Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2024 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 24: 6/7 - 6/13
Good morning from Columbus! the temps here have been abnormally low but next week is looking like it’s low to mid 90s all week so I’m most definitely not looking forward to that. I haven’t really read anything this week, I’ve been swamped at work. It also mindlessly watching game play of the kingdom hearts series so my books aren’t getting any attention lol. Finished:
The Watcher in the Shadows for a read harder prompt. I love Zafón books, I think this is one of his last ones I hadn’t read. This trilogy is more of an anthology, each story sharing elements of children dealing with evil shadowy figures. I liked this one a lot, and the first one. The middle book was kinda meh. I’ll forever be sad about Zafón’s passing in 2020, I was always looking forward to potential new books from him.
Currently Reading:
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible
The Austere Academy
The Familiar
QOTW:
I feel good about my pace, I’ll just need to start focusing more on books that I’ve listed for my challenges lol.
Challenges:
Popsugar - 12/45; 1/5
Read Harder - 13/24
Classics - 5/12
European Tour - 5/10
12 Friends - 12/12
Yearly Goal - 82/150
Mod
My NetGalley adventure continues - I'm still reading my first book (and I'm really loving it! it's Beatriz Williams' new book, Husbands & Lovers, which publishes later this month), and I got approved for a second book! So exciting!! (It's Han Kang's new book, We Do Not Part, which comes out in 2025 - I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to post a review this early? I guess I am? The publisher does not say to NOT review right away.) Then I complained to my kids that I had too many books I need to read RIGHT NOW and how am I going to manage? Then I was declined for my third book - gasp!! - oh the REJECTION! Then I complained to my kids that I was rejected, and they naturally said: "why are you complaining? you just said you had too many books." They just don't understand.
This week I finally caught a clue and decided to SCHEDULE reading time, as an actual task that I want to complete each day, rather than treating it as a leisure time activity that I feel guilty about doing during the day. I don't know if I'm reading more books, but I am feeling good about my reading!
This week I finished 2 books, and I sorta DNFed two books.
Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee - I really enjoyed this, but I was disappointed that the title didn't really come into play. She was not killed twice, she was killed only once. (view spoiler) No challenge category (although you could use this for "2024 pub").
The Z Word by Lindsay King-Miller- I was super excited to read this lesbian zombie story (and in fact I read it in ONE DAY) but I was super disappointed in it. One star. To my absolute DELIGHT, however, the first line of the author's note is: “The Z Word began as my NaNoWriMo project in 2020.” - score!! - so I checked off "written during NaNoWriMo." I also decided the cover art looks a lot like the cover of Shanghailanders (which is waiting for me right now at my library) so I'm using it as one of two books with similar cover art in AtY.
And I sorta DNFed my current poetry books - I say "sorta" because I read enough that I did not list them as a DNF in GR. But I didn't read every single poem.
The Kingdom of Surfaces: Poems by Sally Wen Mao
Shame Is an Ocean I Swim Across by Mary Lambert
I've been so disgruntled about the poetry I've been reading lately, and I FINALLY had the light bulb moment: just DNF it!! I mean, why not? I already feel comfortable DNFing novels. If I don't like the poems, why force myself to read all of them?? It's a brave new world for me.
Popsugar 90% 45 /50
Must Reads 60% 6 /10
AtY 75% 39 /52
2024 pub 28% 14 /50
QotW
I feel good!! Previously, I thought I might even finish this Challenge in June! But I relaxed a bit on my progress and I've focused more on reading new 2024 publications in the last few weeks. Not counting the book I'm reading right now, I've got four more books to read to finish. No problem :-) I'll probably finish next month. It's funny to me that I'm doing so well, because I remember how difficult the categories seemed at first. But I guess that lit a fire under me and forced me to really FOCUS. I'm so much farther ahead in the challenge this year than I was last year at this time. (Last year I finished in December!)
I'm in decent shape for my other reading challenges too. The only one I might struggle with is the new goal I gave myself to read 50 books published in 2024.
Ultimate Reading: 25/25 100%Super Summer County: 24/30 80%
Super Summer City: 22/24 92%
I am a bit disgruntled about what the library challenges have morphed into.. they're really more about doing other stuff than reading. I suppose that's good for me because I don't need an incentive to read more, but I miss the prompts. I'm glad you posted the summer challenge, Lynn, because those look interesting. I like too that they have choices built into each prompt.
Read: Time Binds: Queer Temporalities, Queer Histories If you want an academic analysis of obscure queer experimental films, then this book is for you. It was not for me.
Never, Never I liked Shrum's book way better.
Peter Darling Sensing a theme? This one was more interesting in concept than in execution.
Compassionate Conversations: How to Speak and Listen from the Heartpeter darling
Started: How to Protect Bookstores and Why: The Present and Future of Bookselling
QotW: Yes, I am satisfied with my progress because I'm all finished!
Still struggling out of the reading slump. I did manage to finish one more for the challenge. I read Falcon's Favor by Dana Fraedrich for An LGBTQ+ romance novel, mostly because I physically had it on my TBR pile. It was good but the romance was subtle. The book I read for the nanowrimo prompt These Haunted Hills by Jana Denardo fits this prompt much better, a far more enjoyable romance. Falcon's Favor would also fit the self published prompt.QOTW I feel fine. I only have 15 books left to go. I have ones selected for the prompts. It's just a matter of finding time (and hopefully not running into another that takes me forever like a couple this year so far). Still annoyed I have to read another romance though.
Cornerofmadness wrote: "Still annoyed I have to read another romance though. .."Agreed. Way too many romance prompts this year.
Happy Thursday, everyone!This was a super productive week! I managed to get several household projects completed, including one that I’ve been dreading for a long time…cleaning out the garage. I wish I’d taken before and after pictures, because the difference is incredible! I had no idea there was so much room out there!
Despite my busy schedule, I did manage to do a considerable amount of reading this week as well. I spent most of my reading time focusing on all of the new manga I’ve bought during the past couple of months, but I also had a chance to make some progress on my TBR list and massive stack of library books. I did DNF a couple of books this week, but really enjoyed the other books I read.
Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…
Goodreads Challenge: 282/200 (Challenge Complete!)
Mount TBR Challenge: 91/150
📚Physical TBR: 52
📱Ebook TBR: 39
🎧Audiobook TBR: 0
TBR Checklist Total: 91
I did not purchase any new books this week!
I still have a long way to go before I’m totally caught up on the books I’ve purchased this year, but I’m feeling really good about the progress I’ve made over the past couple of weeks. Because of that, I will be ending my book buying ban earlier than expected.
