Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2023 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 49: 11/30 - 12/7
I hadn't even noticed the Goodreads Choice winners had been announced! It's hard enough trying to focus on the ATY readathon alongside new prompts to pour over.Weather is miserable here, so dark and wet, and my wellies have sprung a leak. I ordered new ones a week ago but they haven't dispatched yet, this is the reward I get for not using Amazon?! I met up with some of my former colleagues at the weekend, which was nice, otherwise I've gone into hibernation mode.
Finished:
The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland, not quite as good as House of Hollow but this was an interesting take on demon bargains and pretty dark in places. The blurb made it sound more like magic was more prevalent in the world, but it's more of a well-kept secret.
A Midwinter's Tail by Lili Hayward, I probably should have kept this for next year as it has a bit of magical realism in it, but the rest reads like a festive chick-lit. I liked the remote Scilly Islands setting.
DNF:
Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park, which I was trying to listen to on audio but I don't think it's the format for it as there's a lot going on and I don't really know enough about Korean history to half pay attention. I may try and pick it back up in a different format in the future, because I was intrigued, but also confused.
Currently reading Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington.
QOTW:
I just got a copy of Your Blood, My Bones off NetGalley and I am so excited to read that, but having to hold back so I can use it for Deaf author. But the prompt I saw and loved was a character who dies in the first chapter, even though I don't know what I'll read for it, I just like it (and I'm sure it will be easy to fill).
I'm probably lucky in a lot of the niche prompts are things that I will read anyway, others are things that seem hard to plan for but I'm sure I will stumble across...but the ones that will be the hardest for me are the rock n roll autobiography (I commented in the thread that I might just read about a woman geologist instead) and book that has been made into a musical. Oh and I can't think of anything I want to read from 2000 but I'm sure I'll manage something.
I haven't decided if I want to do all 50 prompts next year, I guess I'll see what 2024 throws at me.
Happy Thursday all!So some of the prompts look HARD this year! I'm going to be pushed out of my comfort zone with some of them. That's okay, though, that's the point of the challenge, right?
Just one more week of school to go. Whoo. I guess I should get cracking on my final projects...
Books read this week:
Wise Child -- a lovely middle-grade read set in the Middle Ages. Think The Midwife's Apprentice, but with an herbalist instead of a midwife and a much more kindly teacher.
Finding Gobi: The True Story of a Little Dog and an Incredible Journey -- a sweet read about a long-distance runner, the stray dog he befriends, and his efforts to bring said dog home.
Reclaim the Stars: 17 Tales Across Realms & Space -- a collection of stories by Latin American authors. About evenly balanced between great stories and “meh” stories.
Little Fuzzy -- wanted to read the original book after reading John Scalzi’s remake (Fuzzy Nation). The original is still superior, heh.
DNF:
A Day of Fallen Night -- I hated to DNF this one, because I LOVED The Priory of the Orange Tree. But this one felt like such a slog in comparison to the first book. And I wasn’t invested in any of the characters.
Currently reading:
Tropical Punch
Chlorine
A Christmas Story
The Wicker King
QOTW:
I'm looking forward to the "book with a neurodivergent character," "book set in space," and "self-published" prompts. Kind of dreading the "autobiography of a woman in rock 'n' roll." Not a big celebrity memoir fan...
I've hit a reading slump this week. I'm hoping with some books I get next week they'll help me get out of it. As a result, aside from the first 5 chapters of Twilight, I haven't read anything.Things have been okay for me. Just getting some Christmas stuff out. Hoping to put our trees up today. I have one that I always place in my bedroom.
I've recently discovered blind-date-with-a-book on etsy. I've done those at bookstores before, but I've always wanted to find some online so I'm excited that I ordered 9 of them. 8 nonfiction for me, and 1 toddler book for my sister who is about to have a kid.
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QOTW: Which topic on our new list are you most excited about? Which topic are you dreading?
I knew this question was going to be asked, and I've been trying to think of an answer all week. I am super excited for the 2024 challenge. Out of the 50 prompts, I'm going to be doing 47 of them! I'm skipping the K-Pop, Trans/Nonbinary, and 42 yr old ones.
I am so grateful that there is more leeway for nonfiction this coming year as I struggled for 2023. Of the 47 books I'm doing, 33 are nonfiction and roughly 14 are fiction so that makes me super stoked!
In terms of the ones I'm most excited about. Here are my top 5:
1.) Neurodivergent character.
2.) Set in Space
3.) Title That Is A Complete Sentence
4.) Came out in a year that ends in '24'
5.) Deaf/hard of hearing author
*Bonus*- A nonfiction about Indigenous People
Happy Thursday! I have to do a Zoom symposium for srp today from 8 to 1:25. Definitely not doing the whole thing. I’ll do a few hours of it and watch the rest on the recording. 5 hours is way too much for my colleague to watch the desk.
We’ve had spring weather here. Just warm enough that I don’t need a coat during the day. The wind and clouds came in yesterday. I don’t think it’ll do anything though. Just be grey and blah.
My brother-in-law leaves for Antarctica just after Christmas Day. So we will have Christmas on the Friday before at their house. He’ll be there 45 days or so,
I started planning Popsugar yesterday. I have 12 prompts give or take planned with multiple options.
I’ve been reading junk food books so I’ll be ready to cleanse my palate later this month or at the beginning of January.
QOTW:
Book set 24 years before your birth. Totally not a fan. I couldn’t find a good resource for the year I needed. I did find 2 eventually. One written in the year and one set in the year. This one will be a cheater probably. Recent history (50s-80s) doesn’t interest me and I lived through some of it.
I love the musical one. There are so many manga that have musicals that it was too easy to choose.
There are others I loved and don’t like. These two were off the top of my head.
We got our first snow yesterday! Nothing that counted in the weather app, but you could see snowflakes coming down and small patches of white on the grass. My kids and I were happy to see it, as central Arizona never had days like that.Finished:
Marple: Twelve New Mysteries by various (4/5)
I would count this as a book where someone dies in the first chapter, as practically every short story has a death.
This did much better than I was expecting, as even Agatha Christie's short stories are not among her greatest works in the world of mystery. Some of these had connections to previous Marple novels, but it is not necessary to have read them to understand the short stories in this anthology. Even though they all share the same premise of an elderly woman using her knowledge of human nature to solve problems (usually murders), each story managed to feel distinct from what the author brought to it.
No Time Like the Past by Greg Cox (4/5, reread, could work for a book set in space or in the future)
Seven of Nine gets sent to the era of Kirk's Enterprise, and hijinks ensue. Some episode settings are revisited, and the author tries to explain some of the things that were a bit nonsensical at first glance along the way (like the exploding rocks from "The Apple"). I would recommend this for those who love spending time with Kirk's crew and ship and seeing their competence.
Currently reading:
One More Croissant for the Road by Felicity Cloake (a book with 24 letters in the title (26))
A Burning House by Keith R.A. DeCandido (reread, a book set in the future)
Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson (not for a prompt)
Avengers vs. X-Men Omnibus by various (reread, not for a prompt)
Question of the Week:
I am excited for an author's 24th book, as that usually means that the author has had time to refine their skills and catch on with an audience. A book with an unreliable narrator can be fun, and I hope the listopia is right on my choice (it was one I already own).
