Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2024 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 44: 10/25 - 10/31
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Happy Halloween! We're not doing much for the holiday. We have a bowl of candy ready for trick-or-treaters, but we rarely get any. Tonight is just going to be takeout, hockey, video games, and probably eating the candy ourselves.Finished:
Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World by Matt Parker - 4 stars - for Robot Librarian's Nonfiction: The 500s. Amusing anecdotes of disasters big and small caused by math and computer errors. As a math/comp sci person, I found it entertaining and fun. YMMV, depending on how much you enjoy math.
Comics/manga:
She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 1
Spy×Family 12
Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc., Vol. 3
Cinderella Closet Vol. 7
Magus of the Library, Vol. 7
Daytime Shooting Star, Vol. 5
Persona 5, Vol. 12
Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, Vol. 15
Oshi No Ko , Vol. 7
Chihayafuru, Vol. 11
Chihayafuru, Vol. 12
Currently reading:
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn - for Robot Librarian's book mentioned in a film, TV show, or streamed series. Apparently this was referenced on Gilmore Girls, which I've never seen. Someone posted a whole list of books mentioned on that show. Alternatively, it would also work for a book written in epistolary format.
Upcoming/Planned:
Magic for Nothing by Seanan McGuire - for Robot Librarian's book that takes place at an amusement park, theme park, fair, or carnival.
QOTW:
There are so many anime & game characters where I wish I could pull off their costumes because they're just beautiful. But honestly, I'm more about comfort, so I would probably go with something that lets me wear everyday comfy clothes!
Happy Halloween! Instead of candy, we're giving out banned books. I'm excited. We don't get a lot of trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood though, so we'll see how it goes...I participated in the Dewey Readathon last weekend, so it was a good reading week.
I'm also looking forward to Nonfiction November and a reading challenge my library is starting. And of course I'm hoping for the PopSugar drop on Dec. 1!
Finished: Why We Elect Narcissists and Sociopaths―and How We Can Stop
How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind: Dealing with Your House's Dirty Little Secrets This one was funny and very relatable.
A Responsibility to Awe: Poems The first half was finished poems, the second half was excerpts from her writing journals. So it was an unusual insight into her process but also felt unfinished.
The Atomic Human: What Makes Us Unique in the Age of AI This was supposedly about AI and what makes human different from AI, but I felt like it was off topic the whole time.
Bouvard and Pécuchet Had Flaubert's usual snark
The Spiritual History of Ice: Romanticism, Science, and the Imagination
The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise
Let This Radicalize You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care
The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions
Wrath of the Triple Goddess This one was just fun! Especially right before Halloween.
Started: Sacred Listening: Discovering the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola
My Brilliant Friend Third time trying to read this!
Leading a Life with God: The Practice of Spiritual Leadership
QotW: I think I would base my character on Stargirl if I had any confidence that people would know who I was. (I get tired of explaining costumes.) What I'm actually being this Halloween is Cheer Bear!
Happy Halloween! We’re ready… full-size chocolate treats and non-chocolate treats, non-food treats, painted rocks, dog treats, and jello shots for the grown-ups. Come on by!2024 Reading Challenges: I’ve read 410 books and completed 33.3% of my ever-growing TBR. I received two more free books in the mail: Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. I’ve never read either of them, so that should be an interesting experience. Unfortunately, I made very little progress on any of my challenges this week.
52 Book Club: 51/52 (October Mini-Challenge: 3/3)
ATY: 50/52 (Fall Challenge 40/45)
Booklist Queen: 50/52
Diverse Baseline: 30/36
Popsugar: 49/50
Robot Librarian: 52/52 – Yay!!!
ICYMI Backlist: 10/12
Recently Completed: Lots of 3-star reads this week. I’m very grumpy.
Home Is Where the Bodies Are: This was a lot better than I expected it to be. ★★★★
The Wren, the Wren: 2023 NPR Books We Love. ★★★
This Delicious Death ★★★
The Other Valley (ATY #1 – title ends in A, T, or Y) ★★★
The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church ★★★★
A Daughter of Fair Verona ★★★
Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America ★★★★
Love Letters to a Serial Killer ★★★
Currently Reading: Pushing hard to finish some prompts!
Owner of a Lonely Heart: A Memoir: 2023 NPR Books We Love.
Prep (Booklist Queen #26 – from the bottom of your TBR)
The Fiction Writer
Humanly Possible: Seven Hundred Years of Humanist Freethinking, Inquiry, and Hope: Reasonable Doubt Book Club. (ATY Fall – HOTAPPLECIDER: Humanly)
The Mountain in the Sea (ATY Fall – FAMILYGATHERING: Ray Nayler)
Laziness Does Not Exist (ATY Fall – HOTAPPLECIDER: Devon Price)
Remarkably Bright Creatures (ICYMI Backlist – published in 2022)
Everything I Never Told You (Diverse Baseline #31 – literary fiction by a BIPOC author)
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (Popsugar #26 – turned into a musical)
The Wild Robot (ATY #4 – related to Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World”/Booklist Queen #8 – becoming a movie in 2024)
Our Infinite Fates: Goodreads Giveaway.
QOTW: I’ve always been fascinated by the evil witch/queen, so for me it’s the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, Maleficent, or Snow White’s Evil Queen. I’d give out apples at Halloween if anyone accepted stuff that’s not pre-packaged.
Happy Halloween! My kiddo is going as a witch, and her costume is awesome! She's excited. :) It's almost 80 here in NY, so the streets are going to be slammed! I finally got my money! We haven't found a car yet, and it's been so busy this week that we haven't had time to go back out and look some more. Maybe end of next week we can.
Sad that baseball is over. :( Sad that the Yankees forgot how to play this week... :(
Otherwise, nothing interesting going on.
Made some decent progress in Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books at my infusion appointment the other day. I'm still really enjoying it.
Also reading some more in The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism. It is interesting, but the hypocrisy of it just kills me.