“New” Books Bought in 2024: 222
“New” Books Read in 2024: 177
Finished Reading (Fiction):
~The Easy Life in Kamusari — This is the first book in the Forest duology. While I did find the pacing of this novel somewhat slow at times, I really enjoyed the story and characters. 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Sisters of Fortune — This book started out very heavy on description, and I found the pacing of the first half somewhat slow. I did really enjoy the story and characters though, and thought the author did a good job of blending fact with fiction. She clearly did her research on the Titanic. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Last Wish — This is the first book in The Witcher series. While this was a re-read for me, this was my first time listening to my own copy of the audiobook. I really enjoyed this book, and liked the audiobook’s narrator. Content Alert: (view spoiler) 🎧: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Tekhen of Anuket — This is the third book in the 80AD series. I really enjoyed this story, and thought it was a great continuation of the series. 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
None
Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
This week I had a chance to read the Rosario+Vampire manga series. I had already seen the anime adaptation prior to reading this series, so the story was not new to me, but I really enjoyed having a chance to read the manga. The characters and stories were a lot of fun, and I thought the art was fantastic! Content Alert: (view spoiler) The volumes I read this week include…
~Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 1 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 2 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 3 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 4 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 5 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 6 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 7 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 8 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario + Vampire, Tome 9 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 10 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 1 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 2 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 3 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 4 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 5 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 6 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 7 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 8: The Secret of the Rosario — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 9 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 10 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 11 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 12 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 13 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 14 by Akihisa Ikeda — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I also had a chance to get caught up on some of my ongoing manga series and graphic novels, and even tried a new series! The volumes I read include…
~Deadman Wonderland, Tome 1 — I picked up a copy of this manga at my local library. I thought it was an interesting read, but I don’t know if I care about reading the rest of the series. Content Alert: (view spoiler) 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Otaku Elf Vol. 7 — This was a fun continuation of the Otaku Elf series! I really enjoyed the stories and characters. The art is also great! 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games Vol. 6 — While this volume did a good job of continuing the story from the previous volume, I have to admit that I was somewhat disappointed in it. (view spoiler) I am currently debating whether or not to continue this series. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Vol. 24 — This volume was a great continuation of the series! I’m really looking forward to the next one! 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Lore Olympus: Volume Six — This was a great continuation of the Lore Olympus series! I absolutely loved the artwork! Content Alert: (view spoiler) 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I also had a chance to continue reading Garfield this week. I’m having so much fun reading these comics, especially since several of this week’s collections included comic strips I’d never read before! The collections I read this week include…
~Garfield Fat Cat 3-Pack: Vol 13 — This volume includes books 37-39 (Garfield Beefs Up, Garfield Gets Cookin’, and Garfield Eats Crow). 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Garfield Fat Cat 3-Pack, Vol. 14 — This volume includes books 40-42 (Garfield Survival of the Fattest, Garfield Older & Wider, and Garfield Pigs Out). 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Garfield Fat Cat 3-Pack #15 — This volume includes books 43-45 (Garfield Blots Out the Sun, Garfield Goes Bananas, and Garfield Large & In Charge. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Garfield Fat Cat 3-Pack #16 — This volume includes books 46-48 (Garfield Spills the Beans, Garfield Gets His Just Desserts, and Garfield Will Eat for Food). 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Garfield Fat Cat 3-Pack #17 — This volume includes books 49-51 (Garfield Weighs His Options, Garfield Potbelly of Gold, and Garfield Shovels It In). 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Garfield Fat Cat 3-Pack #18 — This volume includes books 52-54 (Garfield Lard of the Jungle, Garfield Brings Home the Bacon, and Garfield Gets in a Pickle). 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None
DNFed:
~The Daughter of Doctor Moreau — I really debated about whether or not to continue reading this book, but ultimately decided to DNF. While I was interested in the story and characters, I just did not care for the way in which the narrative was presented. (view spoiler) Content Alert: (view spoiler) 📚
~Uzumaki — I picked up a copy of this manga at my local library, but DNFed after 4 chapters. It was a little too weird for me. 📚
Currently Reading:
~Sword of Destiny — This is the second book in The Witcher series. While this is a re-read for me, it is my first time listening to the audiobook edition. I’ve really been enjoying listening to it before bed. Content Alert: (view spoiler) 🎧
~The House That Horror Built — I’m currently only a couple chapters into this book, but I think it’s going to be a good one. 📚
~The Sudarshana — This is the fourth book in the 80AD series. I started this book late last night, so I’m only a few chapters in. 📱
~Garfield Fat Cat 3-Pack #19 — I will be reading this book later today. 📚
~Neon Genesis Evangelion: 3-in-1 Edition, Vol. 1 — I will be starting this series later today. 📚
QOTW:
I’m not actively taking part in this year’s challenge, so I don’t really have any thoughts about my progress.
Hi all. I'm super bummed out and in a rotten mood. I spoke with both my private LTD and my SSD lawyers yesterday. Both of them said that my hearings are likely 4-5 months down the road. By my math, we run out of money in 2 months. Our families have said they will help us, but I don't like it. Otherwise, things are busy as usual. We have a strawberry festival to attend this weekend for Girl Scouts. Next weekend, we're going to the Museum of Play in Rochester for GS. Kiddo's last day of school is in less than 2 weeks. The school is doing upgrades over the summer, so they aren't doing the half-day summer program this year, so I'm trying to find things for the kiddo to do (that we can afford, whomp whomp) for the summer.
I finished Bone, Vol. 3: Eyes of the Storm for a book about dragons. These books are so fun, so even though I have a pile of other books laying around here, I'm probably going to pick up the next book tomorrow.
Bouncy, bouncy! Can't settle on something to read!
I resumed listening to Schindler’s List, but a Holocaust book isn't exactly doing my headspace any good...
Decided to read Firefly: Legacy Edition Book One for book in space.
Started American Girl for neurodivergent MC.
Still have Proxy for Pride month.
But most times when I try to sit down and read something, I spend more time browsing than reading.
QOTW: Who knows? lol I never finish the challenge anyway. As long as I'm reading, it's a win.
This week has been the calm before the storm, both literally and figuratively, since we're supposed to be getting some thunderstorms tomorrow night. But it's also been some relatively mild days before the temps climb to the 90s next week, and the last week before summer reading starts up.Finished reading:
The New Girl - (RH Repeat a challenge from a previous year: read a book you know nothing about based solely on the cover) I will admit, the main character's "Who me?" expression on the cover is the main reason I picked this one up. It was all right, but I've read a lot of graphic memoirs/autofic in this same vein, and it really didn't stand out too much from those. The art is really nice, though, and I'll probably read another GN by this author.
Occulted - Felt a bit short for the subject, but it makes sense since the story is told from a child's perspective.
Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 7 and Vol. 8 - Volume 7 threw a plot twist that took a bit of a back seat in the next volume.
James - (PS A book that came out in a year ending in 24) I read this for Camp TOB, and for the most part I enjoyed it. I attempted to read the book its based on way back in middle school, but never finished it.
Currently reading:
Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City
He Must Go Walk the Woods So Wild
A Very Punchable Face
Deephaven
Witch Hat Atelier Vol. 9
QOTW: I'm currently a little more than halfway done, which seems about right considering the year is about halfway done, too. I have ideas for the prompts I haven't read yet (and can double up on a few if need be), but I'm not going to start worrying until September (i.e. I'm hoping that the rest of the Camp TOB books fill some of the prompts I need). Also, I second the complaints about there being too many romance prompts this year!
Happy Thursday! Stayed indoors this week to prevent hay fever taking all my energy. It turns out there are more grasses blooming because of all the rain. Nature is showing off. Even people who never had hay fever are sniffing now. And no, it's not a cold. PS: 13/50
FNL: 24/40
Total: 32/52
Finished
De Ladder by Ben Tiggelaar⭐⭐⭐
Management book on how to change behaviour of yourself and organizations
Inheritance by Nora Roberts⭐⭐⭐⭐
PS #38, a cozy fantasy book
I read this for rating ‘historical fiction books published in 2023’ for a GR-group. I typically don’t read fantasy, but I actually liked this one. It’s entertaining and it has a nice slow pace. Comfort reading, despite the ghosts.
Currently reading
Phoenix: De memoires van Abel Sikkink by Bert Wagendorp
QOTW
PS is not my main challenge, so it's just nice to tick-off some prompts every now and then.