I am not as thrilled with the horror by a BIPOC prompt. I'm not much of a horror reader, but I will try to find one that is not too long, stressful, or gory.
Brandon wrote: "We got our first snow yesterday! Nothing that counted in the weather app, but you could see snowflakes coming down and small patches of white on the grass. My kids and I were happy to see it, as ce..."I don't remember how gory it was, but Ring Shout would fit the "horror book by a BIPOC author" prompt and has the benefit of being a novella. So it's short at least.
Happy Thursday!It's been a fairly busy week but I did manage to read three books:
Down Among the Dead Men - 5 stars. This series just keeps getting better! The sequel is due in 2024 and I couldn't be more excited :D
The Da Vinci Code - 3 stars, reread. It's impossible to be as objective about this one as I would like, because the nostalgia of reading it as a teen in the '00s colors my experience. Not a great book by any means, but fun!
Field Guide to the Haunted Forest - 4 stars. Jarod K Anderson's Cryptonaturalist posts always make me happy, and these poems were an extension of that.
PS 44/50
ATY 52/52
Mount TBR - 50/60
Currently:
Bookshops & Bonedust
Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy's Fight for Survival
Senlin Ascends
QOTW: Which topic on our new list are you most excited about? Which topic are you dreading?
I'm so excited by the Musical prompt! Genre you typically avoid is annoying, as are the hyper-specific ones involving age requirements or "a one-word title you had to look up in a dictionary".
Brandon wrote: "I am not as thrilled with the horror by a BIPOC prompt. I'm not much of a horror reader, but I will try to find one that is not too long, stressful, or gory."There's been a recent boom in YA horror, which tends toward shorter novels and not overly gory!
I'll probably grab an Octavia Butler book for this one.
I've already started the Popsugar Challenge and I'm going strong!4/50
Robot Librarian: 11/52
Finished: Love almighty and ills unlimited: An essay on providence and evil It was just okay. Would recommend Evil and the God of Love over this one.
A Strange Loop used for prompt #19 a play in Robot Librarian Challenge and #24 turned into a musical for PS. I know this kind of a stretch for PS since it started off as a musical, but I still read a book and it became a musical, so.... I think I was actually the one who suggested this prompt and I wasn't super excited about trying to fill it to the letter. Funny how that happens! Oh! I would NOT recommend this book though. I know it won the Tony and is supposed to be edgy, but I found it raunchy and actually stereotyped even though it is an #ownvoices. Had to force myself to get through it.
The Wild Robot used for #4 author with color in name for RL and #12 from animal POV for PS. Again, this is kind of a stretch. The animals all have POV's in this book, but the main character is a robot. I might replace it with something more appropriate in the future.
The Black Book of Colors for #8 by blind author. I don't know for sure that this was by a blind AUTHOR, but it was made for people who are blind with words in braille and embossed illustrations. I don't usually use picture books to fulfill prompts, but this was too perfect of an opportunity to pass up! My students and I read, felt, and discussed it. It was awesome!!!
The Sunday Philosophy Club for prompt RL #9 Flower on cover, and PS #27 someone dies in the first chapter. Wow! I was underwhelmed by this book. First of all, it's misnamed. There is no Sunday Philosophy Club. Second of all, the ending was lame. Maybe that happens frequently in cozy mysteries? It's outside my wheelhouse. (When did that expression come around?)
The Philosophy of Improvisation Didn't get a whole heck of a lot out of this book and didn't fulfill any prompts either!
Started: Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well So far, loving this!
The Poets Laureate Anthology for PS prompt #48 collection of at least 24 poems. Re-read. Loving it!
Philosophy for Kids: 40 Fun Questions That Help You Wonder...about Everything! Very structured, but might use it for a separate ethics unit.
QotW: You know, in looking over the list, there aren't really any prompts I dread. Which means it's a good list! I initially wasn't excited about #40, a horror book by a BIPOC author, since I don't like to be scared. But I picked The Vegetarian which I might like, who knows? I'm also not super excited about an autobiography by a woman in rock n' roll just because my favorite female artists seem to have not written books. But I might go with a book by Ani Difranco. As for favorite prompt, I think it might be #30 A book with a one-word title you had to look up in a dictionary just because it is the most surprising and fresh (and I found a good option to fulfill it - Eleutheria)
I'm excited! But I'm mostly excited now to be done with my book fast! My probability class is over so now I can read to my heart's content.
Happy Thursday! I'm finally back on the mend after getting sick after Thanksgiving. Last weekend I'd completely lost my voice, so I spent a lot of time drinking tea and pretty much didn't talk for 5 days. My voice was pretty much back to normal yesterday which was good since I had 3 phone interviews which all went ...fine? I told my friend later that after being isolated in my apartment for a week it was like I'd forgotten how to be a person, but we'll see what happens! My brother tells me to think of every interview as just practice for the next oneFinished:
MY ONE AND ONLY- I really thought this would be a silly, fun romcom to take care of the divorce prompt. I disliked it so much. It feels very dated, it's very "we reconnected two minutes ago, why aren't you changing your whole life for me???" It's very "I still love him, we're soulmates"- you haven't seen each other in 13 years, you don't know each other anymore! I spent the last 100 pages angrily texting my friend about it. So not the fun time I was expecting
-about divorce
Currently reading:
The Count of Monte Cristo- I'm back. I've read a chapter. It's going to happen
An Artist of the Floating World- this is not going to be my favorite book by Kazuo Ishiguro, but it's good. I've also had my copy for 10 years, so it needs to happen
Qotw:
I like this batch of prompts! Even the ones that aren't my go to genres- horror, cozy fantasy, magical realism- there's still a lot of good options out there. Like I thought the musical one would be difficult, but it turns out I just didn't realize how many book had been adapted.
The only one I'm dreading is the "set 24 yrs before you were born." I might just go for one published that year that isn't obviously taking place in a different time
Happy Thursday! I called out of work today so I'm just in bed until later when I'll get up and go to Happy Hour with a friend at our favorite oyster restaurant. I was in a reading slump for over a month and all the books I planned to read to finish my prompts just didn't feel right or they bored me to death so I've been sticking with graphic novels. FINISHED:
Bodies I watched the limited series on Netflix before purchasing the book. It's a re-release of the series I guess. I enjoyed the series more than the book. The first volume of the book was strange. I'm not sure if I'll read the remaining volumes.
Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog Vol. 2 I devoured this in one sitting. The second volume didn't hold up to the first volume because I had way more questions than answers.
QOTW: Which topic on our new list are you most excited about? Which topic are you dreading?
I'm excited about a bildungsroman book, I also had to look that word up in the dictionary. I'm dreading the prompt A book from a genre you typically avoid.
Happy Thursday, everyone! I finally broke down and went to the doctor’s office this week. After waiting about 40 minutes past my appointment time for the doctor, I found out that my cold has evolved into a sinus infection. I am currently on antibiotics, and starting to feel a lot better.
In other news, my new fridge finally arrived at the end of last week! I had a complete anxiety meltdown the day it arrived, which I could have done without, but the fridge is here. It’s been cleaned out. And there is food inside of it. So I am calling this a win.
