Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Happy Thursday, y’all! I tried to finalize this and post last night at 12:30AM or so but just couldn’t stay awake to do it! Goodreads is not allowing me to link to titles today, so we'll just have to italicize book titles for now! GRRRR... ;)

Lots of medical appointments and testing for my good friend this month, so busier than usual! Though I did find time to read for the Team Readathon!

Our Tigger is now on her third round of antibiotic. The mass in her neck has disappeared 4 times and then reappeared within 24 hours! Damn! My vet has already stated that due to the location of this mass, directly next to the larynx, she doesn’t believe she is qualified to try to surgically remove it which would mean taking her to Purdue and I’m sure that would cost at least $1,000. And we just don’t have it, especially since I’m looking at ¾ that amount to pay off to the vet already! I’m very worried, but trying to put only positive intentions and desires into the Universe for the complete annihilation of the mass. She is only 6 ½ years old! My youngest furbaby!

The book club I facilitate ended up not meeting this month. One member had to adjust her work schedule to accommodate her middle child/younger daughter’s surgery today and couldn’t attend at the last minute. Another member had a migraine that started that morning and just simply could not drag herself out. And another member had a family crisis and simply hadn’t been able to concentrate to read the book. Two of us met with this last member to help her deal with the family crisis and we will discuss this month’s book The House in the Cerulean Sea in July! The other 2 IRL book clubs in which I participate had rousing discussions of Upright Women Wanted and The Monsters We Defy this past week!

Just FYI:
Readers’ 54 Most Anticipated Books of Summer (https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2...)

Another just FYI:
Interesting article regarding publishing and AI: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b... Though I admit my knowledge level isn't sufficient enough to totally understand all this article discussed! :)

ADMIN STUFF
The FINAL selection poll for the 2023 October Monthly Group Read is here! Please vote for your favorite amongst these four nominated titles:
The Hate U Give
The Complete Maus
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Homegoing
I have read all but one of these and couldn’t be more excited to see which one is selected! Voting will be available through next Tuesday, June 27!

The June Monthly Group Read of Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston can be used to fulfill prompt #22 A book with a queer lead. In honor of “Pride Month” as declared by US Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden. (Also acknowledged in a 2019 tweet by Donald Trump.) Per Wikipedia this originated to commemorate the Stonewall Riots which occurred at the end of June in 1969. June is increasingly recognized as “Pride Month” (for all LGBTQ+/non-cisgender folks) outside the US. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_pride This discussion can be found HERE in the Current Monthly Group Read folder! :) It seems there are not many who are currently reading this one. Please feel free to stop by if you’ve read it previously and would like to comment, or just to ‘lurk’ to satisfy your curiosity! (I think I ask boring questions!)

We are currently soliciting for just one monthly group read discussion leader:
A "vivacious volunteer" to guide the September Monthly Group read discussion of Longbourn by Jo Baker. This book can be used to fulfill prompt #14 A modern retelling of a classic Since September is typically a time for returning to school and reading "classics"!

Lindsey has bravely volunteered to serve as the “fearless facilitator” to lead the discussion of the August Monthly Group read, Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister! This book could be used to fulfill prompt #30 A book that’s on a celebrity book club list. (Celebrities are ‘august’!) This was selected by Reese Witherspoon, and Lindsey actually led a discussion of this for the Reese Witherspoon Goodreads group!! So she is very well prepared! THANK YOU, LINDSEY!

Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer! :)

Just a reminder that the comprehensive listing of 2023 Monthly Group Reads can be found HERE

Question of the Week
Do you have any specific authors you follow and plan to read their newest releases? Tell us about one! (Enquiring minds want to know! LOL)
I have read quite a few of Marie Bostwick’s books and loved them all! The book club I facilitate read the first book in her Cobbled Court Quilts series and then 2 of us read the rest of the series and loved it! Her newest book, Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly, was released May 30. (I admit to being totally enthralled by the title alone! LOL) Here is an interview she did with Esme (Yes, that is the main character!): https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog... This is a truncated version, but there is a link to the full interview included. Warning: her books are all about character development!  There is plot and she does cover domestic issues, etc., but they are mainly about characters and their relationships/interrelationships!

Popsugar: 42/50
Nadine’s Q1 Mini-Challenge: 7/10
AtY: 50/52
RHC: 13/24

FINISHED:
The Amersham Rubies (Molly Murphy #0.5) by Rhys Bowen ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶ was a delightful read! Thank you to Bea who posted about this series! Not counted for any challenges.

I read a ton of books last week, but have not found the time to document them all. Here are the ones I plan to document now and then I’ll add the others into future postings as I find the time to do so…

*Greenglass House (Greenglass House #1) by Kate Milford ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶ was an excellent mystery and I will definitely be reading the remaining installments I particularly appreciated the diverse characters and inclusion of adopted children, interrelatedness of clues and characters, etc.
POPSUGAR: #1, #3, #9, #17, #19-2020: prompt #33 A book with at least a 4-star rating on Goodreads, #28, #31
ATY: #3-A book related to first contact, #5, #6, #13-Trees, #14, #19, #22, #24, #37, #42, #45
RHC: #23, #24: 2016 Read a middle grade novel

*The Lady in the Lake (Philip Marlowe #4) Raymond Chandler ✶✶✶✶✶ was a well-plotted mystery and for once, I had most of the solution figured out, though that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the read. Interesting unique characters. Definitely close to a "noir" classification for me.
POPSUGAR: #1, #4, #17, #19-2015: prompt #24 A book based entirely on its cover (green), #28, #35, #50
ATY: #3-A book about a “fish out of water”, #10-Posh, #14, #23, #28, #37, #43, #45
RHC: #10, #23, #24-2021: Read a book you’ve been intimidated to read

*The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky ✶✶✶✶✶ was an excellently realistic depiction of mental health crises in the wake of childhood trauma. I believe the epistolary format helped make the heavy theme a bit more understandable. Very glad I read this. And it was a debut novel! I will probably watch the movie.
POPSUGAR:
ATY:
RHC:

*Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey ✶✶✶✶✶ was not at all what I was expecting and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I might. Definitely provided much fodder for book club discussion!
POPSUGAR:
ATY:
RHC:

CONTINUING:
*Like Family: Growing Up in Other People's Houses by Paula McLain
*The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
*The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed
*Festival Days by Jo Ann Beard
*Mrs. 'Arris Goes to New York (Mrs. ‘Arris #2) by Paul Gallico
*Beloved by Toni Morrison

PLANNED:
*The 5th Horseman (Women’s Murder Club #5) by James Patterson
*The People vs. Alex Cross (Alex Cross #25) by James Patterson

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Yesterday evening I had the opportunity to go and see Lonely Castle in the Mirror at my local movie theater, and I absolutely loved it! It was such a great story! I’m really looking forward to reading the original novel as soon as my current readathon ends.

Speaking of which, I’m just about to finish the fourth week of the SciFi Summer Readathon! I’ve managed to do a massive amount of reading this week, and not only am I just a handful of books away from finishing my collection of Doctor Who novels, but I’m also super close to completing 30% of the books on my TBR list!

Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…

Goodreads Challenge: 530/400 (Challenge Complete!)
Mount TBR Challenge: 150/150 (Challenge Complete!)

📚Physical TBR: 240/634
📱Ebook TBR: 7/236
🎧Audiobook TBR: 11/13
TBR Checklist Total: 258/883 (29.2% complete)

I did pick up a few new releases this week, including A Fatal Illusion, by Anna Lee Huber; Alice in Borderland, Vol. 6, by Haro Aso; Love's in Sight!, Vol. 2, by Uoyama; Alice in Kyoto Forest, Volume 2, by Haruki Niwa and Mai Mochizuki; and Lonely Castle In The Mirror, by Mizuki Tsujimura.

These are the last books that I am planning to buy copies of during the month of June. The next new release that I’m interested in buying doesn’t come out until July 11th, which should give me some time to get caught up on my newer titles…especially since I’m planning to take the first two weeks of July to get semi caught up on my “New Books” list.

“New” Books Bought in 2023: 316
“New” Books Read in 2023: 265/316 (83.8% complete)

Here are the books I finished this week…

Finished Reading (Fiction):
~Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Characters — This was a great overview of the characters in the Star Wars universe. Because this book was published prior to the creation of the prequel and sequel movies, it focuses on the characters from the original Star Wars trilogy, as well as the follow-up novels and comic books that I grew up with. I think there is an updated version of this book that includes characters from the prequel movies, but to be honest I don’t have a desire to read that edition because there were several things that were retconned when those movies were released. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I also continued reading my collection of Doctor Who novels. I am continuing to really enjoy these books. The stories have been great!

The books I read this week featuring the 10th Doctor (on his own) include…
~Doctor Who: The Slitheen Excursion — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Doctor Who: Judgement of the Judoon — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Doctor Who: The Taking of Chelsea 426 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Doctor Who: Autonomy — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Doctor Who: The Krillitane Storm — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The books I read this week featuring the 11th Doctor and Amy include…
~Doctor Who: Apollo 23 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Doctor Who: Night of the Humans — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Doctor Who: The Forgotten Army — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The books I read this week featuring the 11th Doctor, Amy, and Rory include…
~Doctor Who: The King's Dragon — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Doctor Who: The Glamour Chase — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Doctor Who: Dead of Winter — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Doctor Who: The Way Through the Woods — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Doctor Who: Touched By An Angel — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Doctor Who: Paradox Lost — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Doctor Who: Borrowed Time — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The books I read this week featuring the 12th Doctor and Clara include…
~Doctor Who: Silhouette — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
None

Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
~Alice in Borderland, Vol. 6 — This book was a great continuation to the series, and included (view spoiler)[the conclusion to the King of Clubs game, as well as the beginning of the Jack of Hearts game. (hide spoiler)] There continue to be some differences between the manga and the live action adaptation. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[This book includes graphic violence and attempted rape. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None

DNFed:
None

Currently Reading:
~Doctor Who: The Blood Cell — I’m currently a little over halfway through this book, and should be finishing it later today. 📚

QOTW:
I’m really looking forward to Kerry Greenwood’s newest book, Murder in Williamstown, which comes out in November. I love the Phryne Fisher Mysteries, so I’m really glad that she is continuing the series!

I’m also super excited for the next Murderbot Diaries book, by Martha Wells. System Collapse will also be released in November.

I finished Prairie Moon as a previous favorite, a place I want to go. A western romance is not something I was expecting to like, but it's been sitting on my shelf for a couple of years, so I thought I should get to it, and it was better than I thought it would be.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through Murder at Marble House as my book with a love triangle. This is part of a series and the triangle isn't very front and center in this book, but I'm still counting it because I'm a rebel like that.

QOTW: Well, I'm constantly checking on a release date for Wnds of Winter. Other than that I don't know. I usually just read books that have been out a while. I've started the Gilded Age Newport mysteries and I want to read the whole series, but I have quite a ways to go before I have to wait for new ones, assuming they're not finished.

Personal: 44/50
Nadine's Mini: 10/10
Library: 30/31

Before I went on my last trip, I was super pumped to finish all my challenges! But when I returned, I felt like time is a-wasting and there isn't much summer left to finish prep for the fall! (I know it may not seem like it, but we just hit Summer Solstice, people!) Also, I have an upcoming trip that will eat away more time. So I'm just guarding my reading time jealously. I didn't finish reading the book for my bookclub that met last night and don't plan on reading for the one that meets next week.

Finished: On the Origin of Time: Stephen Hawking's Final Theory This book had some really interesting ideas, but I felt like didn't explain them in enough depth to really be able to understand them.

Creative Acts for Curious People: How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways This had some really fun ideas. Some I will integrate into my philosophy club and some I will do just for fun.

Currently Reading: Object-Oriented Ontology: A New Theory of Everything Reading this because I read Ian Bogost's book on the same subject.

Read the World: Rethinking Literacy for Empathy and Action in a Digital Age

QotW: I try to follow all my favorite authors and am sometimes surprised when a new book comes out by one of them that I wasn't aware of. This happened most recently with Rick Riordan. I used to follow his Lightning Thief series and affiliates avidly. But I didn't like the Apollo series that was his latest because Apollo was such an arrogant character (like his creator???) So I was very surprised when I walked into a B&N and there was a new book out co-authored by Riordan.

Happy Thursday!
This week marks a momentous occasion. I finally finished The Tale of Genji! I have been reading it since December.
I hope to never see a longest book on your TBR prompt again. If it ever reappears, I will delete all books on my TBR longer than 500 pages.
Anyway, I only 6 books left to complete the challenge, one of which I am reading now.

Finished:
The Tale of Genji for longest book on your TBR
Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia

Currently reading:
Warrior Girl Unearthed
The Crystal Cave
All Creatures Great and Small on audio

QOTW:
I don't follow any authors in the social media sense.
There are a few authors that I have managed to read all their books as they're published:
Tana French
Jane Harper
Jasmine Guillory
There are probably more, but I can't think of any at the moment.
Authors whose next books I anxiously await, but haven't read all their backlog:
Martha Wells
Naomi Novik
Madeline Miller
Barbara Kingsolver
Alice Hoffman
Louise Erdrich
Emily Henry
Angie Thomas
NK Jemisin
Again, I am sure I left many out.

Milena wrote: "This week marks a momentous occasion. I finally finished The Tale of Genji! I have been reading it since December."

Congratulations, Milena! I read The Tale of Genji last year, and it was a tough book to get through!

The last few weeks have been a blur of cleaning, organizing, and making trips to Goodwill. I think I’m ready to start packing for my move soon. I’ve started listening to a very long audiobook to hopefully make that a more pleasant experience. Otherwise, I’m trying to read some shorter books because my free time is going to get scarce and because I’m falling behind in the challenge.

Finished
The Tower of Swallows by Andrzej Sapkowski (2022 - a book with a constellation on the cover or in the title). Another excellent Witcher book, but I’m seriously ready for Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri to be together in the same place again. How many books has it been!? Three books now?

What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher (a book with a rabbit on the cover). Wonderfully creepy! I see this is the first in a series. I would definitely read more. This made me want to reread The Fall of the House of Usher.