QOTW: Lynn, that's so funny, because I would probably want to dress up as pre-Revolution Lara in Doctor Zhivago, and I'm no girlie girl, either! But the opulence...
Doni wrote: "Happy Halloween! Instead of candy, we're giving out banned books. I'm excited..."OMG, I LOVE it!! Come back and let us know how it was received!
I also love your Carebear costume! My first "career" choice when I was a little kid was to grow up to be a Carebear! lol
Oddly, I never was a Carebear for Halloween...
happy Halloween for those who celebrate itIt's finally getting cold in Southern California. I'm tired of the heat! I'm really glad we change the clocks this weekend, I don't like it being dark when I get up in the morning.
I finished two books, both re-reads:
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
PS: made into a musical
ATY: 5 books list
52: Booker prize
Robot librarian:N/A
god is not great by Christopher Hitchens
PS: N/A
ATY: N/A
52: N/A
RL: Dewey 200's
Currently reading:
Brooklyn
Say You're One of Them
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat
The Only Way Is The Steady Way
QOTW: I can't answer this question because I'm not really into dressing up anymore. I got traumatized as a kid. As a kid we had the cheapest versions of the cheapest costumes due to lack of $$, or bad DIY costumes. One year I wanted to DIY a ghost but no one could figure out the eye holes...maybe it was that they just didn't want to cut the sheet? Anyway I didn't have a costume for Halloween and I was forced to be a clown because a neighbor had the supplies an ability to do a clown face. I was humiliated.
I am wearing my candy corn shirt today though.
Two of the neighboring teachers at my school today are dressed as George and Martha Washington. Can't compete with that anyway!
Happy Thursday and Halloween, y’all. We are finally moving into fall here is SC. We do not get leaf color like the northern states until nearly Thanksgiving! But our temperatures are much nicer with highs of mid 80s and 40-50s in early morning.
I have adjusted to less frequently planned activities and have made good headway on my reading. I am still not sure that I will finish PopSugar, but then I am not finishing challenges in other groups either. (Being gone to Scotland for 6 weeks did make a difference in my reading accomplishments.) However, I tend to carry over those challenges that I do not finish into the next year.
I have started finalizing my plans for an April trip to Japan. Today I made decisions on flights and paid for those tickets. And I have two camping trips in progress for March and April. And, that will take care of 2025. And, I have started talking with my AAA travel planner about a Mississippi River Boat tour to New Orleans in 2026!
Finished:
West with Giraffes – ATY #40. CD Audio. 3*. A end of life story looking back.
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line – ATY #43, PAS. 3*. Set in India and so contained many words that were not known to me. A story of societal issues in the slums of India.
Midnight at the Blackbird Café – ATY #44, PS #35. 4*. A story of family relationships and personal destiny.
East Wind: West Wind – PAS. 4*. A story of old culture vs. new culture in Chinese family relationships.
The Tea Dragon Society - PAS. 3*. GN. Simple but delightful story and drawings.
Currently Reading:
The Gray House (Kindle) – BIG book of over 700 pages. Owned. PAS. 30%.
James Earl Jones: Voices and Silences – ATY #42, PAS. 24%.
Just Starting:
Birthright – PS #43, PAS. One of my favorite authors.
Artificial Condition - PS #19
On Deck:
Parable of the Talents - PAS
One Good Turn – ALCM, PAS
A Walk on the Beach: Tales of Wisdom from an Unconventional Woman – ATY #45
PS 35/50
ATY 43/52
GR 179/200
QotW:
I don't do most holidays, but especially Halloween. Although I like seeing the little kids' costumes, I have never enjoyed dressing up as another character. And, I dislike the candy giving, but I can not figure out what to do instead...although I really like the giving of (banned) books idea...so maybe next year!
Happy Thursday! My boyfriend and I had a croquette lunch in a fancy restaurant last week. We had 5 croquettes with 5 different fillings: the regular (small one, ‘bitterbal’, our national snack), cheese, tomato-risotto, veal-truffel and goulash. It was delicious. Except the last one, but I don’t like goulash. We were completely stuffed, didn’t have dinner 🙂FNL: 38/40
PS: 20/40
Total: 60/52
DNF: 1
Finished
Magdalena by Matthias Rozemond ⭐⭐⭐
Currently reading
Watch Us Dance by Leïla Slimani
De omwenteling by Suzanna Jansen
QOTW
We don’t do Halloween over here, so I don’t know anything about costumes. We do have ‘Sint Maarten’, Saint Martin on November 11. Kids go door to door with lanterns, sing a song and receive sweets. It's only known in specific parts of our country, like the region where I live now.
Happy halloween! We don't get any trick or treaters where I live, so I live vicariously through seeing the kids who come to library in their costumes.The weather was finally feeling appropriately October, but the temps decided to spike for Halloween -_- It's a good year to have a costume that's on the lighter side, I guess.
Finished:
The Spellshop - I loved this book! Though I will admit I got a bit of ending fatigue, since it seemed to reach good stopping points at least three times before it actually ended. But I loved the world it was set in, so I'm not complaining about spending more time there.
In a Sunburned Country - (A travel destination on your bucket list) Very informative, and a fun listen.
X/1999, Volume 01: Prelude - (A book that starts with the letter X) I remember reading this series in Animerica Extra way back in the day, but I never really understood what was going on. And that still holds true, but at least the artwork is gorgeous.
Odd Blood - (RH A romance with neurodivergent characters) I read this one for the prompt and as a Halloween read. In the end, it wasn't super romantic, most likely because it's first in a series, but I suffered through this one to the end so I'm counting it.
Witch of Wild Things - (A second chance romance) I flew through this one, but in the end it was just okay. There some parts that felt very cathartic to me, but the last third of the book pulled a twist that I felt was not necessary.
My Extremely Tiny Forest Adventure - A little more graphic novel-ly than the last one, but a little more fun than the last one, too.
Currently reading:
Danse Macabre by Stephen King
The Monster of Elendhaven
Her Frankenstein
QOTW: This one was answered for me today, as one of my co-workers commented that I would be a great Madame Defarge from A Tale of Two Cities, since I'm always knitting or crocheting. Case in point, my costume is a crocheted spiderweb poncho (made with glow-in-the dark yarn).
