Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Happy Thursday!!  
We are midway through September now, and it's feeling very "September" here in NY: there's a golden haze over everything (both from leaves starting to turn and goldenrod in the fields), purple asters have just started blooming, days are warm, nights are brisk, and school buses clog the streets in the mornings.


***** Admin stuff *****
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 November group read  (which could fill "book about a food truck") will be A Psalm for the Wild-Built.  That's a popular author in our group - let us know if you would like to lead the discussion!!

The nomination poll for December is here!  
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...
 December's group read will be for Prompt #25, A book where the main character is an immigrant or refugee, so think now about what you'd like to nominate.  This will, of course, be our last series of polls until the new list comes out (which usually happens in early December).





This week I finished 2 books, and I used both of them for this Challenge, so I am now 49/50. (So close!  All I need now is space tourism.)

Both books this week were by favorite authors, and both books disappointed me and I rated them 2 stars.  Not the best reading week!  

Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez - I was so excited to read this that it was on my list of ten books I must read this year; the writing was fine, but I hated the FL, because she went on this great first date with him and not once did she mention that "oh, hey, I'm moving from Minnesota to California tomorrow and I have no plans to come back here."  What kind of AH doesn't even mention that??   Anyway, I used this for "book recommended by AI."

We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad - this was a NetGalley read, it comes out next week, and again, the writing was fine, but this book felt bloated, and like a book that did not need to be written.  Bunny did not need a sequel, and this book added nothing.  There are a lot of non-verbal bunnies in this book, and a toy (somewhat like a My Little Pony) who is also non-verbal but seems to be sentient, so, since I needed my painful read to count for SOMETHING, I checked off "nonverbal character."


Popsugar 98% 49 /50
Must Reads 60% 6 /10
AtY 90% 47 /52
AtY bonus 100% 10 /10
2025 pub 88% 44 /50
NetGalley ratio 91%



Question of the Week

Which Challenge category has been the most challenging for you this year?

For me, to my surprise, SPACE TOURISM..  The reason it's my last category is because I keep DNFing books that I choose for it.    I love science fiction, so I thought this one would be easy!  It's so specific, though, so there's only a short list that works.  I've DNFed three books so far.  There are a few more that interest me so I'll keep trying.  Next up:  maybe it's Phillip K Dick to the rescue!  I've seen both versions of the movie Total Recall and now maybe it's time to read the novella, We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, which does seem to involve a sort of space tourism.  I put it on hold at my library.  Fingers crossed that the fourth time is the charm!

It’s Thursday, y’all.

I’ve been battling an upper respiratory infection…i.e. a cold. It really sapped the energy from me so my reading and activities have really taken a hit.

The good news is that Darla adjusted nicely to looking after me and sticking with me. Only once did she nearly full me off my feet…and I solved that by returning home. (Walk had just started). I just didn't see the cat nor did I have energy to correct her.

She is now learning to sit and wait for me to put her food down before rushing it. She still bounces in excitement and edges closer in wait…but she is definitely improving! Yay! I would like for her to be released from the wait with an okay…and we will get there. So close that I can see it happening one day.

I cancelled all activities until yesterday when I attended exercise class. Today I will get my hair color re-done and my house power washed. Neither of which requires much energy on my part as others will be doing the actual work!

Finished:
The Kept Woman – PAS. 3* I did not like the ending since I have grown through other books to really like Will Trent and Sara Linton. Ending on a hint of danger to come to Sara left me wanting to throw the book.

The Henna Artist – Book Club choice for Sept. 4*. Due to my illness, I did not attend the book club. I did like the book, although it was a bit of a stretch for me. (A culture that is unfamiliar to me.) It did get into my head; and I dreamed a related story to it, trying to explain to the younger sister why she should admire her older sister. It was quite an elaborate dream.

Maniac Magee – PAS. 3* An interesting juvenile story of a young man and his inability to see black and white. To him, people are every color…but seldom is someone actually black or white.

Currently Reading:
A Resistance of Witches: A Novel – No prompt. 49%. I started this for a GR bookmark, which ended 9/14.

The Tombs of Atuan – PAS. 31%

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 Mark.

Stories of the Spirit, Stories of the Heart: Parables of the Spiritual Path from Around the World – Devotional bedtime reading. 62%

The Imitation of Christ – Devotional reading. 6%

Just Starting:
Fever Dream - PAS

Nettle & Bone – PAS, PS #34 (neurodivergent author)

On Deck: (library)
The Anatomist's Wife - PS #15 (bot recommended)
Resurrection Bay – PAS

PS 38/50
ATY 39/52
GR 157/200

QotW: Which Challenge category has been the most challenging for you this year?

I have five planned that I am still avoiding and will probably look for alternate books:
Last Sentence - my planned book is a classic, and I do not often read them
Space Tourism
Politician
Left-Handed Character - a popular book planned that does not excite me
Chronic Pain Character - a popular book planned that does not excite me

Happy Thursday all.

Not much to report this week. Just work, school, and trying to survive life.

Books read this week:

The Writing Retreat -- okay thriller about a writing retreat that turns horrifically wrong. Not great, but entertaining if you’re a Riley Sager fan.

The Peppercorn Tree -- memoir of a woman growing up in suburban Sydney during the 1940s and 50s. Gets a little rushed towards the end but still interesting.

Wicked Wonders -- short story collection (sorry, not interconnected), and pretty fascinating! I may have to check out more by this author.

Spy x Family, Vol. 9

DNF:

Bird Box -- interesting premise, but I bowed out around the time the child abuse started. Maybe the main character thought it was “necessary” to “train” her children by beating and yelling at them, but it didn’t sit right with me.

Currently reading:

The Best of Catherynne M. Valente, Volume One
Spell Bound
Cruel Candy
Extreme Makeover
The City in Glass

QOTW:

Probably "book you want to read based on the last sentence." I don't really pick books by this criteria, and ended up having to consult a list. And I ultimately hated the book I did read, haha... (The Beach by Alex Garland, for the curious)

Happy Thursday! Busy weekend ahead: I've got library book sale today, tomorrow we're going to a huge kids consignment sale, and then saturday we're driving down to the in-laws'. The little guy is getting his fall vaccines today so hopefully he won't be too fussy from those.

Currently Reading
Mrs. Dalloway: wow this is just an agonizing reading experience - stream of consciousness is NOT for me

I've got some graphic novels out from the library as a reward for finishing it.

QOTW
Overall, this year's list has been considerably better than last year's but there have still been some tough ones for me. Of the ones I've done so far, 'run club', 'food truck', and 'dystopian with a happy ending' were pretty challenging. I purposefully fulfilled the run club and food truck early on knowing they were going to be limited on options. Of the ones I have yet to fill, 'going through menopause' has been very hard - hence why I am forcing myself through Mrs. Dalloway.

Happy Thursday! The weather here has cooled - a little. It still doesn't feel like fall, but I'm ready for it. It's my favorite time of year.

2025 Reading Challenges:

52 Book Club: 47/52 (Connections Challenge: 14/21, September Mini-Challenge: 0/1)
ATY: 42/52 (ATY Anniversary Challenge: 8/10, ATY Fall Challenge: 19/36)
The Book Girls’ Guide: 55/74
Booklist Queen: 47/52
Popsugar: 47/50
Goodreads Fall Challenge (Bookmarks): 2/12

My Ever-Growing TBR: 116/311 – 37.3% (My goal is 33.3%.)