This was another fantastic week for reading! I was able to finish the remaining books in the Throne of Glass series, and absolutely loved all of them. I’m currently on the first of the last two books on my “New Books” list, and I’m making really good progress on it. I think I’ll be able to have both of my remaining titles read before the end of next week.
As far as next year’s POPSUGAR Reading Challenge is concerned…while there are a few prompts that do interest me, the vast majority just won’t work with my TBR list. They’re far too specific, which is really disappointing.
Because I was able to make so much progress reading down my TBR list this year, I really want to keep that momentum going in 2024. So I’m not going to be participating in the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge next year.
In fact, I’ve decided that I will only be participating in challenges that will help me accomplish my goal of reading another 40% of my TBR. As of right now, I am only planning to do the Goodreads and Mount TBR challenges. I will be participating in some readathons next year as well, but haven’t decided which ones they will be.
Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…
Goodreads Challenge: 799/400 (Challenge Complete!)
Mount TBR Challenge: 150/150 (Challenge Complete!)
📚Physical TBR: 319/634
📱Ebook TBR: 22/236
🎧Audiobook TBR: 13/13
TBR Checklist Total: 354/883 (40.0% complete)
I did not get any new books this week!
“New” Books Bought in 2023: 433
“New” Books Read in 2023: 431/433 (99.5% complete)
Here are the books I finished this week…
Finished Reading (Fiction):
~Empire of Storms — I thoroughly enjoyed this book! There was so much action and drama in this one. I do have to say though that I am very grateful that I already had all of the books in this series, because (view spoiler) 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Peril at Owl Park — This is the second book in the Aggie Morton Mystery Queen series, which I got from my local library. I really enjoyed this audiobook. It was a fun Christmas mystery. 🎧: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Tower of Dawn — I absolutely loved this book, and it ended up being one of my favorites of the series! The intrigue and action were fantastic, and I really enjoyed the interactions between the characters. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~A Murder Is Announced — I picked up this audiobook on my library’s app, and I really enjoyed listening to it each night before bed. 🎧: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Kingdom of Ash — What a phenomenal conclusion to this fantastic series! I’m so glad I finally had a chance to read the whole series! Content Alert: (view spoiler) 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
None
Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
None
Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
~Murder in Mesopotamia: BBC Radio 4 Full Cast Dramatisation (BBC Radio Collection) by Christie, Agatha 05 May 2003 — I picked up this radio drama on my library's app. While this is one of my favorite Agatha Christie mysteries, I wasn’t super impressed with the radio drama. The actors/actresses were great, but the story just felt choppy the way it was presented. 🎧: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
DNFed:
None
Currently Reading:
~Death on the Nile — This is another audiobook that I picked up on my library’s app. I’m currently listening to a couple of chapters each night before bed, and really enjoying it. I love the fact that it’s narrated by Poirot himself, David Suchet. 🎧
~Fourth Wing — I’m currently on chapter 5 of this book. I am enjoying the story so far, and will probably finish it by the weekend. 📚
QOTW:
Although I am not doing next year’s challenge, there were a couple of prompts that I really liked. They were “a book about a writer/author” and “a book that features dragons.”
I didn’t really like the repetition of the “a bildungsroman” and “a book written during NaNoWriMo." They've just been done a little too recently.
Happy Thursday!I think I'm done buying presents for Christmas, but I really need to get started wrapping! It's so much fun when there are small children involved. Eli (6) is very excited, and he's sure he's not on the "naughty list." Ewan (1) loves the Christmas tree, and so far he's been content to just look and not touch.
Challenge Progress: Well, I thought I was done with challenges for this year, but the 52 Book Club announced a December mini-challenge based on My Favorite Things, and ATY announced their Winter Challenge. I don't really have to worry about that right away since it goes through February, but I'm utterly consumed by completing the 52 BC mini-challenge.
Completed:
In the Likely Event ★★★★
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal ★★★★★
The Bell in the Fog (52 BC - "sleigh bells") ★★★★
Lore Olympus: Volume Five ★★★★
Thicker than Water: A Memoir ★★★★
Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil (Book Club Pick) ★★★
Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism ★★★★
Girls in White Dresses (52 BC - "girls in white dresses") ★★★★
We the Scientists: How a Daring Team of Parents and Doctors Forged a New Path for Medicine ★★★★
Picture Perfect Autumn ★★★
Currently Reading:
A True Account
The Reformatory
Manga Classics: Jane Eyre
The Berry Pickers
The Last Ride of the Pony Express: My 2,000-mile Horseback Journey into the Old West (52 BC - "cream colored ponies")
Gifts in Brown Paper Packages (52 BC - "brown paper packages")
Stolen Beauty
Heartbreaker
Warrior Girl Unearthed
QOTW: I'm not sure that there are any prompts I'm dreading. I immediately started looking for books that would fulfill those prompts that I was most leery of, and I'm satisfied with my choices. I'm looking forward to "a book by an author who is deaf or hard-of-hearing." I've had Nyle DiMarco's Deaf Utopia: A Memoir - And a Love Letter to a Way of Life on my TBR for ages!
Happy Thursday.I finished no books this week. The problem with almost 700 page books is that even if during a busy time of the year, you read over 120 pages, it still feels like you barely moved.
I started my only official December book - i.e. one I planned. In my Gen X high school, Paul Zindel was loved. He wrote about losers instead of the captain of the football team dating the head cheerleader. I found one that I missed.
Series - 15/15 - I finished my goal!
Series Completed: - Lying Games, Bronwyn the Witch, Divergent, Millenium, Heather Wells, Mortal Instruments
Nobel laureates - 6/7
Random books - 7/7 - I finished my goal!
ATY - 47/40
PS - 39/30
Nadine's 23 challenge - 10/10 -Completed!
Summer challenge: 12/12 - Completed!
Around the year in 52 movies - 49/52
Currently reading:
Doctor Zhivago - 78% done
Pardon Me, You're Stepping on My Eyeball - 18% done
Buddy Reads:
The Horse and His Boy - We finished!
QOTW:
I am not dreading anything. I do the PopSugar and ATY categories that interest me and don't worry about the others. Everyone does challenges differently. The thing I'm trying to decide is how many PS prompts to sign up for on that tracker. I said 30 last year, but did 39 and will try to get it up to an even 40.
I think 30 for me would be a big stretch since most of them are quite specific. My personal challenge next year is to have a year of mysteries/thrillers. I have too many on my TBR.
The bookseller and librarian prompts seem like gimme's to me. The death in the first chapter will be easy for me given my focus. The coming of age book also seems easy for me.
I finished Queen Victoria's Mysterious Daughter: A Biography of Princess Louise. Pretty interesting. I had a weird dream that I read another biography about Princess Louise. Weird thing to dream.I read The Christmas Swap. Basically a book version of a corny Hallmark Christmas movie. I watch one and read one each December. I watched a Very Scottish Christmas (or something like that). It was actually pretty good for a Hallmark movie. This book was OK. They are what they are, and I like them to get me into the spirit of Christmas.
In other news, I've had one job interview which I don't think went great and I have another tomorrow.