Reading
Far Horizons: Volume One of the Travelers' Tales edited by Sally Malcolm

Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon

QOTW
There are a few authors on my must-read list: Sarah Addison Allen, Becky Chambers, Andy Weir, and Simone St. James. To be honest, I don't keep an eye on their new releases. I usually just stumble upon them and need to read them immediately.

Been struggling all week with an issue at work. Almost got an headache because of it, but it disappeared the moment I realized I was frustrated by something. My therapy last year really helped me. I just decided what my next step will be next week. Fingers crossed!

Meanwhile we finally have a decent amount of rain. I started to worry about my garden, but this will get it through for at least 3 weeks of sun and heat. And with all due respect to everyone who loves summer etc: I’m done with it already. I’m just not made for heat and humidity or (the horror) both of it.

PS: 27/50
Total 2023: 31

Finished
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid ⭐⭐⭐
PS #43, a book taking place entirely in 1 day
Taylor Jenkins Reid writes entertaining books. They are perfect for a leisurely read.

Currently reading
About People by Juli Zeh

QOTW
Isabel Allende. I got The House of the Spirits when I left my internship company. I loved it! It made me remember why I love reading and all things good about it. So I read other books by her. And since then, Isabel Allende has a special place in my reading heart. I love her magical realism, historical fiction and her writing about strong women. I just bought her latest book, it released June 6th, The Wind Knows My Name.

Happy Thursday.

I finished two books. Our internet was out for 2 days. I had worried that I wasn't going to finish The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by the end of June because it was so long. However, with no internet, I had nothing to do but read. My two online books suffered, but they are shorter and I know I can finish them this month.

Finished:

Beloved
ATY prompt:A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2022 or 2023
Popsugar prompt: A book that's been banned or challenged in any state in 2022
Summer challenge: A banned or challenged book

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
ATY prompt: A character that might be called a Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, or Spy
Popsugar prompt: A book you bought secondhand
Summer challenge: Book that is at least 400 pages long

Series - 8/15
Series Completed: - Lying Games, Bronwyn the Witch, Divergent, Millenium

Nobel laureates - 3/7
Random books - 3/7

ATY - 23/40
PS - 22/30
Nadine's 23 challenge - 10/10 -Completed!
Summer challenge: 2/12
Around the year in 52 movies - 24/52

Currently reading:

Selected Poems of Pablo Neruda - 25% done
The Bride Wore Size 12 - 15% done

Buddy Reads:
God in My Everything: How an Ancient Rhythm Helps Busy People Enjoy God - 9/15 chapters
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - 11/37 chapters
A Light in the Window - 1/21 chapters

QOTW: Ruth Ware is the only author I follow by having joined her mailing list.

I do read everything by Riley Sager. And I pretty much read everything by Lucy Foley, Shari Lapena, Karen McManus, and Mona Awad.

Milena wrote: "Finished:
The Tale of Genji for longest book on your TBR
Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia.."

That second book sounds interesting.

Dubhease wrote: "Milena wrote: "Finished:
The Tale of Genji for longest book on your TBR
Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia.."

That second book sounds interesting."

It was really good. I heard about it from other readers either in this group or ATY

K.L. wrote: "Milena wrote: "This week marks a momentous occasion. I finally finished The Tale of Genji! I have been reading it since December."

Congratulations, Milena! I read The Tale of Genji last year, and ..."

Well I am glad to hear that I was not the only one crazy enough to take this book on.
I have a tradition of reading one super long book, usually a classic, each year. Last year I read Stalingrad, other years I read War and Peace, The Count of Monte Cristo, and It. Maybe it's time to take a year off from long books.

Happy Thursday!

OMG! Srp is so small right now. I had 6 kids last week and 2 this week. I did have to shift to Tuesday because of the new state observance of Juneteenth. I don't know what happened. Maybe the late advertising or something.

With all the training that stopped me from doing srp for a lot of hours, I'm not shocked I got behind with advertising.

Our new library switchover will be finalized on Sunday. I'm not looking forward to the switch. I don't know. It might be easier or not. I will have to see.

I'm just super tired right now. I really want a break.

If weather underground proves right, our first taste of the 90s comes next weekend. So not looking forward to that. I want it to stay like it is. Although I'm shocked the fabulous weather has lasted this long.

Popsugar:11/50

Finished:
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 4 ps 2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book brings in a new kingdoms, Kingdom of Sandora and Regulus Empire. Touya and crew are off to find the second Babylon (floating islands created by the perverted Dr. Regina Babylon 5000-years-ago) and meet Ende, a mysterious person that can destroy the nearly indestructible Phrase, as the Phrase attack Sandora. Touya then travels to the capital of the Regulus Empire for a book and ends up stopping a coup d’état. His fifth fiancée is the third princess of the country whom he saves. {Fiancées: 1)Yumina Ernea Belfast, 2+3)Linze & Elze Silhoueska [twins], 4)Yae Kokonoe, 5)Lucia Rea Regulus}

It's funny because all the girls are pretty much chasing him and not the other way around. They are the ones that want marriage and Yumina's parents (king and queen of Belfast) are like okay. Touya's like "um can I have a say?"

I had forgotten I even read this book, but Goodreads doesn’t lie. I even had a miniscule review on it. The anime has really toned down the darker portions of the series. In this book, Touya threatened a man with some major surgery and some explicit instructions on what to do afterward. Touya was very pissed at the man because he insulted Elze and called her some horrible names and besmirched her reputation. This was definitely not in the anime.

Reading:

Aty:10/52
Finished:None

Reading: None

Goodreads Challenge 365/400
Finished:
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 4
A Tale of the Secret Saint (Light Novel) Vol. 1
Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling (Light Novel) Vol. 1
Solo Leveling, Vol. 1
The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 06
The Apothecary Diaries 07
My Happy Marriage 01
Busted
Working Under the Professor
The Sword Dancer
Runaway Rogue

Reading:
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 5
Prince of Thorns & Nightmares
The Princess’ Smile: The Body-Double Bride Searches for Happiness with the Reclusive Prince

Nadine's Mini Challenge 7/10
Finished:None

Reading: None

Mount TBR:
31/150 Ebook
23/150 Physical

QOTW:
Right now I'm anticipating the Sue Lynn Tan's new book, which is connected to Daughter of the Moon Goddess called Tales of the Celestial Kingdom. It has a bunch of stories from other characters and an epilogue to the duology. I'm digging Chinese Xianxia stuff. It makes me so happy. I also saw Judy I Lin has a new book coming out next year called Song of the Six Realms. It is also in the Xianxia and Wuxia genres. I'm looking forward to it.

Hi all,

Been a quiet week. My cat is doing pretty well, he's playful again and snuggly. Still on medications so we're kinda tied to home until is July re-check and he should be able to go off most of them.