Recently Completed:

🍎 The House Is on Fire (ATY #47 – related to fire/BGG Read Around the USA #9 – set in Eastern Appalachia) ★★★★★
🍎 Yoko: A Biography (ATY Fall #11 – title starts with a letter in SPOOKY SEASON) ★★★★
🍎 Here One Moment (ATY Fall #1 – author’s initials in AUTUMN OR FALL/BGG Around the World – related to transportation) ★★★★
🍎 Boat Baby: A Memoir (ATY Fall #17 – author’s initials in THANKSGIVING) ★★★
🍎 Ancillary Justice: Adventures Underground Book Club. (ATY FALL #12 – author’s initials in HALLOWEEN/Booklist Queen #46 – outside your comfort zone) ★★★★
🍎 Everything After (ATY Fall #10 – title starts with a letter in OKTOBERFEST ★★★
🍎 Born to Be Wilde: The Wildes of Lindow Castle, #2 ★★★★
🍎 Buckeye: Read with Jenna. ★★★★



QOTW: I went after the prompts I thought would be difficult right away. For #2 (picked based on the last sentence), I took four unread books off my shelves, read the last sentence, and picked one. I chose What Happened to the McCrays? and really enjoyed it. The "tourism" part of #3 (space tourism) really tripped me up. Being set in space didn't seem like enough - in my mind it HAD to include "tourism" which seems to be somewhat frivolous - galavanting across the universe instead of serious scientific exploration. I read When the Heavens Went on Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach, but it was a slog to get through. I'll also say that I really objected to #44 (a book you've always avoided). If I've avoided it, there's probably a reason.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Question of the Week

Which Challenge category has been the most challenging for you this year?

For me, to my surprise, SPACE TOURISM.. The reason it's my last category is because I keep DNFing books that I choose for it. I love science fiction, so I thought this one would be easy! It's so specific, though, so there's only a short list that works. I've DNFed three books so far. There are a ..."

I find every year that the prompt that gives me the most trouble is always NOT the one I think it will be. I can see SPACE TOURISM being a challenge because there just are not a lot of books with a space tourism setting -- and I have already read the ones easily found like The Spare Man. I haven't read for this prompt yet but I have 2 options: Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite which just came out this year, and The Launch Party by Lauren A. Forry which I found by accident on Kindle Unlimited. I also think there's a new Scalzi that fits, and Weir's Artemis, probably at least one Murderbot would fit - the short story Home? I will keep Total Recall in mind as well.

Good morning, everyone! Happy Thursday!

Apparently self-bribery is an effective motivator for me, because I actually managed to get some things done this week! My office still isn't finished, but I’ve managed to get through my massive pile of shredding, and at least made a start on the laundry.

As far as reading is concerned, it's been an extremely productive week. I've had a chance to finish several books from both my TBR and "New Books" lists, and really enjoyed all of them.

Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…

Goodreads Challenge: 313/250 (125% — Challenge Complete!)
Mount TBR Challenge: 156/150 (104% — Challenge Complete!)

📚Physical TBR: 110/731
📱Ebook TBR: 35/218
🎧Audiobook TBR: 11/12
TBR Checklist Total: 156/961 (16% complete)

TBR Books DNFed in 2025: 3

I did get one new release this week, which was Mrs Hudson and the Capricorn Incident, by Martin Davies.

I also had a little over $4 worth of Amazon Kindle Reward credits that were due to expire on the 15th (So glad I saw that in time!), so I decided to get a copy of The Austen Sisters: A Modern Day Tale of Pride, Persuasion, and Sensibilities, by Dee Blankenship.

Finally, I got a copy of The Bucket/F*ck it List: 3,669 Things to Do. Or Not. Whatever., by Sara Kinninmont.

“New” Books Bought in 2025: 149
“New” Books Read in 2025: 145
“New” Books DNFed in 2025: 1
“New” Books Checklist Total: 97% complete

Here are the books I finished this week…

Finished Reading (Fiction):
~On Wings of Blood — This is the first book in the Bloodwing Academy series. The story is a strange mix of Harry Potter, Fourth Wing, and Twilight…but somehow it works! While there were some heavy info dumping moments early on in the book, I really enjoyed the story and the characters. I’m already looking forward to reading the next book. It is worth noting that that author included an almost full-page list of trigger warnings at the beginning of the book, so you might want to check that out prior to reading. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Howl’s Moving Castle — I had a wonderful time re-reading this book! It’s one of my all-time favorites! The deluxe edition that was just released is absolutely gorgeous as well. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Tree and Leaf: Includes Mythopoeia and The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth — I thought that “On Fairy Stories” was an interesting read, but my favorite parts of this book were actually “Mythopoeia” and “Leaf by Niggle.” 📚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
~Too Old for This — This book was an impulse purchase during my last trip to the bookstore, and I’m so glad that I decided to get it. I thought it was a fantastic book, and actually ended up reading the entire thing in a single day! Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book follows the story of a “retired” serial killer, so there is a significant amount of violence, and the book does include one scene involving torture. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
~The Bucket/F*ck it List: 3,669 Things to Do. Or Not. Whatever. — This is an entertaining list of things that you could choose to add to your bucket list…or not. There were several times when I found myself laughing out loud at the suggestions, in a “that would be hilarious, but I would never do it myself” kind of way. My personal favorite was (view spoiler)[ bringing a desktop computer to a coffee shop, instead of a laptop. (hide spoiler)] There are 3,669 suggestions (with extra pages for you to add your own ideas), and I was really surprised by the number of things I was able to check off the list as already done. 📚: ⭐⭐⭐
~Code Name: Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Spy — I thought this was a really interesting biography. Odette Sansom was an incredibly brave woman. While this book is from my physical TBR, I was actually able to borrow a copy of the audiobook from my local library, so I ended up listening to it on Libby. The narrator was really good. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include references to torture used on prisoners during interrogations, as well as references to the atrocities of the Holocaust. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
~You Can't Live All on Your Own!, Volume 2 — I thought this was a good continuation of the series, and I’m already looking forward to the next volume. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None

DNFed:
None

Currently Reading:
~NIV Audio Bible — This audiobook edition of The Bible is read by David Suchet. I didn’t spend very much time listening this week, so I currently have a little over 80 hours remaining. 🎧
~The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights, Volume 2 — I am continuing to read around 20 pages per day, and I’m making pretty good progress through this book. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book includes, but is not limited to: references to bestiality, size shaming, and insults toward people of various skin colors. (hide spoiler)] 📚
~Tarzan of the Apes — This is the first book in the Tarzan series. I’m only about 5 chapters into this book, but I’m enjoying it so far. 📱
~Quicksilver — This is the first book in the Fae and Alchemy series. I know I’m coming to this party a bit late, but I could not resist the pretty special edition of this book. I’m currently about one-third of the way into the story, and I’m really enjoying it so far. I have to confess that I don’t like the main male character though. 📚
~The Austen Sisters: A Modern Day Tale of Pride, Persuasion, and Sensibilities — I’m currently a little over halfway through this book, and I’m really enjoying it so far. I love how the author has modernized Jane Austen’s stories and set them at a luxury resort. 📚

QOTW:
I’m not actively participating in this year’s POPSUGAR challenge, so I really don’t have a category that is challenging for me. But if I was doing the challenge, I would probably say the “book about soccer” prompt, just because I have zero interest in reading about it.

Greetings! It's a busy time here, with La Rentree in full swing - that's the French term for the beginning of fall, as all return from their August holidays and the full cultural season opens -- new shows, concerts, art exhibits and more. Paris which was handed over to the tourists in August as the locals fled to country homes and vacations, is reclaimed by Parisians.

ATY 61/62 PS 45/50 - no movement last week.

Finished:
The Goblin Emperor
Death of a Red Heroine

Currently reading:
The Pale Horse
Dance Hall of the Dead
Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens
The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2024: S.A. Cosby Edits the Newest Entry in the Renowned and Popular Story Series, Dive into the Year's Best in ... and Suspense

QOTW:

This year I would say the neurodivergent author one, though I have a book self-published by the austic/disabled son of a friend - it's the first in a fantasy/adventure/quest series he wrote while hospitalized after major corrective surgery with a long recovery and complications. He wrote it with the help of AI - no idea how good or bad it is but I absolutely will read it.

The 4 other prompts I still have lingering - run club -- though I have identified 2 or 3 books, soccer - again I have options. Actually a book about an overlooked woman in history is turning into a problem -- but I think that is because I am thinking too literally - if overlooked then there's little to find to read about her. I have a short biography of George Sand I keep meaning to read - and while she's hardly unknown, her role in France's history IS overlooked, especially in the US. What really irritates me about this prompt is that i literally read about 6 books last year that would have fit perfectly, and so far none this year!