Hi everybody! Sunny day here in WI; I'm hoping this weather holds through the weekend. Finished:
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex: Did you know that Moby Dick was inspired by real events? Did you know those real events were actually very gruesome and involved cannibalism? Now you do! It was a really interesting read.
In the Shadow of Agatha Christie: Classic Crime Fiction by Forgotten Female Writers: 1850-1917: I finally polished off this short story collection and I also got two real gems out of it. All along I've been saying, you know its interesting seeing the mystery genre evolve and progress but I was holding out for an author I would want to go read more from. I finally got what I was looking for with Anna Katharine Green and Susan Glaspell.
Fieldwork: A Forager's Memoir: I didn't like this. Just too rambling and hard to follow.
Currently reading:
The Woman in White: I'm 240 pages in and I feel like exactly nothing has happened.
QOTW:
Oooh, there's so many that I'm very intrigued by. The book by an incarcerated person is great prompt, one that I haven't seen before at all. A book that centers on video games will be an interesting quest. Book turned into a musical had way more options than I would have realized.
The ones I'm not at all excited about are the 'self-published' and 'NaNoWriMo' because we *just* did those and they were hard enough the first time. I also think most of their '24' themed prompts are way too narrow. But they don't call it a challenge for nothin and I am absolutely willing to find creative approaches for them all.
Brandon wrote: "I am not as thrilled with the horror by a BIPOC prompt. I'm not much of a horror reader, but I will try to find one that is not too long, stressful, or goryI'm not either, but luckily there are sub-genres for this. I'm going with the topic of social horror.
Laura wrote: Completed:
Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism ★★★★
This is cool. I have this book on my TBR and I'm using it for one of the prompts in 2024 (prompt #30: A one-word title you had to look up in a dictionary). I keep forgetting what the word 'fascism' means.
Quite busy in my head this week, lots of opportunities coming my way and I’m totally confused what to do. No, that’s not true. I’m totally confused in how to handle the biggest one, because I want it. To be continued. As a result of all this thinking, I did not read much. I’ve read a record amount of books this year already and I’ll just see whether I can finish the last 2 Popsugar prompts this year. No obligations!
PS: 38/50 (goal: 40/50)
Total 2023: 61/52
Finished
Go as a River by Shelley Read
Not for PS
It says on the cover ‘for readers of Where the Crawdads Sing’. Well, it was nowhere near that book. There was no end to the selfpitying, crying Victoria. I wanted to dnf, but since it was a present I finished it.
Currently reading
Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East
Das mangelnde Licht
QOTW
Like: A book about a writer/ author. Because you can read about journalists and (some) politicians too.
Dislike: NaNoWriMo: we don’t have NaNoWriMo over here, so this is a difficult one. And ‘a genre you typically avoid’… that’s the worst reason to pick-up a genre.
Greetings from a truly cold - finally! - NYC with temps below freezing! I'm hoping this kills off the mosquitos finally....I'm at 49/50 in PS and have the final prompt book in hand!
reading time is still very limited but I did finish 3 books:
Grumpy Monkey Oh, No! Christmas - so wonderful!
The Man in the Brown Suit
Miss Prim and the Duke of Wylde - Prompt book published second half of year. NOTE: I read this author and this particular series for both the published in first and last half of the year.
Currently Reading - scrambling to finish several challenges:
Haven Creek by Rochelle Alers
The Lion in the Lei Shop
QOTW: I'm not a planner at all, and other than just reading through the list a couple of times and reading others comments, I don't have I'm really looking forward to completing. I find it so easy and often surprising how easily I fit whatever I happen to be reading into PS prompts. It's only about the last 10 or so prompts still unread that I actually have to look through the TBR Towers to identify a specific book to read -- and even then I still manaage to fill almost all prompts just from mood, other challenge, or book club reads.
That said - I always always always dislike the celebrity ones - whether a memoir or something written by a celebrity - I just don't really add those to my TBR (though I'm sure I have one or 2 floating around the TBR Towers). And I have come to hate prompts linked to NaNoWriMo. I know they are trying to enhance recognition and reading of the books successfully published, which I can totally support, BUT I have read all of them that I really can see reading - and I'm a pretty dang diverse and eclectic reader. There are just not that many books. I can't believe they stuck that in there for 2024 having just had it. Fortunately I was able to do some reshuffling of my reads for prompts having remembered that I read more than one self-published book this year and that the one I'd slotted into that prompt was also one from NaNoWriMo, so I switched the books up. That means the book I was going to read, which has been in my TBR Towers for years, for this year's NaNoWriMo prompt will be one of the first I read in 2024.
Happy Thursday!Finished:
A Winter in New York by Josie Silver - 3.5 stars - Overall, I liked this. The main character is an Englishwoman who recently moved to New York to escape an abusive, toxic ex and finds love. It's a romance, but it's also about her complex relationship with her recently deceased mom, and how that impacts her life and her relationships.
Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative by Jane Alison - 3 stars - This was pretty good. I hadn't read any of the referenced works, but the examples were still relevent, and it's interesting from a reader's perspective as well as a writer's.
Currently reading:
The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec - loving this so far!
Upcoming/Planned:
Paladin's Faith by T. Kingfisher - new paladin book, yay!
After that, I might get started on the longest book I have planned for next year, with an eye toward finishing it in early January.
QOTW:
I'm pretty excited by most of the prompts. They'll allow me a good mix of reading stuff I already wanted to read and reading stuff that puts me outside my comfort zone. That's mostly what I want to get from a challenge like this: to widen my horizons and read more broadly.
I'm not really dreading too many of the prompts. I'm not super keen on the memoirs, since there's two of them on the prompt list. I'm also not really a poetry reader or a horror reader, but I think I can find options for both that will work.
Hi all! Slight dusting of snow here in Central NY. Not enough to play in, but enough to make me smile when I wake up in the morning and see everything coated. Happy Hannukah for those who celebrate! We are getting Christmasy around here. The house is mostly decorated, we're going to get a tree this coming weekend. Last weekend we went to see Santa and the kiddo was NOT having it. I even tried telling Santa that she wanted socks and underwear for Christmas hoping she would correct me and even that didn't bring her out of her shell. I don't think it was Santa that was the problem, I think there were too many kids running around. I think my daughter is going to be an introvert just like me. And I'm here for it!I didn't finish anything this week. I've been reading Riders of the Purple Sage and Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI and enjoying both of them. I've been reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to my daughter. I thought she would have issues with it not being just like the movie, but she seems to really like it! Yesterday I wanted an audiobook so I could close my eyes, so I started Alison Larkin Presents: A Christmas Carol. It's A Christmas Carol, but Scrooge is a woman. Literally nothing else has changed. I was hoping for some social commentary, but nope. It's just a Christmas Carol with female pronouns. I'll use it for a retelling, but even that feels like a stretch. Maybe the author will have some comments at the end.
QOTW: I LOVE the 24 years before you were born prompt. I LOVE looking up what happened in each year and thinking about how you could tie world events to a book (but I love historical fiction and non fiction so....). I will help every single person find something if they want me to!
I'm dreading the Nano prompt on principle. I have Night Circus, so I have a ready made option, but c'mon, there's only so many books that fit the prompt.