Happy Halloween to all you vampires, ghouls, zombies, and everything in between! I haven't officially celebrated Halloween in years. Kids don't come around here so we stopped giving out candy years ago. Now it's just down time with the addition that we watch Hocus Pocus.Today though I wore my Power Rangers Time Force hoodie which was cool. Making some homemade/by scratch pretzels. Got some blood bags online and filled them with red Kool-Aid. Then got my dogs costumes so that will be cute and I'll give them dog treats for their trick-or-treating.
Weather wise, temps are up and down out here. I just want it to stick to fall or winter already since October is already over and we never had much of a fall. It was nothing but summer temps.
*****
Onto book news:
In October I read 10 books which isn't bad. 60% nonfiction and 40% fiction. That puts my total number at 82% nonfiction for the year. I want that number to go higher though.
My surprisingly favorite book of this month was Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe . It surprised me because I'm normally not one for sports books.
*****
Nonfiction November starts tomorrow, that and Native American Heritage Month. I'm super excited for both. This is the hosts (Olive) last year of doing NFN so it's kind of bittersweet. I'm determined to knock it out of the park though. I have an ambitious TBR of 16 books (4 books for each prompt). Won't get through all of them but I look forward to seeing which ones I can get through. I've got everything planned from the books I'll be doing, the photo prompts, and the vids I'll be doing on my TikTok page.
I spent nearly all of October planning out my Nonfiction November ideas so that took some time otherwise my book count would have been higher, but 10 books this month was more than okay. I'll make up for it starting tomorrow.
Of those 16 books, about 5 or 6 are Indigenous-related in honor of Native American Heritage Month that I'm looking forward to.
*****
Hope you all have a wonderful Halloween if you celebrate it, and if not hope you enjoy your day!
*****
QOTW:
What character would you like to use as a model for your Halloween costume?
Oh love the question. I don't know, I've never really thought about dressing up as book characters for Halloween (or general cosplay). Since I don't read a lot of fiction it makes it a bit hard to narrow down. I guess I would go with Kirstin from Station Eleven . I liked what they did with the outfits in the series adaptation since they didn't have much to go on. Plus having Kirstin's tattoos would be pretty cool (I wish they had utilized that more on the show the way the book portrayed them, they were real basic on the tv series).
Mod
Other than the naked trees and dried leaves all over the ground (and that distinctive SCENT of dried leaves), it does NOT feel like autumn today, it's gone up to 81 F this afternoon. This is officially the warmest Halloween ever for Syracuse - the last record high was 75 F and we blew right past that!
For some reason the last few NetGalley books I've read have been so depressing, and all about heavy precipitation. Private Rites: it rained constantly, everyone hates each other and is miserable. We Do Not Part: protagonist caught in a heavy snowfall. Awake in the Floating City (which I just started): it's raining constantly. I do not enjoy this "precipitation" theme!! So ... I went and requested 12 more books from NG, mostly romances. And I got approved for six of them almost immediately. So now my NG ratio is back down in the 70s, but I guess it doesn't matter, and hopefully I'll have some happier books to read.
This week I finished 2 books.
We Do Not Part by Han Kang - This is the latest translation from the newest Nobel Prize winner, coming out next month. It's hard to say what it's about, it follows a middle-aged protagonist (view spoiler) (NOT a spoiler at all but maybe you don't want to know ANYTHING about the book, so I hid it.) Gorgeous writing but suuuuuper miserable. If you like books that make you feel cold and sad, and you like learning about atrocities like genocide, and you like books with a touch of magical realism and slow meandering beginnings and super open ended endings, then you will LOVE this book!! (I'm not being sarcastic, I know some people LOVE this kind of book!!)
Admiral by Sean Danker - I chose this audiobook SOLELY because I like the guy who reads it (Johnathan McClain), I had never heard of the author before. It turned out to be a lot of fun! The four characters wake up from a deep sleep on a spaceship ... somewhere. How? why? who did it? and how do they get out of there?? and there are angry xenocreatures, too! It was the perfect antidote to all the sad and serious books I was reading!
QotW
Fun question!! I dressed as a few book characters when I was a kid, and no one EVER knew who I was ... One year I went as Ozma, my grandmother made me a great costume, and even included a cloth tag that said "OZMA" on it, and still no one knew. I guess no one ever read those books. Another year I went as the character on the cover of Andre Norton's Forerunner Foray (basically I wore a long flowy orange gown and weird face makeup) - that time, I wasn't so surprised that no one knew (oddly, a lot of people guessed I was Cleopatra).
My daughter was just talking about dressing like Sookie and Sam from True Blood, basically she could wear a ringer T & little apron like the Merlotte's waitress uniform, and walk one of our dogs (since Sam can turn into any animal)
I've spent some time trying to think of an answer for what I would dress up as NOW. I scrolled back through the books I've read this year. The only books with an iconic "look" that would work as a costume are The Most (wear a red bathing suit - yeah I don't THINK so), and Come Fly The World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am (a Pan Am uniform), Lizard in a Zoot Suit (okay THAT might be fun!!!), and American Mermaid (awkward, mermaid costume, everyone would just think I was Ariel). So I guess I'd be a lizard in a zoot suit - too bad no one has heard of that book!!
Or maybe I could wear a giant red robe and an orange wig and go as Ponyo - Ponyo was a movie before she was a book, so that's not very bookish of me.
Happy Halloween, all! I have no plans for Halloween beyond handing out candy and watching Hocus Pocus. I live on the wild side, I tell ya...Not much else to report, so on with the reading wrap-up...
Books read this week:
The Boy Who Could See Demons -- interesting read that walked a tightrope between psychological thriller and supernatural thriller (is the boy REALLY seeing demons or not?)... up until (view spoiler) Ugh.
