Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Happy Thursday!  

I am back from my summer visit with my mom.  It’s always good to be home but also sad to have to leave.  I will miss my refreshing (and also not so refreshing) morning walks to the bay, and hearing the seagull’s calls, and I’ll miss the beach, and my mom.  Looks like it did not rain at all here and stayed super hot - all the lawns are dead, my tomato plant is struggling (but alive, and it finally has tomatoes!!).  At least I don't have to mow!

My daughter and I have both come back with souvenir summer colds! We don't know where we caught it, but we both developed the sore throat at the same time, so we are struggling together, whine whine sniff sneeze groan ...



***** Admin stuff *****

August's group read is: Remarkably Bright Creatures.  You can join the discussion here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

September's group read, which could fulfill "A Book About an Overlooked Woman in History," will be:  Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail.  

The October group read, which could fill "A book containing magical creatures that aren't dragons" will be: The Fellowship of the Ring.  Dubhease has volunteered to lead the discussion!

The poll for November group read nominations (which could fill "book about a food truck") is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...

Let us know if you'd like to lead the September or November discussions.





This week I finished 2 books, 1 for this challenge. 

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes - this was FANTASTIC!!!  I loved every word, I was completely immersed, and the pages flew by.  I’m so glad I read this.  I checked off “snakes” with this book, and “nuns or goddesses” in AtY. 

6:40 to Montreal by Eva Jurczyk - A NetGalley read; I had high expectations for this upcoming novel, and it started out great, but I ended up disappointed.  It started out fun, but turned out to be a slog for most of the book.  No challenge category. 


Popsugar 88% 44 /50
Must Reads 30% 3 /10
AtY 85% 44 /52
AtY bonus 100% 10 /10
2025 pub 76% 38 /50
NetGalley ratio: 88%




Question of the Week
Have you read a book that unexpectedly ended up fulfilling a reading challenge prompt? (You didn’t plan to read it for this prompt, but…) 



Yes!  

And every year there seems to be one challenge category that I could fill again and again with multiple books, and it’s always something unexpected (this year it was “snakes” - I’m currently reading my third “snake” book of the year!)

Of the 44 categories I've checked off so far this year, 13 were surprises.  

Happy Thursday! Temperatures are going to break today. We've been over 100 degrees for several days, but today it's only supposed to reach 92 with temps in the 80s and low 90s for the next week. I might actually get some yard work done! Seth (adult son with autism) celebrated his 33rd birthday yesterday. We sang to him, gave him presents and cake, and took him out to dinner. His favorite part of the day was when we stopped paying attention to him.

2025 Reading Challenges:

52 Book Club: 46/52 (Connections Challenge: 11/21)
ATY: 40/52 (ATY Anniversary Challenge: 8/10, ATY Summer Challenge: 25/25 – Finished!)
The Book Girls’ Guide: 48/74
Booklist Queen: 46/52
Popsugar: 46/50

My Ever-Growing TBR: 105/301 – 34.9% (My goal is 33.3%.)

Recently Completed:

✅ The Friendship List ★★★★
✅ Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II ★★★★
✅ Hour Glass (BGG Read Around the USA #8 – Northern US) ★★★
✅ The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy, Smythe-Smith Quartet, #4 ★★★★
✅ The God of the Woods: BOTM selection. (BGG Decades #8 – the 1970s) ★★★★★
✅ In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin: Reasonable Doubt Book Club. ★★★★
✅ A Summer Affair ★★★★
✅ The Only One Left: BOTM selection. (BGG ICYMI Backlist #8 – written under a pen name) ★★★★
✅ Sag Harbor ★★★
✅ The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch: Jane Austen Book Club. ★★★
✅ The Book That Wouldn’t Burn ,The Library Trilogy, #1: Adventures Underground Book Club. ★★★★



QOTW: I'm definitely a mood reader, so quite a few prompts at the beginning of the year were filled by happenstance. But the nature of some of the prompts this year really required some planning. I've had a book slotted into the about soccer prompt all year, but just haven' felt like tackling it. Then just yesterday I started Spectacular Things. I'm loving it and soccer features prominently!

Happy Thursday all. Can't believe how quick the week has gone by.

I have completed my second week of work/training. I read in the mornings, work at a bookstore, and read when I I have time in the afternoon/evening. Books are my life. I have yet to get tired of it so that's a good thing.

Speaking of work, I have made some great progress in a short amount of time. I love what I do. And the funny part is, the part I didn't think I'd like, is connecting to kids and parents about reading.

*****
On another note, school is starting up soon. I got a reading list from my professor for one of the classes and it's going to be a long one. 9 books! It's a long semester (from late Aug. to December). I'm excited for the books though. 5 nonfiction and 4 fiction. I've read one of the nonfiction authors, and there are 2 fiction authors I've always wanted to read but never had the time for.

*****

Book News:

- Well I shared the book news in terms of school so I'm excited for it. It's a nature writing class and we're going to be doing a lot of reading on humans and the environment/ecocriticism so that sounds fun.

- In terms of my reading this month, so far I've read 20 books for the month of August (10 have been poetry books that can be read in a day since I'm doing the Sealey Poetry Reading Challenge). 10 have been regular books, mainly nonfiction.

So for the full year of 2025, I've read 114 books so far which has been insane! Last year I finished 2024 off with 107 books, so now I can't begin to even speculate how many books I'll end 2025 on given the 9 books for one class, 5 books for another so that gives me 14, plus waiting on what book(s) for my third class. Add in all of my priority reads for the rest of the year plus what ever other books I get to. Dang, I'm gonna have a huge number by the end!

*****

Finished:

Strata: Stories from Deep Time - OMG what an insane book! I did not expect to like it as much as I did. It asked a lot of questions while still having note-worthy speculative thoughts. It asked the types of existential questions I love asking.

Plus this book felt like a beautifully crafted blend of science/geology with poetry and lyrical prose. None of which felt out of place. It flowed so nicely together.

I rated this book a 5-star.

*****

Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life - What a book! The author was very direct and precise. The best part was that she includes writing activities so I can't wait to give those a try.



*****

Currently Reading:

Once Upon a Prime: The Wondrous Connections Between Mathematics and Literature - The title of this caught my attention at the bookstore, but they only had the hardcover. I got the paperback online.

I've never been a math person. In fact I despise math, so the blend of math and literature sounded intriguing to me.

I'm currently on chapter 2 and it's fascinating. It gave a mnemonic for a math issue and it was like a lightbulb went off in my head. Where was that easy way of doing it when I was in school?!

Chapter 1 was a bit confusing because it delt with the number lines in poetry and that's something I've always struggled with. I never paid attention to how many lines is in a haiku or strata poem, etc, because it always got me mixed up. I just write however and if it comes out as a certain type of poem then awesome.

I am loving this book though.

*****

Disney Adults: Exploring (And Falling In Love With) A Magical Subculture- A good book so far, but it mainly talks about the parks. I am not one for noise or crowds but I love most things Disney as an adult. Does that make me less of a Disney Adult because I can't or won't go to the parks? I've been before, but as a kid and even then I had sensory overload issues.

I'll continue to see how this book goes.

*****

Letters to a Writer of Color - As a BIPOC person, this book caught my attention. Pretty good so far.

*****

Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves - Been wanting to read this book all year and it was finally on sale so I got it. It's interesting and pretty intense.

*****

The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb - I pre-ordered this one in December when it went by a different title. I'm enjoying it so far. I love how Graff uses the same format to his other works. It really puts you in the action of what these people experienced in real time moments.



*****
Question of the Week

Have you read a book that unexpectedly ended up fulfilling a reading challenge prompt? (You didn’t plan to read it for this prompt, but…)

Yes. I recently read a poetry book for the soccer prompt, From the Pitch to the Page: Inspiring soccer poems for aspiring soccer players . I didn't know what to read for the soccer one since nothing particularly caught my interest and I figured since I was doing the Sealey Poetry Challenge this month that I would look for something specific to soccer.

Unfortunately, this book ended up being a 2-star for me. It felt like a 3rd grader wrote it and I was expecting something more fun and more complex.

I'm starting a new challenge. The Vancouver Public Library challenge!

VPL Challenge: 4/24
Mar.-Aug. Purchased TBR: 24/48 50%
June-Aug. Library TBR: 0/12

Finished: Crises of Democracy
These Strange New Minds: How AI Learned to Talk and What It Means Smart and funny. The author talks about how quickly out of the date this field becomes. It took 15 months after he finished writing this book to get it published.
Archive of Unknown Universes This book was just okay. I never got very invested in the relationships.

Started:How to Be Sad: Everything I've Learned About Getting Happier by Being Sad Blech. If you want a memoir about all the bad things that have happened in someone's life, this one's for you! DNF
In Defence of Democracy Focuses on bad arguments about why democracy is failing such as people are stupid! Won't be very helpful for my project.
The Next Republic: The Rise of a New Radical Majority
Condorcet: Selected Writings

QotW: I love it when this happens!

Looking back at the challenge, a book you want to read based on the last sentence is necessarily this way unless you go through books reading the last sentence first! Darkly, which I read for a book about a cult, I was going to read anyway. Recommended reading for a book that features a character going through menopause. This was a bit of a stretch because it just mentioned that she had gone through menopause. Close enough for me!

And now I'm going to post this as quickly as possible because it already erased it on me once!

Good morning, everyone! Happy Thursday!

I am pleased to report that this week has actually been fairly productive! I’ve managed to make some progress on several household projects since my previous update, and the mountain of laundry has officially been reduced to a small hill. I still have a lot of things to accomplish before the weekend, but I’m pleased with the stuff I’ve managed to get done.

Even though it’s been a fairly busy week, I still managed to do a tremendous amount of reading. Most of this week’s reading time has been spent focusing on titles from my TBR list, so I’ve managed to make a considerable amount of progress on my Mount TBR climb. I currently have only 8 books left before I reach my goal, and I’m feeling really confident about my chances of completing the challenge before the end of the month.

Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…

Goodreads Challenge: 277/250 (110% — Challenge Complete!)
Mount TBR Challenge: 142/150 (94% complete)

📚Physical TBR: 105/731
📱Ebook TBR: 26/218
🎧Audiobook TBR: 11/12
TBR Checklist Total: 142/961 (14% complete)

TBR Books DNFed in 2025: 3

I did not buy any new books this week!

“New” Books Bought in 2025: 129
“New” Books Read in 2025: 127
“New” Books DNFed in 2025: 0
“New” Books Checklist Total: 98% complete

Here are the books I finished this week…

Finished Reading (Fiction):
This week I had a chance to read the Bewitching Mystery series. While I have read this series before, this was the first time I’ve had a chance to read my copies of the ebooks. It had also been around a decade since the last time I read these books, so I really didn’t remember much about them. I thought all seven books were good mysteries, and liked the characters. The titles I read this week include:
~The Trouble With Magic — 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~A Charmed Death — 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Hex Marks the Spot — 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~No Rest for the Wiccan — 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Where There's a Witch — 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~A Witch in Time — 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Home for a Spell — 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I also read…
~Dungeons & Dragons: The Fallbacks: Dealing with Dragons — This is the second book in The Fallbacks series. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and loved having a chance to continue reading about this party of adventurers. I’m already looking forward to seeing where their story goes from here. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Colour of Magic — This is the first book in the Discworld series. Even after finishing this book, I still don’t know how I feel about it. I am currently planning to continue the series, because I do own the first 25 books, but I am reserving judgement as to whether or not I will commit to reading the entire series until I’ve read a few more of the books. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Claimed by the Center — I got this hockey romance for free on Kindle a while back. This was an okay read, and I did like the main female character, but I would have enjoyed it more if there had been more of a plot. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include a brief scene involving unwanted sexual attention, as well as stalking (which the male main character does admit is wrong, but which he doesn’t choose to stop). (hide spoiler)] 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Backcheck Heart — I thoroughly enjoyed this hockey romance! I thought the writing and story were great, and I loved the main characters. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ The main female character is in a relationship with an emotionally manipulative and abusive partner prior to meeting the male main character. The book also includes some “Mean Girls” style bullying. (hide spoiler)] 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Protective Neighbor — This is the fourth book in the Protective Gentlemen series. It was a very short read (only 65 pages), and I really feel like it would have benefited from being about three or four times as long. While I liked both of the main characters, the speed at which their relationship developed just felt too fast to be believable, considering the main female character’s situation at the beginning of the story. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ The main female character is on the run from an abusive ex. (hide spoiler)] 📱: ⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
~Disney Adults: Exploring (And Falling In Love With) A Magical Subculture — I thought this was a very interesting read! The author did a good job of explaining why Disney fans continue to love the films, parks, and characters into adulthood, while also addressing the perception some people have of Disney Adults being immature or unwilling to grow up. I really enjoyed her discussion of how the fans have influenced the Disney company through social media, especially since the advent of the social media influencer. I did feel like there were aspects of Disney adulthood that were somewhat glossed over, or left out entirely, as well as a couple of tangents that didn’t quite seem to fit the overall purpose of the book. But if you’d like to learn more about the Disney Adult subculture, I do think this is a worthwhile read. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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

Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None

DNFed:
None

Currently Reading:
~Sword of Destiny — This is the second book in The Witcher series. While I have read this book a couple times before, I’m enjoying listening to it at night before bed. I currently have around 7 hours remaining in the audiobook. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include unwanted sexual attention (in the form of groping), and threats of rape. (hide spoiler)] 🎧
~Six Women of Salem: The Untold Story of the Accused and Their Accusers in the Salem Witch Trials — I’m currently still on the first chapter of this book, but plan to get back into it over the weekend. 📚
~Shield of Sparrows — I am currently five chapter into this book, and I’m really enjoying it so far. I will definitely be finishing it in the next couple of days. 📚

QOTW:
I’m not really doing this year’s challenge, but I’ve come across quite a few books that unexpectedly fulfill challenge prompts. Just for fun, I’ve been keeping track of the prompts I have finished, and I’ve actually completed all but 13...even though I haven’t been trying to choose books that fit the prompts.

Happy Thursday!

I got through a bunch of really fast reads this week. The library seems to have grouped together a bunch of short reads for me.

Finished:

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston - 3.75 stars - not for a prompt. A fun con artist story that kept me turning pages.

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu - 4 stars - not for a prompt. When I first put this on my TBR, I thought it was a memoir for some reason. While it seems at least inspired by the author's experiences, this is a fictional, satirical look at the Asian immigrant experience, with some sharp writing.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan - 3 stars - not for a prompt. This is presented as a memoir by Cate Kay, a fictional author whose name is a pseudonym, finally telling all about her life and experiences. This was an easy read, but ultimately kind of forgettable.

Comics/manga:
Pink Candy Kiss, Vol. 1
Pink Candy Kiss, Vol. 2
Colette Decides to Die, Vol. 2

I am currently at 39/50 for Popsugar (32/40 and 7/10).

Currently reading:
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates - for a book mentioned in another book. I'm finally getting back to my challenge reads! I will be starting this today, so no opinion yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

Don't Call it Mystery (Omnibus) Vol. 13-14 - not for a prompt. This is an omnibus of two manga volumes, so a little slower going for me than a single volume.

Upcoming/Planned:
The Bright Side Running Club by Josie Lloyd - for a book about a run club.

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner - for a book about soccer.

QOTW:
This seems to happen every year. This year, oddly enough, it was a couple of the advanced prompts (married couple living apart and left-handed character) where I had surprise fits.

All moved into the new place on Lake Wylie, still working on settling in and unpacking. I had to travel out to San Diego this week for a work conference and got back yesterday afternoon, so just off the rest of the week and trying to rest and relax.

36/75 GoodReads Challenge
32/50 PopSugar Challenge

Finished:
1.) The Bright Side Running Club by Josie Lloyd (#17-Run Club) ⭐⭐⭐: Fine for the prompt, but not overly memorable.

2.) Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (#19 2025) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: I LOVED this book, will easily be a contender for the favorite this year. Reminded me of The Paper Palace.

3.) Sandwich by Catherine Newman (#9 Menopause) ⭐⭐⭐⭐: Slice of life week at the beach for a woman sandwiched between her college aged children, and her elderly parents.



Currently Reading:
1.) City of Girls #24 - Happily Single MC



QoTW: Have you read a book that unexpectedly ended up fulfilling a reading challenge prompt?

I have and this is my FAVORITE part of the challenge. I can't think of any specific examples offhand, but I love when this happens and generally I read the first half the year without intention and slowly fit books into prompts until the back half the year where I frantically try to purposefully finish the challenge.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Happy Thursday!  

I am back from my summer visit with my mom.  It’s always good to be home but also sad to have to leave.  I will miss my refreshing (and also not so refreshing) morning walks to t..."

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes - this was FANTASTIC!!! I loved every word, I was completely immersed, and the pages flew by. I’m so glad I read this.

Sound like such a great trip Nadine, I love that for you and your mom, (minus the cold!). Feel better! 💖

Added Stone Blind to my TBR based on your review.

Laura Z wrote: "Then just yesterday I started Spectacular Things. I'm loving it and soccer features prominently!"

I've been looking for something like this to fill that prompt!! Adding it to TBR immediately. Thanks Laura.

Happy Thursday!

Work is still really busy. Now that my husband's back is feeling better, we have been biking and playing pickle ball after work and on the weekends. Although last week the weather was much nicer for outdoor sports than this week. Not sure what to do for exercise in the winter, I hate the gym.

I only have 2 prompts left for the challenge. I am waiting on library holds for Hemlock & Silver and The Woman in Suite 11. I wonder how many of us are waiting for Hemlock & Silver for the silver prompt.

Finished:
When Will There Be Good News?
King of Ashes
Three Days in June
Geekerella for book about a food truck

Currently reading:
Overgrowth
I Leave It Up to You

QOTW:
I know it has, but I can't think of any right now.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Happy Thursday!  

I am back from my summer visit with my mom.  It’s always good to be home but also sad to have to leave.  I will miss my refreshing (and also not so refreshing) morning walks to t..."

I already wanted to read Stone Blind, but when you give a book such a glowing review I really pay attention.

Glad you had fun Nadine (I'm at Mom's currently but Pittsburgh doesn't have nice sea breezes)

Was on vacation which meant a lot of eating out and time to read while doing so. I finished a few books but only one for the challenge

Ohio's Black Hand Syndicate: The Birth of Organized Crime in America by David Meyers & Elise Meyers Walker
for PS 25. a book where the main character is an immigrant or refugee

Probably not the spirit in which this prompt was meant but it fulfilled the requirement and it was part of what I was researching for a project so I'm counting it. It was lovingly researched but that didn't make it tremendously interesting. Too many lists of names. But for the challenge almost all of them (including the Italian Squads in the police force were immigrants)

I also read A Dark and Deadly Journey by Julia Kelly This is an arc of an upcoming WWII spy/mystery which sends two British agents to Portugal. I very much enjoyed this.

Pantomime by L. R. Lam, a fantasy story where an aristocrat runs away from home because of not only an upcoming arranged marriage but also a proposed surgery to 'fix' them (Micah is intersexed and Mom needs them to be female). It has a very interesting world building even if Micah does the cliche of running away to join the circus. I enjoyed it. I'd read the next book.

QOTW

Oh yes! This happens often. Now to be fair, I usually take the list and go to my physical TBR pile first and then my eBook TBR and fill as many of the prompts with physical books if I can. However if I end up with another book that fits, so be it. I get sent a lot of arcs so this happens.

Like this year I read Monster Burger for the non-dragon magical creature but realized it fit the nontraditional education prompt so I kicked it to there (since I had nothing there) and I read The Paranormal Ranger: A Navajo Investigator's Search for the Unexplained because I saw it in my library and it has three huge areas of interest for me: true crime, Indigenous culture and the paranormal and realized hey, this fit the POC joy prompt. (both were fun reads btw)

Ron wrote: "Happy Thursday all. Can't believe how quick the week has gone by.

I have completed my second week of work/training. I read in the mornings, work at a bookstore, and read when I I have time in the..."

good luck with the upcoming semester and the new reading list

Happy Thursday, everyone! I saw The Naked Gun with my family over the weekend, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I didn't think I would based on the trailer alone, but it was an all around good time! On the work front, I am still familiarizing myself with my new job and loving it so far. Our systems have been down the last 6 months due to a cyberattack, but we just received word that our network should be back by early September! What a relief!

As for reading, I knocked off a couple of Goodreads bookmarks and am slowly but surely completing my remaining reading challenges!

2025 Reading Challenges
Popsugar- 48/50
ATY- 52/52; Anniversary- 10/10; Summer- 6900/5000 COMPLETED
52 Book Club- 50/52; Connections- 18/21
Barnes & Noble- 49/52
Booklist Queen- 48/52
Read Good- 12/12 COMPLETED
Buzzword- 8/12; Cover- 7/12

1001 Books- 10/10 COMPLETED
TBR- 20/20 COMPLETED

Finished
Run with the Wind- I only picked this book up to fulfill the PS running club prompt. It was okay. ☆☆☆
PS #17- a book about a run club
Buzzword: "with"

I Escaped a Chinese Internment Camp- this was a quick, enlightening read. I only wish it was longer but given the graphic novel format, I get it. ☆☆☆☆

All the Sinners Bleed- This was a gritty character-driven mystery/thriller. It was definitely better than the thriller I read last week. I guess my only complaint is that I wish we had more breadcrumbs so the resolution wouldn't seem like it came out of left field. Also wish the themes were a little more subtle. This book gave me the Poolside Puzzlers Goodreads Bookmark! ☆☆☆ 1/2
52BC Connections #17- inspired by something in the previous author's bio

How to Dodge a Cannonball- I liked this; it was funny and absurd but there was a lot of stuff going on plotwise that sometimes it was hard to keep up. This book also gave me the Debut Darling Goodreads Bookmark! ☆☆☆ 1/2
52BC Connections #18- shares main theme with previous book
ATY Summer #3C- a book with a military character (serving, retired, or adjacent)

Currently Reading
March

QOTW
Yes, this has happened to me before! Recently it was with the left-handed character prompt. I was planning to use one of the Ali Hazelwood books that was suggested on the thread, but then I read Disappoint Me and within the first two chapters, the main character made a comment that revealed she was left-handed, so I used it instead!

Happy Thursday! I finally made it on time! School starts next week for my daughter. The summer is officially coming to a close. I'm ready for it. Bring on the fall!

Finished 32/50

The Forty Elephants for "book about an overlooked woman in history". This was definitely entertaining but I'm not sure about the overall message...fighting fire with fire just makes you the same as your enemy.

Currently Reading

The Reason: How I Discovered a Life Worth Living for "a book where music plays an integral part of the storyline". It's Lacey Sturm's autobiography, aka the lead singer of Flyleaf! I've always loved her music (her latest solo album is amazing!), and I'm loving reading her story too!

The Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Alphabetical Collection for "a classic you've never read". With any luck, I'll have finished this by the end of the month!

QotW

I typically plan out my challenge picks in advance, but sometimes my church book club will pick a book that fits, which is always a pleasant surprise!

Hi all! This has been the longest week ever. My grandfather is doing very poorly and has been in ICU since the weekend and had several surgeries. He's still hanging in there, though. It's been tough on me and my family.

Today I woke up dizzy, which (though I have loads of other health issues) is highly unusual. I was going to take the kiddo back to school shopping, but hopefully we'll be able to go tomorrow.
She goes back to school in less than 3 weeks! I think we've had a good mix of fun things to do this summer and chill time. And we still have a couple more things to do before summer is over.

I've been able to do some reading, a little bit of listening to Hanging Mary. I've got 4 hours left and could probably finish by next week if I really tried, but I'm behind on baseball games, so I probably won't get that far.
Read a couple more chapters in How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater, which is amusing me.
I ought to be able to finish Blankets by next week. I'm liking it, but I hope it doesn't get bogged down in this final third.

QOTW: Yep! I love it when that happens. This year, I switched The Fox Wife from magical creatures to a married couple that doesn't live together because I figured I would have an easier time finding the magical creatures.

I've also been surprised that I've found several books that would work for nonverbal character. I used Out of My Mind for it, but also could have used Chasing Fireflies and at least one other book that is slipping my mind at the moment.

I said last week that I wouldn't be able to meet the new hires in my deparment due to working different days, but it turns out I got to work with one, since we had a number of people out on Monday, and they got called in to help out. I liked them in person, but as the ghost who moves the things on our shared desk, not so much.
I went to see The Bad Guys 2 today and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Finished:
Those Kids from Fawn Creek - Didn't particularly care for this one. It did a good job of showing the small community of kids, but the new girl character felt a little too Manic Pixie Dream Girl for my taste, and it ended on too much of a down note.
Jojo vs. Middle School - A smidge too contrived, but it was a quick read, and the main group of girls were likeable.
A Song for You & I - My enjoyment of this was dampened by the fact that the blurb on the back spoils a big part of the book! The art was gorgeous, but I would have liked it if the characters were a little more fleshed out.
Shiny Misfits: A Graphic Novel - Straight up did not like this one. A lot of the supposed humor of the story came off as abrasive, and 90% of the characters were just insufferable.

Currently Reading:
Hemlock & Silver
Control Freaks
Uncharmed
Botticelli's Apprentice: A Graphic Novel
Sea Monsters

QOTW: Since I'm on a local book award committee, almost all of my filled prompts have been unplanned. If a book happened to fit a prompt, I went with it, and I was able to fill almost half the prompts that way. Now that I'm almost done with my assigned reading, I'll be able to work more deliberately on the remaining prompts.

I will lead The Fellowship of the Ring!

For credentials, I'd like to say that I have the high Elven greeting written in English and Tengwar around the wall (close to the ceiling) in my dining room, we used to host parties on September 22, and I named one of my kids after a LotR character.

I'm reading The Lion Sleeps Tonight as my interconneted short stories. OK, this is a bit of a cheat. It's not really short stories, per se. They're more like magazine articles that this one guy wrote about South Africa. But, I'm counting it. Because they're sort of non fiction short stories. Not sure if that's a thing.

QOTW: I'm pretty intentional about the challenge. But sometimes I will start a book thinking it will fit a category and it turns out it doesn't and then I'll shift it. This year, I started reading So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish for space tourism and realized the whole thing took place on earth so I used it for a book under 250 pages. (OK, the book I ended up reading took place 100% on Earth, too, but they were talking about space tourism the entire time, so I decided that it was, indeed, about space tourism).

Happy Thursday!

I'm sorry you got sick on your vacation, Nadine,

I finished a book. I am reading all of my August books at once. This was easier to do on vacation, but every book I read frees me up to concentrate more on the others.

I loved this book of short stories. The Eragon series was great, but every book was 700 pages and the last one was 850. This one was a nice slightly under 300. Reading it felt fun.

Finished:
The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm: Eragon
Popsugar prompt: A book of interconnected short stories
ATY prompt: A book set in a fictional location
Anniversary prompt:
Summer prompt: Author's initials are in: Fruit Punch (CP) - 200 points

Series - 7/10
Reading Across Canada - 7/10
Nobel laureates - 3/5

PS - 30/40
Regular ATY - 29/40
Anniversary ATY - 8/10
Summer Challenge - 4300/5000 - 86%

Currently reading:
Interior Castle - 35%
Those Pink Mountain Nights - 75%
The Woman in Suite 11 - 50%

Buddy Reads:
Library of Souls - 10%

QOTW: Like the book I just finished this week. :)
Counting the one I just finished, I've had 6 unexpected prompts ticked off (out of 30 books read - that's 20%).

Happy Thursday all!

The Weird Al concert was fantastic! Much laughter, much singing, and many antics from Al and his band. 10/10, would go again. Now to re-read his biography...

I DNFed a LOT of books this week. I dunno if I just struck out or if I didn't have a lot of patience for reading...

Books read this week:

A Wolf Called Fire -- great companion read to A Wolf Called Wander, and based on the true story of Wolf 8, one of Yellowstone’s most famous wolves.

Automatic Noodle -- a cozy sci-fi read about a group of robots who open a restaurant together. Very much feels like Legends & Lattes with a found family of robots!

Spy x Family, Vol. 1 -- started this manga series, and it’s surprisingly cute despite all the spy/assassin shenanigans going on!

DNF:

Myths and Magic -- tries really hard to be a Terry Pratchett-esque fantasy novel, while forgetting that Pratchett had not just wit but satire and solid worldbuilding to back up his work.

Kittentits -- okay, I borrowed this one specifically because that title was hilarious. But after repeated uses of the “R” slur and the 10-year-old main character (view spoiler)[pulling a used tampon out of a grown woman (hide spoiler)], I bailed.

Eat the Ones You Love -- the synopsis made this seem like a queer version of Little Shop of Horrors. But holy crap, it was so BORING.

Seven Endless Forests -- I loved The Boneless Mercies by this author, but just could not get into this one. So much detail went into the worldbuilding that the plot and character development got left by the wayside.

Currently reading:

The Best of Catherynne M. Valente, Volume One
Obsidian Son
Mirror Lake
Little Fish
FantasticLand

QOTW: I tend to pre-plan my challenge, so I don't run into this often. Maybe next year I should try to NOT pre-plan so much? Hehe...

Happy check-in! I'm really happy with the new list for the goodreads bookmark that was revealed today.

Finished Reading:

The Deviant Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐
I spotted a fave author had a horror series with a serial killer who dresses as santa and a comic author interviews the man arrested for the murders for his new book. Anyway the artwork is gruesome but the story plotting is awesome.

Accomplice to the Villain ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (PS non verbal character)
Well this series isn't a trilogy like I thought it was going to be. I'm good with that.

Fence, Vol. 7: Challengers ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Yet another book that fits left handed character when I'm holding firm on reading my copy of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London for the prompt. This series is as cute as ever.

Frost Burned Dramatized Adaptation (Mercy Thompson #7 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Now back to being impatient for the next in the series to be published.

The Turn of the Screw ⭐⭐
A short book published before 1900 to finish the ATY Summer Challenge. Yeah it was not good like many have ranted in this thread, but now I can read the good version by Ruth Ware.

PS 44/50
ATY 45/52 Anniversary 5/10 Summer 25/25
Goodreads 189/250 Bookmarks 6/9

QOTW:
First thing that comes to mind was The Westing Game having a character named turtle linked to another book from a different genre. I can't really think of any other books that fit the question but I have been surprised by how many books I've read this year that fit chronic pain, left-handed character and the cult prompts.

I've been so busy with work that little time to read. Awful heat and humidity here in NYC doesn't help.

ATY - 60/62
PS - 44/50

Finished - just one book:
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe


Currently Reading - too many started with little progress though I like them all:
Bleak Housej a slow read along though I'm behind
My Brother Michael
Night Boat to Tangier
Murder in a Scottish Shire

QOTW: Since I mostly just read whatever I want or happen to read and don't plan any reading for PS or any prompt challenge until I'm down to the last few, I'm always being surprised.

Hello and happy late Thursday from a painfully hot Columbus. Every day I have to step outside is another day I long to move to the arctic. I missed last weeks check in, I don’t even remember why but I was probably just busy. My son started 5th grade yesterday. Ain’t it crazy how time slips by. And I have been really enjoying collecting houseplants the last few weeks. I’ve got a cute little collection of fairly easy starter plants.

Finished:
One Italian Summer for a book featuring a bucket list activity. This book hits different when you’ve also lost a parent. It was a sweet book about a woman grieving her mom and getting to know a side of her she hadn’t seen before. There was a part that rubbed me the wrong way, but hey, not every book can be perfect lol. Lauren Graham narrates the audiobook so this is a good one for GG fans.

Daisy Miller for my classics challenge. I love a short classic, makes me feel accomplished with minimal effort. I feel like Henry James books are always on the shorter side and written succinctly. A little too heavy on delicate women dying from breathing night air but overall I love the way he tells a story.

The Minority Report, We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, Paycheck, Second Variety, The Eyes Have It all combined for a short story collection for my classics challenge. I’ve only read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? previously, but I’ve seen many of the movies based off his works. I like that his books have more humor in them than the movies tend to. I feel like I’m more drawn to sci-fi that doesn’t take itself super seriously.

Peril at King's Creek: A Felicity Mystery, Traitor in Williamsburg: A Felicity Mystery not for a challenge just working my way through the American girl Felicity collection. These are mystery books published in the mid 2000s, when I was a little too old to notice or care. These have a little more substance to them, and actually manage to build up a decent amount of tension for a book targeted to such a young audience. If they had come out when I was a kid I might have had a nervous breakdown over these.

Beware the Poltergeist not for the challenge, I’ve just been listening to this series with my son. No comments.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London for the advanced prompt, a book with a left handed character. I love Garth Nix, Sabriel is one of my all time favorite books so I always mean to read more from him. This one was funny and cute, I’ve already put a hold on the second book.

The Secret History of Bigfoot: Field Notes on a North American Monster for a book riot prompt and my book club’s August pick. I tend to go into books blind, and I had kind of assumed this would be more about stories of eyewitness accounts of Bigfoot but it’s mostly about the people who are different levels of dedicated to proving the existence of Bigfoot. It’s kinda funny, but really heavy handed with critiques on MAGA and racial relations in the US. Like, I’m not reading a book about Bigfoot because I want another lecture on why the Temper Tantrum Cheeto sucks. I wanna read about people who have stories about Bigfoot ripping their car tire off.

Currently Reading:
Lady Margaret's Ghost: A Felicity Mystery
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible

Recently Watched:
I recently found my missing tv remote (it’s been months, whoops) so I watched Fantasia and Fantasia 2000.

Challenges:
Popsugar - 20/40; 0/4; 1/3; 2/3
Read Harder - 15/24
Classics - 8/12
European Tour - 7/10
12 Friends - 6/12
Yearly Goal - 85/180

QOTW:
Sometimes I find a better fit I’m more into after getting into it and swap it out when the book I had planned seemed unappealing.

I'm seriously jealous of all the people saying "school starts in two weeks, or less than three weeks..." because my school started LAST WEEK and I hate it. The second day it 96 degrees and there was a small brush fire across the street so we got to smell smoke for a while. No reason school needs to start that soon.

In the last weeks I finished 5 books, one for a prompt. I'm slumping on the prompts even though they are all planned out.

The Missing Half (worst book I've read this year)
Year of Wonders (book starting with letter Y)
The Humans
The Correspondent
My Ántonia

Currently reading:
Three Days in June
Mansfield Park
Fabric: The Hidden History of the Material World
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List

I recently added Stone Blind to my Kindle from Unlimited maybe I'll switch "snake" books

QOTW:

I had already planned out most of the books by overlapping them with ATY, 52, and Read Harder, but was still surprised that several books I read unexpectedly could have fit other prompts and/or I changed titles when I stumbled on a book that fit.

One that I changed early on was the menopause prompt. I am surprised that I accidentally stumbled on THREE books that satisfied this prompt (I went with How to Age Disgracefully).

The second book I read this year (Still Alice had a left handed character. Prompt complete

I had planned on Out of My Mind for non-verbal and stuck worth it, but I've read 3 other books worth nonverbal characters. I also accidentally stumbled on several books worth married coupes who live apart.

Happy Thursday. Another week, another GR bookmark. The new list is much easier for me because I had 3 books I was planning to read soon on the list (Full Speed to a Crash Landing, The Cat Who Saved the Library & The Rainfall Market)

Stats
GR: 166/250
PS: 37/50
ATY: 43/52
ATY Anniversary: 9/10
ATY Rejects: 19/28
ATY Rewind: 6/10
GR Choice: 18/30
TBR: 4/10

I Finished

Frost Burned Dramatized Adaptation ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Reread.

Snow White Learns Witchcraft ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
ATY: From the ATY Best Book of the Month Threads

The House of Hades ⭐⭐⭐⭐
ATY Rejects: A book with zombies.

Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City ⭐⭐⭐⭐
ATY: 2 books from different genres with a connection, book 1.

Fence, Vol. 7: Challengers ⭐⭐⭐⭐
PS: 2025 publication.

In Progress

The Cat Who Saved the Library
The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco

QotW

I mostly read first, then match to prompts, but I do plan for the 'hard' prompts. And so far this year, I ended up reading a book for the character with chronic pain (It's All or Nothing, Vale) and the menopause prompt Killers of a Certain Age) and so I don't have to use the books I'd picked out. And thanks to the prompts drawing my attention, I have been wondering why I've had so many books with characters in chronic pain, or books featuring soccer this year. Case in point: the book I picked out because I need a book with a beach scene on the cover, turned out to be about a recently retired soccer player. The fact that he had to retire early, probably means he'll have some pain issues too.

Life update: Oh, gosh, we've had such a busy week. On Monday we babysat so that my daughter could go to a hospital appointment, and then we all watched a movie together in the evening. On Wednesday, my younger son and his partner arrived to spend a few nights here and attend work-related events. Today, we are dogsitting for a friend who needs to run some dog-free errands. And inbetweeen it all, I've been attending WorldCon via a virtual membership. They're having some tech issues, but I'm still managing to have a great time and reconnecting with some old friends I'd lost touch with!

Reading update: I finished three books this week:
Remarkably Bright Creatures for the group read and for Readers of the Wild Moor: a cosy mystery.
The Beats: A Graphic History for my writing project
The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda for my audiobook

Stats:
PopSugar Challenge: 0 this week, 49/50 total
GR Summer Challenge: 0 this week, 4/6 total
Disability Pride Challenge: 0 this week, 2/5 total
Star Trek Series Challenge: 0 this week, 16/18 total
Readers of the Wild Moor: 1 this week, 22/30 total
Politics & Philosophy: 0 this week, 4/15 total
Queer Reads Bracket Challenge: 0 this week, 4/6 total
Anti-Capitalist Inspiration: 0 this week, 7/30 total
Outside the challenges: 2 this week, 20 total
All books finished this year: 3 this week, 105 total
DNF or paused: 0 this week, 19 total

Challenges completed this year:
GR Community Favorites, GR Seasonal Bookmarks, Pride Season

Currently Reading:
Cracks in the Great Wall: Ufos And Traditional Metaphysics for my writing project
Artificial Condition for my current audiobook
She Sat He Stood: What Do Your Characters Do While They Talk? for Reading About Writing: a book about dialogue
The Valmiki Ramayana Vol. 3 for spiritual bedtime reading

QOTW: Yes, definitely. This year I started reading Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: The High Country for the Star Trek Series Challenge before realising that it could also work for PS: a book about a cult. I also didn't realise before starting The Emperor's Soul that I could use it for PS: a book with a happily single woman protagonist, or before starting A Choice of Futures that it would work for PS: a book about chosen family.

K.L. wrote: "~The Colour of Magic — This is the first book in the Discworld series.

I just started this as a show on Prime TV. I think I have viewed 2 episodes. It is a bit strange but also wonderful.

Denise wrote: "I'm seriously jealous of all the people saying "school starts in two weeks, or less than three weeks..." because my school started LAST WEEK and I hate it. The second day it 96 degrees and there wa..."

I was in college before I learned that all schools don't start after Labor Day. I just thought it was how it worked! lol And because my college was on trimesters, even that started after Labor Day! I've heard that some places are thinking about moving start dates to past Labor Day because of high heat.

Jennifer W wrote: "Hi all! This has been the longest week ever. My grandfather is doing very poorly and has been in ICU since the weekend and had several surgeries. He's still hanging in there, though. in there, though. It's been tough on me and my family.

Today I woke up dizzy, which (though I have loads of other health issues) is highly unusual...."



I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather.

I started getting vertigo about ten years ago - first time it happened I freaked out and went to urgent care, and they found nothing wrong. After a while, I learned it's a common symptom of perimenopause - why didn't anyone tell me this??? But I think you are a bit too young for that yet?

Milena wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Happy Thursday!  

... I already wanted to read Stone Blind, but when you give a book such a glowing review I really pay attention...."



LOL the effect of my frequently savaging books, I assume!

Happy Friday, y’all.

Well, in the midst of a feeling of loneliness, I adopted a dog. Oh, my.

The local animal shelter was having a no fee adoption day to try to open space in their kennels. Usually, I avoid those days as I know I will bring home a dog and my life is right now way to busy for that. And, yes, I did. A pit mix. 5 y/o. I am in my latter 70s.

So, I am now the proud momma of an adult dog that isn’t socialized with manners, acts like a puppy in her exuberance, and who is making my usual routine a thing of the past. And, needless to say, my poor brain is challenged to remember what I usually do, where I put things, and how I ever got along without a dog.

Fall classes for the Lifelong Learning at the local university are scheduled. These are often 1-3 sessions per class, although half that I signed up for run for 5-6 sessions. Each multiple class runs weekly and start dates vary from late August – October.

My new dishwasher is due to arrive sometime next week. And, just before I posted this, my dishwasher arrived in the midst of the utility room repair! (see below)

My refrigerator has another appt to fix the original problem of leaking. And, my utility room ceiling developed a leak.

That last one is being worked on right now. Turns out the leak has been there for years being soaked up by one of ceiling joists which now must be replaced…more money.

Finished:
Happiness Falls – PS #43 (nonverbal character), PAS. 4* I found this story about a family and the missing father intriguing because every time I thought I figured out what would happen next there was a new surprise in the development.

Out of the Storm – Kindle. PAS, PS #16 (body of water). 4* A short novel about a love connection.

Driven to Death – Kindle. PAS. 4* Loved this American cop assigned to head up a team at the London Met and all the challenges of learning a new way of policing as well as common language expressions.

This Must Be the Place – PAS. ATY #41 (digging up the past). 3* A bit of a challenge to me to keep players straight in the beginning, but all is explained at the end.

Vendetta – PAS. Kindle. 4* Crime and learning that found family is real family.

Currently Reading:
Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All - ATY #30 (monster), PAS, PS #44 (book I have avoided). 73%.

The Witchfinder's Sister – Audiobook. No prompts. 55%

Zeus's Cookbook: Most Ungodly Appetizers – PAS. Kindle. 30%

The Frozen People – PS #19 (highly anticipated), ATY #51 (pub 2025). 38% This is a time travel story. Not usually something I seek out.

In the Night of Memory – No prompt. 42%

Spiritual Reading:
Navigating the Bible: The 5-Minute Guide to Understanding God's Word – I am using this book as a brief overview of whatever Bible book I am reading. Currently it is Acts.

The Practice of the Presence of God – Devotional reading. 60%

Stories of the Spirit, Stories of the Heart: Parables of the Spiritual Path from Around the World – Devotional bedtime reading. 17%

Just Starting:
Shaman – PS #38/#39 (same title). 6%. I own this book, so it takes the back seat to library due dates.

The Paris Novel – Book Club choice. Going to try attending the library’s book club again.

On Deck: (library)
How to Read a Book – Book Club choice.
Louisiana Longshot - PAS
Porgy - PAS
The Hydrogen Murder – ATY Anniversary
The Scarlet Letter – Library book/movie discussion. Reread. Due Sept.


PS 33/50
ATY 37/52, Anniversary 9/10
GR 133/200

QotW: Have you read a book that unexpectedly ended up fulfilling a reading challenge prompt? (You didn’t plan to read it for this prompt, but…)

I do plan books for all my challenges.

However, I read for three GR groups’ challenges as well as what interests or draws me, so that I am always reading books that are not planned for a particular challenge like PS. Usually as a challenge goes on, I will start mining my reading for other books that I have read that might fill open prompts.

I may have gone a bit overboard with my book hauls this week.

I need 9 books for a specific class for school so that gives me an excuse of book buying.

Then I got a few others that I wanted to get to simply continue educating myself on the subject.

Then just others I've been wanting to read so I said heck with it I'll just get them.

I also ordered 6 adult coloring books.

Here are all of the books I recently bought:

Walden & Civil Disobedience

Flight Behavior

The Practice of the Wild: Essays

Parable of the Sower

Body Toxic

Writing the World on Fire: Ecocriticism, Climate Narratives, and Literature in the Anthropocene Era

The Country of the Pointed Firs and Other Stories

The Cambridge Introduction to Literature and the Environment

Ecocriticism

The Future of Environmental Criticism: Environmental Crisis and Literary Imagination

The Iliad / The Odyssey

Parable of the Talents

Jennifer W wrote: "Denise wrote: "I'm seriously jealous of all the people saying "school starts in two weeks, or less than three weeks..." because my school started LAST WEEK and I hate it. The second day it 96 degre...


... I was in college before I learned that all schools don't start after Labor Day. "



Growing up in NJ, our K-12 always started after Labor Day. I knew colleges started in late August, but it wasn't until I joined Facebook that I learned K-12 starts in August (or even late July!) in some parts of the country. Crazy! August is summer! Don't talk about school starting yet, we have only just started our summer!! (Since K-12 school lets out at the end of June here.)

Dubhease wrote: "I will lead The Fellowship of the Ring!

For credentials, I'd like to say that I have the high Elven greeting written in English and Tengwar around the wall (close to the ceiling) in my dining room..."



Thank you!!! LOL you certainly sound qualified!!! (I trust your child is not named Sauron.)

Kenya wrote: "... Kittentits -- ... and the 10-year-old main character (view spoiler), I bailed. ..."



Good lord WHAT?? What possible scenario would lead up to that?????

Bea wrote: "Happy Friday, y’all.

Well, in the midst of a feeling of loneliness, I adopted a dog. Oh, my.

The local animal shelter was having a no fee adoption day to try to open space in their kennels. Usua..."



Congrats on your new dog!!! what is her name?


I sympathize on your household upheaval. My oven died right before we left for vacation. Now that I'm back home, I have to start shopping for new ovens.

Jennifer W wrote: "Denise wrote: "I'm seriously jealous of all the people saying "school starts in two weeks, or less than three weeks..." because my school started LAST WEEK and I hate it. The second day it 96 degre..."

When I was a kid it started after Labor Day! The district I live in (but not work in) was the last bastion of the post-Labor Day start and even they caved about 4 years ago (they start next week on the 21st).

I don't see a return to post Labor Day here because there is this idea that the semester should end before the winter break, and to do that school has to start 2-3 weeks before Labor Day

Nadine in NY wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Denise wrote: "I'm seriously jealous of all the people saying "school starts in two weeks, or less than three weeks..." because my school started LAST WEEK and I hate it. The sec..."

About 10 years ago when the calendar slowly started creeping further and further into August, some district reps actually said that we have to start in August and end the semester before winter break to "mimic the college experience so students won't have a hard time making the transition to college".

I remember having no problem "transitioning to college" even though it started n August, and as a high school teacher I can tell you that a kid who cannot adjust to starting school in late August instead go early September should not be in college (maybe they should start at community college to learn to adjust)

Nadine in NY wrote: "Congrats on your new dog!!! what is her name?"

Darla.

Bea wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Congrats on your new dog!!! what is her name?"

Darla."

Cute dog name!

Denise wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Denise wrote: "I'm seriously jealous of all the people saying "school starts in two weeks, or less than three weeks..." because my school started LAST WEEK a..."

Seriously?? That's their rationale?? That's the thing that a kid is going to have trouble adjusting to going off to college??? Good Lord....

Nadine in NY wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Hi all! This has been the longest week ever. My grandfather is doing very poorly and has been in ICU since the weekend and had several surgeries. He's still hanging in there, tho..."

Thanks.

I'm getting there, but that's one of the things I wonder about what with all my other health issues mucking up the works....

A quick check-in before I head out to dinner. I finished a short story and a non-fiction book; neither fit an open prompt. I'm at 13/40 and 0/10 for this challenge, and 47/85 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge.

Finished:
* The Bookstore Keepers written by Alice Hoffman and narrated by Jennifer Jill Arays; and,
* Talk to Me Nice: The Seven Trust Languages for a Better Workplace by Minda Harts.

Currently Reading:
* The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries edited by Michael Sims;
* The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso; and,
* A Madness of Sunshine written by Nalini Singh and narrated by Saskia Maarleveld.

QotW:
Have you read a book that unexpectedly ended up fulfilling a reading challenge prompt? (You didn’t plan to read it for this prompt, but…) Possibly since that usually happens but I haven't been paying that close attention? I am trying to use books I own or are book club reads to check off the prompts and just trying to see how far I get with that approach. I've been more surprised by the books I couldn't find a fit for prompt-wise, tbh.

Denise wrote: "some district reps actually said that we have to start in August and end the semester before winter break to "mimic the college experience so students won't have a hard time making the transition to college"..."




LOL some people say the dumbest things. I suspect that rep didn't actually believe that, he was just spouting nonsense because he didn't want to change the calendar for other reasons (possibly sheer laziness).

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🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰
Popsugar Challenge Completion: 30%, 3/10
📖=book 💻=ebook 🎧=audiobook
🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰🟰


📖🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠
1️⃣I finished reading The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire by Jack Weatherford today! I greatly enjoyed it and plan on reading more of Jack Weatherford's books. I even left it a review!
🏹🐎🎉

📖
2️⃣I've started reading Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt today. I've heard some mixed reviews for this one, but I wanted to try out the monthly read, so here's hoping it's a good one!
🗓️🐙🤔

Question of the Week

Have you read a book that unexpectedly ended up fulfilling a reading challenge prompt? (You didn’t plan to read it for this prompt, but…)

📖🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠
Yes! Even though I'm quite late to the party, having started in July, the book I was already reading when I joined the challenge ended up filling the prompt for Popsugar Challenge 10: A book you got for free. The book was To Be a Runner: How Racing Up Mountains, Running with the Bulls, or Just Taking on a 5-K Makes You a Better Person and the World a Better Place by Martin Dugard. I got it for free off of the library discard cart!
🆓📚😊

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Nadine in NY wrote: "Kenya wrote: "... Kittentits -- ... and the 10-year-old main character (view spoiler), I bailed. ..."



Good lord WHAT?? What possible scenario would lead up to that?????"

There was no actual setup for it, it just happened. I bailed immediately afterwards.

Kenya wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Kenya wrote: "... Kittentits -- ... and the 10-year-old main character (view spoiler), I bailed. ..."



Good lord WHAT?? What possible scenario would lead up to that?????"

Th..."

This sounds awful. Now I need to take a look at this book out of morbid curiosity. Wish my mental health good luck, lol.

Happy Saturday! Well, last night I exited out of my post before hitting submit, so here's round two! Last weekend, a local bookstore was having a romance book day with scavenger hunts and games- went with a few friends and it was really fun! We all got a free arc for winning the scavenger hunt- I picked Empty Heaven, which looks like a perfect book for Halloween. I had a store credit, so I walked away with a some other fun books too!

Finished:
The Cut Line- an Estonian book I got through netgalley about a woman dealing with the aftermath of leaving a very long, abusive relationship. I thought the writing was really beautiful, I hope we get more of the author's work translated into English
-no prompt

A Holy Maiden's Guide to Getting Kidnapped- this had interesting characters, and an interesting world, but there was so much going on in a relatively short book that nothing felt fleshed out enough
-no prompt

People from My Neighborhood- interconnected, surreal short stories from one of my favorite Japanese writers, Hiromi Kawakami
-no prompt

Currently reading:
Looking for Group- got this from netgalley a week after it was released... so I guess I should get to it right away, but a little weird timing wise

Things Remembered and Things Forgotten- starting another short story collection, when I'm still working on one probably not my smartest move, but I was organizing my books, and was reminded I needed to read it, and here we are

And still slowly working on Everything She Touched: The Life of Ruth Asawa and What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky

QotW:
So far the only one was Unloved for books on cover, because even though I saw the cover so many times, it didn't click that it would work for a prompt until I"d finished it.

And then Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity would have worked for the under 3 star rating- I still say that is undeserved- but I'd already read Saha for that one

Nadine in NY wrote: "Denise wrote: "some district reps actually said that we have to start in August and end the semester before winter break to "mimic the college experience so students won't have a hard time making t..."

IDK, it's LAUSD. They believe some really weird crap.