As for a prompt that's going to be hard for me to fill, I'm dreading a book that takes place in 24 hours. Most of the ones I come across don't sound that interesting. Most books that take place in a day a character studies (I think) and I don't really care for those.
Jackie wrote: "Hi everybody! Sunny day here in WI; I'm hoping this weather holds through the weekend. Finished:
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex: Did you know that Moby Dick was inspired by real events? Did you know those real events were actually very gruesome and involved cannibalism? Now you do! It was a really interesting read."
I read this one several years ago and was enthralled!
One thing I have been doing is ordering a lot of books. I don't have many in my own shelves that fit the 2024 prompts so this has given me an excuse to get more. I've lost track of how many new ones I've ordered. LOL!
Happy Thursday!I haven't been reading much at all, just some fics last night; I've been busy with Disney, my bingo opening up sign ups (I've been making many bingo cards and even started writing again!), and recovering from Disney. I lowered my GR goal to 40 so only 2 books needed and fingers crossed!
QOTW
The controversy might come from the k-pop industry being terrible and people putting their heels in at anything hyped.
For me it's a combo of the industry that I don't want to support in any way, and my sister being obsessed with k-pop. Anything she obsesses over I end up hating because she's insufferable with it and can't handle anyone feeling any other way.
I haven't looked at the list closely enough to be excited for any prompts, but the k-pop and nano prompts are definitely ones I will be altering/skipping. The genre you don't read often sucks because I read all over!
Also, it's 8:30pm here, so happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate!
Mod
I am participating in the AtY Team Readathon this week and have spent much more time today than I should have on planning for 2024 Popsugar! (Thanks for this particular QotW, Nadine! I’m blaming you for derailing me from read-a-thon reading today!! LOL 😉) I am posting the books I’ve read and will document them later… (This is always my challenge with these team read-a-thons!!) 😊
ADMIN STUFF:
Whew! As Nadine said, there is sooooo much!! LOL That said, I am absolutely thrilled with the 2024 listing!! I already had so much FUN matching prompts to specific months for the 2024 Monthly Group Read list since the 2024 prompts were so much more unique and interesting to me than those on the 2023 list! I had multiple prompts for so many of the months! It was fun to have to narrow it down!
But, before 2024…there is the December Monthly Group Read of Bookshops & Bonedust (Legends & Lattes #0) by Travis Baldree. This book could be used to fulfill 2023 prompt #32 A book published in the last half of 2023.
As Nadine mentioned, we have the nomination poll for the January Monthly Group Read posted and live through Tuesday, December 12, HERE! I would encourage you to vote! There are 4-5 books bunched up at the top separated by only 1-2 votes! Then next week we will have the January 2024 final selection poll posted! And of course we will follow-up with February and March monthly group read polls each week thereafter to get a jump-start on 2024!
Question of the Week:
Which topic on our new list are you most excited about? Which topic are you dreading?
Oh, boy! You know I have been avoiding the urge to “plan” for the 2024 challenge and here ya are, asking such a question BEFORE January!! 😊 But it’s okay since I have quite a few books I’ve been meaning to read that fit so many of these prompts! And the others I’m excited to research! I already had so much FUN matching prompts to specific months for the 2024 Monthly Group Read list since the 2024 prompts were so much more unique and interesting to me than those on the 2023 list!
I’m so happy to see some nonfiction prompts for 2024! And just in general the creativity and specificity of so many of the prompts! YAY! There is #41 A memoir that explores queerness! Uncertain what book I will read for this but am excited to do the research! And #42 A nonfiction book about Indigenous people! There are quite a few I really want to read that would fulfill this prompt! And nonfiction! YAY AGAIN! And then #44 An autobiography written by a woman in rock 'n' roll! Although I have no innate interest in a specific female rock ‘n’ roll star, I am excited to read about one!!
There are just so many that I really really really like!
I like all the “24” prompts:
#3 A book about a 24-year-old
#16 A book set 24 years before you were born
This may prove to be a bit of a challenge, but I’m excited to research it! (In case you’re wondering they did have printing presses and books were actually published WAY BACK THEN!! LOL)
#21 A book published in a year that ends with "24”
#24 A book that takes place over the course of 24 hours
Dammit! I am determined to FINALLY read Mrs. Dalloway!!
#25 A book that was published 24 years ago (2000)
I’m sure I own several published then that I meant to read in years past!
#28 A book with a main character who's 42 years old
I had to chuckle when I read this one! Clever! Reversing 24!
#47 A book with 24 letters in the title
Though I initially had some doubts about following this prompt exactly, after seeing some of the discussion regarding options, I am confident I’ll be able to locate a book with exactly 24 letters in the title to fulfill this one!
#48 A collection of at least 24 poems
I don’t often read poetry but am always grateful for a poetry prompt to force me to look for poetry collections I might enjoy!
#49 The 24th book of an author
I love series and the more I consider, the more I believe I will continue with the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series since I am ready for #18 The House of Unexpected Sisters and the 24th installment From a Far and Lovely Country was just released this year!
#50 A book that starts with the letter "X"
Rather limiting, but I think that makes it more fun!
#4 A book about a writer because I have a biography of Maeve Binchy I’ve been wanting to read: Maeve Binchy: The Biography.
I admit when I first read #5 A book about K-pop, I wrinkled my nose and immediately thought, “What?!?” Given my “advanced” age and lack of “watching” much of anything, I do at least know what K-pop is. (And yes, I am rather proud of myself for that!) But that is as far as it goes! Definitely relying on recommendations from that discussion thread and the Listopia!
I love the visually and hearing impaired prompts! Those are #8 and #9. As well as the neurodivergent prompt #29! And #39 A fiction book by a trans or nonbinary author! I am determined to FINALLY read All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders next year! And I am thrilled with #45 An LGBTQ+ romance novel since I now own the last two Bright Falls novels written by Ashley Herring Blake: Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail and Iris Kelly Doesn't Date. I adored Delilah Green Doesn't Care!
And #36 the incarcerated or formerly incarcerated prompt! I just finished a book that would work—The Connellys of County Down! But I suspect I will use a nonfiction book for this prompt! I always think of Bryan Stevenson and his excellent work with those prisoners unjustly accused and convicted. I was lucky enough to attend an IRL event where he spoke and he emphasized the need for services for released prisoners since there are very few resources for them and they are heavily discriminated against when it comes to housing, employment, etc. Many, if not most, of the social safety net programs we have in the US exclude those identified as criminals who have been incarcerated…people who are in desperate need of just such support!
Immense creativity and imagination to create #30 A book with a one-word title you had to look up in a dictionary AND #31 A book with a title that is a complete sentence!
#38 A cozy fantasy book! I guess I’m very excited for this one since I just finished reading Bookshops & Bonedust (Legends & Lattes #0) and LOVED it so very much!! I may just reread Legends & Lattes as well as this one for this prompt in 2024! Unless Baldree writes fast enough to have another installment published in 2024!! (Hint! Hint! LOL)
*sigh* So, okay, as you all know by now, I refuse to read HORROR, so #40 is definitely my least favorite prompt. However, I do own a copy of Percival Everett’s The Trees and had wanted to read it this year, but that won’t be happening, so I will definitely read it for this prompt since it is “social horror” and is as close as I’ll get to HORROR. Otherwise, it would have been a thriller for this prompt.