Space Oddity -- I loved Space Opera… but this sequel just fell way short for me. Maybe not every book needs a sequel…
The Elephant in the Room -- emotional and sweet read about a girl coping with her fractured family through helping to take care of a former circus elephant
Currently reading:
Sick Little Monkeys: The Unauthorized Ren & Stimpy Story
The Halcyon Fairy Book
QOTW:
If it has to be a book character, I'd love to get an astronaut costume and doctor it a bit to be Mark Watney from The Martian. If I could expand that to comic/manga characters, I'm already assembling a Jotaro Kujo costume from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure for Comic-Con next year...
Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon was last weekend, and I decided that since I re-read The Hobbit the Sunday before, I would re-read Lord of the Rings on Saturday. I usually spend several hours listening to an audiobook during the readathon so I’m not sitting on the couch for 24 hours straight. I found Lord of the Rings narrated by Andy Serkis (!!!) on Hoopla so I downloaded those. I found myself reading even slower than usual to savor every word, so I only read Fellowship of the Ring and half of The Two Towers during the readathon. It was easily my favorite readathon experience in the last 14 years I’ve been participating.
I finished The Two Towers this week, and I’m going to try and finish Return of the King this weekend.
Finished
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
Reading
The Return of the King
QOTW
Since my mind is on it, I think I’d make an excellent Hobbit! I’m short, round, and have rosy cheeks. All I’d need to do is curl my hair and get some Hobbit feet. I did dress up as Bilbo in library school for our book-themed class on Halloween.
Happy Halloween! Hope everyone's having a fun day! I planning to see some friends in a bit, but time got away from me so my "costume" is just a pair of bunny ears. Which I'd initially bought for my niece years ago and then forgot about, lolNext month I am focusing on finishing up the last 7-8 prompts I have left in the challenge, since the last few months I have been reading whatever pops up on libby instead of thinking about the prompts
Finished:
The Last Dream- Pedro Almodóvar's response to people asking for a memoir. More of a mix of short stories and a few autobiographical essays. I thought parts were interesting, but unless you're a big fan of the director, I wouldn't necessarily recommend
-no prompt
Fangs for Nothing- this started fun, and then fell off. Way too many side characters, and apparently this is part of a series, so it references a lot of stuff from the previous book. It was fun, but not great
-no prompt for me, but works for the author who is blind
A Dowry of Blood- I liked this! And was determined to finish before the end of the month, so yay!
-#14- recommended by bookseller
QotW:
I am the worst at thinking up costumes. Usually in March I'll have an idea, and then suddenly it's Halloween and all I have are bunny ears.
Honestly, I'd like to be Anya in Spy x Family. I should start looking for a pink wig now and the black dress so I'm ready for next year...
Happy Halloween! Or you know Thursday.I checked in late last week and so this week I have only finished one book since I last checked in. I'm really trying to make progress on my novels but, it is slow going. I just can't seem to find the time lately. This week is parent-teacher conferences which means early release (1:10) all week and still having to go in to work three times this week, a new puppy, cleaning my dad's house, dentist appointments, and Judo, and the rest of life. Man I am just too exhausted. I think I read like two pages the other night before I just fell asleep. I will try again this week! Not any less on my plate but maybe I can find some more time somewhere. This is why audiobooks have been good for me, because I listen to them while I work. I'm also one of those people who takes a book with me, even if I don't think I will have a chance to read it.
No change on the challenges this week:
2024 Challenges:
Popsugar: 44/50
ATY: 52/52
Robot Librarian: 48/52
Booklist Queen: 52/52
A to Z: 26/26
Physical TBR: 2/99
Kindle TBR: 3/122
Goodreads: 210/200
Book Clubs:
PS Monthly: 24/60
Reese: 32/102
Oprah: 13/103
Jenna: 10/71
OSS: 7/39
Finished:
1 finished, 0 Completed Popsugar
Anzu and the Realm of Darkness: A Graphic Novel
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Currently Reading
While We Were Dating
Red, White & Royal Blue
The Four Agreements
The Enchanted Hacienda
Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism
On the Backburner
Libby
Water for Elephants
Physical Library Rentals
Modelland
Queen B
Wicked as You Wish
An Unreliable Magic
This Is Not The Jess Show
Swan Song
A’int I A Woman
The Cuckoo’s Calling
Drama
Wingbearer
Ink Girls
The Deep Dark
Nothing Special
Anne
Aster and the Accidental Magic
Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic
Presumed Innocent
Pizza Face
Question of the Week:
I will no doubt end up the driver tonight while my sister takes my nephew around trick-or-treating. It is raining so that's going to suck...for her, LOL! I'll be in the car. (It's been raining, like heavy raining for almost a week now) I haven't done a costume in years. My parents stopped taking us before we were teenagers and we don't get trick-or-treaters where I live since I was a teenager. When I was a kid I was a clown A LOT. That was a very heavily used costume. I'm not real creative when it comes to costumes but, I can see the appeal of the big flouncy dress thing even though I too am not a girly-girl (I live in jeans and a t-shirt). This year I did buy a sweater that has a rib cage on it and used it last weekend at a birthday party that was a costume party.
Happy Friday! I somehow missed check-in last week, but it’s been relatively calm here. We’ve been out hiking multiple times in the past two weeks. SO blessed to live so close to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and so many local metroparks! The weather has been gorgeous and we brought home some pretty leaves. I saw a spooky local production of The Woman in Black last weekend, starring a few friends - excellent, heavily reliant on lighting effects (and well handled!). This weekend is hopefully for IRL book club and more hikes!Recent reading roundup:
The Last Final Girl - 5 stars. A fantastic send-up of classic slasher horror. Looking forward to the Indian Lake trilogy now.