VPL Challenge: 12/24 50%
Mar.-Aug. Purchased TBR: 25/57 44%
June-Sept. Library TBR: 15/28 54%

Finished: Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI Scary that these billionaires who have lost all touch with their morals are making so many decisions that impact our lives.
The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy This was closer to what I wanted Who is Government to be since Michael Lewis wrote the whole thing.
How to Be a Citizen: Learning to Be Civil Without the State I wanted this to be a guide on how to be more active as a citizen, but it was actually a polemic for anarchism. I should have known from the subtitle.
Democracy in the Political Present: A Queer-Feminist Theory didn't get a lot out of this.
The Lost Art of Good Conversation: A Mindful Way to Connect with Others and Enrich Everyday Life a re-read. Buddhist reflection on communication. So good!
The Singular Life of Aria Patel fun multiverse

Started: 1984 We were supposed to read this for a book club and none of us ended up reading it! It was too disturbing for everything that is going on right now.

Howl’s Moving Castle Beauuutiful new edition and a re-read for me since I'm going to see the movie this weekend. So fun!

QotW: I struggled with the Space Tourism prompt too. I was tempted just to read any book where they travel in space, but ended up following it more closely. I read Floating Hotel which I didn't particularly like.

Morning all!

I've ordered the kit for my Little Free Library, and am getting super excited about it! In a week where the world seems to be careening off the rails, I'm clinging to the simple pleasures.

I'm now at 83 books for the year, 43/50 for the Popsugar, 48/52 for the Booklist Queen. On track to crack 100 books this year - yay retirement!

Frinished:

Funny Story for the Booklist Queen category of 2024 Goodreads award winner. A fun rom-com where the MCs decide to fake date when they get wedding invitations from the exes who dumped them. Enjoyed that the exes were so hateable, and that the MCs were in their 30s and actually able to deal with their emotional baggage.

Evelina for a debut author (Booklist Queen) and a 2015 Popsugar category (first book by a famous author). Given that it's from 1778, I was expecting it to be heavy and moralizing, and instead it was light and fun. Evelina does encounter a lot of creepy men, described by Burney with frankness and discernment.

If They Come for Us, poetry by Fatima Asghar. There's a theme of "partition:" India divided from Pakistan, Hindu divided from Muslim, divisions between families and within the self.

QOTW: I'm having trouble with "dystopian story with a happy ending." A couple that I've tried so far either weren't really dystopian, or it would be a real stretch to call the ending happy. I'm going to start City of Refuge, because I've read the previous book, The Fifth Sacred Thing, and am reasonably sure Starhawk will give us a happy ending. But I was kind of avoiding it because COR is long enough to be a trilogy by itself.

The space tourism category baffled me at first. I read The Spare Man and Floating Hotel, but wound up using them for different prompts (chronic pain and luxury resort). As it happens, one of my favorite SF comedy writers, L.A. Guettler, had a choose-your-own-adventure book, Vacation on Planet Glor: A Mix-Your-Own Darklingverse Jam, that was quick and hilarious.

Doni wrote: "Started: 1984 We were supposed to read this for a book club and none of us ended up reading it! It was too disturbing for everything that is going on right now."

Yeah, some of the dystopian classics are feeling a little too real at the moment. One of my best friends and I did a buddy read of Parable of the Sower earlier this year, and we were constantly talking about how terrifyingly accurate it was.

Hello! Been having a hard time getting on here still, so here is another multi week check-in.

I found a new Little free library that focuses on romance and so I added a bunch of new books to my TBR!! She had Fourth Wing!!!

I also have way to many books from the library again. And they have kind of been a Halloween theme lately. I'm reading a horror and have multiple other spooky related books waiting for me.

2025 Challenges:
Popsugar: 42/50
ATY: 49/52 & 8/10
A to Z (Kindle edition): 3/26

Goodreads: 159/150 **COMPLETED**
GR WTR: 21/441

Physical TBR: 8/123
Kindle TBR: 1/133
TBR Goal: 8/256

Book Clubs:
PS Monthly: 30/68
Reese: 35/111
Oprah: 14/110
Jenna: 10/78
OSS: 7/39

Finished:
21 Finished, 0 Completed Popsugar

Witches of Brooklyn
Witches of Brooklyn: What the Hex?!
Witches of Brooklyn: S'More Magic
Witches of Brooklyn: Spell of a Time

West With Giraffes ATY#50
FINALLY finished it! It was so good.

The Secret Garden on 81st Street: A Modern Graphic Retelling of The Secret Garden

Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI
Some of this is just nuts. And it does give you something to think about.

Nightlights
Hicotea

Sticky Notes: Memorable Lessons from Ordinary Moments This was nice and has some really cute stories and "life lessons."

Picture Day

Murder by Cheesecake ATY #37
This was a Golden Girls mystery and it was great! I hope there is another one.

The World of Banksy Urban Jungle (finished the trilogy)
The Dragon Atlas: Legendary Dragons of the World
Sheets

The Great Believers ATY#9
WOW, this was heavy at times. Such a horrible time in history.

Drafted: An Illustrated Memoir of a Veteran’s Service During the War in Vietnam (this guy never actually gets to Vietnam)

Raiders of the Lost Heart Classically cheesy but, I loved it got the second one on my Libby yesterday.

Woman, Life, Freedom
Time to Party
The Ghoul Next Door: A Graphic Novel

-------
Currently Reading
While We Were Dating
Encanto: Nightmares and Sueños
Ripples & Waves: A Queer Retelling of The Little Mermaid
Return to Sender
Ghost and Bone
The Bewitching
The Dos and Donuts of Love

On the Backburner
Libby
Temple of Swoon

Physical Library Rentals
Project Nought: A Graphic Novel
Dear Wendy
Kuleana: A Story of Family, Land, and Legacy in Old Hawai'i
Archive of Unknown Universes
Blackmail and Bibingka
Murder and Mamon
Guilt and Ginataan
Deephaven
Scrimshaw
The Boo Hag Flex
Nightschool: The Weirn Books Collector's Edition, Vol. 1 (Volume 1)
Nightschool: The Weirn Books Collector's Edition, Vol. 2 (Volume 2)
Death in the Dark Woods
The Secret Garden
Blood and Chocolate
The Mermaid's Tale
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea
The Siren, the Song, and the Spy
The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story Graphic Novel
My Sweet Orange Tree

Magazines: (10/155)
Read since last check-in: 0

QOTW: Which Challenge category has been the most challenging for you this year?

I wouldn't say it has been a hard one since I know what I was gonna read for space tourism since around February. But, I have had Floating Hotel on hold since March. It finally bothered me enough that I called the library to see why it was taking so long when I could see that some libraries had the book available. It has been transferred from another off island library to my library (they are actually giving it to them!).

The AI chatbot one might turn out to be harder than I thought since I selected a book a while ago but I found out the library doesn't have it. So I'm gonna have to do the chatbot again to find a new book. Except I don't remember what I used, LOL!

I had a surprisingly hard time finding a a chosen family and I haven't read a book that fits adult who changes careers yet. I thought that I would just come across that but haven't.

It's being a struggle with your new medication kinda week so I've been too nauseated from them to do much though I did manage to finish a few books

The Road to Strange: Travel Tales of the Paranormal and Beyond by Rosemary Ellen Guilley and Michael Brein ( for PS12. A book about a road trip) This was more prompt tangential but eh, it's what I had on the shelf. It wasn't one of my favorites by Ro either but I'm always up for paranormal stories.

And I also read Wrong Side of the Grave by Bryna Butler which was about the Mothman solving a mystery (Bryna is local and oddly enough I bought both of these books at various Mothman Festivals which is this weekend, yay) It was meant for the magical creature prompt but it turned out she made both Mothy and vampires into aliens so....it was a bit of a silly book but it was fun.

I read The Wood Chelsea Bobulski for PS46. A book where nature is the antagonist
I liked it well enough, a YA rural fantasy where the woods are definitely out to get you.