It's another lovely day here in NYC - or at least until I take a break and head outside to run some errands and get some sun. At that point no doubt the clouds will roll in and the 5% chance of rain in the forecast will decide to descend on me. I'm not kidding - it's happened just about every time I've gone out the last couple of weeks! Of course I always have sunglasses not an umbrella. Work has been very busy eroding my reading time, and that will continue for at least the next month. The price one pays for being a successful lawyer - one has lots of clients requiring attention! I'm reading just taking me longer to finish a book.
Finished: -
The Reading List - I really enjoyed this though it had a slow start. Did not fit any prompts I have left
The Tiger's Wife Did not fit any prompts I have left - wonderful book though, astonishing it's her debut and she wrote it in part while still in college.
First Lie Wins - Fit ATY published in 2024 and PS published in year ending in 24. Excellent thriller involving layers of cons. First adult book by author (all previous were YA) and I hope she continues.
Currently reading:
The Princess Diarist
Winds of the Steppe: Walking the Great Silk Road from Central Asia to China
QOTW: Well, I'm doing very well with PS - 38/50. There are only 2 or 3 of those left to read where I have to do some searching through my TBR for a book if something doesn't pop up on its own. All my PS reads - all challenge reads actually - are from my TBR or books I'm reading for other reasons. If I concentrated, I could finish in a month but I'll just continue at the pace I'm taking - as in when a book I'm reading for some other reason or no reason fits a prompt needed, yay.
ATY - only one more book to read to be finished! That book is one I just renewed from the library for the 3rd time and it will get read this next week. Between work and several longer slower reads, it didn't get read all that fast.
I have other reading challenges - year long ones - with a couple of groups which are mostly up to date. One which is a trim your TBR challenge (you have a list of books from your TBR numbered 1 to 24. Each month a random number is selected and you read that book) has me behind 3 months -- because the random number picker keeps hitting the NF books I put on the list! And I didn't put that many on the list! Those always take me longer to read. So I just keep plugging away - 2 of those I am behind reading are shortish literary fiction, one is the 2nd in a thriller series (and I need to read a plot summary of the first to remember where it left off), and one is a biography of George Sand - a translation of a new - and shortish - biography published during a recent year celebrating her life and work. But I'll catch up by year end.
Overall, I'm very pleased with my reading this year - despite the intereference by work and life demands.
Happy Thursday!There's been sun! A miracle!
What perfect timing to start stocking up on sunscreen for our Florida holiday next year. (It's €25 a bottle these days here which is INSANE so we took advantage of a sale (buy 1 get 1/buy 2 get 1) AND went across the border to Belgium to do it as bottles are 'only' €18,99 there. Got my passport renewal appointment on Monday, had my photos taken on Tuesday, and then after picking it up after our holiday I'm all ready to apply for our ESTAs!
In the meantime everything here has been same old same old. Waiting on my missing puzzle pieces to arrive, though my next project is ready to go for when I get that itch. For now, I bought Assassin's Creed: Black Flag on the Switch because of a sale and me wanting to be a pirate. I'm not very good at gaming but it's been fun so far (and not a total disaster) so yay!
Cooperative gameplay is the fic I've been reading. It's 422k words, which equals about 1260 pages, and it's been AMAZING so far. I've got 6 (out of 18) chapters left to go, and they are FINALLY confirmed boyfriends who kissed! It's a Youtuber AU and especially that first chapter was so relatable as a fangirl!
QOTW
I gave up. I've hardly read books this year and it's better if I've given up so I don't feel bad about it. If I hit a book reading streak later in the year I can always come back on it, but for now, it's a lost cause. A shame, but not worth the stress or guilt. Hope you guys don't mind my check ins without progress!
Happy Thursday.Summer library programs started this week, and I am already exhausted, haha... I forget how crazy we get EVERY summer, I swear. At least I have fanfic and Jojo to unwind in the evenings.
Also I finished the Robot Librarian challenge! Whoo! One more challenge to go...
Books read this week:
The Story of English in 100 Words -- an entertaining look at the evolution of the English language through a selection of words, ranging from the archaic to the modern.
Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls -- an account of the Slenderman stabbing incident of 2014, where two teenage girls stabbed a classmate after being convinced that Slenderman existed and was after their families. Focuses more on the attackers and their mental illness than on the actual Slenderman mythos, but still fascinating, if heartbreaking.
Dragonfruit -- a good read that combines Pacific Islander mythology with dragons! A nice read after being disappointed by a slightly different take on this same concept…
Sherlock Holmes and Mr Hyde: The Classified Dossier -- a surprisingly wild crossover involving not just Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, but Dracula, the Invisible Man, and the Cthulhu mythos. Gets a little convoluted at times but dang it was fun.
PopSugar Challenge -- FINISHED
Robot Librarian Challenge -- FINISHED
Extreme Book Nerd Challenge -- 44/50
Extreme Book Nerd Advanced Challenge -- 10/10
Extreme Book Nerd Non-Fiction Challenge -- 10/10
Currently reading:
Willa and the Whale
Emperor Mollusk versus The Sinister Brain
Dark Moon, Shallow Sea
Project Hail Mary (reread)
QOTW:
I actually finished PopSugar about a month ago. And this week I finished Robot Librarian. Now to work on my library's reading challenge...
Happy Thursday! So in fun news, all the talk about netgalley over the last couple weeks made me sign back up for an account, after deleting my account years ago. I've been rejected from a bunch, but I've been approved for a couple that I was really excited about! I also got another friend to sign up, and she's already got a 5-star read from it!In less fun news, my back randomly started hurting Monday, and I can't figure out what caused it. I was fine when I woke up and then suddenly went from "what's that weird twinge?" to such bad pain in like 40 seconds. It's a a lot better now, but I'm also a baby about pain, and immediately start imagining worst possible outcomes. So that's great!
Finished:
Dragonfruit- I liked this so much! YA fantasy, with characters I really loved, and a really interesting magical world. So glad I picked this up!
-23 A book that features dragons
Five Broken Blades- another really fun fantasy- this one more of a heist book. Multiple POVs, all a bunch of liars with special skills. I thought this was so fun- if you liked Six of Crows you should consider checking this out
-no prompt I think
Old Wounds- a queer horror story about trans kids, cryptids and bigots. Some really tense, unnerving scenes. My first netgalley book, and I really liked it
-39 A fiction book by a trans or nonbinary author
Up Next-maybe:
Spy x Family, Vol. 9
The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King
Love in the Big City
QotW
I'm feeling good about the challenge! At the beginning of the year, I was super focused on getting the prompts I found the most challenging taken care of, and I feel like I gave myself enough of a buffer that now if I have a week or two where I don;t read anything for a prompt it's not a big deal.
My one goal is not to be scrambling to complete the challenge on December 31st! That happens every year, and it feels so stressful!
Mod
Ugh that stinks.
But the Strong is awesome!!! I assume you've been there before? We used to LOVE going there when my kids were younger.
Things to do during the summer: when Lily was that age, we used to visit all the different school playgrounds (with a focus on the school she was going to go to for K). It was a new little adventure each time. I just had to check schedules, since some schools hold day camps and the playgrounds are in use during that time. And I'm sure your local library has weekly craft programs for kids. And there's the Regal Summer Movies program (dang it's $1 now? That used to be FREE when my kids were little!).
Ooh I see both Spiderverse movies are in the Regal Summer program this summer. You don't HAVE to have a little kid with you, do you? Because I wouldn't mind seeing those movies again ...
Mod
There seem to be SO MANY YA authors who are publishing their first adult fiction lately!!! Maybe it all started with Emily Henry a few years ago, and then Rachel Hawkins took up the baton too, and now we have Amy Tintera and Ally Carter and David Yoon and Veronica Roth and Ashley Elston ... and more, I'm sure! What's going on? Did the enormous YA market suddenly grow up, and the authors followed?