Angel of the Overpass - 5 stars. The last book in Rose’s Ghost Roads trilogy, and gosh I love her so much. Many thanks to the InCryptid wiki that told me I should wait til I’d read Annie’s last book before grabbing this; I still would’ve enjoyed it but the magnitude of what happened would’ve been missing. I think I may skip sideways into Middlegame and the Alchemical Journeys books next, since neither InCryptid or Toby Daye are available on audiobook outside of Audible (😡). I also found a good handful of Supernatural/Ghost Roads crossover fanfics, which were excellent 😀
Paladin's Hope - 5 stars. More paladins! I loved the dynamic between Galen and Piper. This series is truly adorable 😀
The Blade Itself - DNF, for a second time, around the 30% mark again. The problem this time was that I was more mentally geared toward faster-paced fare. Determined to finish the next time I pick this up!
Graveyard Shift - 2.5 stars. Thrilled with a second story from ML Rio after adoring If We Were Villains, just bummed at the abrupt ending. Takes place over the course of 24hrs
PS 45/50
ATY 50/52
Mount TBR 27/48
Currently:
A Year of Ravens - Delighted that this was available on Hoopla, it’s been on my TBR for Y E A R S. A multi-authored success!
Snake Oil Bullet - Newest Harmony book dropped a few weeks ago and I finally made time for it! (Perfect for Halloween, it features zombies)
The Republic of Thieves - Lurking on the back burner until I can get the audiobook back from the library.
QOTW: What character would you like to use as a model for your Halloween costume?
I still want to do a Raven (Teen Titans) cosplay eventually. Or Squirrel Girl, there’s not a ton in the way of special costuming for her aside from, y’know, the giant tail 😂
I finished my book an hour ago, just under the wire to let me post my update on Thursday!Still holding at 49/50. I've moved the book of poetry into the bathroom... if that doesn't help me move forward in it, it's moving to the kitchen for when I'm waiting for the microwave to heat up something. I love the poems, just not in the headspace for poetry. Nor can I ever read them the way you read fiction or any other book. I need to dip.
Finished:
James - only just! Fabulous but brutal - 5 stars
Eleven Pipers Piping
Four Leaf Felony
Currently reading:
Women Talking - after just finishing James, I may have to slip something fun in between -- say a mystery or romance.
QOTW: I am absolutey terrible at thinking up Halloween costumes, for myself or anyone else. My mind goes blank.
Happy ThursdayWe had one of the hottest Halloweens on record - 23 degrees. I remember practically trying to get winter clothes under costumes for my kids because it was 2.
I finished my October reads! I finished Wrong Place Wrong Time in 3 days. I read it quickly partly because I hurt my back and had lots of time in bed and partly because it was a 5 star read. I've been reading a mystery/thriller per month this year and it's the best one I've read. (And I've loved most of them).
I called the poetry book done. Who knows when Internet Archive will ever be lending books again? I got half way through. It was a retrospective of his career, so I read ever poem of his I could find online. In the end, I only gave it 2 stars. He is not my cup of tea.
I currently have no books. The library emailed me late Tuesday to say my interlibrary loan was in. My husband went yesterday and couldn't find it. I went today after work and I couldn't find. I asked the librarian who emailed me and he couldn't find it. He is concerned because that's another library's book. Those library ghosts who just want to read really need to put books back.
I finished ATY and PS - or at least the number of prompts I sgined up for. I'll keep going, but I do feel slightly accomplished.
Finished:
Wrong Place Wrong Time
ATY prompt: A book with a touch of magic
Popsugar prompt: can't find one
Windows and Stones: Selected Poems
ATY prompt: A book that is not a novel
Popsugar prompt: A Collection of At Least 24 Poems
Series - 10/12
Nobel laureates - 5/5
Mysteries/Thrillers - 11/13
ATY - 46/45 - finished!
PS - 30/30 - finished!
Summer - 12/12 - Finished!
Currently reading:
Buddy Reads:
none at present
QOTW: I did make a Madeline costume for my kid when they were 6. I'd love to remake one for me. I did also have an Eowyn costume, but that was for a September 22 party and not Halloween.
It's officially November!!!!!Been waiting for this time of year all year. Spent the month of October planning my Nonfiction November TBR. Already gotten started on my books.
Happy Friday!I didn't have my laptop with me yesterday so I figured I'd check in today. Yesterday was the first time ever they organized trick & treating here! It had to be organized so you could sign up if you wanted to join so the kids & parents knew which houses to go to. It was so much fun! We had one kid asking if we had any eyeballs left, meaning our treats were being talked about, so that was really cool. I really hope this becomes a bigger thing here!
I've made sure this week had no appointments, to finally give myself a break. And boy was it needed. The past few days I've been in so much pain; clearly it was my body releasing everything it had bottled up for weeks. Whether today will be better remains to be seen.
Read
The House in the Cerulean Sea
a reread before moving on to the sequel. Still the warm hug it's always been. These characters are just so close to my heart!
Somewhere Beyond the Sea
About halfway through I was already thinking about wanting to reread it, haha! It's the characters, for sure. I do feel like storywise book 1 was perhaps a bit better, but I am too biased and in love with all of them to give this any less than 5 stars.
The Chalice of the Gods
Another reread before reading the next book! It's funny how you might not have loved certain books if you'd picked them up now, but when nostalgia comes into play you are devouring and loving the next ones, even if you're now a full on adult.
Wrath of the Triple Goddess
The humor in these books for me on top of the characters just make these so much fun and such a joy to read. I felt this book was lower stakes than book 6 for a long time, but I really did love the progression of it and the character arcs. Can't wait for the next one!
Currently Reading
Wendy, Darling
I got this book as an eARC back in June 2021, and now have a physical (finished) copy to read. Guess I'll get to tick off another eARC, haha! I'm 56 pages in and already hooked! Love a good dark Peter Pan retelling, as in my opinion they're the only ones that make sense. Let's face it, Peter was not the best of guys.
QOTW
Given I never really got to celebrate Halloween, and would consider dressing up as a character cosplay, I truly have no idea, hahah!
So last night we had a handful of trick or treaters down our rural HOA street. It has been declining over the past several years but I really think that the maturing of our neighborhood (more adults and seniors) and the remains of all the downed trees in our area added to the decline this year. Also most communities and churches are doing group parties and trunk or treats. However, of the groups that came through a few scared me. I had pulled the shades and did not have the porch light on to signify that I was not participating. Despite that I had a couple of people hit my door so hard that I wondered if something had been thrown at it. I am a single senior lady living alone. That sudden hard noise was scary! And it was not a kid.