QOTW

Most aren't too challenging this year but there are a couple.

book you have always avoided reading - simply because I was taking this too literally. If I'm truly avoiding a book it's because I don't like it and why should I read that? Then it occurred to me today why not just grab something off the TBR pile that's been there a decade? That's me avoiding something, right?

A book set at a luxury resort - apparently I don't have anything about this in my tbr pile and I'm trying to avoid library books

A book about a run club - just not my thing but i found a manga...

A book that is considered healing fiction - Yeah I don't own any of this either.

JessicaMHR wrote: "Hello! Been having a hard time getting on here still, so here is another multi week check-in.

I found a new Little free library that focuses on romance and so I added a bunch of new books to my TB..."

I'd just go look at amazon's recs based on your past reading (or GR for that matter) those are AI chatbox recs

I finished Red Queen, but I shifted it to a dystopian novel with a happy ending. Somewhere on the internet assured me it was dystopian (wasn't quite sure), and the ending was happy enough for me.

I've started Middlemarch as my book mentioned in another book (Terms of Endearment). It's not going very fast. I had a raging headache yesterday so could only read about 10 pages and haven't read anything thus far today.

QOTW: I think left handed character and married couple living apart. It's not like you can pick up a book and on the back it will say "Left handed Katy was having a rough life because scissor manufacturers were out to get her." yes, I know listopia, but IMO, it's kind of a bizarre category. Most of the time books don't mention or care about the character's dominant hand.

Doni wrote: "VQotW: I struggled with the Space Tourism prompt too. I was tempted just to read any book where they travel in space, but ended up following it more closely. I read Floating Hotel which I didn't particularly like."

The funny thing is that I actually ended up reading a book that didn't take place in space at all. It was a kid's book called Freddy and the Space Ship and they had a rocket ship and they were planning on going to Mars. And they thought that they did, but it turned out they were on Earth the whole time. But, I decided to still count it, because it was ABOUT space tourism. It just didn't actually include any. OK, I admit it, I wasn't big on the prompt in the first place, but I didn't realize there would be no actual space travel in the book and by the time I did find out, I was close to the end. Sue me.

Hi all! Went to see Hamilton last weekend!! It was a long and draining day, but SO worth it! The man they have as Washington had a hell of a voice!! and the guy playing Aaron Burr was a Syracuse native! How cool! I then had some extra t-shirts from our tie dye weekend a few weekends ago and I made myself a Hamilton shirt with a black star and yellow background, and it actually came out!! I still can't make hearts, but apparently stars are easier??

Today BF is sick with a cold/flu, which likely means I'll soon be sick... Ugh.

Thanks to ATY read-a-thon, I actually finished 2 books! The Purple Violet of Oshaantu, a character driven story about 2 friends in Africa and what happens when an abusive husband dies. Book under 250 pages.

Never Saw Me Coming Book 1 of 2 books with the same title. So, if I think about this book objectively, there's some problems... but I really enjoyed reading it. I don't have a problem with who the killer was, but there's a lot that the author didn't explain. Hopefully, she'll continue to write and refine her craft.

I'm a third of the way through See You When the Snow Falls, but I've only got another week left to finish it, so we'll see.

I have several books around here that I want to try to start, not sure what I'll actually go with.

QOTW: I'm so far from finishing the challenge that I'm not even to the point of having difficult prompts yet!

Space tourism is one I knew wouldn't be easy, because I don't read a lot of sci fi. I have had The Carpet Makers on my TBR for quite a while, and the blurb says, "But one day the empire of the God Emperor vanishes, and strangers begin to arrive from the stars to follow the trace of the hair carpets." Sounds enough like tourism to me! That's one of the books I might start in the next few days.

Hope everyone's having a great Thursday,

It actually rained in SoCal....in mid-September!

I finished two books this week and actually used them both for prompts:
Atmosphere : a book centering on LQTBQ+ characters that isn't about coming out. I read this for a book club and was happy ot see it fit this prompt

Sandwich: Two books with the same name, but it also works for the menopause prompt

QOTW:
Space tourism, until I realized that The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a literally a guidebook for people touring the universe, and decided that a book from the series that HAS tourism is good enough

Soccer: I was going to rename this prompt "a book WITH soccer" and hope I read a book where a mom drove her kid to practice or something until I discovered How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the FA Cup which is a satire about British football (soccer)

Food truck: until I decided that a traveling coffee shop was close enough (it's food that travels right?) The Full Moon Coffee Shop


For those struggling with the dystopia with a happy ending: I read Death of the Author for another challenge and was pleased that I could use it here. I don't want to say much in case someone wants to read it but let's just say that you don't have to spend much time in a terrible dystopia (view spoiler)[ it's the twist at the end of the book that makes it qualify for this prompt. (hide spoiler)].

It also a has a little bit of legitimate space tourism, if your definition of "about" is generous and includes "has space tourism"

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Happy Thursday ya'll!!

One of my current projects is to renovate my bedroom, which I'm slowly acquiring the supplies to do so. I even got a new mattress that should arrive in a couple weeks, so I'm pretty excited about that! I'd say I've been sleeping on the floor for too long, haha! Another thing I'm doing is revamping my wardrobe. I suddenly find myself enjoying a more angelic/ethereal/fairy sort of vibe, and I've managed to track down some good thrift finds! So all and all, it's been a pretty good week, I'd say.

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Popsugar Challenge Completion: 38%, 10/26
📖=book 💻=ebook 🎧=audiobook 🌠=rating
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Challenge 4: A Book with Two or More Books on the Cover or "Book" in the Title.
📖Currently Reading
This week I've finished two books, the first being The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman. I continue to enjoy this series a great deal and have been chomping at the bit to get started on the fourth volume, The Gate of the Feral Gods, which I had to wait to come into stock at the bookstore. It's finally within my clutches, so that's what's next on the agenda! I'm hoping I'll find a spot on the list to shoehorn it into, lol

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Challenge 8: A Book under 250 Pages.
While I waited for The Gate of the Feral Gods, I read Black Flame by Gretchen Felker-Martin, which turned out to be an amazing read. There were points early on when I wasn't sure I was going to finish it, but am I ever glad I did. (view spoiler)[ The ending is a cacophony of queer triumph! It was beautifully, agonizingly delightful. (hide spoiler)] Not for the faint of heart, take a look at my review to see the trigger warnings towards the bottom!

📖 Removed from reading list
📖 Currently Reading
Challenge 16: A Book Set in or around a Body of Water.
I've also swapped out The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery with Swell: A Sailing Surfer's Voyage of Awakening by Liz Clark. It's the book I go to when I'm feeling the need for a pick-me-up and to re-ground myself, so I'm still only partway through it. I think it's about time I finally finish it.


📖 Hiatus
Challenge Advanced Hard 50: A Book That Features a Character with Chronic Pain.
Ladyparts by Deborah Copaken is still on hiatus. Maybe I'll get back to it after reading The Gate of the Feral Gods. For now I need something that's a bit more of an upper, after reading Black Flame, which dealt with a lot of heavy topics.

📖 Semi Hiatus
Challenge 30: A book that reminds you of your childhood - No Listopia
Similarly, I plan to read snippets here and there of Kittentits by Holly Wilson, taking it in more gradually. While my childhood doesn't exactly match Molly's, there's definitely the loneliness, the quirkiness, and the desire to run away in common.

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Question of the Week

Which Challenge category has been the most challenging for you this year?

The most challenging hasn't so much been the category itself, but rather the book I chose to fill the spot with:

I'd say the book I had the most difficulty with was Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. I know it has a lot of good ratings, but I found it so boring that I had to speed read it to reach the end. The characters range from unessential gimmick to irritating man-child and there just isn't any payoff for the constant monotony. I was only too happy to get it off my docket.

In terms of challenging me intellectually, I'd say Black Flame by Gretchen Felker-Martin for the uncomfortable topics that were touched on without pulling any punches. I really enjoyed the book and glad I made it to the finish, despite a number of times nearly setting it down due to the seeping melancholy and mild psychosis. This book manages to say a lot for under 200 pages and is 100% worth the read, and maybe even a re-read.

Another book that I've found challenging is Ladyparts by Deborah Copaken. It spends a good chunk of the first half of the book focusing on (view spoiler)[the dysfunctional and abusive relationship Deborah has with her husband. Speaking as a neurodivergent individual, being on the autism spectrum is no excuse for being as infuriatingly cruel and neglectful as this man was. (hide spoiler)]

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I hope ya'll have a happy week!! 😘

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Just a quick check-in for me before my Zumba class starts. I finished two books and couldn't find an open prompt for either of them. I really thought at least one of them would fit something. So I'm still at 15/40 and 0/10 for this challenge. Now at 55/85 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge.

Finished:
* Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto, which was delightful; and,
* Expanding Your Power: A Woman’s Opportunity to Inspire Teams & Influence Organizations by Marsha L. Clark, which was my latest Goodreads Giveaways win. It was fine but felt like an early reader edition that hadn't been reviewed by an editor. Still need to write up a review for it.

Currently Reading:
* The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries by Michael Sims;
* Our Missing Hearts written by Celeste Ng and narrated by Lucy Liu, which is one of my book clubs' picks for September;
* Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which is one of my NetGalley backlist titles. I got to hear her speak at the National Book Festival, which inspired me to pick this one up even though it's got some heavy themes; and,
* All Fours by Miranda July.

QotW:
Which Challenge category has been the most challenging for you this year? I haven't been actively trying to complete the entire Challenge this year - just seeing how far I can get with books I own or planned to read (primarily book club reads). That being said, I'd say that "a book that an AI chatbot recommends based on your favorite book" and "a book by the oldest author in your TBR pile" are two that would be challenging to me. The former because how can I possibly choose just one favorite book?!?!?!? And what's the likelihood an AI chatbot is gonna recommend something I haven't already read once I finally narrow it down to just one book??? 🤣 The latter because I've got nearly 800 books on my TBR list and the thought of trying to figure out who the oldest author (living? deceased? I know! I know! I can decide which way to go on that but still!!) on that list sounds like too much research time when I could be reading instead 🙃

Hi all, this will be a quick check in. It's been a hard week, so hoping to see some friends this weekend, maybe try a new place for dinner or take a walk if it's not too hot. Our local library is doing a big used book sale tomorrow so I might take a long lunch and go browse a bit. Not that I need any new books, but it's fun to look anyways. Also I have two books I need to pick up at the library, so it works out anyways.

Finished:
Midnight Timetable: A Novel in Ghost Stories- I loved this. Interconnected short stories centered on the employees and items at a haunted object institute. I really loved this, and will be picking up more Bora Chung books soon
-no prompt

My Beautiful Sisters: A Memoir of Courage, Hope, and the Afghan Women's Soccer Team- this was a great but upsetting memoir about the women's soccer team in Afghanistan.
-book about soccer

Currently reading:
Best Wishes From the Full Moon Coffee Shop- got this through netgalley, I was a big fan of the first book, and they've called the cafe a food truck three times already, so it'll take care of a prompt!

QotW:
Soccer, space tourism, cults- I thought these three prompts would be really simple since I like the topics. But I started and stopped several books for each prompt. Nothing was grabbing my interest. Finally have soccer taken care of- loved that book- and space tourism- didn't love that book. Still waiting to find a cult book I'll actually be interested in...

Another one is the two titles prompt- I've read several where I have plenty of options for book two, but can't make myself read any of them. I need to buckle down and just pick one!

Happy Thursday.

This has been one of the warmest Septembers on record here.

I finished a book and I barely made any progress in the rest. Neither of the books I have requested have come in yet. Traffic and carpooling with my kids seems to be making me too tired in the evenings to read. (Or watch TV - I haven't even finished Wednesday yet.)

Finished:
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
Popsugar prompt: A book with silver on the cover or in the title (base of lava lamp)
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 - 33/40
Regular ATY - 35/40
Anniversary ATY - 8/10
Summer Challenge - 5100/5000 - Completed!

Currently reading:
Interior Castle - 45%
Selected Poems of Gabriela Mistral - 20%
An Audience of Chairs - 50%

Buddy Reads:
Library of Souls - 20%

QOTW: I only signed up to do 40 of the PS prompts. The ones I'm almost certain I won't do are:

A book about space tourism
A book where the main character is a politician
A book with a happily single woman protagonist
A dystopian book with a happy ending

There just isn't anything that I want to read to fulfill these prompts.

I probably also won't do:
A book with a left-handed character - but only because I requested a book for it, but I doubt I'll get it before 2025 ends.

We're in the busy season at work, so I'm exhausted. I slept a lot last weekend, and plan to sleep a lot this weekend too. I read all day Sunday in between doing laundry. I was in a much better mood than usual Sunday afternoon, so I think that means I really needed the sleep and the cozy book.

Finished

The Enchanted Greenhouse. I absolutely loved this book! I love this as much as I loved The Spellshop, and I added the next book to my Want to Read shelf immediately after finishing it. I really needed a good cozy fantasy right now, and this was just perfect.

Reading

Hemlock & Silver

Famous Last Words

Crime and Punishment

QOTW
I think I had good luck with a lot of the more specific prompts this year because I read so many short story collections. The variety of plots makes it more likely to stumble upon something that fits an obscure prompt.

Inexplicably, “a book with silver on the cover or in the title” was really hard for me to pin down.

Hello and happy Thursday from Columbus! Still too hot, but the forecast looks like we’ll be getting a reprieve soon. I just want spooky girl fall activities and I can’t do that when I’m sweating. We got back from our road trip Tuesday. The two reasons I planned the whole trip was for bookish reasons, first I wanted to visit the Betsy-Tacy society which is a little museum in the childhood home of Maud Hart Lovelace who wrote the Betsy-Tacy series. This was one of the first books I remember loving so it was really cool to get to see things and places mentioned in the books. Then I wanted to go to The House on the Rock because American Gods is one of my all time favorite books. We had a really nice time and I’m so glad I got to tick off some items on my bucket list.

Finished:
Introduction to Williamsburg just another lil book a part of the Felicity American Girl universe. I think this one was a partnership between AG and historical Williamsburg and was something you could buy in gift shops there.

The Perfect Divorce I don’t think this one was for a challenge but when I saw there was a sequel to The Perfect Marriage I couldn’t resist. I found the premise of both books quite silly and unrealistic but I don’t need books to be serious and realistic to enjoy the journey. I’m sure it says a lot about me that a woman’s evil ways sparks feelings of “good for her”, but honestly. Do it lady.

Darling Girls I don’t think this was a reading challenge read nor do I remember why I put a hold on it but I did and I read it lol. Nothing profound here, another thriller where something mysterious has caused a group of people to revisit some childhood trauma. This one kept me very interested and I enjoyed the ending.

Rosarita another non challenge read that I don’t know how it ended up in my libby account. This one is short, and very prettily written. The plot was kind of hard to follow but I liked the overall vibes.

The Light Pirate for a dystopian book with a happy ending. These types of “life after the collapse of the USA are mildly distressing and make me want to get into prepping or something lol. Overall I liked this book and it will probably stick with me for a while.

Currently Reading:
Kaya's Escape!
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible

Challenges:
Popsugar - 25/40; 1/4; 1/3; 3/3
Read Harder - 15/24
Classics - 8/12
European Tour - 8/10
12 Friends - 6/12
Yearly Goal - 106/180

Happy Thursday, everyone! I completed 9 books for the read-a-thon I participated in last week which was within my goal. I'm also starting to prioritize Hispanic books and authors for Hispanic Heritage Month. My Booker longlist reading has taken a backseat as a result, but I think I can squeeze in two more Booker reads before the shortlist is announced next week.