I didn't finish anything, and didn't read much of anything either. I'm trying to work on my focus issues by doing Legos - something I've never done prior to this year. It's quite fun, but I'm already running out of room to display my completed projects.Maybe I'll try Nadine's plan of scheduled reading time - start with a half hour and hopefully increase from there.
Goodreads: 19/50
Popsugar: 14/50
QOTW: I wish I was farther along with my challenge reading, but it is what it is. It will take a miracle for me to finish this year, and that's okay. Maybe in the second half of the year I'll go on a total reading binge. It could happen!
Nadine in NY wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Hi all. I'm super bummed out and in a rotten mood. I spoke with both my private LTD and my SSD lawyers yesterday. Both of them said that my hearings are likely 4-5 months down th..."Thanks.
Yes we've been to the Museum of Play before, a few years ago. They did some expansion, so it'll be interesting to see what is new.
The problem is that we're down to 1 car, so we're mostly stuck at home unless I drop him off at work and go pick him up again after... A second car is the first thing on the list once I get my money!
Happy Thursday! Yesterday was Eli's last day of kindergarten. They sent him home with a huge pack of summer "bridge activities." So between camps, our new dog, and continuing with schoolwork, I think hes pretty set for the next 10 weeks. He's kinda sad about school being out. He'd like to go every day.2024 Reading Challenges: I’ve read 213 books so far this year (and 20.1% of my ever-growing TBR) with an average length of 332 pages and an average rating of 3.73.
52 Book Club: 44/52 (Summer Challenge 2/8)
ATY: 34/52 (Summer Challenge 3/12)
Booklist Queen: 40/52
Diverse Baseline: 18/36
Popsugar: 36/50
Robot Librarian: 41/52
ICYMI Backlist: 6/12
Recently Completed:
Quietly Hostile: Essays (Diverse Baseline #16 – queer BIPOC author) ★★★★
Once Ghosted, Twice Shy (Diverse Baseline #18 – novella by a BIPOC author) ★★★
Bad Moms: The Novel (Robot Librarian Advanced #9 – novelization of a film) ★★★★
Africatown: America's Last Slave Ship and the Community It Created (Robot Librarian Nonfiction #4 – the 300s) ★★★
Good Bad Girl (ATY Summer #3c – published in the last two years) ★★★★
The Future Is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes, and Mourning Songs (Diverse Baseline #17 – BIPOC indie author) ★★★
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine (52 Books Summer #8b – no books published in the past four years/ICYMI Backlist #6 – published in 2017) ★★★★
The Fox Maidens ★★★
Currently Reading:
The Darkness Outside Us (ATY Summer #6a – set in space)
The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy
Fatherland: A Memoir of War, Conscience, and Family Secrets (52 Books Summer #3b – a heavy read)
A Woman Of Endurance (52 Books Summer #6a – set in an era without modern transportation/ATY Summer #5c – a Black main character)
The Very Principled Maggie Mayfield (ATY Summer #12c – character in an educational setting)
Before We Were Innocent (52 Books Summer #6b – features a group of friends/ATY Summer #11b – author’s name found in SCRABBLE)
Dirty Dancing at Devil's Leap (Popsugar #1 - leap in the title)
Middlemarch (ATY Summer #4 – a seven in the page count/Booklist Queen #41 – a pseudonym/Popsugar #13 – a pen name)
The Rithmatist (Booklist Queen #35 – three books by the same author/Popsugar #49 – an author’s 24th book)
Small Acts of Courage: A Legacy of Endurance and the Fight for Democracy (52 Books Summer #6c – related to endurance)
Fangirl Down (52 Books Summer #5a – a sports romance novel/ATY Summer #5b – featuring a sport)
QOTW: I'm in really good shape with all of my challenges, but now I've really started concentrating on my summer challenges. Both the 52 Book Club and ATY have three choices for each of their summer challenge prompts. I think I might try to do all three choices for each prompt...
Happy Thursday, y’all. This has been a somewhat busy week.
I got my eye annual exam done and was delighted to find that there are no changes, no evidence of glaucoma or macular degeneration both of which my siblings have experienced. F/u appt with GI doctor and am now scheduled for a f/u colonoscopy. Hopefully that will turn out just as fine.
I have made good headway in reading and am satisfied with my progress on most challenges.
Finished:
The Three Oak Mystery – PS #21 (published in a year ending in 24 – 1924). I was surprised by this delightful mystery. It didn’t feel dated like so many old mysteries do. Perhaps it was because it was written as a current mystery rather set into the past. 4*
Little Beach Street Bakery – ATY #23. I loved this little book of a young woman learning how to integrate even temporarily into a new setting...and figuring out who she is and what she is meant to be doing. Coming of age of a young adult woman. 4*
Key of Light – ATY #24. Book #2 of a trilogy by one of my favorite romance authors - Nora Roberts...and I do not usually read romance. But she writes paranormal romantic suspense that I love! I will definitely be finishing the trilogy. 4*
Intangible – PAS, Book #1. Kindle. Fantasy. One of my favorite genres. The interesting overlap between this book and Key of Light is that the paranormal bad guy in both was named Kane. 4*
The Yellow Wind – PAS. A book that I own. This book is written by an Israeli journalist who seeks to understand the Arab-Israeli occupation. It was published in 1988, and it is a depressing book. He sought to understand how the Arabs in so many different areas and experiences saw the occupation. The upshot is that he really sees no way out between these two peoples. Both have suffered and been changed. Both are resistent to seeing the other one's side. Depressing book. His conclusion is that there does not seem anyway out of the conflict. 3* only because there is no solution to this difficult problem.
Killer Insight – ALCM, PAS. Continuation of this series - book #4. 4*. Cosy mystery about a psychic, who is having relationship problems. Fun read.
Leaving Everything Most Loved – ALCM. Book #10. Continuation of a series I am reading for another challenge. Still engaged with Maisie and her life. In this book, she leaves her country (Great Britain), her business, and her current life to explore the world. Of course there is the last case to finish up first...so it is only at the end that she leaves. 4*
Currently Reading:
The Man Who Played with Fire: Stieg Larsson's Lost Files and the Hunt for an Assassin – Kindle. 28%. Restarting this one, which was started while I was in Scotland.
Heaven and Earth (Bk #2) – Audible. 7%. Reading this on my daily walk.
Gift of a Letter: Giving the Gift of Ourselves-- Add Richness and Grace to Your Life Through the Art of Letter-writing – ATY Seasonal. 4%
Just Starting:
The Friday Night Knitting Club – PAS
On Deck:
Suspect – PS #12 (animal POV), PAS
PS 14/50
ATY 24/52
GR 85/200
QotW: We are now just a bit more than halfway through the 2024 Challenge year. How do you feel regarding your progress on the 2024 Popsugar challenge?
I am behind on this challenge, so I need to find a way to make more progress. However, unlike other challenges, this one is hard to slot in other books that I might have read, which makes it hard to substitute unplanned books. I am OK, if I do not finish this challenge due to that.
Mod
QOTW
I gave up. I've hardly read books this year and it's better if I've given up so I don't feel bad about it. If I hit a book reading streak later in the year I can always come back on it, but for now, it's a lost cause. A shame, but not worth the stress or guilt. Hope you guys don't mind my check ins without progress!"
Absolutely NO problem!! Glad to have you here! 👍😁
I gave up on Interpreting Alaska's History: An Anthology around page 70.I'm now reading The Lost Queen by Norah Lofts
Mod
ah so you need stuff at home! It's science time! Get a pack of zinnias, plant a few seeds, maybe in different media and set them in different light conditions, each day measure and record growth in your "lab notebook" When the flowers come, it's time to draw the flowers.