Mod
1 finished, 0 Completed Popsugar
Anzu and the Realm of Darkness: A Graphic Novel..."
How was this? The description sounds like the author watched Spirited Away and The Cat Returns too many times and then decided to combine the two stories and change the cat to a dog so no one would notice it was just a repeat of the movies.
Mod
-#14- recommended by bookseller..."
Now THAT is an attention-getting title!!!! I have a bias against authors who use their initials (too many subpar indie authors publish under their initials so I started avoiding it in general) but both you and the bookseller recommend this one and it sounds interesting so I'm adding it to my TBR
Mod
what a coincidence, just SECONDS ago my daughter sent me a photo of herself and her friend at college and i said "what is she dressed as??" and Lily said "Raven from Beast Boy it's a kids show I never heard of it - Neve probably knows it" and then Neve, my other daughter in the group chat said "you've never heard of teen titans?? this generation is doomed"
So now I know who Raven is from Teen Titans. A half hour ago, I did not.
Happy sale on candy day!This is probably my last check in for awhile - today is my last day of work for the year(!) and now I'm off for some travelling. Do have 3 books to go but I have options for each downloaded to my kindle or with on hold from overdrive, so hopefully I'll check back in before the end of the year in the completion thread!
Finished
Journey to the Center of the Earth I thought I might like this more than some of his others I've just read as it's of a more fantastical nature, and I did, but only a little. I found in interesting that the professor was so intent on this quest but then (view spoiler). For ATY about land.
Capture the Sun Finally! Glad I finished out the series, I guess, but don't think it will stay with me. No prompt.
Hounded My book recommended by a librarian. I used my libraries book butler service where you give them some titles and genres you like and they recommend things to you. The person who answered was really keen on this series, so I gave it a try. It was fine I guess, but I don't think I'll continue. For a thousand + year old druid, our narrator was pretty immature. He also had these weird offhand judgmental comments in a few places, that felt like maybe the author's opinions seeping through?
Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines Fairly interesting book about a young woman coder who encountered lots of issues with facial recognition detective software not working well for people of colour, and her efforts to have that acknowledged and rectified. She's fascinating and writes well (she calls herself the Poet of Code), but I did feel like the throughline was missing a bit. Like she'll start a new chapter in a new location and it's like "wait, we're missing a step on how you got invited to this conference". Or she talks about founding the Algorithm Justice League, and then suddenly it's a fully staffed organization. If you want a taste of the issues and her style, check youtube for her video for "AI, Ain't I A Woman?"
Currently Reading
20000 Leagues Under the Sea
Dawn
Got to finish the latter tonight, along with packing, so I can return it to the library before I go!
QotW
No one comes to mind right away. As some people have mentioned book characters can be tougher because they may not be as recognizable.
I must've gotten distracted last night and forgot to check in, so I'm here now 🙃 I finished two books (one worked for an advanced prompt) and a short story since last week. I have hit the midway point with the challenge, which is what I'd been aiming for this year 🥳 I'm at 22/45 and 3/5 for this challenge, and 80/100 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge. Finished:
* Staged written by Elle Cosimano and narrated by Megan Tusing, which I found somewhat disappointing. I'm going to read the rest of the stories in the Busybodies collection though and see how I like them;
* Bad Day at the Vulture Club by Vaseem Khan, which was delightful; and,
* The XX Brain written by Lisa Mosconi and narrated by Brittany Presley, which I used for the advanced prompt "a book that starts with the letter X." I found it really interesting overall.
Currently Reading:
* The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries edited by Michael Sims;
* Brain Food: The Surprising Science of Eating for Cognitive Power by Lisa Mosconi, which overlapped a little with The XX Brain but still pretty easy to keep the two straight. I'm just glad I didn't accept the third book by this author when Libby alerted me my hold had come in...that would've been too much reading about lady brains at once 🤣
* The Change written by Kirsten Miller and narrated by January LaVoy, which is one of my book club's picks for November. I'm only about a quarter of the way in but am liking it so far.
QotW:
Since it is Halloween today in the U.S….
What character would you like to use as a model for your Halloween costume? I'd probably go with Maggie Hope from the series by Susan Elia MacNeal because she'd be a fun, fashionable spy to bring to life🕵🏼♀️ or maybe one of Taylor Jenkins Reid)'s characters -- either Evelyn Hugo from the 1950s/1960s era because her dresses would be fabulous (and a fun change from my every day attire) or Carrie Soto 🎾 because I liked her unapologetic unlikeableness.
It's not an understatement that I've searched for years for the 2011 covers. The bookstores never have the complete set and the ones I find online only have the original 1990s covers making it extremely hard to find these 'new' covers.I finally found someone selling the whole set of 12 books on Ebay and OMG they are even more beautiful and perfect in person. 13 years and these things were so dmn hard to find. LMAO!
Nadine in NY wrote: "So now I know who Raven is from Teen Titans. A half hour ago, I did not."There are of course variations, especially if you look at her original appearances in the comics, but I've always loved the OG Teen Titans look for its simplicity - long-sleeve black leotard, grey tights, blue boots and hooded cloak and a belt that I'd probably make myself, and I'd be all set!
Ugh without the notifications I can barely remember to check here.I didn't get much reading done but I did manage to finish Who Cries for the Lost by C.S. Harris which I do love this historical mystery series. It's one of my favorites
And I finished this netgalley arc Lies on the Serpent's Tongue by Kate Pearsall which is the sequel to Bittersweet in the Hollow very Appalachian very good
QOTW Ooo this is fun. If I could handle all the body paint I'd love to be Viv from Legends & Lattes. Not sure I could pull off Wonder Woman either but she'd be fun.
Hi everyone, hope you had a fun Halloween! I just finished The Haar for prompt 10 and continue to read The Story of My Life for prompt 8 and 9.