This week I finished:
Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years: Women, Cloth, and Society in Early Times - did the audio book for this. My library is doing a genre challenge, and there's several different nonfiction genres with 3 books each for the challenge. So trying to work some nonfiction in so i dont end up with a pile of nonfiction at the end, haha. One of the genres is historical nonfiction so this works. It's an older book, but considering it's dealing with history from thousands of years ago, I didn't feel like it was too outrageously outdated. Maybe new textile discoveries have been made, but the book didn't read as dated. She couldn't study the entire world's ancient textiles all by herself, but she did cover more than just Europe. It was interesting to see how she went and found information, considering that textiles are perishable and therefore generally don't last for thousands of years. A lot of looking at ancient art, finding bits and bobs of old spindles and looms that got overlooked as trash by early archeologists, ancient correspondence mentioning cloth trade, old statues etc.

The Duke Who Didn't - read harder independent published book by a BIPOC. This was cute, and a nice break after the really long one from last week. I liked both leads, and it didn't go the predictable way I expected.

Warrior Girl Unearthed - audio book for this, read harder's YA book by an Indigenous author. I'd read the Firekeeper's Daughter for book club a while back, this one was also good. Set a number of years later, but it still references the events of the first book and some characters make a return.

Currently reading:

Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law - I know Mary Roach is really popular, but I'm really slogging through this. I thought it'd be funny, with stories of animals doing antics and some learning. But it's mostly depressing, hearing all the ways humans try to kill or harass animals when we're the one who moved into THEIR territories. And so often the problems are either caused by humans introducing invasive species, or refusing to do the basics of prevention like "use bear proof trash bins" and "don't plant ornamental fruit trees in your back yard when you live in bear country". It's just kind of depressing reading, but i'm hoping eventually there'll be some tips on how to help or something.

The Sisters Grimm - book for my TBR challenge. I'm not super feeling this one either. Interesting premise from the description, but the writing is jumping around so much between characters and between first and third person it's just hard to get a good flow going.

Fractal Noise - audiobook. I feel like this would probably ALSO be disappointing, if it wasn't for the fact that it's narrated by Jennifer Hale, my favorite voice actress. She does SUCH a good job, i could just listen to her read the phone book and be happy about it.

QOTW:

I don't necessarily FOLLOW a lot of authors waiting for new releases, but there's certain authors that if I see a new book is out, it's basically instantly on my TBR list even if it takes me a little bit to get to it or I have to wait a while on hold. Seanan McGuire, Martha Wells, Becky Chambers, NK Jemsin are some of those, to name a few.

Hi Everyone, I had a good week of reading. I finished the Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge. Now I can concentrate on Popsugar & Around the Year in 52 Books. The other good news is that after moving a year and a half ago I found a book club. I'm excited. I read one book for the week. Detransition, Baby. 2 stars. I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.
QOTW : Jesmyn Ward's new book. Let Us Descend. It's due out 10/25/2023.

Doni wrote: "But when I returned, I felt like time is a-wasting and there isn't much summer left to finish prep for the fall! (I know it may not seem like it, but we just hit Summer Solstice, people!)..."


LOL our schools have completely different schedules!!! My daughter only just finished her last final exam yesterday!! Summer STARTS for us next week!!

Milena wrote: "This week marks a momentous occasion. I finally finished The Tale of Genji! I have been reading it since December.
I hope to never see a longest book on your TBR prompt again. If it ever reappears, I will delete all books on my TBR longer than 500 pages...."



LOL!!! That was me last year!! I was so completely traumatized by the loooooong slog of Monte Cristo that I ruthlessly culled ALL long books from my TBR. Never again! I shouted, as I deleted anything with more than 700 pages!


(Yes I am right now attempting to read a 640 page long book, and I am not doing well, and I might just have to cry uncle because I can't even stand to hold the book up to read it.)



I'm curious to hear about The Crystal Cave. I've never read anything by her, but the description always makes me think I'd like it, and then I think "nah" but then I think "well, maybe"

The Crystal Cave is really good so far. I am reading in in paperback, and I have had so many headaches the last few weeks that it's really hard to read a print book. I have a much easier time reading on my Kindle when I have a headache. Plus a paperback requires good light. So it's taking me a lot longer than it should, but I really like it. Mary Stewart has the same initials as me, so it's one of my 6 books left for the challenge.

Ugh we're starting to get the bad heat out here. 108 (F).

*****

I've pretty much given up on the PS challenge. There are just a lot of books that I'm reading that don't fit the prompts. I know there's still plenty of time, so maybe it's too early, but we'll see.

*****

You guys know it takes me longer than a week to get through a book because I annotate quite a lot so I haven't had time to finish any.

I have started 3 of them though:

Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World - About to start ch. 5 of this one. I find it a bit slow right now. It's just a backstory about how certain gas companies came to be. I'm hoping the book picks up soon otherwise this may become a DNF.

Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole - I've read this book 3 times already, but I'm reading it a 4th since the paperback was released this week.

The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture - I was recently diagnosed with PTSD. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get through this book and with a new perspective. I've tried a few other times before, but can never finish it because of how long it is, but I'm really hoping this time around will be different.

*****

Upcoming:

I've started to plan my July reads and I added a couple Nicholas Sparks books to the list.

The Wish- I haven't read this, but I want to since the mass-market paperback will be released in September.

Dreamland - The paperback will be released in August so I do want to read this before I get the pb.

******

Question of the Week
Do you have any specific authors you follow and plan to read their newest releases? Tell us about one! (Enquiring minds want to know! LOL)

Love this week's QotW.

I have two in particular:

1.) Susan Cain- I follow her on Instagram mainly. She has a TikTok, but doesn't use it that often. I am such a huge fan of her book 'Quiet' as you all well know. I have 4 copies of it. And I love her latest release 'Bittersweet' which was released last year. The paperback edition was released just this week so I had to pick up a couple copies of it. I also get her newsletter via e-mail. If she ever writes another book, which I'm not expecting any time soon, I certainly plan to read it. Anything she writes, I'll basically read.

2.) Nicholas Sparks- I mainly follow him on Instagram. I am such a sap for his work. Have been since 1999 when I discovered his work. The first book I read of his was 'A Walk to Remember' after I saw the movie adaptation. After I read that one I went back to his two previous books, Message In A Bottle and The Notebook.

There was a time when I got rid of my NS books because I was angry with him since my views didn't align with his, but I quickly got over that because I loved his stories too much.

The last I heard he's got a new release coming out either this year or next. So whatever it turns out to be I'm excited for it.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Milena wrote: "This week marks a momentous occasion. I finally finished The Tale of Genji! I have been reading it since December.
I hope to never see a longest book on your TBR prompt again. If it ..."

I enjoyed the crystal cave series. it's been a long time since i read them, but, if i'm remembering correctly, merlin was my favorite character. I liked these so much better than mists of avalon. i soooo wanted to throw that thing across the room.

Finally, it’s Thursday!

Although, that sounds like it has been a tough week, but it hasn’t. Just busy.

I am finally well. Yippeee!

Now to catch up on all my projects, commit to some activities, and get back into the swing of things.

I did a fair amount of reading, although part of it was graphic novels. I am ready to let GN and manga rest a bit, though. I did find a few in the past weeks that earned a 5* rating from me, which was a bit surprising. I also was surprised at how many seemed to be dealing with LBGTQ+ issues as well as coming of age.