2025 Reading Challenges
PopSugar- 50/50 COMPLETED
ATY- 52/52; Anniversary- 10/10; Summer- 7500/5000; Fall- 14/18 COMPLETED
52 Book Club- 52/52; Connections- 21/21 COMPLETED
Barnes & Noble- 50/52
Booklist Queen- 49/52
Read Good- 12/12 COMPLETED
Buzzword- 9/12; Cover- 9/12

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

Finished
A Game of Noctis- I needed to read a children's book for a read-a-thon and picked this one up from this year's Bluebonnet List as I had read and enjoyed a book from this author previously. Overall, it was okay ☆☆☆
ATY Fall #4- title starts with a letter in RED or ORANGE

Abuela, Don't Forget Me- I needed to read a book with a house on the cover for a read-a-thon and picked this one up since it was short. This is apparently a companion to the author's memoir trilogy so now I'm even more intrigued to read about his life. His grandmother was the only safe space in his life growing up, and the book hits even more hard when you realize she now has Dementia. ☆☆☆☆
ATY Fall #14- title starts with a letter in TRICK OR TREAT

Klara and the Sun- this is probably the most accessible of Ishiguro's works. I was engaged the whole time, and I liked how we learn about this world through Klara's AI eyes. It wasn't a full 5 stars for me because I felt like some things didn't really have a reasonable explanation, (view spoiler)[mainly the things about the Sun (hide spoiler)], but I loved everything else about this! This also gave me my last GR Bookmark and right in the nick of time! ☆☆☆☆
ATY Fall #11- title starts with a letter in SPOOKY SEASON

Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America- I read this because it was a quick read for a read-a-thon I was doing, and I will read anything Laila Lalami writes! This was published in 2020, and it captures the anxieties and political commentary that was occurring before COVID. Unfortunately, this is not exactly what I wanted to listen to in 2025, lol. I read a lot of books about/during that first term, so I felt like this book also didn't offer anything new besides the author's own personal experiences. ☆☆☆
ATY Fall #9- title starts with a letter in HOT CHOCOLATE
BQ #13- Fiction & Nonfiction by same author

Malas- read this as my first read for Hispanic Heritage Month. It follows two timelines: one in the 50s and the other in the 90s. I listened to this book on audio, and I was left not fully understanding the curse or how it was "broken". Overall, I thought it was a solid coming-of-age story that captures the culture of the Valley very well. ☆☆☆ 1/2
ATY Fall #7- title starts with a letter in PUMPKIN SPICE

The Undocumented Americans- I felt for this book the same way I did for Conditional Citizens. They both were published during the same year, cover the same topics, well-written, just not what I want to read right now when things are already not going well. ☆☆☆

Currently Reading
The Rest of Our Lives
Clean

QOTW
I got all the ones I thought were challenging out of the way first: Book I've been avoiding, last sentence, below three stars. But there were others that were unexpectedly challenging....

I agree with most of you on space travel. I don't like reading anything space related, so narrowing it down to space TRAVEL made it hard as I had to find something that fit but also would interest me. I finally settled on The Sirens of Titan, which I thought was okay.

Equally challenging was the luxury resort prompt. Most of the books that sounded interesting to me I had already read, and the others were thrillers or dramas about rich people which I don't like reading about. I was going to read Platform as I saw it on the 1001 books list but no libraries had it near me. Then I was going to read The Listeners, but there was a long waiting list as was Hotel du Lac. Finally settled on The Grand Paloma Resort and absolutely hated it. It was my last prompt, though so with this book I was able to complete the whole PS reading challenge.

Happy Thursday! We're back from vacation, and I'm back to work next week.

Finished:
The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed - 3.5 stars - not for a prompt. I wanted more out of this, but what was there was good.

Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher - 4.5 stars - not for a prompt. I loved this. It's a very loose retelling of Snow White, centering a middle aged healer who is recruited by the King to find out what's wrong with his daughter.

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna - 4 stars - I used this for a book that includes a nonverbal character. There's a zombie rooster, among other cozy fantasy shenanigans. The romance is sweet and the characters are fun. I had a lot of fun with it.

Comics & manga:
The Ancient Magus' Bride Vol. 20
Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, Vol. 16 (Volume 16)
Cat + Gamer Volume 8
Spy x Family, Vol. 14
Cat + Crazy Volume 1
Girl Crush, Vol. 1

I am currently at 43/50 for Popsugar (35/40 and 7/10).

Currently reading:
Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer - not currently for a prompt

Upcoming/Planned:
The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo - for a book about a food truck

QOTW:
I have good options already for all of the prompts, so none of them are particularly challenging. Soccer and run club were probably the most difficult to find options for, but I already got them out of the way.

Happy Check-in.

Stats:
PS: 41/50
ATY: 47/52
ATY Anniversary: 9/10
ATY Rejects: 21/28
ATY Rewind: 8/10
GR Choice: 18/30
TBR: 4/10
GR Fall Bookmarks: 2/12

Finished

Cascade Failure ⭐⭐⭐⭐
PS: Found Family
A ragtag crew of a spaceship gets caught in the middle of a major conspiracy involving an evil corporation, a deadly computer virus, and a rogue group seeking revenge against the company.

Chosen by a Horse ⭐⭐⭐⭐
PS: Nonverbal character.
A memoir about the author's experience when she volunteered to take in a rescue horse that had been abused and neglected. She's a good writer, and despite the sad nature of the story ((view spoiler)[The horse has sever health issues and eventually dies (hide spoiler)]) it was very sweet and enjoyable.

Something Like Home ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A middlegrade novel-in-verse about a kid who has to go live with her aunt because her parents have been deemed unfit due to drug abuse.

Last Chance to Save the World ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
ATY: Coastal setting.
Another sci-fi heist book, this one set back on Earth in Malta.

Akia: The Other Side ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A poetry collection from an author I've enjoyed in the past.

Houseplants and Their F*cked-Up Thoughts: P.S., They Hate You ⭐⭐⭐⭐
ATY: Eye catching title
I saw this and burst out laughing. My mother is a plant person and has several house plants which she refers to as 'her babies'. So I read it, and then passed it on to her to read.

Letters from the Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop ⭐⭐⭐
Healing fiction. This was okay, but nothing special.

The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Reread of a graphic novel about a teen who is obsessed with gothic romances (Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights etc.) accidently crossing over into another universe that is modeled on gothic romances. Zombie rabbits ensue.

In Progress

To Clutch a Razor
You Had Me at Hola
Three Shattered Souls

QotW
I identified the prompts I figured would be hard, found something for them, and got them over and done with early. Now, the one I'm having the most trouble with is a book from my physical TBR that I haven't gotten around to reading. Of the 9 prompts I have left, 3 of them are basically this prompt (Free book, avoided reading, fav past prompt) This was supposed to help me finish my goal of reading 10 books out of my pile, but it doesn't seem to be working. Stupid new and shiny library books keep distracting me.😋

Life update: I formally handed in my resignation this week, which felt odd. Of course I've resigned from jobs before, but this time I'm resigning from a whole career. I had a physical reaction to it, feeling hugely fatigued for the rest of the day.

We also had another contractor come to look at our leaky chimneys. This one does want to quote for the work, and he seems competent, but there were scary phrases being thrown around like "steel beam through the front of the house" and "party wall agreement". Fun fun fun!

Reading update: I got accepted for several books on NetGalley, so now I have my reading assignments for September and October! One of them is much longer than I realised, but I'm really enjoying it - I'm just going to have to spread it out and read a couple of sections a day alongside other stuff. Otherwise my ADHD will protest.

I finished 2 books:
Star Trek: Dark Universe for the last prompt I needed in the Star Trek Series Challenge: a book not written for a series. I was going to read something else, but it was an early DNF for me. Browsing for something else, I found this fan script for a Kelvin timeline movie that obviously never got made. It's pretty enjoyable for what it is.
Ballads of a Cheechako, not for a prompt. I stumbled upon the Wikisource version while looking up something else and was hooked, probably because everyone compares Service to Kipling, whom I like a lot. It's of its time, including some objectionable attitudes, but they only come across in a few of the poems. Overall, it's very entertaining and vivid.

Stats:
Disability Pride Challenge: 0 this week, 4/5 total
Star Trek Series Challenge: 1 this week, 18/18 total
Readers of the Wild Moor: 0 this week, 22/30 total
Queer Reads Bracket Challenge: 0 this week, 4/6 total
Horror Subgenre Challenge: 0 this week, 7/11 total
Politics & Philosophy: 0 this week, 4/15 total
Anti-Capitalist Inspiration: 0 this week, 7/30 total
All books finished this year: 2 this week, 122 total
DNF or paused: 1 this week, 21 total

Challenges completed this year:
PopSugar, Pride Season, Star Trek Series, GR Community Favorites, GR Seasonal, GR Summer

Currently Reading:
The Optimistic Decade - research
Fugitive Telemetry - next in series
Ice - NetGalley
When They Burned the Butterfly - NetGalley
The Valmiki Ramayana Vol. 3 - spiritual reading; I moved this from bedtime to first thing in the morning, and that's working well for me
Journey to the West (Chinese Lore podcast) - for a Discord book club

QOTW: #25, a book where the main character is an immigrant or refugee. I've been an immigrant myself, I've worked in refugee law. Reading about the experience in my leisure time can just feel too painful and raw sometimes. I did make it all the way through Assembly, but there were moments when I considered dnf'ing.

Jennifer W wrote: "I then had some extra t-shirts from our tie dye weekend a few weekends ago and I made myself a Hamilton shirt with a black star and yellow background, and it actually came out!! I still can't make hearts, but apparently stars are easier??..."




LOL no way!! Stars are so much harder for me!

Kendra wrote: "Stupid new and shiny library books keep distracting me."

I have no idea what you're talking abou -

-oh look, my library hold moved from "unavailable" to "in transit!"

Cornerofmadness wrote: JessicaMHR wrote: "Hello! Been having a hard time getting on here still, so here is another multi week check-in.

I found a new Little free library that focuses on romance and so I added a bunch of new books to my TB..."

I'd just go look at amazon's recs based on your past reading (or GR for that matter) those are AI chatbox recs."


Yeah, thanks. I looked at some website after I posted this and am now listening to The Bookish Life of Nina Hill that was recommended based off of an Emily Henry book. Plus Libby actually had this one so it is this for AI Chatbot for me!

Megan wrote: "The latter because I've got nearly 800 books on my TBR list and the thought of trying to figure out who the oldest author (living? deceased? I know! I know! I can decide which way to go on that but still!!) on that list sounds like too much research time when I could be reading instead.."


I interpreted this as the author I have had the longest on my TBR pile, not how old they are/were.

Was just sitting here realizing we have 3 and a half months left and that I need to buckle down on the books I have left and be more deliberate about reading the ones specifically for the challenge.

But it is nice to see so many of us within reach of finishing the challenge.

Wow what a busy week. Didn't get a chance to post on Thursday like I normally do.

I'm finally a "real adult"- in that I work part-time and I go to school so there's a lot to do, plus family obligations. I'm loving it all though! Well 3 out of 4.

I can't get a handle on my psychology class which is a drag. I reached out to my professor and he told me things I've already been doing so that was really no help at all.

My other class, a nature writing class, is going amazing though! With this class alone I've read 12 books for it this month so that's really helped increase my reading numbers which is awesome! So far we've been reading a lot of nonfiction and I am loving every second.

I struggle with verbal communication, but when it's something I'm passionate about it's slightly easier (thanks autism and adhd/minus my racing thoughts and fragmenting when I speak.) Other than those issues though I'm saying things that are on point and intelligent in class discussions which is great.

Work is still a bit of a learning curve but I'm getting the hang of it. I love my job which is rare to say since I've only had 3 (this being the third.)

*****

Book News:

Like I said, 12 books (at least 12 by next week), will be for school so I've only read 7 of my planned personal readings. I don't mind though because I'm loving all of the nonfiction we've been reading for class.

In terms of personal reading these are the 3 I've finished this week:

The Wild Dark: Finding the Night Sky in the Age of Light - Beautifully written and it leaves you in a state of bittersweetness longing for the deep dark night sky.

The Portable Feminist Reader - Intense topics, but makes for excellent discussion and contemplation.

Nowhere Girl: Life as a Member of ADHD's Lost Generation - Pretty relatable book.

*****

Currently Reading:

Walden and Civil Disobedience - Loving Thoreau. I used to read him sometimes, but this time around it's been fun to really dig deeper into his work and gain a better, and more intelligent, understanding of his writing.

Nature and Selected Essays- Also reading this for school. I've read Emerson before too, but like the Thoreau book it's been fun to read it from a more scholarly perspective.

*****

Upcoming Reads:

Everything Must Go: Why We Are Obsessed With the End of the World - Really stoked to start this! It was originally going to be a pleasure read because I have a general fascination with end of the world movies, but now I'll be able to use it as part of my research for an upcoming paper I have to write so I'm even more excited for it now!

The Country of the Pointed Firs and Other Stories - School read

A White Heron- School read

*****

I also have some John Muir books to read which will be for another school project (if I get permission to use them.)

*****

Question of the Week

Which Challenge category has been the most challenging for you this year?

Luckily this year has been easier. I can fit more nonfiction in the prompts than in past years.

However, there are a few prompts that are a bit challenging simply because I don't have a particular interest in the topics:

- Happily single woman protagonist
-Food truck
-Married couple doesn't live together
-Menopause
-Less than 3 stars on GR
-A run club

with all this uproar about Libby, I'm feeling crazy. I thought we ALWAYS had the ability to suspend holds in Libby? I happen to not have anything on hold so I can't check. And how is setting a date for the suspension to end any different from setting a date for the delay to end?? Why is everyone saying "now we have to remember?" Remember WHAT? That you had a book on hold? If you can't even remember you had a book on hold, maybe you didn't really want to read it.

I don't understand why everyone is so outraged. How is this new thing any different than it's always been?

Haha what uproar? I saw the change it seems minor to me. I’ve found if I don’t feel like reading the book when my hold comes in I send it on and make a new hold when I feel like reading it again. I tried using the send me this after a specific date and it’s show up and I’d just wouldn’t be motivated to read it then either.

Megan wrote: "I finished two books and couldn't find an open prompt for either of them. I really thought at least one of them would fit something. So I'm still at 15/40 and 0/10 for this challenge. Now at 55/85 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge.

Finished:
* Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto, which was delightful; and,..."



I don't know what you've filled so far, but Vera is pretty happily single.

Erica wrote: "Haha what uproar? I saw the change it seems minor to me. I’ve found if I don’t feel like reading the book when my hold comes in I send it on and make a new hold when I feel like reading it again. I..."



Maybe it's only in certain places. I'm seeing people upset in various GR groups and FB groups and reddit groups.


Perhaps it seemed bigger than it is, because after I saw the first few posts, I googled to find out what was going on, and that of course resulted in several more posts of people complaining. Like here on the Lippy App FB group: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16yE...

Sasha wrote: "Life update: I formally handed in my resignation this week, which felt odd. Of course I've resigned from jobs before, but this time I'm resigning from a whole career. I had a physical reaction to i..."



It's a big change. I'm sure it's a bit scary.

Dubhease wrote: "too tired in the evenings to read. (Or watch TV - I haven't even finished Wednesday yet.)..."



I haven't even started Wednesday yet!! Of course, it's because I'm distracted watching other stuff:

Three Body Problem (rewatch because former college kid had not seen it)

The Summer I Turned Pretty (because former college kid loves it - this is addictive but also very fluffy and I can't exactly recommend it)

Strangers from Hell (SOOOOOO creepy! The perfect Spooktember viewing!!!)

Tale of the Nine-Tailed - I only have two episodes left and it seems hopeless for Yeon, I have no idea how he's going to pull it off and save EVERYONE.

Laura Ruth wrote: "I'm having trouble with "dystopian story with a happy ending."..."



I cheated a little with that one, I read The Dream Hotel. A world in which you are locked up for suspicion of possibly committing a crime seems like a dystopian, right? And (view spoiler)[she is finally released from jail and reunited with her family (hide spoiler)] so I counted that as "a happy ending."

Laura Z wrote: "For #2 (picked based on the last sentence), I took four unread books off my shelves, read the last sentence, and picked one...."


That is a super clever way to approach it, and perhaps what the list makers actually intended! I ended up picking a Hemingway novel off a list because the last sentence intrigued me (A Farewell to Arms). It was my first Hemingway so I don't exactly regret reading it, I'd been curious about him and I'm glad I finally gave him a go. But it will probably also be my last Hemingway.

Nadine in NY wrote: "It's a big change. I'm sure it's a bit scary."

It is. I'm not too worried about not working in and of itself - I have plans to keep myself busy - but I'm anxious about moving and money and what happens if the health improvement I'm hoping for doesn't come. There's also some social anxiety about getting to know new neighbours (and before that, negotiating with the existing ones about some party wall work we need to do,)

I'm sure it will all be fine, I'd just rather be on the other side of it all already ;-)

Happy Autumn Equinox, if you celebrate, and even if you don’t!

Good news first – I have adopted a sweet 5 year old cat! I think Dusty (my soulmate cat) had a hand in this. Her name is Roxy, she’s all black, she’s tiny (only 8 pounds), and she’s half-Bombay, half domestic shorthair. She makes little squeaks rather than meows. If you watch the vlog about Baba and Yaga, she squeaks like Baba. She’s chill, not picky about food, seems to enjoy the mix of all-protein for diabetic cats with healthy indoor cat food, and has been exploring the apartment. She likes toys, but she’ll pass them up for a treat, and she’ll always pass up a treat for cuddles, affection, scritches, spine massage, and belly rubs (!).

She doesn’t like to be picked up, don’t know why, but she loves blankets and naps and sleeps quietly through the night.

As far as work, I still feel like I’m living in “Bittersweet Symphony”. Offer letter was more than a month ago, and onboarding ever since has been exhausting, time-consuming, unpaid, and I’m no closer to an income stream. Still applying for jobs and ransacking what’s left of my 403b.

I have an appointment to sell plasma this week. I told Roxy we may have to sell pictures of her tiny princess feet.

On to the books! It’s been a while since I checked in, so I apologize for the length, again.

Finished:
Freedom House. I really enjoyed this. Some great experimental poetry and some formal poetry. I’m so glad people that I recommended it to have enjoyed it as well. I’ll be looking up more KB Brookins to read.

Autism Is Not A Disease: The Politics of Neurodiversity. This was so good, and challenges so many preconceptions. I love how Jodie Hare shifted paradigms, and quoted and referenced some of my favorite Disability Justice workers and writers! I can’t recommend it highly enough.

One Morning in Maine. For a book that reminds me of my childhood. While the MC and I had pretty different childhoods in some ways in the same place, the description of the land and making a living from the sea just draws me in. It is super comforting, and makes me happily wistful at the same time.

Ghost. For a book about a run club. Has Jason Reynolds ever written a bad book? I wasn’t very excited about this prompt, but I learned a lot about running and track -- and painlessly. The personal development of the MC and relationship between him and his coach was soul-satisfying.

When the Emperor Was Divine. For a married couple who does not live together. No spoiler, since it’s on the book jacket: a Japanese-American family in the early 1940’s in San Francisco are sent to different internment camps. The father is arrested and sent to a string of camps first. The mother and children are sent later to a smaller series of 2 camps. This was just heart-rending, on so many levels. CW: (view spoiler)[ The pet killing did me in. I understand she didn’t feel she had many options, but I found 2 immediately. (hide spoiler)] Not an easy read, but beautifully written, and made me sob. I highly recommend! Just have some tissues handy.

They Called Us Enemy Sometimes I binge out on a prompt, and this was one such time. I’m late to the party, but this was such a powerful memoir. I have immense respect for George Takei!

Flowers for Algernon. This could work for a classic, or a book you’ve avoided reading. I had avoided this for years, because I thought I would not be able to stop crying. There was sadness, but I felt the MC’s frustration even more. It’s powerful. You may need tissues.

Unlikely Friendships : 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom. I needed to stop crying, and this was so heart-warming. Lots of cross-species bonding and relationships. This could be a palate cleanser after heavy reads, and could also work for… wait for it… unlikely friendships!

Sweet Bean Paste. This could work for found family or unlikely friendships. I loved this! I guess I’m a sucker for healing fiction. No cats, but the setting is current-day Japan. It begins quietly, but about a third of the way through, it really ramped up for me when the FL opens more deeply about her past. Yes, it can provoke tears, or anger, but I also appreciated this remarkable creative woman – and her friends.
@Lynn – this was written for you!

Question of the Week

Ohhh, my toughest categories I thought were:
- Run club
- Space tourism
- Soccer
I wound up really enjoying my choices for run club (Ghost) and space tourism (Floating Hotel). Still perusing what others have read and recommended for the soccer prompt. I’ve tried to get a hold of How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the FA Cup, but was unsuccessful. I’m thinking about Booked by Kwame Alexander or One Life by Megan Rapinoe.

Lilith wrote: "Happy Autumn Equinox, if you celebrate, and even if you don’t!

Good news first – I have adopted a sweet 5 year old cat! I think Dusty (my soulmate cat) had a hand in this. Her name is Roxy, she’s ..."




awww there is a tiny black cat living in my neighborhood and it is the CUTEST!! If I could have cats, I'd want THAT cat.


You accepted a job offer last month but you still aren't being paid? What is going on???

Lilith wrote: "Happy Autumn Equinox, if you celebrate, and even if you don’t!

Good news first – I have adopted a sweet 5 year old cat! I think Dusty (my soulmate cat) had a hand in this. Her name is Roxy, she’s ..."

I read How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the FA Cup via Archive.org. You can read it on a phone, tablet or computer.

Eclipse season in Virgo is really testing all the things in my life right now. Everything feels like a struggle, and I know once we get through it everything will work out the way its supposed to, but man everything feels hard right now. Work, relationship and my gut is finally back to mostly normal.

43/75 GoodReads Challenge
39/50 PopSugar Challenge

Finished:
1.) Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (#11: mentioned in another book) ⭐⭐: This was a slog to get through, and I didn't enjoy it very much.

2.) Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley (#31-Music) ⭐⭐⭐: This was ok, again not great but I did enjoy playing the songs mentioned in each chapter while I was reading.

3.) A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna (#1 POC Joy) ⭐⭐⭐⭐: REALLY enjoyed this one, it was so cozy and whimsy - enjoyed this found family story of Sera Swan trying to get her magic back.



Currently Reading:
1.) A Study in Scarlet - #44 Avoided
2.) Tell Me Everything -#38- Same Title #2
3.) Three Days in June- Oldest Author @83



QoTW: Which Challenge category has been the most challenging for you this year? So many niche prompts! Run club, food truck, all these classics on my TBR and a low rated book? TOUGH challenge this year.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Lilith wrote: "Happy Autumn Equinox, if you celebrate, and even if you don’t!

You accepted a job offer last month but you still aren't being paid? What is going on???

The roadblock is HR. If you work in HR, my bookish friends, don't read this, for you may be good at your job. I have not experienced that yet in 51 years of working. (view spoiler)[ it is the most worthless department in any organization. They could not even file my paid leave due to injury! I had to do it myself 3 days before I returned to work! (hide spoiler)]
They aren't impacted by my not having an income stream, so they can take forrrrrrever. I'm applying to a new round of jobs.

Denise wrote: "Lilith wrote: "Happy Autumn Equinox, if you celebrate, and even if you don’t!

I read How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the FA Cup via Archive.org. You can read it on a phone, tablet or computer
..."

I'll try that again. I had a devil of a time getting anything other than redacted pages or blank pages at Archive.org * weeping*

Jackie wrote: "Currently Reading
Mrs. Dalloway: wow this is just an agonizing reading experience - stream of consciousness is NOT for me."

Couldn't agree with you more on this one Jackie.