Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Happy Thursday, folks!! We had one day at 62 degrees and then the next day the high was only in the 30s. Ah, well, such is life! Honestly, compared to the chaos, confusion, and abuse of humanity in the world such temperature fluctuations are minor considerations. I have immersed myself in “childrens” literature as of late. When I taught and ran “library classes,” this was my specialty and I doubt I will ever not be enthralled by this genre/subgenre! I also started reading Death on Eat Street (Biscuit Bowl Food Truck Mystery #1) by J.J. Cook for the food truck prompt and it is piquing my interest. I’m hoping it ends up being a book I really enjoy by the end!

In case you missed them last week…since I posted so late…
BBC Best Books of 2024:
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/2...

Simon & Schuster’s listing of new releases: https://www.simonandschuster.com/p/ne...

And another new one!
Some interesting staff picks from Powell’s: https://manage.kmail-lists.com/subscr...

ADMIN STUFF:
THE APRIL MONTHLY GROUP READ NOMINATION POLL IS ONGOING!
Nominate a book for the April 2025 Monthly Group Read! This book could be used to fulfill Prompt #23 A book that is considered healing fiction
World Health Day is April 7, 2025: https://www.calendarr.com/united-stat...
Nadine thoughtfully provided a definition:
Healing fiction describes stories about ordinary people, set in ordinary places (such as cafes, bookshops, laundromats, and convenience stores), who are struggling with real, common problems like heartbreak or loneliness.
And while that may be the "official" description, I also would define some of the fantasy I read as "healing fiction." But that's just me... 😁
Vote HERE! This poll will run through February 11!

THE MARCH 2025 MONTHLY GROUP READ IS…Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. This book could be used to fulfill prompt #31 A book where music plays an integral part of the storyline. World Music Therapy Day is March 1, 2025! Surely there is a “musical muse” who will volunteer to lead this discussion! Message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!

THE FEBRUARY 2025 MONTHLY GROUP READ IS A Deadly Education (Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik! This book could be used to fulfill prompt #14 A book about a nontraditional education. World Thinking Day is February 22, 2025. Erin is the “crafty chronicler” who has graciously volunteered to lead this discussion! Thank you so very much, Erin!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏😃👍

THE LISTING OF 2025 MONTHLY GROUP READ TOPICS IS HERE!
***

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
How well do you “research” a book before deciding to read it?
In considering what question I might pose I recalled a discussion from an IRL book club meeting that occurred at least 15 years ago… I cannot remember the book we had read, but I mentioned that as usual, I did very little “research” prior to picking it up and reading it. Another group member piped up and berated me for not knowing more about the book before reading it. I let her finish her little tirade (She was shockingly belligerent!) and then followed up by noting that once I finish the book I will do further reading about it and/or the author if I am curious. As we all know by now, I am likely to just pick up a book at random and read it. I feel as if this works for me because I typically really enjoy most books I read—it seems I may be a reader who is easier to please than most. Anyway, this prompted my question for today. How about you? How much do you need to or want to know before reading a book?

2025 READING CHALLENGES:
Popsugar: 26/50
Around the Year (AtY): 44/52
AtY 2025 Anniversary List: 9/10
Read Harder: 13/24
52 Book Club: 36/52

2024 Popsugar: 47/50

FINISHED:
*The Girl with the Dragon Heart (Tales from the Chocolate Heart #2) by Stephanie Burgis ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was amazing! Silke’s storytelling skills saved the day! And she finally discovered what “family” truly means…and that you might just well have more than one! 😊
POPSUGAR: #2, #6, #16, #18, #20, #23, #25, #40
ATY: #2, #11, #13 #14, #15, #16, #19, #20, #24, #40, #41, #42, #45, #47
RHC: #4, #5, #16
52 Book Club: #2, #18, #22, #28/#29, #38, #42, #43

*The Princess who Flew with Dragons (Tales from the Chocolate Heart #2) by Stephanie Burgis ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was a cute ending to the trilogy. (I would definitely read more books set in this world!) I especially appreciated the emphasis on education and Sofia’s ability to lecture the aggressors for four hours straight, eventually building a consensus for peace. If only that would work in our modern-day world!! 😊
POPSUGAR: #6, #8, #16, #18, #38, #23, #28
ATY: #2, #5, #11, #14, #15, #16, #20, #24, #28, #40, #45, #46, #47, #48
RHC: #16, #21, #24
52 Book Club: #18, #28/#29, #38, #42, #43

*The Capture (Guardians of Ga’Hoole #1) by Kathryn Lasky ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ had a bit of a slow start during which the characterization was a bit shallower than I might like, but certainly picked up about ¼ of the way through and ended up being quite enjoyable, IMO! Enough that I am anxious to continue the serious and learn more about this world.
POPSUGAR: NEW #7, #8, #14, #20, #23, #28, #43, #44
ATY: #2, #3, #11, #13, #14, #15, #16, #18, #26, #40, #41, #43, #45, #48
RHC: #21, #24
52 Book Club: #13, #18, #19, #22, #24, #38, #42

*Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ felt very realistic in the depiction of a foster child/foster children entering a rather isolated island community. Very heartwarming while simultaneously exposing the complexity of human relationships, especially within families, both biological and “found.” Such a worthwhile read!
POPSUGAR: #6, #8, #16, #20, #23, NEW #31
ATY: #1, #2, #3, #5, #15, #16, #23, #25, #26, #31, #33, #36, #40, #41, #43, #45, #48
RHC: #24
52 Book Club: #2, #7, #10, #13, #19, #22, #33, #36, #41, #47

*The Journey (Guardians of Ga’Hoole #2) by Kathryn Lasky ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was even a tad bit more enjoyable for me than was The Capture, the first installment in this series! I have owned this book for quite a few years, but decided I should read the first one first. And I am so glad I did! Definitely looking forward to continuing with the series in the future!
POPSUGAR: #6, #8, #14, #16, #20, #23, #28, #40
ATY: #1, #2, #11, #13, #14, #15, #16, #18, #21, #23, #26, NEW #27, #34, #40, #43, #45, #46, #47
RHC: #16, #21, #24
52 Book Club: NEW #9, NEW #12, #13, #18, #19, #22, #28/#29, #38, #43, NEW #45

CONTINUING:
*Parable of the Talents (Earthseed #2) by Octavia E. Butler is so true to what we are witnessing today! Unbelievably so!
*Death on Eat Street (Biscuit Bowl Food Truck Mystery #1) by J.J. Cook has me intrigued thus far...
*Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power by Rebecca
Solnit is a valuable read in the present atmosphere in the U.S.
*Shift (Silo #2) by Hugh Howey
*Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune
*The Trees by Percival Everett (#40)
*Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (#42)
*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

Happy Thursday! My four-day respite in Key West was amazing! Warm breezes, bright sun, delicious food… It was quite the insult to arrive home just in time for the Tri-Cities’ first snowfall this winter.

2025 Reading Challenges::

52 Book Club: 13/52 (Lunar New Year Mini-Challenge: 0/3)
ATY: 7/52 (ATY Anniversary Challenge: 1/10, ATY Winter Challenge: 12/15)
The Book Girls’ Guide: 9/74
Booklist Queen: 8/52
Cover Lovers: 11/50
Popsugar: 11/50

My Ever-Growing TBR: 12/218 – 5.5% (My goal is 33.3%.)

Recently Completed: Almost all my reading this week was done on our long, long flights and layovers. The rest was done poolside.

The Favorites (Booklist Queen #48 – a book everyone is talking about) ★★★★★

The Life We Bury (52 Books #9 – set in winter: mystery/BGG ICYMI Backlist #2 – published in 2014) ★★★★

Toto: Although it didn’t feel authentically like an animal’s voice, it was highly enjoyable, and I really liked the ending. (Cover Lovers #41 – cover features eyewear of some kind/Popsugar #20 – a 2024 do-over: told from an animal’s POV) ★★★★

The Seventh Veil of Salome: I’m liking Silvia Moreno-Garcia more and more. (ATY #23 – involves art, music, dancing, or acting/Booklist Queen #32 – audiobook has multiple narrators) ★★★★

An Academy for Liars (Booklist Queen #34 – dark academia) ★★★

Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History: It’s about a heist, but there’s no urgency about it or any personal connection. Read Michael Finkel’s The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession instead. (52 Books #5 – features a heist/BGG Read Around the World #2 – takes place in Western Europe) ★★★



Currently Reading:

Vilest Things (52 Books Lunar New Year Mini-Challenge – an Asian author)
Half a Soul (Booklist Queen #1 – meant to read last year/Popsugar #18 – magical creatures that aren’t dragons)
A Very Private School: A Memoir: 2024 NPR Books We Love. (Popsugar #14 – nontraditional education)
The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir (52 Books #42 – 300-400 pages long)
The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree: Goodreads Giveaway. (52 Books #22 – found family/Popsugar #10 – a book I got for free)
The Sentence (BGG Book Lovers’ Challenge #2 – books about bookstores)
The Poppy War (52 Books Lunar New Year Mini-Challenge – set in a country that celebrates the lunar new year: China/Booklist Queen #40 – a popular book you’ve never read)
Tangled Up in You (Popsugar #34 – direction in title)
When the Heavens Went on Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach (Booklist Queen #40 – chapters have titles/Popsugar #3 – space tourism)
Epitaph (BGG Read Around the USA #2 – Southwest/Booklist Queen #20 – took a while to read)
The Wise Women (52 Books Lunar New Year Mini-Challenge #2 – a wise character)



QOTW: I don't think much about it. I read the blurb, scan a couple pages, and make a decision. I'm absolutely a mood reader. I used to do a lot of searching and investigation if I was making a book club selection, but now my book clubs ask each member to suggest/pitch three books and then we vote. I really like this system. It's less stressful... Because we vote, I feel less responsible for any terrible selections.

2025 Purchased TBR: 3/7
2025 Library TBR: 9/17
Popsugar Challenge: 30/50
Library Challenge: 1/20

Finished: Worth Fighting For: Finding Courage and Compassion When Cruelty is Trending
A Short Walk Through a Wide World used for prompt about an immigrant. Really enjoyed this. Had an "Addie LaRue" vibe because the MC lived so fiercely.

Started: The Binding for prompt recommended by AI. So far I'm enjoying it. It's about binding memories, so similar to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

QotW: I do research in order to find books about a certain topic, but once I've found them, I often go by the title alone rather than read a bunch of reviews or some other evaluation means.

Laura Z wrote: "QOTW: I don't think much about it. I read the blurb, scan a couple pages, and make a decision. I'm absolutely a mood reader. I used to do a lot of searching and investigation if I was making a book club selection, but now my book clubs ask each member to suggest/pitch three books and then we vote. I really like this system. It's less stressful... Because we vote, I feel less responsible for any terrible selections."
When the book club I facilitate restarted post-COVID, I instituted a system whereby each member selects a book for us to read during their "birthday month" and that has worked out so well! Everyone gets to select a specific book once a year and then we compile a listing of selected books on which we vote for the following year's selections covering the 6 months without birthdays. It provides a bit of both worlds and everyone seems to like it. I have always felt it beneficial to vote for selected books since it does seem to eliminate a feeling of responsibility if some members do not enjoy a book... 😃

"Happy Thursday! My four-day respite in Key West was amazing! Warm breezes, bright sun, delicious food… It was quite the insult to arrive home just in time for the Tri-Cities’ first snowfall this winter."
I am so jealous you got a total break from daily routine in a tropical location! Good for you!!

Doni wrote: "A Short Walk Through a Wide World used for prompt about an immigrant. Really enjoyed this. Had an "Addie LaRue" vibe because the MC lived so fiercely."
Kinda on the fence about this one...

"QotW: I do research in order to find books about a certain topic, but once I've found them, I often go by the title alone rather than read a bunch of reviews or some other evaluation means."
That's interesting. Titles can be quite revealing...

Happy Friday everyone!

Is it me or is this month going slow? I'm kind of glad though. January sped on through.

Weather-wise things are heating up. Temps in the high 70s/80s (F). So not cool. My therapist said I need to get more vitamin D (i.e. sunlight) but that's kind of a tricky thing for me because my skin condition flares up with heat and I get a prickly rash and scales.

Speaking of therapists, met with a new one, she's a psychiatric nurse but my therapist thought it would be a good idea so I can be placed on some medication for my anxiety and depression. I don't mind. Any help I can get for my mental health I'll take it.

Been babysitting a lot. It took a few months, but my nephew and I have a good thing going. He's gonna be a year old soon. I'm just not a baby person so it took me a while to get the hang of it. Now though I'm his automatic go-to person whenever there are people in the room. It's cute. It weirded me out for a while, but now I find it very endearing.


Book News:

We're barely on day 6 of February and so far I've read 2 books, but currently got 5 going, and I'll be starting a 6th one next week when it arrives.

Finished:

The Coming Global Superstorm - 3 star read. It was good for a climate change book written in 1999.

More Than a Doll: How Creating a Sports Doll Turned into a Fight to End Gender Stereotypes - 4 star. This book got me angry with all the patriarchy and misogyny and how men view young girls.

*****

Currently Reading:

Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of the Books That Saved Me - I'm not big on memoirs, but I finally found one that I like. One I can relate to as a person of color. While my background is Indigenous and Hispanic, there's a lot I can relate to with this author especially in terms of literature in school.

The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred - I don't think I've ever read a science book by a female scientist of this author's caliber, let alone a person of color too so it's been a great read.

My only problem is the subject. This year I told myself I would read at least one physics book because I don't read in that genre. I'm more of a History/English girl. I don't understand math or science so a lot of what's mentioned goes way over my head. I was the student who read a book under her desk because I didn't understand the material. Still though, despite my lack of knowledge and understanding of this book, it's still an interesting read because of that fact. And it helps that I'm annotating it.

Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens - Currently about to start part 3 (pg.100). So far this book is a solid 3 star. I think it could have done without certain chapters in part 2. They didn't seem to serve a point or purpose.

Joan of Arc: A History - I received this book as part of a secret gift exchange for Valentine's which was very sweet. I'm only on pg. 25 but I am really enjoying it so far. It's got a lot of history which is the point. While I'm not religious, I've been fascinated with Joan of Arc since I was 13 when I learned who she was via the CBS show 'Joan of Arcadia'.

The Abduction of Betty and Barney Hill: Alien Encounters, Civil Rights, and the New Age in America - Slowly making my way through this one. The paperback finally came out so I was excited over that. The author flat out says he doesn't believe Betty & Barney were abducted by aliens which is fine because even though I have a belief in UAPs (UFOs) and aliens, I am a bit of a skeptic when it comes to abductions.

*****

Upcoming:

I discovered this new release that comes out next week that is right up my alley.

Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism

Being a person of color, I know what it's like to feel alienated in school curriculums. I didn't read any Latino or Indigenous authors.
What was taught in my history classes, Indigenous people were viewed as relics that seemed to belong in a museum rather than actual thriving communities.

While the book focuses specifically on Indigenous and Black students I think it will still be relatable and I look forward to finding out more information when it comes to the lack of education specifically for students of color.

*****

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

How well do you “research” a book before deciding to read it?

I normally don't research a book. I'll maybe check the author before hand to see if I align with their views or ideas, but other than that I don't do much.

Happy Thursday!

This week has been super busy at work again. I didn't get nearly as much reading done as I wanted to, but hopefully things should ease up next week. I'm currently on my lunch break doing my daily check in on GR.

Finished:
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong - 4 stars - a book with a happily single woman protagonist. I loved this book! It was so much fun.

Comics & manga:
Chihayafuru, Vol. 28
WITCH WATCH, Vol. 10
WITCH WATCH, Vol. 11

I am currently at 8/50 for Popsugar (7/40 and 1/10).

Currently reading:
Before Your Memory Fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - a book of interconnected short stories

The Apothecary Diaries (Light Novel): Volume 11 by Natsu Hyuuga - no prompt

Upcoming/Planned:
This Ends in Embers by Kamilah Cole - not planned for a prompt, but we'll see if it fits anywhere.

QOTW:
Mostly I just read the blurb and maybe some reviews, and if it sounds interesting, I'll add it to my TBR. In some cases, I look into the author, too, just to make sure they're not a bigot or a creep, but that's usually something I find out later (and then remove the book).

Happy Thursday!

I am working from home today as we are getting 5-10 cm of snow and I didn't feel like driving home in it. I am so tired of winter already.

Lynn - I have no idea how you can read all those books at once. I can juggle about 3.

I finally finished my 860 page series book. It was a pretty good ending to the series. (Except that there is a short story and another book that follows so I'm not completely done with the series).

I started one of my February books - it was on the listopia for the menopause prompt, and I'm a sucker for a mermaid book.

My book club at church is starting a new book in a few weeks and I think I'm going back.

Finished:
Inheritance
Popsugar prompt: A book that fills a 2024 prompt you'd like to do over (or try out) (a book that features dragons)
ATY prompt: A book relating to fire

Series - 1/10
Reading Across Canada - 1/10
Nobel laureates - 0/5

PS - 6/40
Regular ATY - 6/40
Anniversary ATY - 0/10

Currently reading:
We Sold Our Souls -70%
The Mermaid That Came Between Them - 20%

Buddy Reads:
none at present

QOTW: I barely do any research. I rely on quick blurbs or reading familiar authors to decide to put things on my TBR list. I also like certain genres - it's rare to find a mystery or thriller than I can't mostly enjoy. I also will occasionally read a "hyped" book because I figure that many people can't be wrong. Most of the time it works (The Book Thief and Where the Crawdads Sing) and even when it misses, at least I participated in a trend.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

This has been a pretty low-key week. I’ve spent most of the week reading, and I’ve had a chance to finish quite a few books from my TBR list. I’m mostly focusing on reading fantasy right now, which has been a lot of fun.

Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…

Goodreads Challenge: 071/250
Mount TBR Challenge: 058/150

📚Physical TBR: 53/731
📱Ebook TBR: 3/218
🎧Audiobook TBR: 2/15
TBR Checklist Total: 58/964

TBR Books DNFed in 2025: 1

I did not plan to get any new books this week, but after Cornerofmadness posted about Mozzarella Murder, by R.M. Murphy, being free on Amazon, I just had to get myself a copy.

“New” Books Bought in 2024: 15
“New” Books Read in 2024: 13
“New” Books DNFed in 2024: 0

Here are the books I finished this week…

Finished Reading (Fiction):
~Mozzarella Murder — I picked up a copy of this book for free on Kindle, and it turned out to be a quick, easy read. I thought the mystery was pretty good, but didn’t feel like I had enough time to really connect to the characters. I did enjoy it, but I'm not currently planning to purchase any of the other titles in the series. 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Buried in Friendship — This is the first book in the Halflings of Smallburrow Cosy Fantasy series. I thought this was a cute story, and liked the characters. Unfortunately, this book did contain a significant number of grammatical errors. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Boudicca — I’m not normally a big fan of historical fiction, but I thought this was a fabulous book. Boudicca was an incredibly strong woman, and I will definitely be looking for a nonfiction account of her life. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book includes scenes of torture, rape (including rape perpetrated on minors), and PTSD resulting from those assaults. The author does include a trigger warning for this at the beginning of the book, but as minors are assaulted during these events, I think it’s important to mention it here. The book also includes the severe injury and deaths of several animals. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Dusted in Snowflakes — This is the second book in the Halflings of Smallburrow Cosy Fantasy series. I thought this was also a cute story, and enjoyed meeting some new characters. Like the previous book, this one did contain a significant number of grammatical errors. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Sweep of the Heart — This is the most recent book in the Innkeeper Chronicles series. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and ended up reading the entire book in a single sitting. I just could not put it down. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include scenes where animals are harmed and killed. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The House Witch — This book was such a fun read! I absolutely loved the characters and humor. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include references to abuse (both child and spousal), as well as references to miscarriages. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The House Witch 2 — I thoroughly enjoyed the second book in this trilogy! The story just keeps getting better and better. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include references to abuse (both child and spousal), as well as references to miscarriages. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
~The Tigress of Forlì: Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de Medici — This was a really interesting read! I was really impressed with the way in which the author discussed Caterina’s life, because she did not shy away from any aspect of the reality of her experiences (both positive and negative). Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include detailed descriptions of torture and executions, as well as several references to rape (and unwanted sexual attention). (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
None

Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None

DNFed:
None

Currently Reading:
~The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights, Volume 2 — I am currently taking an extended break from this book. 📚
~The Two Towers — I am continuing to really enjoy listening to this audiobook before bed each night. I'm about one-third of the way through it. 🎧
~Illuminations — I’ve only read a few chapters of this book, but it’s been pretty good so far. 📚
~The House Witch 3 — I am absolutely loving this trilogy! I will probably be finishing the third book later this evening. 📚

QOTW:
Apart from reading the summary on the back of the book, I don’t do any “research” on the books I read. That being said, reading a book (either fiction or nonfiction) can absolutely send me down the research rabbit hole, especially if I come across an interesting topic while reading.

The weather has been up and down all week, with it cold enough to snow on Sunday then in the mid-40s Tuesday and Wednesday, and today we got enough snow (followed by freezing rain) for a snow day.
My car has a new battery, but still didn't start right away the day after it was installed. Since then, it's been okay (it had trouble getting started on Sunday, but I chalk that up to the fact it was 15 degrees out), but I made an appointment to take it in just in case (if there's an issue the local guys missed, I'd rather catch it sooner than later).

Finished:
The White Cat's Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King's Lap, Vol. 4 - The last volume currently available wraps up the first story arc nicely, though I'm curious where the story is going to go from here.
The First State of Being - This year's Newberry winner, though I read it for my local book award committee. Not sure if I'd recommend it to move on, but it was a bit of nostalgia for me, since it was set in 1999. It also annoyed me from the first page, since it's also a time travel book, and we get excerpts from a book the future character has summarizing events and bits of pop culture from the era, and it mentions Y2K as essentially amounting to nothing. And all it needed to do was add a sentence saying that was because a lot of people worked very hard to make sure nothing happened! Or have that mentioned somewhere along the way in the story, but no. That aside, it was a good story about what it means to live in the moment.
The Wedding People - (PS A book set at a luxury resort, CL Someone fully or partly submerged in water) I enjoyed this one, though I wasn't that crazy about the whole 'dialogue turning into regular prose' thing.
Not Quite a Ghost - (CL A spooky scene) Another book I read for the award committee. It was a fairly compelling read, but I don't think it balanced the spookiness of the premise with the rest of the story very well.
Murray Out of Water - (PS A book where music plays an integral part of the storyline, CL An aquatic animal) I always blow through novels in verse, and since I just finished it this morning, I'm not sure how I feel about it. But it's definitely the book that someone needs. Plus, it mentions a ton of other books, including one I already have checked out, so I'm all set for the Book Mentioned in Another Book prompt.

Currently reading:
Headshot
Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All
The History of Sound

QOTW:
I don't go out of my way to research a book before I read it, but as a librarian I end up reading a lot of reviews and promotional material from publishers, so in that way the research comes to me.

QOTW: The only "research I do for a book is to read the description to see if it sounds good.

Happy Thursday!

Not sure exactly where this past week went.

I loved my first meals from Hungryroot and have received my second box already this week.

My goal to walk 5 miles per week looks really do-able. I have already achieved 4.5 miles this week and that was taking yesterday off.

Reading-wise, I have had some duds this week. I didn't DNF any, but that was because I was reading for a discussion group. Otherwise I would have. No more Truman Capote for me...ever!

Finished:
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street – No prompt. 4*. Children try to encourage their landlord to renew their family’s lease.

Prairie County Fair – ATY #8 (novellas), PAS. 4*. Christian finding-love stories all set in the same place in different time periods with interconnecting families.

The Grass Harp, Including A Tree of Night and Other Stories – Book Club selection. 1*. Noir stories with an underlying meanness. Not for me.

A Year on Ladybug Farm – PAS. 4*. Loved this story of friendship.

Before Your Memory Fades – ATY #49 (time travel), PS #47 (interconnected stories). 3.5*. I sometimes had difficulty remembering who was who. That is probably a function of different culture and similar names.

Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics - PS 2024. Audible. 3*. I got a bit tired of every song being her favorite, but, otherwise, I loved the backstory of the songs.

Bed, Breakfast & Bones – PAS, PS #8 (under 250p). 4*. Fun cozy read! I really enjoyed this romp about a young woman trying to re-establish her life in a new town and the creative ways that she fought back. Mild love interest also.

Listen to Me – PAS, PS #13 (under 3*). 3.5* I kept waiting for this story to slide into horror. Thankfully it didn't.

Currently Reading:

The Beginner's Photography Guide: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Manual for Getting the Most from Your Digital Camera – 27%.

Shaman – PS #38 (same title). 27%

God Is in the Small Stuff and It All Matters: Stop Worrying and Invite God into the Details of Your Life – ATY seasonal (nonfiction). 13%


Just Starting:
The Devil's Feather - PAS. Non-fiction. 4%

Broken Angels – No prompt. Kindle. Prime read from 2019. 1%

Moving Target – PAS. A book I own. 6%

On Deck: (owned)
Kate: The Journal of A Confederate Nurse – PAS.
The Pony Wife – PAS


PS 11/50
ATY 7/52, Anniversary 3/10, Winter 7/15
GR 32/200

QotW: How well do you “research” a book before deciding to read it?

Not really. I will usually choose a book by title or genre or author. Occasionally I read a blurb. A lot of my books are books others have liked that I think sound good. I have a new series shelf and a friends recommend shelf as go to's when I am not sure what I want to read.

L Y N N wrote: "Doni wrote: "A Short Walk Through a Wide World used for prompt about an immigrant. Really enjoyed this. Had an "Addie LaRue" vibe because the MC lived so fiercely."
Kinda on the fence about this on..."

Have you read it? Not sure you liked it?

Happy Thursday!   We are having our first official snowday today. BOTH of my college kids had their schools close today for snow!!   I'm not complaining, but ... we really didn't get that much snow.  I took the opportunity to take a ridiculously long nap on the couch. My neighbor is earning his fee this season for snow plowing!! I've lost count of the number of times he's had to plow my driveway this season, and we are only halfway done!



This week I have finished one book and DNFed one:

Finished:
Mask of the Deer Woman by Laurie L. Dove - this was a great debut mystery, with a strong sense of place on a (fictional) Oklahoma Indian Reservation.  

DNF:
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner - does it even count as a DNF when I read almost 75% of it?   I read enough to know I wanted to give it one star, anyway.  



Popsugar 22% 11 /50
Must Reads 0% 0 /10
AtY 19% 10 /52
AtY bonus 0% 0 /10
2025 pub 6% 3 /50
NetGalley 73%





QotW

Sometimes I "research" a book.  If it's a new-to-me author, I will often carefully read the blurb, and scan reviews (both positive and negative reviews) and then I'll look at other books that author has written..  Most of the time, I just familiarize myself with basic plot and genre before reading.  On very rare occasions I will go in "cold" and just start reading without knowing anything, but most of the time when I try to do that, I can't hack it, and I'll stop and go read the blurb.  I like to know which direction I am heading in before I get on the road.

If it was a book club book, it was already chosen for you, how much research did she expect you to do??   

Happy Thursday all!

Distracting myself from real-world events with planning for my Italy trip in a few months and getting my first tattoo. Since I love both dragons and books, I plan to get a dragon reading a book tattooed to my arm. I go in for a consultation tomorrow!

Books read this week:

Alligators Eat Marshmallows (And Other Things I Learned On My 10,000 Mile Road Trip Around The USA!): A Comedy Memoir -- for “a book featuring an activity on your bucket list” (road trip around the USA). Tony James Slater has some of the most hilarious and entertaining travel memoirs I’ve ever read, and this one is no exception. Just expect some rather cutting remarks about US culture and politics, given that the author is British…

Britt-Marie Was Here - for “book about soccer.” A surprisingly sweet story about a curmudgeonly woman and her attempt to start fresh in a soccer-obsessed small community.

Silver Batal and the Water Dragon Races -- for “book with silver on the cover or the word ‘silver’ in the title.” Does it count if “silver” is the name of the title character? Fun premise but ultimately forgettable.

DNF:

Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand -- could not get into this. It’s hailed as a sci-fi masterpiece, but way too dense for me at the moment.

Currently reading:

Piglet: The Unexpected Story of a Deaf, Blind, Pink Puppy and His Family -- for “two books with the same title (2)”
A Fire Upon the Deep -- for “a book you have avoided reading”
How Much of These Hills Is Gold -- for “a book about an immigrant or refugee”
Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses -- for “a book about a character with chronic pain”
Your Shadow Half Remains -- for “a book whose title begins with Y”

QOTW:

I generally look up a synopsis of the book, if the author has written anything else I like/dislike, the Goodreads rating (though sometimes I'll ignore that if the synopsis sounds good enough), and whether it's the first in a series. No starting a series in the middle for me...

Hi all! Kiddo had a snow day today, too. We didn't get any snow, but hours of sleet this morning (I could hear it). Last year she didn't have any snow days. She was also "sick" the other day. She's fine, but my boyfriend probably has the flu (twice negative for covid). I'm also fine, and I hope it stays that way because with my limited immune system, once I catch something, it takes *ages* for me to fight it off.

I finished reading The Dew Breaker for interconnected stories. I really liked it!

I've got a few books that I've read the first chapter or so, but nothing that I'm "into" yet. Guess I'll have to pick something.

QOTW: I always read the blurb. Sometimes I'll check some reviews, but I'm always wary of spoilers. I definitely do research *after* finishing books, though. Looking for other books on the same subject (I've already been looking for books on Haiti's history after The Dew Breaker), reading wikipedia about the book or events mentioned, and reading reviews to see if other people had the same reactions (positive or negative) that I did.

Laura Z wrote: "Happy Thursday! My four-day respite in Key West was amazing! Warm breezes, bright sun, delicious food… It was quite the insult to arrive home just in time for the Tri-Cities’ first snowfall this wi..."



That sounds amazing!!! Four days doesn't sound long enough though.


The Favorites (Booklist Queen #48 – a book everyone is talking about) ★★★★★
I'm so glad people are buzzing about this book!! This book was fantastic and it deserves all the buzz!!!

Ugh. That's all I have to say about things.

Finished 02/50

Currently Reading

Wind and Truth for "book that fills your favourite prompt from 2015 (book over 500 pages)"- this is the story that never ends...

Everyday Saints and Other Stories for "book of interconnected short stories" I am SO CLOSE to finishing this one!! It's still so good!

QotW

Honestly, it depends. I like being surprised and taking books by themselves, but sometimes for classics or non-fiction, it can help to research more about the author/time period/culture/audience/etc.

Hi all! This week has been a week.

Finished:
Saha- this was a bleak Korean story about people who are suffering under an oppressive society, and the struggles to improve their situation. This has a 2.96 rating, which I do not think is deserved. This is definitely not for everyone, but I think it just hasn't found it's audience outside of Korea. Similar vibes to One Hundred Shadows, which has a much better rating
-13 A book rated less than three stars on Goodreads

The Yakuza's Bias 2- was reminded by a earlier check in that I needed to continue on with this series. It's still so fun!
-31 A book where music plays an integral part of the storyline

The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen- grieving characters get another chance to say goodbye to their lost loved ones. A reminder not to let things go unsaid until it's too late.
-15 rec based on fave book (rec from goodreads)


Currently reading
A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage- started strong, I'm about halfway through and it feels like it's dragging a bit. Fingers crossed it picks up!

Patriot: A Memoir- I have 4.5 hrs left to read, but since I keep going back and relistening to sections, libby is estimating that it will take me 7.5 hr to actually listen to it. I absolutely recommend this memoir to anyone.

A Deadly Education- will be starting this weekend. I"ve posted some questions if anyone's reading for the monthly read!

QotW:
For the most part, all the research I do is reading the blurb. If I'm a little iffy about reading it, then I might look up more reviews to get a better feel for it. When it comes to nonfiction though, I'll look more into the author- especially if it's a book about history or science. I don't want to invest 400-500 pages and then find out the author doesn't actually know what they're talking about

Also, when I'm thinking about dnf-ing a book, and I'm trying to decide if I should stick with it, I'll read reviews to see if other people had the same issues with the book

Greetings all! How is it February????? NYC got another very light dusting of snow. At least we are getting snow... but it didn't require plows or snowblowers to clear it away.

Finished:
The Most Boring Book Ever - a completely fabulous children's picture book - and one adults will enjoy as well - very image based. No PS prompt, but ATY prompt 2020 anniversary - emotion in title - Boring is an emotion - I looked it up -
Third Girl no PS but ATY mystery
The Shadow Cabinet - PS LGBTQ+, ATY 2025 anniversary prompt group of 4.

Currently Reading:
The Thirteen Problems. Illustrated
'Twas the Knife Before Christmas
Nothing
The Odyssey - Emily Wilson translation - reading this a few pages a day - finish by mid-March.

QOTW: Literally the only research I ever do on a particular book before settling on reading it is for translated books. The quality and period of the translation into English deeply effects the quality of the read in English and can make the difference between becoming engrossed in it and tossing it aside as a DNF.

Also, some 'significant' or readily available translations turn out to be questionable as to their being a complete translation of the original. For example, - this edition with this cover was translated into English by Peter Bien from the original modern greek text. It is excellent. The English text most frequently read was actually a translation from a french translation and that french translation was done by a man who had strong religious and political beliefs and he left things out change meanings to conform with his beliefs.

So it pays to research your translations. One I want to mention is as translated by Lydia Davis - it reads so easily and very closely to the original french (which I have read) - in fact any Lydia Davis translation is to be preferred. Also I have found Christine Donougher's translation of Les Miz preferable - .

And of course if you read , the translation controversy is worth a read as some of the translations only were done from heavily or partially censored editions of the original Russian Text. And the translations can vary significantly. It becomes compelling to read the different ones over an extended period just to get the different experiences - one of the ones considered the best at catching the humor from the original is actually the one from the most heavily censored original text.

The only other research I do before reading a book - and it is very slight - is perhaps to see if it fits a challenge.

I finished Demon Copperhead as my book with a snake on the cover. I really like dit.

I'm now reading Educated as my book about a cult. So far so good. Not 100% sure it really fits the category, but it is on the listopia list, so I'm going with it.

QOTW: I don't really.

I didn't finish anything this week because I've been watching Oscar nominated movies instead. I am almost done with Milkman

QOTW: I don't. Sometimes I don't even read the blurb, just the title or cover, and since I like big books, the size. But I do read book reviews and listen to podcasts and will add to my TBR based on them

Hello from Columbus and happy Thursday! I missed last week's check in, I don’t think it even hit me that Thursday had passed until like, Sunday evening. Not much is going on lately other than work stuff. I love February because all of my clients want super cute pink Valentine’s Day nails and those are my favorite. Today I did a silly goose wearing a bow a holding a heart in its beak and guys I really almost cried because I thought it was the cutest thing lol. Anywho here are the last two weeks worth of books

Finished:
Delicate Edible Birds and Other Stories not for a challenge I just decided to read some books I haven’t and I’ll probably reread the ones I have. I love her style, all of these stories were great imo.

The Grim Grotto not for the challenge, but me and my son finally finished the books after what feels like months. Only two books left in the series!

James for a book that features an unlikely friendship. I know this book won all sorts of awards and was highly praised, but I’m pretty indifferent toward it. I guess I didn’t really find Mark Twain’s two books compelling either so I guess this just isn’t a story I’m all that interested in. It was well written and I really like the idea behind the book so I’d still recommend it to others.

All's Well for a book where someone has chronic pain. Okay I saw a lot of really bad reviews for this one but I freaking loved it. It’s exactly what I want from Mona Awad and Otessa Mosfegh books. Weird, fever-dreamlike, makes you feel like maybe you’re going crazy and you can’t tell if any of the story is actually happening. I love love love books like this.

High Fidelity for a book where music plays a major part. This has been one of my favorite movies since I was in high school, and I didn’t know it was a book until I was looking to fill this prompt. I was pretty amused by how the script for the movie was apparently almost a word for word copy of the book, and how many of the lines I still remember. Rob is incredibly less endearing when he’s not John Cusack, in fact it made me realize he’s actually pretty terrible lol. I guess this is one of those times I like the movie much more than the book.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches for the POC experiencing joy prompt. This was a very sweet book I wish I could have listened to while sitting in a cozy chair with some hot tea but I finished the whole thing while I was at work today haha. The spice was so minimal I didn’t even get annoyed by it, and everything about this book stirred up so much jealousy. I want that house and the greenhouse and the pond and to live by the sea and the ability to make my pets not shed.


Currently Reading:
The Penultimate Peril
Queens of the Conquest
House of Leaves
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible

Recently Watched:
I honestly haven’t turned on the tv once in the last two weeks. I have been watching a YouTuber okay through of a Kingdom Hearts game (dream drop distance). Kingdom Hearts was the only game I ever really got into other than Pokemon and Animal Crossing. I don’t play anymore, I don’t have the hand eye coordination for it but I do love revisiting the series by watching game play.

Challenges:
Popsugar - 5/40; 0/4; 0/3; 1/3
Read Harder - 2/24
Classics - 0/12
European Tour - 2/10
12 Friends - 0/12
Yearly Goal - 12/180

QOTW:
Not at all. Rarely do I find who the author is relevant enough for me to research. I actually like going into books as blind as possible.

It was not a good reading week but I did finish one book. The others are such slow going (as was this one)

The Turn of the Screw and Other Stories by Henry James read for ps 39. A classic you've never read

I love gothic horror. I know, of course, the plot of this one because it has been turned into many movies/tv shows and has inspired a lot of fiction. If I didn't know the plot I don't think I would have guessed it from this. I was beyond bored with this.

QOTW Research a book? Um yeah other than checking a word count (I've lost interest in anything over 500 words) and reading the blurb I don't research a book. That's about all I do, the blurb is what will sell me on the book

Cornerofmadness wrote: "It was not a good reading week but I did finish one book. The others are such slow going (as was this one)

The Turn of the Screw and Other Stories by Henry James read for ps 39. A c..."

I reread it not long ago and was shocked at how boring it was too. But what was odd was that the scenes that did pop out were the few I remembered from the first and only other time I read it - as a teen and that was decades ago.

So much as I was unimpressed, and bored, it stuck with me. But I would recommend any retelling or adaptation be read, not the original - like The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware.

Life update: Hubby has been making good progress on patching up various decorative issues around the house as part of our preparation for putting it on the market. I also managed to pack up six boxes worth of old clothes and donate them.

Health-wise, the ear infection has completely cleared up, but I've been having that kind of nauseating back pain that might be pre-menstrual cramps or might be something else. I hope it's not cramps, because I really want to be done with menopause now and hate having to reset the 12-month timer every time my body ambushes me with another period.

Reading update:

I finished three books this week, which really helped me get a sense of momentum in my reading.

A Stitch in Time for the Star Trek Series Challenge. One of the best Star Trek books I've ever read, with lots of world-building.
The Logic Of Spirituality With Dvd through my daily Chinmaya app. A good basic introduction to the Advaita Vedanta philosophy.
Water Memory for the "set on or near a body of water" prompt. Much of the action takes place on a cargo ship. Good if you enjoy action thrillers that subvert expectations - the main character is female, bisexual and suffering from memory problems due to the chronic effects of a brain injury.

I also out of curiosity read the first chapter of an old children's book by a Scottish author, Holiday House: A Series of Tales; Dedicated to Lady Diana Boyle (Classic Reprint) by Catherine Sinclair, after seeing it mentioned in a history blog. Apparently it was wildly popular with children on first publication because it was one of the first books to portray childish mischief somewhat sympathetically. I could see the charm of it, but wasn't interested enough to finish it.

Stats

Finished for the PopSugar challenge: 1 this week, 4/50 total
Finished for the Star Trek Series challenge: 1 this week, 2/18 total
Finished outside the challenges: 1 this week, 2 total
DNF: 1 this week, 2 total

Currently Reading:

A Fire Born of Exile for the POC joy prompt, but I might have to rethink that because there's also quite a bit of trauma in there
Srimad Bhagavadgita: with English Translation and Transliteration # 1411 for the unlikely friendship prompt and as my bedtime scripture
March for the last line prompt - this is proving more challenging than I expected because of the graphic Civil War portrayals
The Last Best Hope for the Star Trek Series Challenge - not that well written imo, so I'm finding it a bit annoying at times, but it does capture the voice of Patrick Stewart as Picard quite well
Sadhana Panchakam in the Chinmaya app
Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Getting Things Done for my ongoing GTD re-read; this is the weakest of the GTD books I've read, imo, but I will try to finish it in case there's some nugget I've forgotten

QOTW: No, not really. I'll read the blurb and scan a few reviews, and if it's about a minority that's often misrepresented, then I might check what the author's connection to that community is. If it's fiction, that's probably all I'll do. If it's non-fiction, I might go a little bit deeper into whether it's a reliable source, whether it's up to date, etc. But even then, I probably won't spend more than ten minutes on it.

L Y N N wrote: "2025 READING CHALLENGES:
Popsugar: 25/50
Around the Year (AtY): 42/52
AtY 2025 Anniversary List: 9/10
Read Harder: 13/24
52 Book Club: 33/52"

Oh, my goodness, L Y N N! You are so far through the Popsugar, AtY, and AtY Anniversary lists that I feel like I have been treading water!

Well this is frustrating. A book I pre-ordered back in December keeps getting the date pushed back.


Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading

Originally this was supposed to be released this February. Then it go pushed to March. Now it says it won't be released until the end of April.

Getting tired of all the later release dates.

I can't believe we're in February already! This year has had a rough start, so maybe it's good that it seems to be flying by?

Completed
The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team - 4 stars. Didn't think I'd like it (was a compulsory prompt read for me), but pretty soon I was very invested in her story.
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Volume I
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
Sharpe's Triumph - 4 stars. I did not like the first book in this series. Because the series was recommended by an acquaintance of mine, I thought I'd give it one more chance and read book 2 (this one). It has grown on me. I'll read book 3 at some point.

PS Challenge Progress: 14/50

Currently Reading
A Certain Justice - Yes, still. It's my "waiting for an ILL book" book.
The 9th Judgment
Lady Chatterly's Lover - an audio "read"
Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties - This is my focus read right now. It is very interesting and well written.

QOTW
If it's recommended by someone I know, I'll add it to my TBR without question.
I browse through BookPage each month, and if a title and/or cover captures my eye I'll read the entire blurb before deciding to add it or not.
If I'm looking for books to fill challenge prompts I always read blurbs and sometimes a couple reviews. It stresses me out when I pick a "dud" to fit a certain prompt, because that means I have to pick another one. I'd rather put some effort in at the beginning to make sure it will be at least something I can get through, even if I end up rating it lowly after reading. (If it's already on my TBR then it's an automatic pick, of course.)

Happy Friday!

I completely blanked on it being Thursday yesterday, oops, haha!

It's been a rollercoaster of a week, but it seems to be looking up. The universe was conspiring against me exercising. Society wants fat people to exercise and to lose weight, but it won't give us the gear to do so. I had to order a windjacket 4 times as expensive (5 times if it wasn't on sale) because fat people of course also need to be rich. Fingers crossed this one will fit! Sadly I don't think it'll come in tomorrow, so hopefully Monday.

Then it turned out my bike was dead. We spent two days trying to bring it back to life, to no avail. Too long off the charger. My bike is one with pedal support (so no zoomy ebike) and they don't really make those anymore, and the bikeshop in town had just sold a secondhand one yesterday. Because of course. But we found another one a few towns over! I now have a new bike! I can bike the 800km/500mi challenge!

Hopefully anyways, haha! When trying this one out for size my knee (the one I messed up over a year ago) immediately wobbled the wrong way, so I have to find a way to get on a different way xD

I also got new shoes yesterday! My feet and legs are still getting used to it, as these are trailrunning shoes, instead of regular running shoes (and mine were THIS close to have my socks hit the ground xD they'll now become my biking shoes :D) but so far so good.

62% into the Ancient Rome challenge (a bit more when steps update tonight), and finally getting to log for the Scotland one tomorrow!

Read
Since I mentioned Gilded Wolves last check in, nothing, I'm afraid!

Currently Reading
The Silvered Serpents
Hit the 50% mark last night! Been very tired so reading's been going slow. Libby was like 'here's your hold!' and I was like 'no thank you not right now' and I postponed xD

QOTW
Sometimes it's research that gets me to a book in the first place, but usually it's cover/title/blurb, maybe some recs from friends.

Happy Friday, all

Finished
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood and Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return The first for my book club was a re-read, and though I owned it, I never read the second, so I decided to do that too. Didn't use either for a PS prompt. Really engaging look at a life marked by war and repression and how - for the survivors - life does go on. Despite that message, I was a little taken aback by some of the risky things Marjane did - I don't know that I would ever have the guts to do some of the things she did that were contrary to the regime's laws. But I've never been in that situation.

A Two-Spirit Journey Always hard to rate a memoir, you don't want to feel like you're passing judgment on a person's life story, but I was enraged and moved by the things that Ma-Nee has lived through. Used for left-handed character - she references at one point that she was beaten at school in attempts to make her use her right hand.

Colored Television I get that Jane is so unlikeable, and there's not a ton that happens in this book, but I was so engrossed. The writing style just drew me in and it was one of those books that every time I planned to stop reading for awhile, I did the "maybe just one more chapter - okay, now really just one more - well, maybe another...". Guess I'm going to have to look for others by her! I used it for adult character who changes careers. I discussed it in thread. It's maybe a little bit of a stretch, but I'm satisfied unless I happen to come across a better fit.

Currently Reading
Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth
Storm of Locusts
Jennie's Boy: A Newfoundland Childhood

QotW
I don't really research, I will add a book to my TBR based on any element - blurb, cover, recommendation.
Sometimes if I read a blurb and I'm on the fence, I'll check out a couple of the reviews.
I feel like I'm doing the most research I ever have to find options for some of the harder to fill prompts this year, but that's looking for books, not usual researching a specific one.

I have not checked in here since some time after I finished the challenge last year. Work has been really busy to the point of needing to work into evenings and weekends, leaving little time or desire for being on the computer for anything else. The big medical record system switch at my hospital went live last weekend, and work has been much more normal since then.
Also my husband had unexpected surgery a few weeks ago. He's fine now, and we are just trying to stay healthy until a family wedding in Cancun in less than 2 weeks. It was a close call as he has poor immunity due to anti-rejection meds. I very much relate to Jennifer W's fear of getting sick. They send my husband to the emergency room any time he has a fever, and then he always gets admitted.
I have been doing really well with my reading and am already at 10/50 for the challenge.

Completed:
Onyx Storm for a book about a non-traditional education
The Mighty Red for a book set in or around a body of water
Bury Your Gays not for Popsugar
Great Expectations for two books with the same title. I plan to read Great Expectations for the other book. Should be interesting, people seem to really dislike it.

Currently reading:
Good Material
Small Things Like These

QOTW:
I don't research much at all. I mostly rely on recommendations to add books to my TBR. Once I am about to start a book, I will read the blurb to see which prompt it might fit.

What a week what a week. I'm so tired. It has been non-stop. I want to just relax this weekend.

Finished:
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness: heavy reading but important; I learned a lot of stuff I did not know.

QOTW: If the premise sounds really up my alley, I won't really do much research beyond that. If it's more something that I'm maybe interested in, then I'll look at reviews to get a better feel of what the book is about, etc. Often if I've started a book and considering dropping it, I'll check reviews then to see if things change.

Well I caved. Saw the Deluxe Editions of the Hunger Games books and I couldn't resist. The covers and sprayed edges are beautiful.

Ron wrote: "Well I caved. Saw the Deluxe Editions of the Hunger Games books and I couldn't resist. The covers and sprayed edges are beautiful.

[bookcover..."

I've been thinking about getting those... They're so pretty!

K.L. wrote:

I've been thinking about getting those... They're so pretty!

Nice. They're definitely worth it in my opinion.

It's actually perfect too because for one of the prompts on another challenge I'm doing it says to read a book with a sprayed edge so this works nicely.

Ron wrote: "Well I caved. Saw the Deluxe Editions of the Hunger Games books and I couldn't resist. The covers and sprayed edges are beautiful.

[bookcover..."

those are very pretty

Theresa wrote: "Cornerofmadness wrote: "It was not a good reading week but I did finish one book. The others are such slow going (as was this one)

The Turn of the Screw and Other Stories by Henry J..."

I think I've read that Ware book actually. Thanks. I've read and seen a lot of things based on this classic but somehow never read it. I was really surprised about how much I didn't like when this is one of my favorite subgenres really.

Hi all,

Started to update yesterday and never got around to finishing, oops.

I'm so ready for spring, i'm tired of being cold all the time and all the winter sensory issues I get.

This week i finished:

A Market of Dreams and Destiny - I liked this, another pick off my tbr challenge. I'd read a number of books involving goblin markets, i think this is the first I read the involved more of the selling side than the buying side. Also a nice gay romance that doesn't involve coming out, i feel like that might be a prompt?

Just Like Home - Did this on audio book because I saw their new book was out soon and remembered I never got around to it. Got lucky and the audio book was available. Narrator was pretty good. I like quite a bit. I thought it played with some common horror tropes in interesting ways, and challenged the idea of just what or who is a monster.

Service Model - I'd had this on hold forever it feels like, i finally got it. This was both a fun and also sort of timely depressing read. A lot of good humor in it, I would agree with the blurb for a change that described it as very murderbot meets scalzi. It had a lot of humor, a quirky robot who didn't want to be a person. But also was a pretty grim image of the future with the way things are going. I still enjoyed it a lot.

A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance - This is my books & brews read for next week's book club. I did the audio for it because that's what I could get reasonably quickly in digital format. It was actually really good as an audio book. The style was fairly lyrical and it really flowed well out loud. I'm not sure i'd have appreciated that as well reading it myself. I learned a lot about the history of Black entertainment and media and the culture around it.

Currently reading:

Now Is Not the Time to Panic - another tbr pick, I'm really enjoying so far.

Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity - listening on audiobook, my therapist recommended it to me. I've been officially diagnosed with ADHD last year, but both my last therapist and my current one agree with my self assessment that I exhibit a lot of signs that I also have autism, which is fairly common. So current one suggested this was a good resource to learn from and think about. I'm only a couple hours in, but I feel pretty seen so far.

QOTW:

I generally only read the blurb unless there's some bookish controversy I heard about. Then I might read a bit more into the controversy to see if it's something I consider worth avoiding the book over/reading for myself to make a judgement/something people are overreacting to so I'm going to continue on as usual.

Nothing finished again this week, but plugging along with my escapist reads. I set aside my book club read because it's not the right book for me right now. I do want to come back to it because the writing style is really interesting (no doubt, that was part of the reason it won the Pulitzer). I just can't give this book the attention it deserves right now. I don't normally DNF books, especially if they're book club picks, but I'd just be skimming without retaining even more than I already am if I tried to finish it in time. With that...I'm at 3/40 and 0/10 for this challenge (though my aim is to get to 25 only) and 7/85 for my Goodreads Reading Challenge.

Finished:
* nada

Currently Reading:
* The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries edited by Michael Sims;
* Never Meant to Stay by Trisha Das; and,
* The Twilight Garden written by Sara Nisha Adams and narrated by Shaheen Khan, Mikhail Sen, and Emily Stride

DNF (for now):
* Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips

QotW:
How well do you “research” a book before deciding to read it? I don't usually research books before deciding to read them, not even if I'm putting together a list of options for my book clubs. One of my book clubs has a system I really like -- we each nominate two books (sending a Goodreads or Amazon blurb to everyone ahead of time) and then we vote on each pair -- whichever gets the majority vote is what we read. Then, we plan out the order we read them. That way, every member gets to read at least one book they want to read...and everyone can do as much (or little) research as they like before we vote. My "research" normally consists of "does my library have a copy and how long is the waitlist?" 🙃 My other book club basically decides together in real time the day we meet because the three of us rarely remember to come up with ideas before the meeting 🤣 It used to drive me batty but now I accept the chaotic scrolling on our phones at the restaurant as part of that book club's charm 😊

Sheri wrote:

Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity - listening on audiobook, my therapist recommended it to me. I've been officially diagnosed with ADHD last year, but both my last therapist and my current one agree with my self assessment that I exhibit a lot of signs that I also have autism, which is fairly common. So current one suggested this was a good resource to learn from and think about. I'm only a couple hours in, but I feel pretty seen so far

This book is excellent!

In August 2023 my therapist brought up the idea that I was autistic. I had seen this book countless times before and because of my love of reading psychology, I had contemplated it but never got it. When she said that though this was the first book I thought of and I immediately went for it.

I have never felt so seen (at least in this way) before. Everything I'd been feeling and experiencing my whole life was identified in this book.

My therapist made a recommendation that I get tested so I did last January and the psychologist confirmed that I was autistic. Best diagnosis ever! I know it sounds kind of strange to get excited over an autism diagnosis, but it really clarified a lot of what I was going through but could never define. It was nice to finally have answers for why I felt so off.

As for this book, I can't praise it enough. I don't do audiobooks, but I listened to this one as well as read and annotated my physical copy and it was amazing. One of my favorite reads in 2023.

Hello from the PNW!
Our "snow event" last week ended up being nothing for my area. :(
No day off just to read.

This week I finished 3 books.
Candidly Cline by Kathryn Ormsbee- not for PS challenge but for the Oregon Battle of Books
The Bookshop on the Corner by Rebecca Raisin- for prompt #37/38 two books with the same title. It was not my favorite. Luckily it was short. Now I can read the one by Jenny Colgan. Hopefully it is much better.
Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini- for prompt #7 a book about a cult. I was skeptical that Scientology could be considered a cult, but after this book, it sounds like they fit all the criteria to being one. I listened to this one and Leah Remini was a great narrator. She is hilarious!

I'm now 10/52 for Popsugar.

Currently reading:
kindle: West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge #12 road trip
physical book: The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory #1 POC experience joy
audible: Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney #2 great last line
physical book: The Wild Robot by Peter Brown- #46 nature is antagonist

QotW:
I read the blurb. I might read a GR review or two, sometimes, but usually not. If someone recommends it, that's helpful. If it's historical fiction, I might research as I read the book to learn more about it. But I never just pick up a book and read it.

I own too many unread books again, and I need to focus on my TBR before checking out more library books. I bought half the books (a series) for my aunt as a Christmas gift, but before Christmas we had a conversation about Hallmark movies and I realized she hates all of the ones that I love. No longer confident in my choice of gifts, I got her a puzzle instead and kept the books. I still haven’t read them yet.

As I was updating my “owned” bookshelf, I came across a book in my personal library with no listed author or editor and a title so generic that I had to do an ISBN search to add it to my Goodreads shelf. (It’s Victorian Ghost Stories, if you’re interested.)

Reading
Boy From the Valleys: My unexpected journey

Only Love Can Hurt Like This

Golden Age and Other Stories

The Lost

QOTW
I don’t research books much. I usually make my decision based on the summary. I might read a few reviews if I’m on the fence.

K.L. wrote: "Happy Thursday, everyone!

This has been a pretty low-key week. I’ve spent most of the week reading, and I’ve had a chance to finish quite a few books from my TBR list. I’m mostly focusing on read..."

glad I could help. And yeah that was my reaction to Mozzarella Murder too

Happy Saturday.

Stats:
GR: 29/250
PS: 10/50
ATY: 8/52
ATY Anniversary: 1/10
ATY Rejects: 2/28
ATY Rewind: 1/10
GR Choice: 3/30
TBR: 1/10

Finished

Magic Bleeds Dramatized Adaptation ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Into the Windwracked Wilds ⭐⭐⭐⭐
ATY: Cityscape on cover.

Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever ⭐⭐⭐
PS: A book that reminds you of your childhood.

The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl 02 ⭐⭐⭐

Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood ⭐⭐⭐
ATY Rejects: Related to time.

In Progress

The Games Gods Play
When He Was Wicked

QotW

I read the blurb before I read, and maybe once in a while I skim the reviews if I'm not sure I want to read it, but other than that, no research. I might look up things afterwards, or find other books on the same topic, but not before.

Finally into February and I am here for it. Spent yesterday with the boy and went to White Water Center here in Charlotte - what a beautiful facility, so many trails and all lit up with twinkly lights and ice skating for winter activities. I can't wait to go back in the summer months when they turn on the white water parts. This upcoming week I finally head out on my bucket list trip to Napa Valley to celebrate my 40th birthday and I'm so excited.

5/75 GoodReads Challenge
5/50 PopSugar Challenge

Finished:
1.) Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch (#43-Nonverbal) ⭐⭐💫: This had really good parts but just poor execution. WAY too many unbelievable antics and trips across the country.

2.) How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny (#40-chosen family) ⭐⭐⭐⭐: Another great installment in the inspector Gamache series, I especially appreciated an Agent Nichol appearance and how Penny wrapped up some older threads.



Currently Reading:
1.) Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
2.) Here One Moment
3.) The Wedding People



QoTW: How well do you “research” a book before deciding to read it?
I don't "research" books before I read them, I usually have a general idea of what I'm getting into before I start reading, but don't want to spoil anything for myself by looking things up about the book before I experience it directly.

Ron- yeah I’m really liking it so far although I occasionally have to pause it due to feeling very called out. Not necessarily a bad thing, just kind of an overwhelm of “that TOO?”. And general frustration that so many of my struggles to fit in were simply due to my brain functioning differently. But because I have low support needs and I managed to be friendly if not make deep friendships and I got good grades and wasn’t a troublemaker that clearly meant any struggles were in my head.

I got my official adhd notice and some meds to help with that, I don’t think I’m seeking an official autism one. My old insurance sometime occasionally covered it if you fought with them a lot. New insurance we got switched to does not, and I don’t think it’s worth spending the money to have it “official” when I’m pretty sure of it. (Just for me, personally). My current therapist at least has adhd herself and commonly works with neurodivergent people so is able to help me.

Sheri wrote: "Ron- yeah I’m really liking it so far although I occasionally have to pause it due to feeling very called out. Not necessarily a bad thing, just kind of an overwhelm of “that TOO?”. And general fru..."

Yeah I get it. I felt called out a lot too. I read the book in August 2023 and then got my official diagnosis in January 2024, but as I was reading the book I was impressed with how much I could relate to it and how a lot of it felt like me. My therapist recommended that I get the official diagnosis and gave me a referral which is how the ball got rolling on mine. I have low support needs (level 1 autism) but it's still a diagnosis of autism no matter how it's categorized.

As for you not getting it 'official', self-diagnosis I hear is just as valid there.

Happy Birthday, Brittany! Enjoy your trip!

And I can't believe how quickly February is going! January lasted forever and February is almost half over.

Happy check-in!

Finished Reading:

Better Than Friends ⭐⭐ (ATY comfort read)
This barely had a plot but Shalvis' writing is comforting.

Magic Bleeds Dramatized Adaptation ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mooncop ⭐⭐ (ATY published 2016)
Boring and sad comic.

Four: A Divergent Story Collection ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY cityscape)
Finally got to this. I may switch this to dystopian with a happy ending if I don't find something.

The Wren in the Holly Library ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY animal in title)
Great start to a duology, part two will be published this year.

Black Klansman: A Memoir ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (PS unlikely friends)
This audiobook was read by the author. This was still worth reading even though I had seen the movie first.

PS 8/50
ATY 12/52 Anniversary 1/10
Goodreads 32/250

QOTW:
No research. I often judge books by their covers and don't always read the synopsis.