Finished:
As the Crow Flies – GN. 5*. This coming of age story touched on spiritual relationship as well as LBGTQ issues and just the fitting in with the group in an inclusive way. LOVED it! All issues handled well and sensitively.

Book of Night– PS #27 BookTok recommend. 3*. I found myself wondering where this story and characters would go from this story. It is about a shadow self…about whether a shadow can have a life when all it has been given is the negatives of the person it shadows…and where does shadow life go. I will read book #2 to find the answer.

They Called Us Enemy – GN. 4*. A memoir of a history that is not taught enough. I admire the author and how he worked to make it known.

Fire Touched - PS #5 Mythical creatures. 4*. I love this series! All the characters are so real with all the emotions and confusions that many of us experience in life. I read this one in one day…that is how much I needed this escape!

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic – GN. 2*. Maybe I was burnt out by the time I read this on memoirs, but it just did not engage me.

Skeleton Man – Other challenges. 4*. I always seem to enjoy Tony Hillerman stories. I have read here and there some of them prior to joining GR, which means they are not tracked. Easy to dip into and enjoy…plus I learn more about Navajo and Hopi culture.

The Ghost and the Haunted Mansion – 3*. I’m not quite sure why I had planned this for one of my challenges. I have read #1, but seemed to have skipped over the others to this one (#5). It is an interesting cozy read with a mix of noir hard-boiled (ghost) with modern sensibilities (bookshop owner).

The Sandcastle Girls - ATY #22, old challenge. For most of this book, I wanted to give it a 3* review, but the end found me marking it 4*. I guess because it came together in the present in a way that was moving…and that brought all the previous pages and bundled them into the past.

The Chocolate Bunny Brouhaha – PS #24 Rabbit on cover (chocolate bunny). 3*. A cute cozy mystery. Sometimes the protagonist’s responses seemed a bit over the top for the relationship.

Currently Reading:
Dreams and Shadows –Kindle. 13%. Weird book. On hold.

The Beginner's Photography Guide: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Manual for Getting the Most from Your Digital Camera – PS #2. 8%. On hold.

The Lake House Secret – Kindle. ATY #23. 19%

A Nail Through the Heart – Ebook. 54%

The Haunted Hotel – PS #28. 50%

French Milk – GN. 63%

On deck:
In Dublin's Fair City
Making All Things New: An Invitation to the Spiritual Life
So Lucky
Bone Deep


PS 21/50 and 6/10 for Nadine’s Challenge
ATY 22/52 and 11/12 for Q1 Challenge, 4/12 for Q2 Challenge, 5/12 for Summer Challenge
GR 137/200
RwS starting a new season: 11/30

QotW: Do you have any specific authors you follow and plan to read their newest releases? Tell us about one! (Enquiring minds want to know! LOL)
I have favorite authors but I do not follow any of them nor do I try to get the newest book when it is published. There are so many books that I want to read...and I primarily get my books from libraries...and I dislike waiting or having the book I am wanting to read on a hold list...so I seldom look for the newest book...unless I have completed the series...

K.L. wrote: "Congratulations, Milena! I read The Tale of Genji last year, and ..."

Whoops! Quick correction...it looks like I actually read The Tale of Genji in 2021. Time really flies, doesn't it?

Milena wrote: "Well I am glad to hear that I was not the only one crazy enough to take this book on. I have a tradition of reading one super long book, usually a classic, each year. Last year I read Stalingrad, other years I read War and Peace, The Count of Monte Cristo, and It. Maybe it's time to take a year off from long books."

I really enjoyed The Count of Monte Cristo when I read it, but The Tale of Genji just felt way too long to me. I am glad that I read it, since it's a piece of literary history, but I think I would have approached it differently had I known how difficult a read it was going to be. I can definitely understand wanting to take some time away from reading long books after this one!

Milena wrote: "Happy Thursday!
This week marks a momentous occasion. I finally finished The Tale of Genji! I have been reading it since December.
I hope to never see a longest book on your TBR prompt..."

Congrats!

Happy Thursday everyone.

Work has been EXHAUSTING this week. Our library gets insanely busy during the summer, what with kids being out of school and our library hosting a Summer Reading Program three days a week. And we were closed for Juneteenth, so spent a chunk of this week playing catch-up from being closed a day. I'm looking forward to my Friday off, heh...

Also, I finished my library's Extreme Book Nerd challenge! Whoo! I know I should pick another challenge to finish out the year, but now I just want to read what I want to read for a bit...

Books read this week:

The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute -- for the Extreme Book Nerd prompt “non-fiction book from the 300s of the Dewey Decimal System.” Anyone remember the Ty Beanie Baby craze of the ‘90s? This is an in-depth analysis of the creation of the brand, the rise of the craze, and its inevitable demise. Fascinating stuff.

The Darkdeep -- for the Extreme Book Nerd prompt “book by an author with the same name as you.” I was expecting something a little creepier than this… but I did enjoy the dynamic among the kids, and it addresses ecology in a realistic manner -- namely, that sometimes decisions that help the environment can impact people’s lives negatively.

The Fated Sky -- sequel to The Calculating Stars. Not as good as the first book but still good. Mostly dealt with bickering amongst the astronauts and the racism and sexism still inherent in the system and less with the actual space travel, but then, this book is set during the ‘60s, and just because it’s got a sci-fi premise doesn’t mean those issues aren’t still present.

Dear Mothman -- one of my Pride Month reads. This was a heartbreaking but beautiful story about a trans boy searching for the cryptid Mothman in the hopes of dealing with the grief of losing his best friend and struggling with his identity.

Currently Reading:

Hell Followed With Us
Obsidio
The Sorcery Trial
Our Wives Under the Sea

QOTW:

Catherynne M. Valente and T. Kingfisher are the two authors who I follow closely for new releases, because I've generally liked or loved everything they've put out so far.

Hellooo!

So much rain today! A two-week heat wave was broken so it can start up again tomorrow, woohh!

It's 1am and I can't catch up with what's already written, so I hope Tigger will pull through <333

Disney Pride DLP was so much fun! I had a wonderful evening/night, and I actually *felt* cute which, total win! The 3am bed 7am alarm was rough though xD At least the breakfast with princesses was delicious! Sadly the train home was delayed due to terrible weather so we got home at 3am instead of 1am, oops.

Tomorrow I'm leaving for the Ardennes, with a day trip to Luxembourg on Saturday and we're stopping in Luik/Liège on Monday on the way home. I'm excited!

When I get back I also get to try ADHD meds so fingers crossed!

Mickey is doing really really well! Next week when I'm home we're expanding his space so he can hobble around a bit more.

Sadly this also means I have had to face the harsh truth: Mia, Mickey's former mate, will have to be returned to the shelter. I'm crying as I type this as it's completely breaking my heart. Sadly I don't dare to try and mate her back with Mickey. She's incredibly dominant (was already with Tommie before Mickey) and he has no defenses right now, and stress can trigger his EC again. We don't have the space for a fourth enclosure, or the capacity for 8 bunbuns in total instead of 6. I hate this so much. Pets are supposed to stay with you until their end and it feels like I'm failing her by bringing her back. I'm gonna miss her so much *sobs*

I read nothing beyond fics, though I wrote another one, and am currently not actively reading a book either. Ohwell. I can't wait for the next reading bout!