I have so far checked off 29 categories, but I have to say that the challenges stresses me out. 45 categories is just too much for me. I know I don’t have to do all of them but it feels unsatisfactory and I also have some of my favourite categories left. Sorry for the rant, I might have to find a shorter challenge for next year.
Moriarty, you could also double dip. Next year might be easier, too. This year's challenge had several prompts that you really had to hunt for.
I know I won't finish the challenge each year, I just don't read as much or as fast as I used to. For me, it's more about the fun of seeing what I can find for the prompts and chatting with the other fabulous readers around here! :)
Moriarity, you can always just do a shorter version - say commit to read 25, 40, whatever # of the prompts and call it a day. You can pick them upfront or just do as you go and stop once you reach that number.There is no need to torture yourself trying to do them all if that's not working.
There is no monitor or grader. It's your challenge.
I've never DNF'd a book this year but I did my first one this month. I was going to read Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show , but after page 2 I had to DNF. It deals with a subject matter that I've always had a hard time reading about.
The temperatures in Charlotte are glorious. The seasons are changing, and slowly I feel like I'm getting back to the old version of me. While I've appreciated and enjoyed this version - I miss the slower pace of life to read and sink into the couch instead of the raging alcoholic I've become on the weekends because of my job. The last three weeks have completely crushed me, trying to decide what to do about it (if anything) or should I hang on for another year...?I had my 6 month cancer scans last week and they came back clear - which is a great feeling and sign. They want me to go back again in another 6 months, but so far so good.
Challenges:
74/75 GoodReads Challenge
39/50 PopSugar Challenge
Finished:
1.) Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (#18 Space) ⭐⭐⭐💫: I enjoyed this, but it was so much more science-y than I would've liked and then the ending just ended. I enjoyed the "how did he get on this ship" parts much more than the space parts.
2.) Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (No Prompt) ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫: I REALLY enjoyed this thriller about a woman that is covered in her best friend's blood and the community assumes she murdered her, except she can't remember anything. A podcaster comes to town to solve this case and a satisfying thriller ensues.
Currently Reading:
1.) VenCo
QoTW: What character would you like to use as a model for your Halloween costume?
In theory, I would pick a Hermione or a Violet Sorrengail character. In reality, I hate dressing up as an adult!
Doni wrote: "Happy Halloween! Instead of candy, we're giving out banned books. I'm excited. We don't get a lot of trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood though, so we'll see how it goes...I participated in the..."
OMG Doni - I LOVE this so much!!! Please let us know how it was received. Which banned books did you give out?
So I meant to check in on Halloween, I really did, and now all of a sudden, it's Sunday. Oh well. Halloween was fun. I watched Hocus Pocus and only had 19 kids. My poor BF had over 1100 kids. By the end, she was giving out the snack packs for her daughter's lunches and cans of pop. And they had prepared because they'd had over 900 last year... Stats
PS: 48/50
ATY: Finished!
ATY Rejects: 24/25
ATY Rewind: 24/25
DBC: 31/36
GR Choice 26/30
Books I finished
Witches Run Amok: The Oral History of Disney's Hocus Pocus ⭐⭐⭐
I didn't realize that the movie wasn't a hit at the beginning. But I was 11, and I didn't pay attention to box office numbers or critic's reviews, but I did pay attention to what my friends thought. And we all loved it. We even went out dressed as the Sanderson Sisters the next year, and that was way before you could buy actual costumes for them.
The Duke and I ⭐⭐⭐⭐
PS: A book published 24 years ago.
So now I know what the fuss is about. I'm still not sure I want to watch the show, but I have a hold on book 2.
We Should All Be Feminists ⭐⭐⭐
ATY: African author.
My sister suggested this for the prompt because it was short, and she'd been impressed when she read it.
Crumbs ⭐⭐⭐
This had a lot of promise, but it never fully delivered.
Paladin's Faith⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I now need book 5 to be written and published!
In progress
Ink Blood Sister Scribe
QotW
I would love to do a redo of my Hocus Pocus costume only with a costume that was more recognizable that the one I did as a kid.
Britany wrote: "Doni wrote: "Happy Halloween! Instead of candy, we're giving out banned books. I'm excited. We don't get a lot of trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood though, so we'll see how it goes...I partic..."
I gave out the books that have been banned statewide in Utah. There are 13 of them, but 5 are from the same series, so we gave out 8 plus some others. We don't get a lot of trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood, but we have a Little Free Library that gets a lot of foot traffic and turn-over, so we're still in the process of giving them out. :)
That's so cool, Doni! Were kids happy to get books??My library's giant book sale was in October, and I meant to go and stock up on banned books to send out to places that need them, but I got busy and didn't get a chance to go and now it's over. :/
Nadine in NY wrote: "JessicaMHR wrote: "Finished:1 finished, 0 Completed Popsugar
Anzu and the Realm of Darkness: A Graphic Novel..."
How was this? The description sounds like the author watched Spirited Away and The Cat Returns too many times and then decided to combine the two stories and change the cat to a dog so no one would notice it was just a repeat of the movies."
It was good. A little more manga style than I've been reading (Not a bad thing). The dog was the "guard" of the Realm of Darkness and was failing at his job cause there was a tear in the "portal to Earth" and kids were sneaking thru and some scary lady was keeping them and wanted the girl in this story who ends up helping the dog because she has some magic totem necklace thing that he needs. It seemed to be based off some Japanese myth. As for the two shows you mentioned I have not seen them so I couldn't really say if it is like those.
Trying to think of a book to read that won't get me depressed today. I need something light-hearted and fun. Today is already depressing given certain things going on at the moment.
@Ron try a book made from a blog. Awkward Family photos is a good series.
Allie Brosh Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened or Solutions and Other Problems or her webcomic, hyperboleandahalf.comToday, I worked so I'm too tired for anything else. Tomorrow, I sulk, Friday I get off my a$$ and figure out how I'm going to resist.