Okay, so now I have a substantial beginning on my planning for the 2024 Popsugar challenge!! That felt good!! And at least partially satisfied my itch to plan!!
Listing of books to follow in another posting!
Mod
Popsugar: 45/50
Nadine’s Q1 Mini-Challenge: 7/10
AtY: 52/52 DONE!
RHC: 14/24
FINISHED
There are more, but those will wait until next week! 😊
*This Winter (Solitaire #0.5) by Alice Oseman ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was quite sweet and cute, yet covered some issues related to mental health struggles, not only for the person suffering, but also from the perspective of family members, friends, etc., trying to “help” or at least cope and not make the situation worse. It can definitely be a challenge for others as well as for the patient. Definitely want to read more in this series.
POPSUGAR:
ATY:
RHC:
*Miss Bianca in the Antarctic (Rescuers #6) by Margery Sharp ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was one of my favorite installments in this series! M.B. and Bernard are stranded in the middle of the Antarcic sea!! But fortunately, they discover an abandoned wreath! It is all very lucky for them!
POPSUGAR:
ATY:
RHC:
*Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was one of my three sons’ favorite books when they were young. Not only is this a poignant coming-of-age story, but there is a rather detailed description by Manolo of the torturous pain a bull must endure as he bleeds out slowly. I think it is important that people understand this process from the animal’s perspective so they can make a better-informed decision regarding their own participation.
POPSUGAR:
ATY:
RHC:
*The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was quite a unique and poignant “holiday”/”Christmas” story. Can’t imagine this man writing anything I wouldn’t LOVE to read!
POPSUGAR:
ATY:
RHC:
*Miss Bianca and the Bridesmaid (Rescuers #7) by Margery Sharp ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was yet another charming book and story within this series. I adore the way Sharp uses “big” words and describes rather simple (lever and fulcrum) scientific concepts using the correct wording. I am convinced that exposing children to actual scientific activity will provide them with practical depictions of scientific concepts for easy reference as they learn of such things when they are older.
POPSUGAR:
ATY:
RHC:
*The Call of the Wild by Jack London ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was an enthralling read, though disturbing. I can appreciate London's skill in illuminating Buck's primordial dreams to foreshadow his eventual abandonment of "civilization" and "humans." I just find it to be so disturbing to read of the violent realities of 'pack' behavior. Though it is a demonstration of "survival of the fittest" as depicted by Darwin, it is rather depressing to me... This was an unexpectedly excellent read for me in the end, just not particularly an enjoyable story arc. Quite unique, IMO, and highly recommended! Just be prepared…
POPSUGAR:
ATY:
RHC:
*Bookshops & Bonedust (Legends & Lattes #0) by Travis Baldree ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was stupendous!! I admit to being a bit hesitant, concerned that this one might just describe all Viv’s battles in her previous life, but it wasn’t like that at all! Baldree hit all the right notes for me regarding poignancy and characterization. I admit to tearing up at the end… Now I believe I’ll reread Legends & Lattes soon. Just because… Plus, it will fulfill 2024 prompt #38 A cozy fantasy book!
POPSUGAR:
ATY:
RHC:
CONTINUING:
*The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange
*...And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer to fulfill my longest book prompt (Glad to know I am not quite alone in leaving this one to the last month of the year!)
*The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin
This one will definitely need to wait until 2024!
PLANNED:
*10th Anniversary (Women’s Murder Club #9) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
*Fear No Evil (Alex Cross #29) by James Patterson
11th Hour (Women’s Murder Club #11) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
*Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
*Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey for an IRL book club
*Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum #30) by Janet Evanovich
*System Collapse (Murderbot Diaries #7) by Martha Wells
I'm trying to get out of my reading slump. I ordered some blind-date-with-a-books so they should be coming in next week. All nonfiction so I'm hoping they'll help get me out of it.
Happy check-in! I'm a little disappointed that Murderbot and Amina didn't win their perspective goodreads choice categories. It looks to me that the graphic novels/comics category from last year had more votes than the non-fiction category. I don't think the non-fiction categories should be cut but the comics section being cut because goodread members aren't reading them doesn't make sense to me. Anyway I've read many things this week because of the ATY read-a-thon. Most have been four or five star books but there was one dud.
Finished Reading:
Cold Curses ⭐⭐⭐
Series ender that suffered from wrapping everything up in a happy ending.
Revenge of the Librarians ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A great collection of comics for readers.
It's Not Summer Without You ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Jenny Han does a good job with ya.
A Business Proposal, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Business Proposal, Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is basically a k-drama manga. Unfortunately the rest of the series hasn't quite been translated yet.
Bryony and Roses ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The beauty and the beast story with Belle as a gardener. This is the third T. Kingfisher and her books seems to be great for prompts next year.
Sheets ⭐
This made me angry so I couldn't give it more than one star. There's a way to write middle grade for that age group without making all of your characters stupid. Also this was so very depressing.
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 9, Vol. 10, Vol. 11, Vol. 12 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
12 down 8 to go I think.
When Clouds Touch Us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Inside Out & Back Again got a sequel this year. This time Ha and family move to Texas.
The Princess Diarist ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Carrie Fisher and her daughter do the audio book and it's really good.
PS 50/50
ATY 52/52
Nadine's 10/10
Goodreads 272/250
Currently Reading:
The Perfumist of Paris
QOTW:
Well overall I think it is a great list for 2024. It's definitely more challenging than last year but right now it seems managable. ;) I haven't started to plan yet so my thoughts will change.
I'm looking forward to the k-pop prompt.
I too dislike the Nano prompt again. I fudged this for 23 but T. Kingfisher has a book so this actually has something I want to read for it.
Mod
That book was definitely horror, so no one should feel like they are bending the prompt too much if they read it. It's not gory or terrifying, it's suspense level is akin to a murder mystery, but it's definitely horror. As Ellie pointed out in another post somewhere, social horror is horror.
Nadine in NY wrote: "I'm most excited about the K-Pop category - it's new and different and unexpected and I don't feel any pressure to pick the "quintessential" book for it, I'm just going to read something fun and fluffy and enjoy it. I'm surprised at so much backlash in this category - is there some kind of controversy I'm unaware of?..."I'm with you on this. I like it. I read a few Korean based books last year and while I'm not into K-pop I like that this is different and I know I can just read something light.
Jennifer W wrote: "I LOVE the 24 years before you were born prompt. I LOVE looking up what happened in each year and thinking about how you could tie world events to a book (but I love historical fiction and non fiction so....). I will help every single person find something if they want me to!May have to take you up on this.
I'm dreading the Nano prompt on principle. I have Night Circus, so I have a ready made option, but c'mon, there's only so many books that fit the prompt.
As for a prompt that's going to be hard for me to fill, I'm dreading a book that takes place in 24 hours. Most of the ones I come across don't sound that interesting. Most books that take place in a day a character studies (I think) and I don't really care for those...."
I really liked The Sun Is Also a Star. I used it for this year's a book in a day prompt.
Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate!Wow! It's been awhile since I posted an update on a Thursday.
I stayed home on Tuesday and decided to change my decorations to Christmas. It took most of the day (I consider that to be the 6 hours the kid is in school.) I still have to get the tree and put it up but, everything else including outside is done.
I have had an awesome reading week thanks to the ATY read-a-thon. I have also had a busy work week. I’ve been having to help out at another store, a larger store that the merchandiser has been slacking at doing their job but, with Christmas coming quickly a few of us have had to help out to get more product out. I don’t mind the extra hours but, it is 20 miles away so gas gets expensive on my very meager finances.
2023 Challenges:
Popsugar: 41/50
ATY: 44/52
A to Z: 19/26
50 States: 15/54
Goodreads: 63/50
Finished:
5 finished, 3 Completed Popsugar
Brides for Brothers
’21 50 States
Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
PS#29, ATY#9
Wow! This story was definitely eye opening. I mean I knew it was bad and all but, no one ever goes in to much detail. But his father, my lord, that man could test anyone’s patience. I’m glad our group chose this for our group read the other month.
Saving Shiloh
’23 50 States
Finding Me
PS#4, ATY#19
FABULOUS!!
It Starts with Us
PS#35
I liked this better than the first one.
Currently Reading
The Quarter Storm (’22 AtoZ)
How to Not Die Alone – Logan Ury
Firekeeper’s Daughter PS#4, ATY#9
If the Shoe Fits
A Shiloh Christmas
On the Backburner
Libby
Pachinko
The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba
Physical Library Rentals
Finally Seen
VenCo
Geekerella
Home Field Advantage
That Left Turn at Albuquerque
Birth: Three Mothers…
Is this Normal?
Magazines: (55/203)
Read since last check-in: 0
Question of the Week:
Which topic on our new list are you most excited about? Which topic are you dreading?
I was rather happy with the list this year. I'm a little worried about the 24 yrs before you were born one. On a lot of the really specific (age 24 and 42....) ones I will probably use their suggestions just so I don't have to hunt around for one, or even pay much attention to age in my reading. Since even if it is mentioned, it's not something I typically remember.
Nothing much special happened this week. Quiet. Mostly a time of reading. Weather-wise, it has been colder than normal here in SC. Flowers silly enough to be blooming (irises) are getting frost-bitten. I am trying to keep my potatoes alive by covering them at night, but next week is supposed to be cold again after a warmer weekend.
Finished
The Mask of Mirrors – PS #17. I enjoyed this story and the world building, even though it took me two attempts to even open this LARGE book. 4*
The Trouble with Goats and Sheep – Due 12/2. PopSugar Seasonal. 4.5*. This was a delightful coming-of-age story with secrets revealed…and a missing woman. It spoke of G-d and secrets and blame (unjustified) and the innocence of wanting all to be safe.
The Age of Innocence – Library discussion. 3*. For me, this was a bit of a slog, but I persevered mainly because I had committed to it. Felt great to finish it!
Circe – Nadine’s Challenge (ATY). 3.5*. I know little about the gods in the myths, so Circe’s story was new to me. She felt real, which is something I did not expect. I rated this one slightly down as it had lots of mythical gods that I was not up-to-date on, and so I think I missed some of the nuances of the story. Not essential ones, though.
The Choice – Audiobook. 4*. Loved this. Nora Roberts paranormal stories are sooo good! And, I always enjoy that love interest.
Currently Reading:
The Stone Circle – ATY #47. 21%. Enjoying this. It is a continuing series for me, so nice to revisit with the people I have had such fun with in the past.
Bless the Bride – Other Challenge. Haven’t started yet. Will get this one read quickly in the next few days.
Greenlights – PS #8. 67%. Will finish today and immensely interesting to me. Memoir of Matthew McConaughey.
Crazy Aunt Purl's Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair: The True-Life Misadventures of a 30-Something Who Learned to Knit After He Split – PS #35. ATY Seasonal. 51%. Memoir. Will also finish today. Loving her honesty.
The Kaiju Preservation Society – ATY # 48. Haven’t started yet, but expect to do so today and also expect a quick read.
On Deck:
Stealing Home – PS #20.
Sweet Tea and Sympathy – Other challenge.
The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien - Other challenge
A Psalm for the Wild-Built - Other challenge
On Back Burner for now
The Beginner's Photography Guide: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Manual for Getting the Most from Your Digital Camera – PS #2. 27%.
Dreams and Shadows –Kindle. 14%.
PS 41/50* (82%) and 9/10 (90%) for Nadine’s Challenge
ATY 46/52 (88%) and Fall Challenge 12/15 (80%).
GR 230/200
*I will have 7 books left for PS later today. Of that number, I still have 2 to plan, and I have the other 5 on my desk to read. This is going to be close.
For ATY, I have 5 left: 2 in process and 3 to go. Of that 3, two are on my desk. I should finish this one if the third becomes available before the end of the month.
QotW: Which topic on our new list are you most excited about? Which topic are you dreading?
None at the moment. I think it is due to reading fatigue and the need to catch up on so many challenges.
However, the one that is the most challenging to me is to find a book in a genre I avoid. It would be easier to find a book I avoid rather than a genre, given that my challenges have pushed me to find books in genres I would not normally read.
Book Riot posted their 2024 Reading Challenge!There's a lot of prompts that overlap with the PS one which is fine. Overall though I am satisfied with their list.
Guess I'm going to be busy with 4 reading challenges next year so I'm excited for those.
Erica wrote: "Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 9, Vol. 10, Vol. 11, Vol. 12 ⭐⭐⭐⭐12 down 8 to go I think."
I believe there are 27 books in the series!
Not a fan of the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge. It's not much of a challenge. So many prompts geared towards middle grade and YA.I crossed out 9 of the 24.
Read Harder strikes me as a challenge for someone who has less of an owned backlog than I do 😅 there are some really good ideas but I do my best to stick to books I already own and they wouldn't fulfill many of these prompts.
The “howdunit” or “whydunit” mystery is a prompt I haven't seen before. I haven't bothered with Read Harder in years though, it just doesn't feel fun.
Missed last week because I was more focused on the new list!But I really don't have much catching up to do because I haven't read a ton. I did finish Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle and Norse Mythology. The latter completes my Nadine mini-challenge!
I am still reading Joseph and His Brothers. It's slow going. It's just good enough that I haven't felt like ditching, and now I'm far enough in (450 pages) that I'm committed. Really should have started reading it earlier though so I could have spaced it out over a longer time period. But I have just that and Legends & Lattes to complete the challenge. Started the latter as well. I'm not quite as into it as I expected from all the great buzz I heard about it, but I think that may be a function of the fact I'm reading it on my phone. I really don't get into books as much if they're not hard copy.
So if I get through those sooner rather than later, I'll have a couple weeks of open reading before new challenges start in January. Joseph may drag out until the end though!
QotW
Most excited - pirates! I like a lot of the challenges, but pirates definitely has me the most eager.
Least excited - when I first read the list I was unimpressed by the repeat of 24 hours and NaNoWriMo. However, I did manage to pick a book for each. The one I'm left with that I'm least excited about is a genre you usually avoid. As others have said, if I'm avoiding it, there's a reason!
Hmmmm... weird. The link isn't working for me on book riot.