When my kids were little, I had a pinterest board with ideas, and we did some of these - most of them were stupid, but they were easy and they kept us busy.
https://www.pinterest.com/nadinejone/...
Nadine in NY wrote: "Theresa wrote: "... First adult book by author (all previous were YA) ..."There seem to be SO MANY YA authors who are publishing their first adult fiction lately!!! Maybe it all started with [a..."
Actually, as I have a clients and friends who are YA and Middle Grade market writers, and one who hosts workshops and retreats for that genre of writers, what I'm hearing is that YA and Middle Grade publishers want #own voices books and books from minority and LGBTQ authors telling the stories that include diversity. That likely has something to do with at as the adult market is broader.
Plus authors have always written different genres -- but in the past mostly using pseudonyms. It's easier now to publish different genres under the same name than it was even 10 years ago. Some still do - I've heard there are a lot of YA and MIddle Grade authors that have also long been writing romance novels for Harlequin under different names -- and my lips are sealed on who they are.
@L Y N N - I really enjoyed The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet! It was fun and I will at some point read the next in the series.
Happy Thursday.I pushed my daughter and we did 6 chapters of Legends and Lattes. I recovered from some planned minor, minor surgery and read 150 pages of Brisingr. Plus I started 2 new books. June isn't even half done and I'm in a good place reading wise.
Finished:
Jacob Two-Two's First Spy Case
ATY prompt: A book involving intelligence
Popsugar prompt: (I'm reading the other book for that prompt)
Summer Prompt A book borrowed from the library
The Murder on the Links
ATY prompt: A book by an Edgar Award-winning Author (Agatha Chrisie)
Popsugar prompt: none
Summer Prompt: A book whose author's initials appear in CURVEBAL (AC)
Series - 4.5/12
Nobel laureates - 3/5
Mysteries/Thrillers - 6/13
ATY - 20/45
PS - 12/30
Summer - 2/12
Currently reading:
Brisingr - 85% done
Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story - 40% done
Jacob Two-Two on the High Seas - 70% done
A Death at the Party - 20% done
Buddy Reads:
Legends & Lattes - 75% done
This Present Darkness - 60% done
Hollow City - 30% done
QOTW: I only signed up to do 30 prompts this year. I should finish 15 by the end of June to be on track. I've done 12 and I'm currently reading 4 books with PS prompts. (5 if you count the one it will take us all summer to read). So, I'm in a good place with respect to this challenge.
As of this week, I’m at 25/50 for the 2023 Reading Challenge. I remember the prompts feeling overwhelming last year, but they’re not now. I guess that’s part of being a mood reader doing a reading challenge.Finished
Ghost 19. I liked this novella, but I think Simone St James is best in novel-length stories where she has plenty of time to build suspense and atmosphere.
The Cloisters. If you’re a fan of dark academia, I think you would like this book. It’s a 3-star read for me. It’s well-written, just not my kind of story in the end.
Reading
Zero Days
Hall of the Two Truths
QOTW
I finished the challenge in May so I’m feeling great about it. I also feel good about finishing up the 2023 challenge before the end of the year.
Hi all! The weather's finally starting to cooperate with us up here in WI. Last week took Little Man to the zoo for the first time - and he slept literally the entire time XD. Oh well, we had a nice walk. This weekend for Father's Day we're going to a local minor league baseball game with my husband's family, so hopefully he's awake for at least part of that so they can have some fun baby time. Finished
Come Fly The World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am: this was just ok for me. I wish we had gotten more perspectives, or maybe just less about the Vietnam war.
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats: look I like the musical but this is a real weird poetry collection
Beneath the Sugar Sky: I finally got around to reading more of this series and I'm still enjoying it!
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter: the advice is nothing new but it presents it from a different angle
Currently Reading
Mauve: How One Man Invented a Colour That Changed the World: I'm literally only a chapter in so we'll see, but it's been on my tbr forever
QOTW
I've read 33 of the prompts. I've tried to go after the hardest ones early on, but there's still a bunch of hard ones left to go. In some cases, the book I think I want to read for the hard prompt is on hold with 6+ months to wait. I'm surprised I haven't filled the 'someone dies in the first chapter' prompt yet given how much I love mysteries, but if I have to go on an all mystery-binge in October, that sure would be a real shame ;).
Nadine in NY wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "The problem is that we're down to 1 car, so we're mostly stuck at home unless I drop him off at work and go pick him up again after ..."ah so you need stuff at home! It's scie..."
Very cool ideas. Maybe the kiddo and I can get into tie dying!
Mod
Cool!
Mod
There seem to be SO MANY YA authors who are publishing their first adult fiction lately!!! Maybe i..."
Your point regarding the use of pseudonyms is so true! When I research writers from the 20th Century and may be even further into the past it is surprising how many times they did that! And some still do it!
Mod
ah so you need stu..."
And there are so many opportunities to teach by doing. I used to have my boys help bake cookies. That's how they 'learned' (unconsciously) fractions! I would have them divide the cookies
among all 5 of us, or the 3 of them, etc. They can help stir and measure, etc. as you cook. I was a full-time stay-at-home parent, so had time to do all that stuff! One of their favorites was when I made cake donuts (applesauce or pear sauce! Yum!) and they got to shake them in ziploc bags with powdered sugar!
They also liked stirring as I made pudding, etc., where you can see the chemical/physical changes as the solution cooks.
Yes, my kitchen was usually a mess, but we got it cleaned up afterward...for at least a few minutes!
And they loved eating the results! LOL
Happy check-in! I finished my library book that is due in a few hours so now I can post. I discovered my library subscribes to Hoopla, giving each library card 10 things per month, so I joined to read the things my library has not bought. So hopefully I will get some things off the tbr that have been there a while.Finished Reading:
A Business Proposal, Vol. 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A fun Kdrama. I realized that I read volume four this year two and I should use it for the kpop prompt to just be done.
The Endless War ⭐⭐⭐ (ATY Canadian author)
It might have just been my mood but this book felt endless. ;)
Not in Love ⭐⭐⭐
Not her best and not her worst.
Lost Ark Dreaming ⭐⭐ (ATY African author)
I was so excited to read this and it started well. There were weird philosphy things at the end of chapters but the plot was good until half-way for me. Then it was just too much philosphy.
Firefly: Return to Earth That Was Vol. 3 ⭐⭐⭐
It was really annoying for my library to not purchase the final volume of this story arc, so thankfully Hoopla had it.
PS 38/50
ATY 41/52
ATY Summer 7/36
Goodreads 145/200
QOTW:
I only need to complete two prompts a month until the end of the year so that's great, but they will take more effort to accomplish. Mostly I'm focused on the prompts for the ATY Summer challenge right now so hopefully I'll knock off PS prompts at the same time.
Thursday keeps sneaking up on me!I'm actually at the library right now so, I'll try to read these comments and hopefully get to post this evening after the kiddos bedtime.
Question of the Week:
We are now just a bit more than halfway through the 2024 Challenge year. How do you feel regarding your progress on the 2024 Popsugar challenge?
I feel like I've been doing a LOT better than last year, although Popsugar is the challenge I seem to be struggling with the most. I have about 15 left to read where as ATY I have like 3. I think I'm even farther along in Robot LIbrarian which I'm not even focusing on.
It's just so many of the prompts have very specific topics and I have also been in what feels like a reading slump but, it's really only for novels. I have been pumping through the graphic novels no problem. But those tend to not work for the prompts I have left.