QOTW
At the moment, it's TJ Klune and TJ Klune only. There used to be more, but with my limited reading and BrainTM he's the only one whose releases I actively look out for AND read. They're just my happy places!

Hi all! Been a long week around here. Boyfriend got sick last weekend and was basically in bed until yesterday, probably the flu. Now kiddo has a cough. Today was the last day of pre-k. At least she can stay home and rest for as long as needed.
Today I went to my doctor to send in more paperwork about my disability. My doctor agrees that my previous job was not sedentary and that I am not yet ready to return to that level of work. I hope disability accepts her conclusions.

I did very little reading this week thanks to sick boyfriend. But, I did finally finish When Christ and His Saints Slept! It was really good and I plan to read the next book in the series (it's shorter!). I read it for Historical Fiction.

I plan on getting back into Night over Water. And hopefully pick up Flamer for Pride month. We'll see how much reading I do with kiddo home all day every day.

QOTW: I used to keep an eye out for Nicholas Evans to put out a new book, but he passed away last year. He's the only one. Other favorite authors have lots of old books that I haven't read yet, so eagerly awaiting the newest thing isn't a priority.

It feels as if all I do all day and into the evening is scramble to stay on top of work! Oh, I am! I may complain but in truth I love being a lawyer and (most) of my clients, colleagues and the matters.

I'm holding at 35/50 in PS, but made more progress with ATY - now at 46/52!

Finished:
A Gentlewoman's Guide to Murder - first in a new series - and I'll be continuing it!
Bluebird, Bluebird - won the Edgar a few years ago and I've had it on the TBR forever. Brilliant - if you loved Razorblade Tears, this is for you. Anotehr first in a series that I will continue.
Dissolution - this fit prompt ATY - 16th Century for my third and last of the 3 books/different century prompts -- set in Tudor times. Another first in series I will continue. LOVED it. I stayed up way too late last night finishing it.

Currently reading - starting tonight:
The Satapur Moonstone

QOTW: 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I read a LOT of series - romance and mystery, contemporary and historical. I also read a fair amount of SFFthes e days because of my Feminerdy Book Club. Then there are favorite fiction authors and I now have a non-fiction favorite author. So I'll give you one of each:

NF - Rick Atkinson - he writes history that reads like a movie in your mind.
Fantasy - the 800 lb. gorilla - George R.R. Martin and the very long awaited The Winds of Winter but there are others - S.A. Chakraborty for example.
SciFi - Murderbot. Period. Oh, add P. Djèlí Clark;s djinn in alterantive history Cairo.
Historical mystery - where to start? Andrea Penrose - either series.
Contemporary Crime Fiction - S.A. Cosby author of Razorblade Tears
Cozy mystery- I don't even know where to start but I'm going to mention an old favorite (author passed away a decade or so ago but left a rich oeuvre) - Joan Hess especially the Maggody Series. Still producing: Paige Shelton
Historical Romance - Stephanie Laurens - I even pre-order the ebooks! Oldie but goodie - Georgette Heyer
Contemporary Romance - usually a spec ops or K-9 as I like suspense and hunky men in my contemporary romance - Katie Ruggle - but I also have become very fond of Nancy Thayer books set on Nantucket - very soothing and happy.

General or Literary Fiction Author - Barbara Kingsolver and Haruki Murakami for contemporary, Fiona Davis for historicals, and of course there is the awesome Amor Towles

Okay new reading goal: Read every Nicholas Sparks book.

I've read them before, but it would be nice to do rereads.

Not feeling very well, so I'll make this short. I was determined to be on time this week.

Finished
In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune - 4 stars; PS #46 pet character
Once again, Klune has written a book I really love. It made me so happy! Rambo as a pet character is somewhat stretching the prompt as he is a robot, but if Katy can be a rebel, so can I. He may be one of my all-time favorite characters, and I want him in my real life. I had an issue or two with the book which prevented 5 stars, but it would likely be a 4.5.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver - 4 stars; PS #14 retelling of a classic
Wow, this is a bleak story - even worse than David Copperfield, the novel it was retelling. I've read David Copperfield a few times, so it was entertaining to see the characters as they were introduced in their modern way. I did a little research on the subject of drug addiction in the Appalachian states, and the book was pretty accurate. Great book, tough read.

I was reading this for book club, but I fell that morning and was too stiff and sore to attend (thankfully I'm not injured). I was very disappointed as I'm sure it was an interesting discussion.

Double Sin and Other Stories by Agatha Christie - 4 stars
I was grateful to read my monthly Christie to soothe my soul. It's odd that my go-to calming books are cozy mysteries, but that's how I roll.

Your Baby's First Word Will Be DADA by Jimmy Fallon - 4 stars (not counted in book totals)
My mother mentioned that Jimmy Fallon writes children's books, so I got this from the library. It was funny, and the illustrations were entertaining. And it took me 5 minutes or less.

Goodreads: 46/90
Popsugar: 36/50

QOTW:
I started reading Dick Francis mystery novels back in the 1980s, and over time I read them all (around 50). Most revolved around horse racing in England, something I'm not remotely interested in, but I loved them anyway. Prior to his death, his son Felix began writing books with him, and has now continued his father's legacy. I read everything he writes. He's not quite his father, but I enjoy his books very much.

Teri wrote: "I started reading Dick Francis mystery novels back in the 1980s, and over time I read them all..."



I loved Dick Francis too!! Back in the 90s, shortly after I moved to where I live now, I found a giant warehouse of used books - every Saturday I would go to the comic book store to pick up any new issues in series I was following, and then drive down the block to the book warehouse and look for mystery authors I loved, like Dick Francis. (Sadly, both the comic book store and the used book store are gone now.) I would buy any books I found by him, read them all out of order, loved them all. I recently re-read one of these old books and it stands up, still worth the read!

Happy check-in! Summer is here. 😀 Now the published in the second half of the year prompt can be accomplished.
June started off being a good month for me reading things off the tbr and I got it back below 400 again... so there was a used book sale this week. 🙃 On the plus side I found a bunch of Buffy books that I didn't have and the BOTM book for July.

Finished Reading:

The Paper Palace ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (PS secondhand)
I finally finished this one, I started it in January. Reese picks good books for her book club. This book fits many prompts.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, Volume 3 ⭐⭐⭐
Set during the third season of the show but these comics didn't live up to that season.

The Sweetheart List ⭐⭐⭐
Rom-com with baking puns.

Lore Olympus: Volume Four ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
These are so good. Although the amount of time I wait for the next one to be published and the amount of time it takes for me to read them do not match!

PS 40/50
ATY 41/52
Nadine's 10/10
Goodreads 138/250

Currently Reading:

The Foxglove King

QOTW:

Ilona Andrews I will read whatever they write.
Auto-pass to the tbr authors: Christina Lauren, Ali Hazelwood, Holly Black, Emily Henry, Sarah J. Maas

These are going to be the first 3 Nicholas Sparks books I start with since I haven't read them yet:

Dreamland

The Wish

The Return

*****

After that, I placed all of the other titles in a TBR jar and will pick them that way.

Happy Thursday FRIDAY!!

It's been a super busy week for me, considering I'm unemployed!!!  This week just flew by, I can't believe it's Friday already!!  Where did this week go??? It's all my kids: college kid got a job (haha she's now the only employed person in our household), so now we have to juggle my car, she can have my car to get to her job, except for when I have to drive her sister somewhere, which - this week - is every single day!  High school kid is in orchestra AND marching band, so almost every night this week has something going on at dinner time.  Tuesday: Marching band practice, Wednesday: Parade band performance at a town event, Thursday: Marching band practice, Friday: Orchestra practice and then later performance at high school graduation.  And yesterday was effectively the last day of class for my high school kid, so we had our annual Last Day of School Picnic in the Park (which is always a relaxing good time and for some reason every year we have had awesome weather for it - yesterday was the most perfect summer day, the weather could not possibly have been more wonderful).

I have been tie dyeing shirts again.  I tried out four experiments, and three of them look like they will be AWESOME!  One looks like it will a complete fail, but that's okay, it's an old bleach-stained rugby shirt that I found while cleaning out my closet; I can remove the dye with Out White Brite and try again.

This week I finished two books.  Neither of these filled a category for this Challenge, so I'm still holding steady at 32/50.

VenCo by Cherie Dimaline - this was great!  It felt much lighter than Dimaline's previous books.  If you like reading about witches, I highly recommend this book.  (get it? coven ... venco). I didn't read this for any challenge, but I checked off "a book that is dark" in AtY since the cover is mostly black.

Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk -  It was okay.  It didn't really work as a novella, I wanted it to either have ALL the chaff removed and be a short story, or I wanted everything to be fleshed out and be a full length novel.  I checked off "novella" in AtY.



Popsugar: 32/50  
Winter mini-challenge:  5/10   
AtY: 30/52   
2023 must-reads: 6/12 





QotW
I follow some authors, mostly on Twitter, and I make sure to read new books by some authors, but oddly there's not a ton of overlap between those two groups.

Each year I make a list of new releases that I'm really interested in, but I won't necessarily read every book on my list, and many authors on the list are new-to-me.

I will excitedly put their new book on hold (although I may not have read all of their backlist):
Martha Wells (for MurderBot I will actually PRE-ORDER the book!!)
Ann Leckie
Lauren Beukes
Kristen Lepionka
Mike Chen
Kevin Wilson
Cherie Dimaline
Bryn Greenwood
Gillian Flynn (WHEN will she publish again?)
Jane Harper
Jordan Harper
Caroline Kepnes
Colson Whitehead
Rebecca Roanhorse
Stephen Graham Jones  (maybe - I haven't liked his last few so much)
S.A. Cosby
Beatriz Williams
Lauren Willig
Marlon James

Happy Friday and my late check in. I haven't completed anything this week but I did start reading Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
I need to really get to a bookstore because I've had no desire to read these last few weeks. I haven't even had much interest in tv either. But I did watch the new season of Black Mirror and I enjoyed it.


Question of the Week
Do you have any specific authors you follow and plan to read their newest releases? Tell us about one! (Enquiring minds want to know! LOL)
I definitely have a few and they are Tananarive Due and Jesmyn Ward

Erica wrote: "Happy check-in! Summer is here. 😀 Now the published in the second half of the year prompt can be accomplished. ..."




LOL I'm reading mine now!! It's an ARC, so it's scheduled to be published in July.

Happy check-in, everyone! I had a busy day at work yesterday, so I wasn't able to post sooner.

Finished:
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston - 4 stars - for a book becoming a show or movie in 2023. I liked it better than the last book I read by this author, One Last Stop. I think what I liked most about this book was its optimism about culture, diversity, and politics.

Comics & manga:
Komi Can't Communicate, Vol. 25
Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, Vol. 3

Currently reading:
Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin - for a book that takes place in the decade I was born. I'm just starting it now. I'm pretty sure I read it once before but I don't really remember; I loved the PBS series that came out back in the 90s.

I am currently at 32/50 for Popsugar (26/40 and 6/10)

Upcoming/Planned:
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - for a book your friend recommended.

QOTW:
I follow many of my favorite authors on some kind of social media or via newsletters. Margaret Owen is one I mention a lot, because she's also an artist, so she posts awesome artwork of her characters as teasers. For her current series, she's been creating illustrations for the books as well. I am such a sucker for books that come with art. I just read her newest release and loved it.

Others I follow avidly include T. Kingfisher, Seanan McGuire, Martha Wells, C.L. Polk, and Mark Oshiro.

I forgot to check-in yesterday, it was my last day of work and had to go in and hand back my laptop. I was hoping my last week would just be sat around doing nothing but they had the cheek to ask me to do stuff, so I have been quite busy. While I was in Bournemouth I had a wander round town which barely has any shops left that aren't selling food or coffee. Waterstones was deathly quiet and it didn't really have anything new and exciting to tempt me.

I only read one book this week, Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood which I'm assuming is on BookTok for that prompt and also using it's for ATY's book about science. This fixed some of the things I was starting to get tired of with her other books, though she obviously has her formula. Fun and heartwarming.

QOTW:
I have so many "favourite" authors now on my auto-buy list, although new releases have gone a bit quiet for many of them. Some I'm looking forward to for the rest of this year:
The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth by Natalie Haynes
Bridge by Lauren Beukes
Heartstopper: Volume Five by Alice Oseman (I could read this online but I always wait for the paper edition)

I finished up two books this week and they both worked for open prompts, so I'm now at 29/40 and 4/10 for this challenge, and 64/75 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge.

Finished:
* Deenie by Judy Blume, which I used for "a book published in the year you were born." I've been making my way through all the Judy Blume YA books I didn't read when I was younger and was pleasantly surprised to learn of the original publication date of this one; and,
* Travels in Alaska by John Muir, which I used for "a book with just text on the cover" since the edition I read checked that box. I started it before my trip to Alaska last month -- took me a little longer to get through it considering how short it is but I'm glad I finished it up.

Currently Reading:
* The Buenos Aires Quintet by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, which I still have not actually touched; and,
* The Case of the Reincarnated Client by Tarquin Hall.

QotW:
Do you have any specific authors you follow and plan to read their newest releases? Tell us about one! (Enquiring minds want to know! LOL) I follow a bunch and several of them tend to publish a book a year, so they're always factored into my TBR plans. Probably the two new releases that I'm most looking forward to are Prom Mom by Laura Lippman and The Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey since I'll be attending local author luncheon/book signing events in support of both of their launches in late July/early August. I'm looking forward to attending both with my Mom and supporting the local indie bookstore that is hosting them.

Megan wrote: * Travels in Alaska by John Muir, which I used for "a book with just text on the cover" since the edition I read checked that box. I started it before my trip to Alaska last month -- took me a little longer to get through it considering how short it is but I'm glad I finished it up.

I have this book, but have not yet gotten to it. How is it?

And how was your trip to Alaska?

Ron wrote: "Megan wrote: * Travels in Alaska by John Muir, which I used for "a book with just text on the cover" since the edition I read checked that box. I started it before my trip to Alaska last month -- t..."

I have this book, but have not yet gotten to it. How is it?
I found it a little dry but still interesting. I suppose the dated feel to the language/writing isn't terribly unexpected considering how long ago Muir explored and wrote about his time in Alaska. It was a little mind-blowing to think about how remote and wild it would have been back then.

And how was your trip to Alaska?
I was only there for a few days but I really loved it. It was amazingly beautiful and really unique. I told everyone after I got back that I felt like I'd been plopped into the middle of a movie set. I'd love to go back and stay longer/see more of the state some day.

Jen wrote: "I follow many of my favorite authors on some kind of social media or via newsletters. Margaret Owen is one I mention a lot, because she's also an artist, so she posts awesome artwork of her characters as teasers. For her current series, she's been creating illustrations for the books as well. I am such a sucker for books that come with art...."



If you like that sort of thing, both Marie Lu & Maggie Stiefvater are also artists. I know Marie Lu's first career was as a video game artist. They both often post art depicting their characters.

Hey everyone! I had a pretty easy week. First my boyfriend and I gave my dad's Father's Day gifts and he really liked them! Thank god for Father Day sales because the gift I got him were on a really good discount! The best part is when you know they have been wanting it for a long time but never got it and then you got it for them! This week at work I got to leave earlier than usual. I am scheduled until 6pm but from Monday to Wednesday, I was leaving 4pm-5:30pm. I got to work in different stores and one of the days we got to leave early from the museum. It is supposed to be raining a lot this coming week so that means a lot of work to do lol.

Since I didn't make an update post last week, I have read 5 books!

1) The Pornography Wars by Kelsy Burke: Such a great read. Very informative. The butterfly experiment shocked me. 5/5. This completed a challenge from the 52 Books Challenge.
2) Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion by Bushra Rehman: Takes place in NYC and also mentioned places I know and been to! I gave it a 4/5 because the ending just felt rushed and I thought what happened at the end was going to happen earlier. Otherwise, great book. This book completed the Popsugar prompt of "A book with a forbidden romance."
3) You Have to Stop This by Pseudonymous Bosch: The fifth and final book of the Secret Series and having reread this an adult gives me more insight in what the story being told is actually saying. Like when I first read the series in middle school, I didn't actually retain any information going in and I have so much respect for this story like I will fight whoever disagrees with me about this series jkjkjk. An obvious 5/5! This book completed a 52 Books Challenge.
4) The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman: This book surprised me! I enjoyed it a lot! The subplot of the trivia team made me laugh. I gave this a 4/5. This book completed a 52 Books Challenge prompt.
5) Time Out by Sean Hayes: The audiobook's intro music was catchy lol. I played the credits as well so I could listen to it again lol. This book also surprised me. I will say trigger warning on this book because there are homophobic slurs being said. This also was a quick story to listen to, only 7 hours. 4/5. This book completed a 52 Books Challenge prompt.

QOTW: You know what's funny? I had one favorite book from Emma Lord, Tweet Cute, and when I heard she had a book coming out this year, Begin Again, it was on my radar. When I read it, I was so disappointed. So because of that, I am not looking forward on upcoming books by authors I like. I feel like it makes me give it a high expectation.

Happy Friday! I went to my friend's daughters middle school graduation party this week. It's crazy watching kids age. I used to babysit her and now she's taller than me.

Finished:

Home (ATY theme of returning home) 4 stars. The second Binti novella. It was excellent but not quite as great as the first.

Exit Strategy (no prompt) 4 stars. Murderbot #4. Murderbot makes it back to her original humans in this one.

The Relentless Moon (ATY author first name popular in 1923) 4 stars. Lady astronaut series #3. This one is interesting because its what happens on earth and the moon with everyone else while Elma is on her way to Mars.

Shadow and Bone (no prompt) 3 stars. I liked this but not as much as the six of crows duology. This one felt a little more formulaic. Very good verses evil. But I do love the universe the author has created.

Currently reading:

Last Night at the Telegraph Club (ATY related to pride)

When the Stars Go Dark (ATY book that is dark)

Upcoming:

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle (ATY full name in title)

QOTW: T.J. Klune, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Mary Robinette Kowal, Andy Weir, Emily St. John Mandel, and Elizabeth Acevedo. I'm also waiting not so patiently for the sequel to Iron Widow.

Happy Friday! I've definitely started this post multiple times and then gotten distracted, so focusing this time! Last weekend I got together with my family for father's day, for a very relaxed lunch. We're trying to be better about getting together more often these days. Other than that, it's been pretty boring. Next week I have a few shows I got free tickets to and then an author talk this weekend. So hopefully less boring!

Finished:
Flowerheart- this was a cozy ya fantasy. Didn't really hit the spot. The plot and the characters are pretty thin. Pretty cover tho!
-no prompt

A Promised Land-I finally finished! Very good, even though the politics are so depressing. Really enjoyed the audiobook, but I liked having the physical copy to double check parts where I thought I might have missed something
-no prompt

Currently reading:
The Ghost Bride- I've had this on my shelf for awhile. I'm about a hundred pages in, and I'm definitely intrigued.

QotW:
I don't think I really follow authors. I only find out authors are coming out with something new when they pop up on a most anticipated list, or if someone I follow starts posting about it.

Felicia wrote: "QOTW: T.J. Klune, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Mary Robinette Kowal, Andy Weir, Emily St. John Mandel, and Elizabeth Acevedo. I'm also waiting not so patiently for the sequel to Iron Widow

..."



oh your answer reminded me that I forgot to add Emily St. John Mandel to my list!! I definitely get excited when she has a new book coming. There are still two or three in her backlist I need to read, so that gives me something to read in the "off years" when she does not have a book coming out ;-)

Nadine wrote: oh your answer reminded me that I forgot to add Emily St. John Mandel to my list!! I definitely get excited when she has a new book coming. There are still two or three in her backlist I need to read, so that gives me something to read in the "off years" when she does not have a book coming out ;-

Nice. The only book I've read of hers was Station Eleven which I absolutely loved! I loved the mini-series more so, Mackenzie Davis was so great, but the book was just as amazing.

I have 'Sea of Tranquility,' which I got on it's release date, but have yet to read it (shame on me. LOL!) I have it as one of those "just-in-case" moments. As you all know I have a hard time reading fiction.

Still though, I should keep up with her work or her future work. I'll keep that in mind.

I wouldn’t say you HAVE to read the Glass Hotel before you read Sea of Tranquility, but Sea does make several references to characters from the Glass Hotel.

Sheri wrote: "I wouldn’t say you HAVE to read the Glass Hotel before you read Sea of Tranquility, but Sea does make several references to characters from the Glass Hotel."

Yeah, this is what I've heard. I'll have to add it to my TBR.

So I'm currently reading 3 books.

Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole - Paperback. Even though I've already read it.

The Wish - First time reading this one.

Fire and Flood - Paperback. Even though I've already read it.


*****

Does anyone read multiple books at the same time?

Oh, yes!