I avoided social media all day just because I didn't want to know the result. I told myself I'll go out and get a newspaper later. So, I didn't know until 5pm.
Okay so given that I don't want to read anything heavy after the results of yesterday, I was able to find some books that I can focus on that are lighter (in a sense) but still fun topics that won't get me angry.I'm gonna focus on these:
The Allure of the Multiverse: Extra Dimensions, Other Worlds, and Parallel Universes
The Abduction of Betty and Barney Hill: Alien Encounters, Civil Rights, and the New Age in America
Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs
Skywalker: A Family at War
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs (other topics)Skywalker: A Family at War (other topics)
The Abduction of Betty and Barney Hill: Alien Encounters, Civil Rights, and the New Age in America (other topics)
The Allure of the Multiverse: Extra Dimensions, Other Worlds, and Parallel Universes (other topics)
Solutions and Other Problems (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Amy Tintera (other topics)Andy Weir (other topics)
Elle Cosimano (other topics)
Vaseem Khan (other topics)
Lisa Mosconi (other topics)
More...
Weather is so undecided! We have a few days in the 80s and then into the 60s with a couple of 70s for highs for 4-6 days! Sheesh! We have been experiencing some pretty high winds up to 40-50 miles per hour as well.
Life has been busier than I expected it to be this past week. I guess I should just expect “busy” to be the norm and then celebrate when it's not so busy! 😯
If you are in the U.S. and have not yet voted, please do so!! Every vote really does count!
ADMIN STUFF:
THE OCTOBER MONTHLY GROUP READ IS The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club #1) by Richard Osman!
This book could be used to fulfill Prompt #8 A book written by a blind or visually impaired author.
October is White Cane Awareness Month! White Cane Awareness Day is October 15!
One "bubbling bibliophile" is needed to lead this discussion! Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!I’ll keep this posted for now. I am finishing it today and will post some questions/comments. Though it looks as if no one else is even reading it! 😊 Perhaps everyone else is as “busy” as I’ve been this month!THE NOVEMBER MONTHLY GROUP READ IS One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
This book could be used to fulfill Prompt #39 A fiction book by a trans or nonbinary author
And who is the "vivacious volunteer" willing to lead this discussion? Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!!Anxious to start this one and will post some introductory questions for us. I adored Red, White & Royal Blue!THE DECEMBER MONTHLY GROUP READ IS The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde!
This book could be used to fulfill Prompt #36 A Book Written By an Incarcerated Or Formerly Incarcerated Person
National Mudd Day is December 20! What is National Mudd Day, you may ask? It references a fascinating bit of history I doubt many of us know. Dr. Samuel Mudd was a doctor who helped John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirator David Herold immediately following Lincoln’s assassination on the night of April 14, 1865. Mudd performed surgery on Booth and allowed them to spend the night. He didn’t report the men’s visit for another 24 hours, though it was assumed he would have heard of the assassination well before that time. Mudd was arrested 12 days later and eventually convicted to a life sentence by a military commission for the crime of aiding and conspiring in a murder, missing the death penalty by only one vote!
I know virtually nothing about this book, so I will probably join in the monthly read discussion! Dubhease is the "End-of-Year Innovator" who has graciously volunteered to lead this discussion! YAY Dubhease! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 And I had no idea that this book can be classified as "horror" to some degree. I already have a copy, so I'll definitely at least start reading it. I just hope I won't have to DNF it!
The comprehensive listing of 2024 Monthly Group Reads resides HERE for your perusal and reference throughout 2024!
***
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Since it is Halloween today in the U.S….
What character would you like to use as a model for your Halloween costume?
I would like to dress like Chet in the Chet and Bernie series by Spencer Quinn! Or perhaps Long John Silver in Treasure Island!
Although, as a teenager, I was a bit obsessed with the antebellum dresses described in Gone with the Wind! I adored the angst of that book! And I thought Scarlet just had to be one of the most beautiful (as well as flawed) characters! So if I could have chosen any costume then it would have been a similar dress…and hat…and gloves! This is rather shocking for me to realize now because I really am not what I would term a “girly girl”! LOL
How about you?
2024 READING CHALLENGES:
Popsugar: 37/50
Around the Year (AtY): 51/52
Read Harder: 18/24
52 Book Club: 46/52
I am finishing these and will document later. Been a busy week! One done! One to go! LOL
FINISHED:
*The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club #1) by Richard Osman ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ definitely held up as a reread some three years later! I had forgotten several of the solutions (Yes, there is definitely more than just one ‘mystery’!) and am impressed anew with Osman’s writing skills! Though this book was more complex than I had originally expected, it all blended together into a cohesive whole by the end! The humor was so enjoyable for me, which may be at least partially due to the fact that I am not far behind some of these characters in age! Do yourself a favor and give it a try. I already own the next here installments and I’m sure I will find them just as enjoyable as well!
POPSUGAR: NEW #8
ATY: #3-A book with a title that seemingly refers to one or more characters in the book, #11, #14, #17, #19-COFFEE, #23, #25. #27, #28, #29, #33, #34-DOC, #37, #40, #46, #48, #49
RHC: NEW #12, #23, #24-2015: prompt #6 A book written by someone whose gender is different than your own
52 Book Club: #3, #4, #6, #14, #20, #24, #30
*Little Mercies by Heather Gudenkauf hits rather close to home for me since I have worked in a similar job as Ellen's and I can empathize with her situation...
POPSUGAR:
ATY:
RHC:
52 Book Club:
CONTINUING:
*Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
*The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
*Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking has me thinking so very much that I have delayed reviewing it until I can finalize my thoughts…
*The Birthing House by Kathy Taylor
*...And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer
PLANNED:
*21st Birthday (Women’s Murder Club #21) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
*22 Seconds (Women’s Murder Club #22) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
*23rd Midnight (Women’s Murder Club #23) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
*23 1/2 Lies (Women’s Murder Club #23.5) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
*The 24th Hour (Women’s Murder Club #24) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
*Fear No Evil (Alex Cross #29) by James Patterson
*Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
*The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin