Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2025 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 36: 8/28 - 9/4
We're in September already, what?! How did that happen. I can't believe we're in the final stretch of the year.So far things have been going good for me. I am loving my work. Frequent customer's are starting to remember my name so that's cool. And I've been getting a lot of compliments on how well I've been doing. I'm normally not one for compliments, but they've been nice.
School has been going pretty well, at least for one class. I love my nature writing class. We're reading a lot of material and now our essays from here on end are going to be our choice. We get to decide what questions to ask and how to answer them and I get to choose my mid-term and final essay topics which is very awesome!
My second class, not so much. We take weekly "quizzes" though they're more like tests because they're 50 questions. I honestly don't know how I am supposed to focus for that many. I get bored like halfway through and then I can't stay on track.
*****
Book News:
Been buying books like crazy! Mainly because they're for school research and for class in general so that's been fun. Some have been pre-orders which I love. Some of them I'm saving for Native American Heritage Month in November.
*****
I went through the PEN American Banned Books list for the 2023-2024 school year that was released. With Banned Books Week coming up in October, I usually try to find a book or two to read that week for it. Going through that list, I managed to find some that caught my attention so now I have them on standby.
*****
Finished:
Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion 4-star read. I love indie music so to hear about the history as well as artists/songs I'm familiar with was very fun.
*****
Currently Reading:
The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America - This is my pleasure book (ie not a school read). It's been so fun! I love the history, it's very detailed.
****
Ecology and Popular Film: Cinema on the Edge
Ecological Film Theory and Psychoanalysis: Surviving the Environmental Apocalypse in Cinema
- These two I'm reading for personal reasons. I've always been fascinated with doomsday/ecological disaster films, so I wanted to see if there were books on the topic.
'
*****
Question of the Week
How often are you extremely disappointed in a book when you expected to thoroughly enjoy it?
Surprisingly it hasn't happened that often this year. I've had this experience maybe at least twice this year. One was with a poetry book about soccer. I was expecting it to be more complex, but instead it felt like a 3rd grader read it.
The second time was with this book: Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again - I thought I was going to enjoy it, but it ended up being a huge disappointment because it felt like an invasion of privacy.
Happy Thursday, y’all.Nadine, sorry about your kitchen issues. I am right there with you. My kitchen sink still has no hot water due to the copper tubing that was removed for the dishwasher. And, the new dishwasher has yet to be installed (I am still expecting the warranty company to get that done as it was supposed to be their expense, not mine). As a result, I am washing dishes in hot water in the bathroom still and my kitchen and dining room are still a storage area!
Darla does not like rain. That includes, sprinklers that go off at 6a, just when it is time for her to rise and shine and go out! Today is another bath attempt day. Wish me success or at least more than last week.
Finished:
Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All - ATY #30 (monster), PAS, PS #44 (book I have avoided). I am very glad to have finished this book. It feels like such an accomplishment to me. 875 pages of small type! I did like the book, which was told in various length stories of her hard life, but I felt that it could have been a bit shorter with better editing. Maybe not. What do I know. 3*
The Silver Needle Murder – PAS, PS #36 (silver in title). 4*. Cozy mystery. Continuation of a series.
Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection - No prompt. 3*. Interesting and an easy read. I don’t get the hype on this one, though.
Moonlight and Mischief – Kindle. PAS. 4* Fun. Cozy mystery. Paranormal.
Dark Remnants – Kindle. PAS. 4*. Thriller. I was surprised that I liked this as much as I did. However, the author ended it abruptly, or so it seemed to me. Kinda like, “oh, let’s make it a sequel and stop here”. Very abrupt.
Currently Reading:
Shaman – PS #38/#39 (same title). 52%. My goal is to finish this over the weekend. Amazingly, it covers the same area as the previous book that I read with the same title.
The Thing About Home: A Lowcountry Novel – no prompt. 37%
Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail– PS #32 (overlooked woman). 21%
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 Proverbs.
The Practice of the Presence of God – Devotional reading. 98%
Stories of the Spirit, Stories of the Heart: Parables of the Spiritual Path from Around the World – Devotional bedtime reading. 53%
Just Starting:
The Kept Woman – PAS. 3%
On Deck: (library)
The Scarlet Letter – Library book/movie discussion. Reread. Due Sept. (Too many issues on GR to find the specific book that I am reading!). I got an edition from Amazon that includes study guides as well as the actual book.
The Henna Artist – Book Club choice for Sept.
The Guncle - PS #35 (LGTBQ not coming out)
The Anatomist's Wife - PS #15 (bot recommended)
Maniac Magee - PAS
The Tombs of Atuan - PAS
PS 35/50
ATY 39/52
GR 148/200
QotW: How often are you extremely disappointed in a book when you expected to thoroughly enjoy it?
Rarely. I think that is because I have learned how to assess books that I might want to read and just do not choose high expectation type books.
When it does occur is most often in a series that I am enjoying but that sometimes feels like the author has lost his/her enjoyment in writing.
Happy Thursday all!Spending this week recovering from the three-day weekend. Not that I partied hard or anything (mostly spent it reading, writing, and playing Breath of the Wild), but the library was closed for the Labor Day holiday and I've been spending the past two days trying to play catch-up. So looking forward to the weekend...
Books read this week:
Spooked!: How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America -- fascinating account of the 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast, and the truth and hoaxes surrounding it.
Dark Bayou -- passable fantasy-horror about a family fighting evil forces in a small Louisiana town
The Wild Wood -- beautifully written and dreamlike, but rather light on story
Spy x Family, Vol. 6
Currently reading:
The Best of Catherynne M. Valente, Volume One
Summers End
Hemlock & Silver
I Hate Piñatas: Surviving Life's Unexpected Surprises
This Is Not a Werewolf Story
QOTW:
This has happened to me a few times. Sadly, the last time it happened was with one of my favorite authors! I was expecting to love Space Oddity, as it was a sequel to a book I'd loved by an author I adore, but boy did it turn out lackluster.
Mod
My older dog Molly won't go out in the rain either! Nor will she go out if there's thunder, or threat of thunder, or a truck beeping in reverse somewhere, or construction sounds, or gunfire echoing across the bay (oddly, she's fine with gunfire from the nearby gun range - must be a different type of gun so it sounds different to her), or a backfiring car or motorcycle, or a truck that just drove by with a loudly flapping tarp, or fireworks, or it's a time of night when she once heard fireworks or thunder, etc. She will hold it, she doesn't pee in the house, but I feel so bad for her, how can she be comfortable???
Happy Thursday! Home from New Mexico – I’m glad to be out of the heat (although it's still hot here) and dust. School has started, so it’ll just be me, Seth (33), Ewan (2.5), and Starlight at home most of the time. I’m hoping to do some serious organizing this month. It’ll be much easier with fewer people at the house. We have so much extraneous stuff!Starlight says “Hi, everybody!”
2025 Reading Challenges:
52 Book Club: 46/52 (Connections Challenge: 14/21)
ATY: 40/52 (ATY Anniversary Challenge: 8/10, ATY Fall Challenge: 5/36)
The Book Girls’ Guide: 51/74
Booklist Queen: 46/52
Popsugar: 47/50
Goodreads Summer Challenge (Bookmarks): 9/9 🏆
My Ever-Growing TBR: 111/310 – 35.8% (My goal is 33.3%, so I’m golden if I just balance my book buying with book reading!)
Recently Completed:
🍎 UnEnchanted: Messy plotting, but still an interesting idea of a family fated to live out fairy tales. BUT the author completely lost me when she said that the book they were looking for was a “grimoire” because they were the “Grimm” family – if they’d been the “Smiths,” it would be a “smithoire.” ★★
🍎 When We Walk By: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, and the Role We Can Each Play in Ending Homelessness in America: Goodreads Giveaway. ★★★★
🍎 Eye Candy: Sophomoric writing, silly cliffhangers. ★★
🍎 Love Is a War Song: Native American rom-com. ★★★★★
🍎 Time After Time ★★★★
🍎 The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern Sports ★★★★★
🍎 Yellow Wife (BGG ICYMI Backlist #9 – published in 2021) ★★★★
🍎 Love on the Byline (52 Books Connections #14 – character shares a profession with a character from the previous book/ATY Fall #5 – title starts with a letter in FOLIAGE) ★★★
🍎 Invisible Strings: 113 Poets Respond to the Songs of Taylor Swift (ATY Fall #18 – title starts with a letter in FIREWORKS) ★★★
🍎 Once Upon a Time in Dollywood: Reese’s Book Club. (ATY Fall #13 – author’s initials in JACK O LANTERN: Ashley Jordan) ★★★★
🍎 Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder (ATY Fall #8 – title starts with a letter in SWEATER) ★★★★
🍎 The Summer We Ran: BOTM selection. (ATY Fall #5 – author’s initials in FOLIAGE) ★★★★
QOTW: Of course! I try not to have huge expectations when I get new books, but sometimes they just fall flat.
Good morning, everyone! Happy Thursday!The office project is still ongoing, but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. It may take me a couple more days, mostly because I’m waiting on a box of file folders that won’t arrive until sometime on Friday, but I should be done before next week’s update.
This was a fantastic week for reading! I had a chance to read several great books, and made progress on both my TBR and “New Books” lists.
I’d really like to get completely caught up on reading my newly purchased books before next week’s update, but we’ll have to see how the week goes.
Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…
Goodreads Challenge: 299/250 (119% — Challenge Complete!)
Mount TBR Challenge: 152/150 (101% — Challenge Complete!)
📚Physical TBR: 107/731
📱Ebook TBR: 34/218
🎧Audiobook TBR: 11/12
TBR Checklist Total: 152/961 (15% complete)
TBR Books DNFed in 2025: 3
Because I have no self-control when it comes to gorgeous deluxe editions, this week I picked up a copy of Quicksilver, by Callie Hart. I’ve heard really good things about this book, and I’m looking forward to diving into it as soon as possible.
I also picked up a copy of From Chaos to Chill: A Gen X Guide to Decluttering Your Life, by T. Michael.
“New” Books Bought in 2025: 143
“New” Books Read in 2025: 137
“New” Books DNFed in 2025: 1
“New” Books Checklist Total: 96% complete
Here are the books I finished this week…
Finished Reading (Fiction):
~Carl's Doomsday Scenario — This is the second book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. This book was a re-read for me, but this was the first time I’d had a chance to listen to the audiobook edition. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this one while working on my office and before bed at night. I’ll definitely be getting the next book on Audible as soon as I get my next free credit. 🎧: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Hemlock & Silver — I thought this was a fantastic book! I thoroughly enjoyed the story and loved the main character. This is definitely one of my favorite books that I’ve read in 2025. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~A Deadly Education — This is the first book in the Scholomance trilogy. This book was actually a re-read for me, but it had been so long since the last time I read it that I remembered very little about the plot. I really enjoyed the story, and liked the main character. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Last Graduate — This is the second book in the Scholomance trilogy. Even though the previous book was a re-read for me, this was the first time I’ve had a chance to read book two, and I liked it even better than the first one. I didn’t manage to read this book in a single sitting (like I did with A Deadly Education), but definitely would have if I hadn’t started it so late at night. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~All Systems Red — This is the first book in the Murderbot Diaries series. Even though I’ve done several re-reads of this book (including one earlier this year), I was in the mood to spend more time with my favorite SecUnit. I absolutely loved listening to this book at night before bed. 🎧: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Strega Nona — While this book was a re-read for me, it’s been decades since the last time I read it. I really enjoyed revisiting this story, and loved all of the beautiful illustrations. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Golden Enclaves — This is the third and final book in the Scholomance trilogy. I really enjoyed this part of the story, and I think it’s actually my favorite book in the trilogy. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
None
Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
None
Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None
DNFed:
~Let It Go: Downsizing Your Way to a Richer, Happier Life — I ended up reading a little over one-third of this book, hoping that it would inspire me to do some badly needed decluttering in my home. Unfortunately, it was not providing me with that inspiration. It’s not that the book is bad, but it really was written for people who are actively (or about to start the process of) downsizing, and a lot of the topics being discussed just don’t apply to my situation. Because of this, I have decided to DNF. Fortunately, this book was a library loan through Libby, so I’m not out any money. 📱
Currently Reading:
~The Bone Raiders — I did manage to make some progress on this book this week! I am currently on chapter 11, but despite several pretty exciting chapters involving a dragon, I’m having a hard time getting invested in the story and characters. This may end up being another DNF, but I’m going to try and persevere for a while longer before I make that decision. 📚
~Buried Deep and Other Stories — I’ve had a chance to read the first 3 stories in this 13 story collection, and I’ve really enjoyed the ones I’ve read so far. It’s fun to have a chance to return to the fantasy worlds Novik has created and learn more about them. 📚
~Tree and Leaf: Includes Mythopoeia and The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth — This book is a collection of several different pieces of Tolkien’s writing, including an essay, short stories, and poetry. I am currently reading the “On Fairy Stories” essay, which has been an interesting read so far. Tolkien had very definite ideas about what constitutes a fairy tale, and his position makes a lot of sense. I’m looking forward to reading more of this essay, and will most likely finish it later today. 📚
~Women in the Valley of the Kings: The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age — Although this is a book from my physical TBR, I decided to borrow a copy of the audiobook from Libby to listen to while I work on my office and before bed at night. It’s been an interesting book so far, and I’m currently a little over one-quarter of the way through it. 📚
~Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff — This is my second attempt this week to find a decluttering book that will inspire me to get rid of the stuff that no longer makes me happy. I started this audiobook last night, and I’m really enjoying it. 🎧
QOTW:
It’s pretty rare that I’m extremely disappointed in a book when I expected to enjoy it. It maybe happens once or twice a year?
Mod
Hello to Starlight!!!
🍎 Love Is a War Song: Native American rom-com. ★★★★★
I've got this one on deck to read next! Did you like her first book? I'm hesitant, because I did NOT like her first book, but the main thing I didn't like about it was how much the FL lied all the time. If the characters in this book are not liars, maybe I'll enjoy it.
Hi all! I'm making very slow progress on my writing (third book in the The Cosmic Turkey series). It's true what they say about retirement: you'll wonder how you ever had time to work.I'm at 78 books for the year, 40/50 for the Popsugar Challenge, 46/52 for the Booklist Queen.
Finished:
Breakfast of Champions. Kurt Vonnegut's books are always a unique flavor of weird. This one is about a car dealer who becomes obsessed with a book telling him "you, dear reader, are the only one with free will, and everyone else is a robot." The author, Kilgore Trout, has appeared in other books by Vonnegut. This one has an extra-weird self-insert near the end with Vonnegut talking to Trout. Vonnegut opens up about his own mother's suicide, and it's pretty devastating.
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism - for the "published in the current year" category in both Popsugar and Booklist Queen challenges. No matter how bad you thought Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg et al were, this book makes them look much, much worse.
Currently reading:
Keanu Reeves is Not in Love With You: The Murky World of Online Romance Fraud for the redo of a 2024 Popsugar category (book where the title is a complete sentence). It's a serious issue, but the author makes it very, very funny as she baits and teases the scammers. Like most women, I've gotten my share of block-on-sight messages from a "widowed soldier looking for friendship."
Next up:
The library says that my hold copy of Emily Henry's Funny Story has been "in transit" for the past week, so hopefully it shows up?
QOTW: The book that comes to mind is Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. I was expecting it to be fun, and it was so heavy.
VPL Challenge: 10/24Mar.-Aug. Purchased TBR: 24/54 45%
June-Aug. Library TBR: 15/30 50%
I am going to try to fast on book acquisition except for a few pre-selected exceptions for the next three months to get caught up on my TBR lists!
Finished: Katabasis LOVED this!
Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service I think it would have been better if Michael Lewis had written the whole thing!
Started: Democracy and Its Critics I'm finding it helpful.
The Lilac People: A Novel The writing is so good! Really brings you into the scene. I didn't know that the allies re-arrested the people wearing pink triangles and some of the black triangles when they liberated the concentration camps.
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness DNF
Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life's Purpose DNF
QotW: I don't think this happens with books I'm really excited about. The closest thing that has happened to me recently is with The Anxious Generation. I've read other books by Haidt and enjoyed them. But The Anxious Generation was so boring! Other authors such as Shirley Turkle have covered the same ground, so I learned nothing new.
Bea wrote: "Happy Thursday, y’all.Nadine, sorry about your kitchen issues. I am right there with you. My kitchen sink still has no hot water due to the copper tubing that was removed for the dishwasher. And,..."
I feel for you. I had to wash dishes in our bathtub during a 5-month mold rehabilitation of the kitchen. The irony was that I thought only the hot water worked so I kept scalding myself. After it was all over, my husband turned on the cold water in the bathtub!
I'm worried, y'all. My sources tell me that Phillip Pullman is coming out with his third of the trilogy on Oct. 23. But that's a Thursday! Suspicious since books usually come out on Tuesdays. Is anybody else anticipating The Rose Field?
Happy Thursday! Next week, we're on vacation! I can't wait, I really need a break.Finished:
Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders - 4 stars - not for a prompt. A contemporary fantasy about a trans grad student who teaches her mother how to do magic to try to bring her out of her depression after the death of her mother's wife. This is a story about trauma, grief, and healing. I quite enjoyed it.
I am currently at 42/50 for Popsugar (35/40 and 7/10).
Currently reading:
The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed - not currently for a prompt
Upcoming/Planned:
Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher - not currently for a prompt
A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna - not currently for a prompt
QOTW:
Probably once or twice a year, I pick up I book I really expected to enjoy and either I bounce off it, or it just wasn't what I expected.
I'm back in NYC and back to work which has already put me through a couple of emergency fire drills. I am so in need of a vacation as that trip to Santa Fe was all work - settling an estate. Weather here is mighty fine. I'm keeping the weekend free and clear - I haven't even unpacked yet. PS - 45/50 ATY - 61/62 - that last one is in the pile on the nightstand!
Finished:
The Uninvited Guests - prompt less than 3 stars average rating - it has 2.96. I gave it 4 stars but I can see why it does not suit the majority readers - it's a surrealist satire ghost story set in 1912 and Edwardian England - reminded me of Luis Bunuel's movie Exterminating Angel or even The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. The author herself provides a number of books, plays, films with dinner parties that go weird or have ghosts that served as inspiration: Macbeth, A Christmas Carol, Alice in Wonderland, La Grande Bouffe, The Discrete Charm of the Bourgeousie and probably a couple I'm forgetting. The low rating isn't because it is bad - it's not - it's just not a book for a casual reader.
Currently reading:
The Holy Thief by William Ryan - murder and a CID detective in Moscow in 1936 during Stalin's reign. Really good!
QOTW: Of course that happens - and the one that pops into my mind immediately is The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World. - it had such promise - a travel memoir of 3 twentysomethings taking a year off to travel around the world, experiencing things they have longed wanted to do. Had a fabulous cover -
- that drew me right in. The first chapter - in Africa - or rather more a teaser - was exactly what I expected - cultural experiences, great description of locals and an amazing event they attended. That was pretty much it. It was long - over 400 pages I think - and 98% of it was millennial whining, all of it no different than in the initial chapters as they talked about their lives and what inspired them to do this trip. Another problem was that each of the 3 young women wrote parts of the book but you could not tell the voices apart at all. It was all one note -- one whining note. Except for the Inca Trail in Peru and the African village. Avoid. Unless you want 400+ pages of Millenial Whining.
I finished Disaster! The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906 as my book where nature is the antagonist.I did a reread of Anne of Green Gables as my book about a found family (who doesn't love Anne of Green Gables, she's just so romantic and tragical).
QOTW: I don't think it happens a lot, but unfortunately it happens. Lonesome Dove is my favorite book, so of course, I expected to love the sequel and prequels. I hate the sequel with the heat of a thousand suns and don't really much like the prequels, but there are at least redeeming parts to those.
The good thing is that I also have the opposite happen. I will read a book, probably for this challenge, that I don't expect to like (I don't necessarily expect to hate it, because there'd probably be something else to choose if that were the case) and I end up absolutely adoring it. I can't think of any example off the top of my head, but I know it's happened.
Doni wrote: "I'm worried, y'all. My sources tell me that Phillip Pullman is coming out with his third of the trilogy on Oct. 23. But that's a Thursday! Suspicious since books usually come out on Tuesdays. Is an..."I almost feel like I should be ashamed that I had no idea that there was a day that books usually come out.
Happy check-in! I'm looking forward to the ATY read-a-thon starting this weekend. Maybe I'll actually finish The Night Tiger this time, although I can't even remember what year I started reading it and how many read-a-thons I was going to finish it during. ;)Finished Reading:
Small Things Like These ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY 2nd book opposite in title) (GR Bookmark Lightning Round)
A quick read set in 1980s Ireland. It's about standing up for what's right not what is easiest.
I Hope This Doesn't Find You ⭐⭐⭐
A novella following I Hope This Doesn't Find You, a ya rom-com.
Fearless ⭐⭐ (ATY anniversary emotion) (GR Bookmark Chart Toppers)
The Red Queen dystopian series is better and very comparable. This whole book is about a secret affair that the couple puts no effort into hiding yet that's all they talk about. It's kinda funny in its ridiculousness.
Aurora Blazing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Re-read of a sci-fi romance.
PS 45/50
ATY 49/52 Anniversary 7/10 Summer 25/25
Goodreads 203/250 Bookmarks 8/9
QOTW:
It happens regularly, but only three one star reads this year.
Mod
Yes!! This happens to me often enough that I will regularly stretch and read something I wouldn't normally read, just in case it's that "hidden gem" that I end up loving. I use the library, so it's low risk for me, just my time wasted if I hated it
Mod
I had a hard time deciding what to read next this time around. I was torn between four different books. I inadvertently chose two, having started reading Ladyparts by Deborah Copaken, but I found I needed to take a break from it. I ended up picking up Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman and I haven't been able to put the book down. I'm afraid the series is going to derail me completely from my Popsugar list, as I'm already excited to read the second book in the series!
The other two books I nearly chose to read were Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Riotous Black Girls, Troublesome Women, and Queer Radicals by Saidiya Hartman and I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom by Jason Pargin. I'll get to them soon enough.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Good news! My kitchen faucet has been fixed. It just needed a really big wrench to tighten the base. Fingers crossed now that it STAYS fixed."🎉🎉🎉
Summer is officially over: the pool at my apartment complex has been covered for the season 😢 But the weather really isn't going to be warm enough to swim from here on in, so I can't blame them. I didn't get a chance to swim as much as I wanted to this year, but I made it in a few times.The long weekend was nice, even if I spent most of it trying to finish up a crochet along project. I managed to get it done and posted in the nick of time ✌
Finished:
Patty Lyons' Knitting Bag of Tricks: Over 70 sanity saving hacks for better knitting - Some useful tips here, but I think I'll have to buy my own copy so I can reference the more project-specific parts when I'm actually working on those kinds of projects (sweaters specifically).
Bring the House Down - (RH Book about a moral panic, GR Summer Challenge Debut Darling, BQ Debut Author) I don't necessarily think this story needed to be a full-length book, but it was all right.
Free Piano Not Haunted - I didn't really vibe with this one, but it was an interesting idea. I wouldn't say no to an actual version of the song, though.
Currently reading:
A Method for Magic and Misfortune
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Songs for Other People's Weddings
Pizza Witch
QOTW: Most assuredly, but none are coming to mind at the moment.
It's been super-busy at work this week -- I guess everyone's back from summer vacation and trying to make up for lost time! Even though it's been hectic, I enjoyed a day off yesterday and do not regret the decision to spend time outdoors and eat tasty tacos instead of being cooped up in my office. Looking forward to the National Book Festival this weekend and hearing a bunch of author talks. And probably picking up a book or three 📚🤓 And now for the update...I finished one novel and one short story. Didn't use either for any open prompts (though the novel did work for other challenges I'm working on). I'm at 14/40 and 0/10 for this challenge, and 51/85 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge.
Finished:
* The Seed Keeper written by Diane Wilson and narrated by Kyla Garcia; and,
* The Bookstore Family by Alice Hoffman.
Currently Reading:
* The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries edited by Michael Sims;
* Sing Her Down by Ivy Pochoda, which is a NetGalley backlist title;
* Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto;
* Expanding Your Power: A Woman’s Opportunity to Inspire Teams & Influence Organizations by Marsha L. Clark, which is my latest Goodreads Giveaways win; and,
* The Violin Conspiracy written by Brendan Slocumb and narrated by JD Jackson, which is one of my book clubs' picks for September.
QotW:
How often are you extremely disappointed in a book when you expected to thoroughly enjoy it? Extremely disappointed? Rarely. Sorta disappointed? Not very often, but it sometimes happens. Can I think of a recent title that fits? Nope.
All of my library holds came in at once. Since they’re new releases, I only have them for 2 weeks and can’t renew them because there’s a waitlist. I feel like I’m so far behind on my reading list! Fortunately, the weather has been wonderful for reading outside so that’s how I’ve been spending my days off.Finished
Just Another Missing Person. I think Gillian McAllister might be my new favorite thriller writer. I finished this and immediately placed a hold for another book by her. I liked it as much as Wrong Time Wrong Place.
Two Twisted Crowns. This was such an incredible series. I still can’t stop thinking about these books. I’ve added them to my favorites shelf.
Reading
The Enchanted Greenhouse
The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba
Crime and Punishment
QOTW
Not very often, thankfully.
I finished a book. It was the second of my "I finished my August books early and now get to read what ever I want" books. It was a fun mystery.I started two of my September books. Every September, just when things get so busy, ATY has a read-a-thon with the prize being to pick one of their prompts. The kicker is that you have to finish 4 books in one week. My goal is 4 books a month. Clearly, I'm in the wrong group.
It's only the second day of school for my kids and having to fit my work schedule around their schedule and I feel burned out. (And they are both in university - they aren't 4 and 7).
Finished:
Mother-Daughter Murder Night
Popsugar prompt: can't find one
ATY prompt: A book with a weird or intriguing title
Anniversary prompt:
Series - 7/10
Reading Across Canada - 7/10
Nobel laureates - 3/5
PS - 31/40
Regular ATY - 33/40
Anniversary ATY - 8/10
Summer Challenge - 5100/5000 - Completed!
Currently reading:
Interior Castle - 45%
Home Is Where the Bodies Are - 55%
Selected Poems of Gabriela Mistral - 10%
Buddy Reads:
Library of Souls - 10%
QOTW: I think I'm rarely disappointed. I've only given out 1 star ratings four times. So, I generally can find something good in it.
Happy Thursday, everyone! After seven months of our system being down, our library is finally back up and running! I’ve been busy placing holds on all the new books I missed. What a relief.On the reading front, I completed the 52 Book Club challenge! Over Labor Day, I did a 24-hour readathon and managed to finish three books from the Booker longlist. Next week, I'll be participating in the ATY Fall week-long readathon and already have a stack of short books lined up, so expect a longer update then, lol.
2025 Reading Challenges
Barnes & Noble- 50/52
Booklist Queen- 48/52
Buzzword- 8/12; Cover- 8/12
Finished
Scythe & Sparrow- I don't know why I decided to continue with this series when I didn't really like the previous books, lol. This is my least favorite of the trilogy, and I was rolling my eyes throughout it, but at least I got the Goodreads' Challenge Faves Bookmark. ☆☆
Flesh- I'm making my way through the Booker longlist and I got the skip-the-line loan on Libby with this one! To quote the main character, this book was "okay". The minimalist dialogue and detached writing style made it easy to read quickly, but also hard to connect with the MC. ☆☆☆
52BC #46- read in a "-ber" month
ATY Fall #5- title starts with a letter in FOLIAGE
Misinterpretation- Another Booker longlistee, and I think I’m in the minority here, but I really liked it! It takes a fascinating look at the cost of compassion, something I don’t think I’ve seen explored quite this way before. ☆☆☆☆
ATY Fall #2- title starts with a letter in CORN MAZE
Universality- Another book from the Booker longlist. This one is a short satire, split into 4 sections, that explores power, language, and truth. I liked it, but it reminded me a lot of Trust by Hernan Diaz, so it didn't exactly feel fresh to me. This book also gave me the Goodreads Lightning Round Bookmark and now I have one more Bookmark left to complete! ☆☆☆ 1/2
ATY Fall #1- title starts with a letter in AUTUMN or FALL
Currently Reading
The Listeners
The Wedding
Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir
QOTW
I feel like I’ve gotten much better at figuring out which books I’ll actually enjoy, so I don’t end up disappointed too often. Out of the 133 books I’ve read so far this year, only three left me feeling extremely let down. The others I rated poorly were books I already had low expectations for, so while they weren’t great, I wouldn’t say I was truly disappointed by them.
Hi all! We got a new drive-through coffee place near us and for their grand opening they're giving away free drinks all week so I've been going every day. I don't think they're going to be my new place but I'm not turning down free coffee. Still reading the same stuff:
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea: I always find something new when re-reading and on this round I'm discovering that I have very little patience for Ned. In the past I think I was more sympathetic to the fact that he is being held prisoner and he isn't getting treated as nicely as the professor, but right now I'm like "sir could you chill?". He's just so angry all the dang time.
The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer: off to a little bit of a slow start, hoping we pick up the pace a bit
QOTW:
It happens from time to time - most recently with The Spare Man. I was so excited about the premise and the setting but it didn't work for me. In this case I think it was just a case of my preferences not lining up with the book, but the bigger issue is when the marketing for a book is just not aligned with the actual book.
Nadine in NY wrote: "🍎 Love Is a War Song: Native American rom-com. ★★★★★I've got this one on deck to read next! Did you like her first book? I'm hesitant, because I did NOT like her first book, but the main thing I didn't like about it was how much the FL lied all the time. If the characters in this book are not liars, maybe I'll enjoy it."
I didn't like the lying in "The Truth According to Ember" either. Avery Fox is much more likable, and she actually shows growth throughout the story... learning to embrace her culture authentically and to use her fame in a positive way.
Doni wrote: "I'm worried, y'all. My sources tell me that Phillip Pullman is coming out with his third of the trilogy on Oct. 23. But that's a Thursday! Suspicious since books usually come out on Tuesdays. Is an..."I wouldn't worry - lately I've been adding a lot of books to the Storygraph database, which means I have to check the original publication date, and the day of the week actually varies a lot more than you'd think. I've definitely added some that came out on a Thursday - in fact, I don't think there's a day that hasn't come up! I've even had a Sunday and several Saturdays!
Life update: My husband is recovering from the pain that sent him to hospital last week, which has been tentatively diagnosed as food poisoning made worse by his pre-existing conditions. He felt well enough midweek to get someone in to look at our leaky chimneys. Unfortunately that person felt it was too big a job for them, so we're waiting for someone else to come and quote. I'm anxious about it because we want to sell the property next year, and the property market where we are isn't great right now, so people will be less inclined to buy something that needs a lot of work done. At the same time, we have limited funds for repairs, so it's a headache.Reading update: I finished three books:
Katabasis, which was the last one I needed for this challenge, and a great one to end on - I loved it! And as a nice bonus, it worked for the Disability Pride prompt "an invisible disability, including mental health"
Exit Strategy - next in the series
Memoirs of a Beatnik - research
Stats:
PopSugar Challenge: 1 this week, 50/50 total
Disability Pride Challenge: 1 this week, 4/5 total
Star Trek Series Challenge: 0 this week, 16/18 total
Readers of the Wild Moor: 0 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
All books finished this year: 3 this week, 116 total
DNF or paused: 0 this week, 20 total
Challenges completed this year:
PopSugar, Pride Season, GR Community Favorites, GR Seasonal, GR Summer
Currently reading:
Star Trek and Philosophy: The Wrath of Kant for Star Trek Series Challenge: a (nonfiction) book about Star Trek
The Valmiki Ramayana Vol. 3 for spiritual bedtime reading
Journey to the West (podcast on chineselore.com - no GR entry) for a Discord book club - this will run over several years
QOTW: No, not often. If a book really disappoints me, I'll dnf it, but they're not usually the ones I was most expecting to enjoy.
Mod
Everybody is reading Dungeon Crawler Carl lately!!! Why this sudden increase in popularity? Did a major publisher pick up the series maybe?
I still haven't read it, because for some reason it's not available on Libby, although my library does have the hard copies now (and yes I see the first book is 2024 from Ace, so I guess that's why it's suddenly surged in popularity). Maybe it will be a good beach book for me next year ...
Mod
Awwww that's always a little sad.
Mod
I remember the agony when my library was off-line for a long time!! Congrats on being back to getting ALL THE BOOKS now :-)
Mod
I NEED to read this book! Every year I tell myself I should read it, and then I put it off.
QOTW:
It happens from time to time - most recently with The Spare Man. I was so excited about the premise and the setting but it didn't work for me...."
I was super disappointed in The Spare Man, too - I ended up DNFing it. But, I've had issues with MRK before, too. I just don't "vibe" with her writing. So I wasn't exactly expecting to love The Spare Man from the start, I just was hoping to find a good space tourism book.
Mod
Good to know!! I will forge ahead reading this book with confidence! (Just as soon as I finish the other books I'm currently reading ...)
Mod
LOL no I'm right there with you!! I have no idea. I know a lot of our members work in library and bookstores, maybe then you get to know these things.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Everybody is reading Dungeon Crawler Carl lately!!! Why this sudden increase in popularity? Did a major publisher pick up the series maybe?"Yeah, it was picked up by Ace and they've been re-releasing the books as hardcovers with bonus stories at the end of each book. Book seven is due to be re-released in hardcover on the 23rd of this month.
I hadn't read Dungeon Crawler Carl prior to the hardcovers coming out, and actually picked up the first book at Barnes & Noble last year as an impulse purchase. And now I'm completely obsessed with the series. I thought the premise was awesome, and love the characters and all of the humor. If you're in the mood for a laugh-out-loud LitRPG, then I definitely recommend the series. I've tried a couple other LitRPG series, and none of them have come close to DCC.
There is also a possibility that DCC is going to be adapted for television. Apparently Universal International Studios and Seth McFarlane's Fuzzy Door Productions have managed to acquire the rights, but there are no details regarding when we will actually see a TV series as it's still in development.
Hi all! Guess I'm awake enough to post... maybe. Kiddo started school (2nd grade! how did that happen??) on Wednesday and I scheduled an endoscopy for yesterday, so I had one day of quiet and one day of unconsciousness... Things are going well here. My grandfather has been released from the hospital and sent to a rehab much closer to family. Kiddo seems to be adjusting to getting back to school. Weather has been a little cool, but better than it was. We had a blast tie dying last weekend, though my heart shape is still lacking.
I finished a book! Chasing Fireflies, which I'm using for healing fiction. It's not the healing fiction of cats and coffee shops and eastern Asia, but I think it still fits. However, TW, there's *a lot* of horrible, horrible things that happen in this book that need healing from, so if that's not something you are looking for in a book, steer clear. I first read it over a decade ago, and couldn't remember most of it, other than I fell into it and totally loved it. I still do.
I read a couple of chapters in The Scaffold Effect: Raising Resilient, Self-Reliant, and Secure Kids in an Age of Anxiety. I'm sure I'll finish it, but it's not really teaching me anything I don't already know.
I've also listened to a couple of chapters in The Winter Garden. I picked it up because I needed a new audiobook and because it fits the Do Re Me prompt in ATY (deer on the cover). It will also fit PS book for a person in chronic pain and, as the MC has left her career because of the chronic pain, I suspect she will be changing careers here shortly. She was a musician, so that would work, too.
QOTW: Yes! I would say I am usually most disappointed in books where the blurb is misleading. The one that stands out is The Ghost Bride. That book went in a totally different direction than I was expecting, and disappointed me greatly. Though early this year, I read her book The Fox Wife and that's still in contention for the best book I've read all year, so I totally get Nadine's original premise about authors not putting out the same quality each time.
This year, I read I'm Just a Person and A Season with Mom: Love, Loss, and the Ultimate Baseball Adventure and was disappointed in both of them. The first because I expected more humor, the second because I expected more baseball.
Glad your sink is fixed, Nadine. For future reference (and others who aren't plumbers), at least in my house, the water valves are shaped like footballs (American footballs, ovals). When the football lines up with the water line, water flows, turn it a quarter turn so the football is going across the water line, and it stops. PS- did you ever get a new furnace?? You're going to need it sooner than later....
Happy Friday! Sigh. Back to being tardy!Finished 39/50
Isles of the Emberdark for "highly anticipated book of 2025". I forget if I listed this last week. Oh well. It's worth noting again!
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Alphabetical Collection for "a classic you've never read". Finally finished! Very good, very deep, not for the casual reader.
Revolutionary Girl Utena, Vol. 1: To Till for "LGBTQ book that's not about coming out". Aaah, the nostalgia...
Revolutionary Girl Utena, Vol. 2: To Plant [not for challenge]. I couldn't resist the second one!
Currently Reading
White Sand Omnibus for "book with silver on the cover". It's ok. Not my fave Sanderson so far, but it could change!
The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it for "book about a bucket list item". I'm very religious. So. Tis on my list!
QotW
Thankfully not often, but it does happen at least once a year.
Dubhease wrote: "The kicker is that you have to finish 4 books in one week. My goal is 4 books a month. Clearly, I'm in the wrong group...."Lol, same! Part of me wonders why I join these groups knowing I'm going to be so far behind and never realistically have a chance to finish, but I enjoy the community, the puzzles of finding books that fit prompts, and the chance to find something great to read that I wouldn't have found on my own. I figure it's all good! :)
Happy Friday! Last weekend was a lot of fun, but very busy- I got to see Yo-Yo Ma perform which was amazing, went to the Ruth Asawa exhibition at the SFMOMA, and then there was a picnic/potluck get together for my friend's bday, which was really nice. This weekend I have no plans other than finish a few books I have lingering and catch up on sleep.One sad thing though is I just found out another bookstore I love- the one that had the romance book day the other week- is closing down at the end of the month. Hopefully most of the employees are getting moved to a different location, but it's pretty sad
Finished:
Everything Happens as It Does- I really liked this, I don't know how I'd explain it though- a group of people who have come in and out of each others lives, and the impact you have others? I really liked the writing
-no prompt
Before You Go Extinct- I got this manga through netgalley and I loved it. I definitely don't think everyone will love it. About two creatures having a discussion over multiple reincarnations about the meaninglessness of life and finding joy anyways
-no prompt
Currently reading:
Rustler Mountain- this was a bonus borrow on hoopla, I picked it up on a whim and so far it's pretty entertaining
Mending Bodies- this is pretty bleak, so I read half and then took a short break from it
QotW:
I feel like this happens more than I'd like. I usually just wind up dnf-ing the books, but there are a lot of books I was sure I'd love and set them down half way through. But maybe I also bring too high of expectations to books sometimes. Sometimes I'm sure I'll love a book on very little evidence, so maybe that's on me
Happy I wish I had berries growing everywhere. I love berries and they can be pricy to buy even at Trader Joe's
I finished three books this week since I had the three day weekend and spent some of it reading short lightweight books, plus one short literary fiction for a prompt:
Three Days in June- Highly anticipated read of 2025, though I think highly anticipated is subjective
A Big Surprise for Valentine's Day No prompt
Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs No prompt
Honey and Clover, Vol. 2
Currently reading:
War and Peace (group read over the course of the year)
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List (I've been reading it in spurts all year and will finish this weekend. It's for my bucket list prompt since all I want to do is read as many books as possible)
Atmosphere
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness
Sandwich
QOTW:
Rarely, but that's because:
I'll read nearly anything
I know what I like and I will lower expectations for books outside my normal genres (literary fiction, classics, nonfiction) so that I can be pleasantly surprised. This usually happens with book club books
I also go into highly hyped books with a grain of salt otherwise they might be let downs.
I only compare books to other books in their genre.
That said, I can think of ONE book that was disappointing: To Paradise. For context,I finished reading A Little Life right before paradise was released. I am one of the people who LOVED A Little Life due to the writing so I was excited that she had another book coming out and bought it in hardcover right away. But it was a let down after IDK how many pages and I out it aside
I started reading it in earnest over two years ago, in June '23 and still haven't finished it yet, though I am on the last 250 pages so. I AM going to finish it in the next couple of months because I'm using for "A book you have always avoided reading"
Hello everyone. Totally just realized it's Friday already, oops, oh well.I actually had a question about the poll for Nov. The book The Way You Make me Feel is the Maureen Goo one correct?
Well, it's 10:30pm and I have been up since 3am so my body is getting all twitchy with muscle pain and spasms so I guess I'll come back and do my actual update.
Two week check in for me, after I had the flu post conference, then I got a DV flare up - wrapping up the 10 days of antibiotics tomorrow. We posted the bf's mom last weekend for his birthday and thank goodness she was the easiest houseguest I've ever had. I'm so excited and ready for football to be back, and for the cooler temps to move in so I can do the apple picking orchard thing I've been eyeing.38/75 GoodReads Challenge
34/50 PopSugar Challenge
Finished:
1.) The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon (#7 - Cult) ⭐⭐⭐: this was hugely disappointing. Told in multiple perspectives, the premise was so much more interesting than the end result, leaving me right down the middle.
2.) City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert (#24 - Happily Single MC) ⭐⭐⭐: This was good enough, but also disappointing. I'm not sure how it has so many amazing reviews - it was meh at best with some spicy scenes for shock factor and way too long.
Currently Reading:
1.) Mrs. Dalloway #11-Mentioned in Another Book
2.) Persuasion #39-Classic TBR
3.) Wild Dark Shore #46-Nature Antagonist
QoTW: How often are you extremely disappointed in a book when you expected to thoroughly enjoy it?
I'd like to say (like Nadine) not often, but it does happen more than I'd care to admit unfortunately.
Nadine in NY wrote: "but lately it's been happening to me every week! The Cosby book was especially disappointing, crushing even."UGH - I have the physical copy of this, so this is disappointing to me too! I loved Razorblade Tears but haven't read any of his others yet.
Laura Z wrote: "Happy Thursday! Home from New Mexico – I’m glad to be out of the heat (although it's still hot here) and dust. School has started, so it’ll just be me, Seth (33), Ewan (2.5), and Starlight at home ..."AWWWW Hi Starlight!! 🐾
Nadine in NY wrote: "Good news! My kitchen faucet has been fixed. It just needed a really big wrench to tighten the base. Fingers crossed now that it STAYS fixed."YAY!!! That's great news Nadine.
I'm a tad jealous of all the raspberries. Enjoy them. The semester has started up and I've only finished on thingSolid Gold Murder by Ellen Byron, not for any prompt. This was an arc I received. Written by a sitcom writer. Meant to be funny. It wasn't (to me, humor is so subjective) I found Dee, the amateur sleuth to be annoying. Otherwise it was a decent mystery.
QOTW
Yes, too many times or at least it feels that way. Maybe because the disappointment, being a negative emotion, lingers. Heck the above mentioned book was something I thought I'd love and didn't.
It seems to happen once a month or so in my experience.
Mod
UGH - I have the physical copy of this, so this is disappointing to me too! I loved Razorblade Tears but haven't read any of his others yet. ..."
A lot of readers are giving it five stars, so you might love it!! (And if you do, please come back and explain what I was missing.)
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Watching the Clock (other topics)Mudd in Your Eye (other topics)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (other topics)
Uhura's Song (other topics)
The Way You Make Me Feel (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Elizabeth Gilbert (other topics)R.O. Kwon (other topics)
Kyla Garcia (other topics)
Diane Wilson (other topics)
Michael Sims (other topics)
More...
Yesterday my kitchen faucet turned into a fountain (only when the faucet is turned on, thankfully!). And I haven't been able to shut off the water supply so that I can take the faucet apart, so that's embarrassing. (I turned the valves all the way CW, water still flows. I turned them all the way CCW, water still flows. WTF? I know where the main shut off is, but that seems extreme.) So I'm being the helpless female waiting for my ex to stop by and fix it. Today I'll be washing my big pot downstairs in the laundry tub and figuring out if I can fit everything else in the dishwasher. At least the dishwasher still works!!
***** Admin stuff *****
August's group read was: Remarkably Bright Creatures. You can still 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," is: Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail. You can join the discussion here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
The October group read, which could fill "A book containing magical creatures that aren't dragons" will be: The Fellowship of the Ring.
The final poll for November group read (which could fill "book about a food truck") is here!
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...
This week I finished 2 books, neither for a Challenge category, so I remain 46/50:
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby - wow this book was such a disappointment! I LOVED the first book I read by Cosby (Blacktop Wasteland), it's one of my all-time favorite books. I wasn't so fond of Razorblade Tears, it was a bit too gratuitously violent, but then he redeemed himself again (in my eyes) with All the Sinners Bleed. But now this book has got me questioning everything. It was so bad. Clunky writing, trite metaphors, wooden dialogue, ridiculous characters, and endless (ENDLESS) gratuitous violence. I just don't know what to think, how did one of my formerly favorite authors publish this, and why are so many people giving it five stars?
Love Walked In by Sarah Chamberlain - the publisher offered this book to me via NetGalley and I couldn't turn down a free book (I've since learned my lesson - my NG list got ridiculous because I could not say "no"). I was so-so with the author's debut romance but I figured I'd give her another try, perhaps this book would be better. Nope. YMMV. This one just didn't connect with me. It was published on Tuesday.
Popsugar 92% 46 /50
Must Reads 50% 5 /10
AtY 88% 46 /52
AtY bonus 100% 10 /10
2025 pub 82% 41 /50
NetGalley ratio 90%
Question of the Week
How often are you extremely disappointed in a book when you expected to thoroughly enjoy it?
I didn't think it was very often, maybe a few times a year, but lately it's been happening to me every week! The Cosby book was especially disappointing, crushing even.