Most of the prompts I have left I do have a book picked out I just haven't got the desire to read them or even get them from the library yet.
Nadine in NY wrote: "I'm in decent shape for my other reading challenges too. The only one I might struggle with is the new goal I gave myself to read 50 books published in 2024. ..."LOL! Why do we give ourselves new goals in the middle of the year? Especially if we aren't done with the other goals we have.
L Y N N wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Theresa wrote: "... First adult book by author (all previous were YA) ..."There seem to be SO MANY YA authors who are publishing their first adult fiction lat..."
It wasn't until the end of the 20th Century that scholars and academics, especially those in tenure track or tenured positions (*scholarly* publish or perish positions), could publish genre fiction at all except under a pseudonym in deep secrecy or risk their positions and scholarly respect. Romance writer Eloisa James is one of those - currently a professor ar Fordham I believe. Another, whose Kate Fansler academic mysteries were very popular in the 70s and 80s under name Amanda Cross. Under her real name, Carolyn Heilbrun, she was on the faculty of an Ivy League university. Look her up - quite impressive.
Examination of the copyright pages in their books during mid-20th Century usually revealed their real name as at the time, you could not file or secure a copyright under a pseudonym in the US.
Happy ThursdaySchool's out and I finished 3 books this week. Unfortunately only 1 worked for this challenge:
The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our minds and Our World by Max Fisher
PS: N/A
52: #38 Published by Hachette
ATY: #24 Secondary color (orange)
Robot Librarian: N/A
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
PS: N/A
52: #37 Palindrome
ATY: #41 Chilling atmosphere
RL: #32 set in the 70's
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
PS: #13 Pen name
52: N/A
ATY: N/A
RL: N/A
Currently reading:
Trying to focus on these:
London
Babel
K-Pop Confidential
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
QOTW: I'm less than halfway done but I'm ok with that. This is my first try at this challenge and some of the prompts are too limiting...though strangely I've completed more of the advanced prompts. Two of my current books will cover prompts, video games and k-pop. If I finish by December I'll be happy
Oops forgot to check-in yesterday. My partner took the week off work, so we've been eating out lots and watching lots of random films. Why is it so cold? It's been struggling to get past 16C (60F?) and it's meant to be summer! Because of the temperature, I haven't been doing any of the sitting in the garden reading activity I had planned.Again only one book finished:
Funny Story by Emily Henry for recommended by a bookseller and ATY (the Jimmy Buffet prompt). I loved Miles, he was adorable. Probably my second favourite of hers after Beach Read.
QOTW:
I feel like I'm so behind but I think I'm "on track". I just haven't been reading much this year, I think the whole job situation is taking too much mental energy, even though I should have loads of spare time to read. I'm a bit behind on overall reading for the year, but I can probably catch up with novellas and graphic novels easily enough. I'm not that excited about Popsugar challenge at the moment, so I may cut it down to 40 prompts.
I have completed all the "advanced" ones though!
I was able to duck out of work early today so that I wouldn't be rushing around before tonight's baseball game. I thought I'd do a quick check-in while I'm thinking about it before I have to get ready. Looking forward to snagging tonight's bobble head. Oh! And watching the Nationals play the Marlins, too! 🤣 I'm at 14/45 and 2/5 for this challenge, and 47/100 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge (which still includes the DNF and Reading Journal reviews).
Finished:
* The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies written by Alison Goodman and narrated by Kristin Atherton, which was one of my book clubs' picks for this month and came highly recommended from a friend at work. Really looking forward to discussing it tomorrow! It was a delight! Highly recommend experiencing this one as an audiobook, as the narrator is phenomenal. Bonus: this one checked off "a book with a main character who is 42 years old."
Currently Reading:
* The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries edited by Michael Sims;
* One of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole, which is one of my NetGalley backlist titles. Really hope to finish this one up over the weekend, or at least before next week's check-in; and,
* Quietly Hostile: Essays by Samantha Irby, which continues to make me laugh out loud as I'm reading.
QotW:
We are now just a bit more than halfway through the 2024 Challenge year. How do you feel regarding your progress on the 2024 Popsugar challenge? This year, I've decided to see how far I get, rather than focusing on completing the challenge. So. I feel great with where I am and am curious to see where I land at the end of the year 😊 I didn't love this year's prompts, so I decided to set aside my completist tendencies and to just be happy with whatever number of prompts I complete by the end of the year.
Another week of recovering and still reading about a book a day and now need to pivot to start packing. I'm moving to Charlotte in 4 weeks and I just feel so unmotivated to start packing. I go back to work in 1 week and I am not ready.... I mean, I am able, but I just am not out of my mind bored yet (and I truly thought I would be)Challenges:
48/75 GoodReads Challenge
31/50 PopSugar Challenge
Finished:
1.) The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict (No PS Prompt) ⭐⭐: Meh - this was just surface level and Hedy Lamarr's life was so much more than what this book delivered IMHO.
2.) The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce (No PS Prompt) ⭐⭐: I adored Harold Fry, but this one felt like a long chore to get through.
3.) The Deal by Elle Kennedy (#32 - enemies to lovers) ⭐⭐⭐⭐: This was delightful, I appreciated the characters and while I took issue with a few minor points, ultimately I really enjoyed this.
4.) Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan (No PS Prompt) ⭐⭐⭐.5: This is a YA book, reminded my of Ove - a 12 yr old girl loses her parents abruptly and her community comes together. Cute and heartwarming.
5.) Other People's Houses by Abbi Waxman (No PS Prompt) ⭐⭐⭐⭐: This was charming - a character study about a neighborhood of families and the daily chaos that ensues. It was a tiny bit bloated, and I hated the way the author chose to comment on the MC's body, but I found myself chuckling along.
6.) If I Stay by Gayle Forman (#24 - 24 hrs) ⭐⭐⭐: This was just ok - a random accident leaves the YA MC having to make a big decision, I was just happy that it fit into this prompt.
Currently Reading:
1.) Finlay Donovan Is Killing It
2.) The Kindest Lie
QoTW: How do you feel regarding your progress on the 2024 Popsugar challenge?
I'm feeling on track - I think I'm a tiny bit over 50% mark, so will need to start reading more intentionally to hit off the harder prompts.
Jennifer W wrote: "Hi all. I'm super bummed out and in a rotten mood. I spoke with both my private LTD and my SSD lawyers yesterday. Both of them said that my hearings are likely 4-5 months down the road. By my math,..."Oh no Jennifer! What do the lawyers recommend? Just to wait until the hearings? Ugh - I'm so sorry for all this un-necessary pressure added to your plate.
Happy Friday. Stats:
PS: 28/50
ATY: 39/52
ATY Rejects: 14/25
ATY Rewind: 17/25
DBC: 24/36
GR Choice: 17/30
TBR: 6/10
Books I Finished:
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes ⭐⭐⭐
ATY: A book related to Boats, Beaches, Bars, Ballads, or Jimmy Buffett.
I liked this more than I thought I would. I looked at it as more of an origin story for the games themselves, and not Snow, which made it interesting for me.
His Majesty's Dragon ⭐⭐⭐⭐
PS: A book that features dragons.
I'm not usually into historical fiction revolving around war (other than WW2 historical fiction, which I can't seem to stop), But it turns out adding dragons just makes it better!
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I'm almost through this series. It's been a wild ride.
Firefly: Return to Earth That Was Vol. 3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
PS: A book set in the future.
It took me a long time to track this vol. down so I could complete the story. It felt a little anticlimactic.
