forget how empty it gets without them!

Didn't finish anything this week. Been bouncing around with books. Read some more of City of Veils, Stay Gold, Rabbit Redux, started The Assassination of the Archduke: Sarajevo 1914 and the Romance that Changed the World. I also started This One Summer. I bought it for a Christmas present for my 12 year old niece, but I'm not sure if it's age appropriate, so I'm trying to read it before Christmas Eve to check. It's got some language and sexual references, so I might have to check with her mom before I get myself in trouble...

QOTW: The prompts that fit most snuggly into my comfort zone is historical fiction and banned book. I think I'm most excited about the prompt of rereading a book from 10 years ago. But usually the best prompt is one I don't expect, so it'll be interesting to see what that turns out to be.

Happy Thursday! I finally got a tree and decorated it this weekend so that is one Christmas item on the list completed. Only a million more to go!

Challenge progress: 47/50

Finished:

The Nineties (no prompt) 4 stars. I really enjoyed this book. I was child/teenager during the nineties. It was very interesting to examine things I had completely forgotten about or things that I remembered but now have an entirely different perspective on.

Currently reading:

A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome (PS sister city 2)

Pretty Girls (no prompt)

Coming up:

Six of Crows (PS duology 1)

QOTW: So far I am most excited by a book based on a movie and a modern retelling of a classic. I also like the favorite past prompt because I use that for a continuing series.

Happy Thursday! Spent a very long time this evening waiting to see if my computer was going to actually turn on- it said it was updating and then an hour later said it was still updating. I think it's back to normal, but it was so frustrating. And my computer isn't even that old!

Finished:
An Immense World- this was really fascinating. And so filled with information I feel like I need to get a physical copy so I can go back over it. The people who study animals are so interesting. Great book!
Also, it was filled with a lot of spider stories, and I didn't skip over them even though it made my skin crawl- I was very brave
-47. A book featuring a parallel reality (because all the animals experience reality slightly differently... It counts- I don't care if it's a stretch)

The World Record Book of Racist Stories- I love Amber Ruffian on Seth Meyer's late night show, and she and her sister are so funny in this book, even when talking about some terrible stories. There is a story about a dentist that is fully horrifying. Highly recommend the audiobook.
-29. A different book by an author you read in 2021

Little Witches: Magic in Concord- Little Women, but they're witches. Pretty mediocre.
-16. A book about witches

Up Next (Potentially):
Our Dark Duet- this is book 2 of the duology, so I need to start it soon...

QotW:
I really like the modern retelling of a classic. There are so many possibilities, and I already own a bunch of books that would fall under this category. The prompt has a lot of potential

Felicia wrote: The Nineties (no prompt) 4 stars. I really enjoyed this book. I was child/teenager during the nineties. It was very interesting to examine things I had completely forgotten about or things that I remembered but now have an entirely different perspective on.

I read this one this year as well and also gave it a 4. It was a good book and offered insight into a world I wasn't familiar with. And by that I mean I was a 90s kid but my world centered around Power Rangers, teen dramas, and boy bands. So to see things from a different perspective was pretty cool.

Melissa wrote: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Book club for tonight got canceled again, so have not yet finished. In part 3. Library keeps renewing it, enabling my not finishing it. Will finish this year

Sweet. I have this book but have not gotten around to read it. There's a Young Reader's edition that I'm tempted to get though.

Theresa wrote: "There was one year when I was at Barnard that my last exam ended too late on December 23rd for me to catch the last bus of the day to Binghamton. I got a morning Greyhound bus on 24th, only a blizzard was raging through and after 6 hours of struggle it got to Binghamton...."

Wow! What a memory. Such a wonderful story, too. Life surely was different for those of us pre-technology.

Theresa wrote: "I really enjoyed Black Water Sister. There are some blips here and there with the writing but still a really good read. You will also crave Malaysian food when done...."



I have never had Malaysian food, so I did not know enough to crave it when it was mentioned in the story! I didn't recognize most of the dishes and I had to look them up as I read. Maybe it's similar to Indonesian food? (which I have never had at a restaurant, but there's a recipe I really like for nasi goreng - Indonesian fried rice - it's got maple syrup in the sauce, which I'm sure is not what they actually use in Indonesia but probably a close flavor cousin)