Mod
LOL it worked for me first thing this morning, but now it's showing "403 Forbidden"
maybe they didn't mean to release it today? It did seem kind of early for them! It's not posted on their GR group yet.
Went to the bookstore today. I meant to get one specifically, and came out with 3.
Nadine in NY wrote: "L Y N N wrote: "So, okay, as you all know by now, I refuse to read HORROR, so #40 is definitely my least favorite prompt. However, I do own a copy of Percival Everett’s The Trees and had wanted to ..."Lynn- you can go with gothic for horror - that's my way of handling that genre as I really don't care for most horror but I do like gothic which is less about scaring the wits out of you and giving you nightmares. I'm a real wuss as too much in the horror genre really does affect my dreams and sleep. Gothic - is fine - it feels more like a mystery suspense to me.
Authors to consider:
Helen Oyeyemi I read book:White Is for Witching|6277227] for a modern gothics by women authors discussion group. We all in the group liked it but didn't love it, mostly because there are things about the plot that are confusing and remain unresolved and other areas should have been explored a lot more. Much of the writing is simply beautiful. I have Gingerbread sitting here which I think will end up being mine.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia - I do believe that Latinx are included in BIPOC - and her books are AMAZING! Mexican Gothic - I loved and totally find it fitting horror as a gothic with a secondary theme about racial purity and racism. Lots of nods in it to Rebecca too.
I also have Fledgling sitting in my TBR - I assume it fits as the author is a noted horror writer - Octavia E. Butler
@Lynn - since we seem to share a lot of the same book reading and interests and tastes, plus I'm so not into horror - take a look at my GOTHIC shelf --- might find some guidance there.
Doni wrote: "Hmmmm... weird. The link isn't working for me on book riot."same.
Guess they realized that it shouldn't have been posted it yet.
Ashley Marie wrote: "Erica wrote: "Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 9, Vol. 10, Vol. 11, Vol. 12 ⭐⭐⭐⭐12 down 8 to go I think."
I believe there are 27 books in the series!"
Haha thanks! I haven't bothered to add them all to the tbr because I end up reading them right when they come in at the library. I knew 20 for sure. :)
I missed the last two check-ins due to vacation time (woo-hoo!), which gave me the opportunity to check off the last three prompts I needed to complete. I haven't finished this challenge the past couple of years, so I am very excited that I finished on time...and earlier than expected! 😊 I'm at 40/40 and 10/10 for this challenge, and am at 117 for my overall reading total so far. I didn't think I'd make it back into triple digits, so I feel like I finally got my reading mojo back! 💃🏼
This is a long check-in since I read A LOT during my time off 😁
Finished:
* Stars in His Eyes by Martí Gironell and translated by Adrian Nathan West, which I used for "an author with the same initials as you;"
* Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary, which I used for my final main prompt prompt ("a book you wish you could read again for the first time");
* The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, which checked off my final advanced prompt ("a book that started out as fan fiction");
* Many Are Invited by Dennis Cuesta, which was a NetGalley book I received from the author;
* Under Lock & Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian, which is the first book in a new series by an author I always enjoy;
* Sivulliq: Ancestor by Lily H. Tuzroyluke, which I bought at Title Wave Books in Anchorage in May and read on a south Florida beach last week! 🏖;
* Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack, which was a NetGalley book I received from the publisher;
* Dragon Bones by Lisa See, which is the final installment in the Red Princess mystery series;
* Snowdrift by Helene Tursten and translated by Marlaine Delargy, which is the third installment of the Embla Nyström series (and features a cameo by Detective Irene Huss);
* The Buenos Aires Quintet by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán and translated by Nick Caistor, which I started in May driving back from Florida and finished this week...in Florida!!;
* The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams, which is one of my book clubs' picks for December - we'll discuss it next weekend;
* Hercule Poirot's Silent Night by Sophie Hannah, which was a NetGalley read (and an absolute delight for a Christmas-time read); and,
* One Wrong Word by Hank Phillippi Ryan - I received a NetGalley copy as one of Hank's Super Readers.
Currently Reading:
* The Humans by Matt Haig and narrated by Mark Meadows, which is my other book clubs' pick for December (I'm reading it as an audiobook since that hold came in first and supplementing with the ebook since the hold came in sooner than expected...like a day after the audiobook!);
* The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride; and,
* Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz (HOW did he write two complete novels?!?!? I just got to the book within the book section and loved the extra touches of a cover, ISBN, book review & author quotes, etc.).
QotW:
Which topic on our new list are you most excited about? Which topic are you dreading? I missed the announcement while I was at the beach, so I was excited to see this when I got home! I'm probably most excited about the prompts to read books by blind or visually impaired and deaf or hard-of-hearing authors. I'm least excited (maybe not full-on dreading...but close) about the NaNoWriMo prompt since it was on this year's list and I only checked that prompt off recently (at least I can use the title I had as my back-up choice for next year :)) and the video game prompt (since there was a similar prompt in past years and I had a very hard time picking a title...and already read the one that PS recommended (Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow) for this prompt as a book club read earlier this year. Thank goodness for the Listopias 😃).
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Fourth Wing (other topics)The Christie Affair (other topics)
The Paris Wife (other topics)
The Night Tiger (other topics)
Cloud Atlas (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Nina de Gramont (other topics)Maggie O'Farrell (other topics)
T. Kingfisher (other topics)
Martí Gironell (other topics)
Ali Hazelwood (other topics)
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Admin stuff - there's a lot!
The 2024 list is out! Posts for each category are in the 2024 folders on this site. The full list of categories is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Lynn carefully selected twelve categories to use for choosing our monthly group reads, that list of categories is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
And the nomination poll to choose January's book for "a book set in the future" is LIVE here - go nominate your favorite!
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...
This poll will run through next week (on the 12th). After that the final poll for January will go up, and we'll start rolling out nomination and final polls for February and March to get caught up.
Group consensus has been that book discussions are more interesting when there is a discussion leader. Please let us know if you're interested in leading any of the group reads for 2024!!!
December's group read of Bookshops & Bonedust is ongoing and you can join the discussion here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
This week I finished 1 book:
Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley - this was okay. Boulley had A LOT of topics she wanted to cover, and she crammed them ALL in there, whether or not it made for a stronger book. She needed an editor with a firmer hand.
I'm done with all my 2023 reading challenges, so I'm just rolling until 2024 opens. I might try to focus on Tournament of Books for now, unless I think the book would work for the 2024 challenge (like Open Throat, which I'm saving for 2024)
Question of the Week
Which topic on our new list are you most excited about? Which topic are you dreading?
I'm most excited about the K-Pop category - it's new and different and unexpected and I don't feel any pressure to pick the "quintessential" book for it, I'm just going to read something fun and fluffy and enjoy it. I'm surprised at so much backlash in this category - is there some kind of controversy I'm unaware of?
I'm not exactly DREADING any categories, but I am feeling a significant lack of excitement for:
- genre you usually avoid (no explanation needed there!)
- the 24th book - to my surprise, I'm having a hard time finding a 24th book from an author that I'm excited to read. Most of my favorite authors have not published 24 books, and of those that have, I've already read the 24th book in many cases.