In Progress:
The Marriage Game
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 26
QotW
I am over half done, but I would prefer to be closer to two thirds done at this point. I'm trying to console myself with the fact that it is mostly easy prompts, and the harder ones I all have books picked for, except 42 year old MC. I blame people who were trying to be clever when they were suggesting prompts to PS, and they didn't think things through about how it was going to work when it came time to find books for the prompt.
Side note, I've been shortening popsugar to PS almost since I started, so it won't make much of a difference to me, although I still might call it popsugar - just like a still say Kentucky Fried Chicken sometimes.
A bit late checking in. We went on an ill-timed road trip last week. The weather was beautiful and the sights were gorgeous, but I was still recovering from my infection, so I didn't get to enjoy it as much as I'd hoped. We have decided we will take this same short trip again at a later date when I'm not in constant low-level pain and can enjoy it more.Finished:
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett - for PopSugar's cozy fantasy prompt. I quite enjoyed this. Looking forward to the next one.
Comics and manga:
Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 41
Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 12
Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen Vol. 3
The Ancient Magus' Bride: Wizard's Blue Vol. 8
Cinderella Closet Vol. 3
Currently reading:
Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language by Amanda Montell - for Robot Librarian's Nonfiction: 400s. - An entertaining look at language from a feminist perspective.
Tidal Creatures by Seanan McGuire - not currently for a prompt, but I might put it in for neurodivergent main character (which is pretty much the norm for Seanan's work).
Upcoming/Planned:
Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse - not currently for a prompt
QOTW:
I think I'm in pretty good shape. I'm currently at 39/50 prompts for PopSugar (34/45 and 5/5). I also have all my challenge books picked out for the rest of the prompts, it's just a matter of dodging new releases from the library and finishing (lol).
Doni wrote: "Ultimate Reading: 25/25 100%Super Summer County: 24/30 80%
Super Summer City: 22/24 92%
I am a bit disgruntled about what the library challenges have I am a bit disgruntled about what the library challenges have morphed into.. they're really more about doing other stuff than reading..."
What kinds of things do they make you do? Because our library is just read an hour each week for 8 weeks with an end goal of 8 hours...which I have already reached. They use Beanstack to keep track and you win badges.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Hi all. I'm super bummed out and in a rotten mood. I spoke with both my private LTD and my SSD lawyers yesterday. Both of them said that my hearings are likely 4-5 months down th..."Nadine Thank you for enlightening me about the Regal Summer Movie program. I just might have to take my nephew.
Okay now for my check-in...The kiddo and I have had a less busy week although he did have the dentist on Tuesday. First cavity filled. Plus they do this thing now where they put a sealant on your tooth so you don't get cavities. He got it on his molars. That was new to me, but I haven't had dental in 10 years so, yeah.
We've been working on a Summer Bingo that a local grocery store is putting on. So we went to the park and had a picnic yesterday. And I bought this cool treasure chest thing at the store today to "Hunt for buried treasure." We only have a few things to do until we get a bingo, but I think I might try to still do as many as we can before I turn it in.
As for books, I'm still cranking out the graphic novels and staring at the regular novels.
2024 Challenges:
Popsugar: 34/50
ATY: 49/52
Robot Librarian: 39/52
A to Z: 25/26
Physical TBR: 0/95
Kindle TBR: 1/120
Goodreads: 100/100 (Challenge Complete! I could up it again but, I'm not gonna.)
Book Clubs:
PS Monthly: 21/55
Reese: 31/95
Oprah: 12/101
Jenna: 7/65
OSS: 6/39
Finished:
12 finished, 1 Completed Popsugar
Invisible
Grace Needs Space!
Incredible Doom
Incredible Doom: Volume 2
Freestyle: A Graphic Novel ATY #31
The Fledgling
XOXO, Cody: An Opinionated Homosexual's Guide to Self-Love, Relationships, and Tactful Pettiness PS#41
Stargazing
Ride On
Ghosts
Pippi Goes to the Circus RL#22
Smaller Sister
Zebrafish
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Currently Reading
The Quarter Storm (’22 AtoZ)
Growing Feelings: A Kids' Guide to Dealing with Emotions about Friends and Other Kids
The Great Divide
While We Were Dating
A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel
Lies My Teacher Told Me: A Graphic Adaptation
Congratulations, the Best is Over!
On the Backburner
Libby
Physical Library Rentals
The Complete Persepolis
The Eyes and the Impossible
Garlic and the Vampire
Garlic and the Witch
The Witch Boy
The Midwinter Witch
New From Here
Finally Heard
Three Weeks to Say Goodbye
The Highway
Tidesong
Catherine’s War
Magazines: (11/146) No movement here in awhile
Read since last check-in: 0
JessicaMHR wrote: "Doni wrote: "Ultimate Reading: 25/25 100%Super Summer County: 24/30 80%
Super Summer City: 22/24 92%
I am a bit disgruntled about what the library challenges have I am a bit disgruntled about wha..."
I know our big library, for the adults, has a bingo board and it includes attending a library event at the library, attending a library event in the community, writing book reviews, things like that. I saw the kid's reading challenge included a treasure map, but I didn't look too closely. Our local library, which is itty bitty and we almost never go there because it's so small, just gives kids points for checking out books. The kiddo with the most books checked out by the end gets a certificate for ice cream.
When I was a kid, we had to keep a written record of the books we read and get it checked off by the librarian. Every 5 books got you a ticket for a drawing for prizes.
Happy Finished this week:
Palestine: A Socialist Introduction - 5 stars. A fantastic read. A bit difficult in the early chapters but I highlighted a ton in the later ones.
Static: Shadows of Dakota - 5 stars. Artist Nikolas Draper-Ivey is taking on a writing role alongside Vita Ayala for this volume and he shines in both aspects. I love the choice to bring characters from the tv series (which I adored) into the comic canon.
Lumberjanes, Vol. 13/14/15/16/17 - 4 stars. Yet another new artist, but this series really rides on the strength of its characters and story so I don’t mind it too much. 14 - A book that starts with the letter X
Half-Off Ragnarok - 4.5 stars. I love Alex and Shelby (and Crow!). I utterly devoured the first half on Sunday and wish I’d had Monday off so I could finish it off lol. Excited for more with this family!
Menewood - 5 stars. Absolutely brilliant.
Currently:
Pocket Apocalypse - More Alex and Shelby!
Neverwhere - Neil’s copy is slightly different than mine, so he adds bits I don’t have, which is great fun
PS 27/50
ATY 31/52
Mount TBR 14/48
QOTW: We are now just a bit more than halfway through the 2024 Challenge year. How do you feel regarding your progress on the 2024 Popsugar challenge?
I feel okay!
Yikes, lots to catch up on! I'll get to it at some point. For now, I just want to come in and make my post.Doing well, visited some fam for a bit so that was nice. Though as someone who is not a baby person, it's nice to have some quiet and not be surrounded by the constant crying. I don't know how much more I could take. I would deal obviously, but with very little limits.
Now I'm just taking things easy until school starts in July so that's kind of nice.
Need some me time so I might go to the bookstore today, we'll see.
The heat out here is terrible. Over 101(F). I wish it were winter all ready (our city has a tendency to skip right over fall unfortunately).
Now moving on to the book stuff.
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Finished:
The Adult Autism Assessment Handbook: A Neurodiversity Affirmative Approach - This book is more geared towards professionals, but it was still excellent
Review- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
*****
Currently Reading:
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
Silence to Strength: Writings and Reflections on the Sixties Scoop
*****
QOTW:
We are now just a bit more than halfway through the 2024 Challenge year. How do you feel regarding your progress on the 2024 Popsugar challenge?
Unfortunately, I am not progressing like I had hoped. Even though I initially thought I had it all planned out, it's not exactly working. That's one of the problems I'm having a mood reader, whatever it is I'm reading at the moment just doesn't seem to fit into the prompts.
L Y N N wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "The problem is that we're down to 1 car, so we're mostly stuck at home unless I drop him off at work and go pick him up again after..."Yes, the kiddo loves baking! We made a dessert the other day and she was angry that I wouldn't let her separate the yolk from the white... She's 6! There are adults that can't do it well! And she's still on the mostly shattered stage of egg cracking, so we're a little ways off on egg splitting.... lol!
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Little Mercies (other topics)These Things Hidden (other topics)
The Conjure-Man Dies (other topics)
Brace for Impact (other topics)
The Good Earth (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Gabe Montesanti (other topics)Heather Gudenkauf (other topics)
Seanan McGuire (other topics)
Amanda Montell (other topics)
Rebecca Roanhorse (other topics)
More...
I am so excited to reread The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet for this month's group read, but have two IRL book club reads to finish for this coming Sunday and next Tuesday, so probably won't start it until next Wednesday! I adore those characters!! They are beyond diverse and yet so relatable!
Around the Year in 52 Books has begun their Summer Reading Challenge (June 1—August 31) and the ultimate prize is creating one prompt for the 2025 AtY Reading Challenge!! YAY!! I always hope my name is drawn for this, but *sigh* it hasn’t happened! Yet! LOL 😊
HERE is the information!
Lists!
Book Riot—Books to Read this Summer: https://bookriot.com/books-to-read-th...
Book Riot’s posting of Barnes & Noble’s Listing of the Best Books of 2024 so far: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/the-...
And last, but by no means least, the 2024 Lambda Literary Award winners! https://bookriot.com/the-2024-lambda-...
ADMIN STUFF:
THE AUGUST MONTHLY GROUP READ IS The Tea Dragon Society (Tea Dragon #1) by Kay O'Neill!
This book could be used to fulfill Prompt #23 A book that features dragons. National Lizard Day is August 14! And who might be the "official organizer" willing to lead this discussion? Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!
THE SEPTEMBER NOMINATION POLL IS LIVE!
This book could be used to fulfill prompt #6 A book about pirates. Talk Like a Pirate Day is September 19! John Baur and Mark Summers created this international day in 1995.
If you do not see the title you would like to nominate, please write it in. But please check that book's eligibility first! Only books that have NOT been discussed within the past two years (2022-present) are eligible. Please remember to consult the listing of these books that are NOT eligible for this month HERE before nominating! :) There is an alphabetized listing by title as well as a chronological listing.
Current nominations:
Cinnamon and Gunpowder
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi)
Peter Pan
Cup of Gold: A Life of Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer, with Occasional Reference to History
Treasure Island
Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition: English Sea Rovers in the Seventeenth-Century Caribbean
Running Close to the Wind
Frenchman's Creek
Fable (The World of the Narrows #1)
The Princess Bride
VOTE HERE THROUGH NEXT TUESDAY! Only 26 people have voted thus far and there is currently a 3-way tie! Interesting...
THE JUNE MONTHLY GROUP READ IS The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers!!This book could be used to fulfill Prompt #18 A book set in space. This is one of my all-time favorite books and series!!
And who is the "cool Captain" who will volunteer to lead this discussion? Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!I have posted some questions and encourage anyone interested to comment and/or ask questions… I am using this as an excuse to reread the first 3 installments and finally read the fourth book!THE JULY MONTHLY GROUP READ IS Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner!! This book could be used to fulfill prompt #44 An autobiography written by a woman in Rock ‘n’ Roll. I’m certain there is a “savvy superstar” among our members to lead an amazing discussion of this one! Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!
The comprehensive listing of 2024 Monthly Group Reads resides HERE for your perusal and reference throughout 2024!
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Question of the Week:
We are now just a bit more than halfway through the 2024 Challenge year. How do you feel regarding your progress on the 2024 Popsugar challenge?
I admit, I’m starting to feel the pressure! Mainly because I have selected books further along in series that I have been reading slowly but surely, and so now I am beginning to read through those books:
Donna Andrews’ Meg Langslow series
Installment #4 is Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon for prompt #1
Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series
Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series
Any/all installments for prompt #8
I am also starting to fit in at least 3-4 other books that I have listed for open prompts every month.
For June:
Brace for Impact by Gabe Montesanti for prompt #7
Little Mercies or These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf for prompt #9
The Conjure Man Dies: A Mystery Tale of Dark HarlemThe Conjure-Man Dies: A Mystery Tale of Dark Harlem or The Good Earth for prompt #16
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet for prompt #18 (This will be a reread for me and one I look forward to since this series is one of my favorites!)
How about you? (I realize some of you have already finished the 2024 Challenge… All I have to say is that you-all are over-achievers!! (And good for you!! LOL)
2024 READING CHALLENGES:
Popsugar: 29/50
Around the Year (AtY): 49/52
Read Harder: 16/24
52 Book Club: 40/52
FINISHED:
*The China Garden by Liz Berry ⭐⭐⭐⭐ didn’t work well for me. I found Berry’s writing to be a bit dull and boring, though I enjoyed the plot. Perhaps I just wasn’t in the mood for this, but it was staring at me from the top of a pile… So now I’ve read it and it is going to my favorite used book store this week! 😊
POPSUGAR: #2, #11-Romance
ATY: #3-A book involving pirates, maps, or treasure, #15, #17, #24-Orange and Green, #25, #27, #33, #36, #41, #44, #49
RHC: #16, #24-2015: prompt #11 Read a YA novel
52 Book Club: #4, #14, #26-YA/Fantasy/Romance, #30, #43
*High Times in the Low Parliament by Kelly Robson ⭐⭐⭐⭐ for an IRL book club meeting next week. The person who manages this store for the owners recommended this book. Her recommendation? “There isn’t a male in it!” (Yes, she is a female who identifies as lesbian.) I had to laugh! This provided some fodder for discussion, but we all agreed it was definitely left open to interpretation and felt confusing as we read and also by the book’s end. After reading a bit more about the book, I feel this was an absurdist interpretation of “Brexit.”
POPSUGAR: #2, #14
ATY: #1, #3-A book set mostly in or around a building (Parliament), #6, #8-Canada, #9-1,475 ratings, #24-Orange and Purple, #33, #34-Dopey, #41, #44
RHC: #1, #24-2015: prompt #5 A book written by or about someone who identifies as LGBTQ
52 Book Club: #24, #26-Fantasy/Romance, #30, #33, #43, #51
*Murder in Volume (Megan Clark #1) by D.R. Meredith ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I did have the mystery solved, but that didn’t decrease my enjoyment of reading this first installment in the series a bit! Anxious to read the remaining three installments!
POPSUGAR: #25
ATY: #3-A book about or featuring a landmark, #9-305 ratings, #17, #24-Orange, Green, and Purple, #25-Assault & Theft, #26, #33, #34-Lieutenant Carr calls Ryan “Doc,” #36, #37, #38/#39, #42, #49
RHC: #20, #23, #24-2023: prompt #14 A book with less than 500 Goodreads ratings (305)
52 Book Club: #6, #14, #20, #29-2000, #30
CONTINUING:
*...And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer
*Real Life Brandon Taylor for an IRL book club
*Ms. Demeanor by Elinor Lipman for an IRL book club
PLANNED:
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
*Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos (Meg Langslow #3) by Donna Andrews
*Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon (Meg Langslow #4) by Donna Andrews
*Fear No Evil (Alex Cross #29) by James Patterson
*11th Hour (Women’s Murder Club #11) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
*Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
*The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin