Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Happy Thursday!!  Welcome to October!  I can't believe it's Thursday again, I can't believe it's October already.

The trees are getting ready to put on their big show, all the leaves are starting to turn gold and red, my raspberries are still over producing and I cannot keep up, and the evenings are crisp but still mild enough that I wear flip flops most nights when I walk the dogs.  

Some people say the leaf color will be dull because of the drought we've had, and they might be right.  Some of the gold does look dull.  But maples and sumacs (and poison ivy LOL) are turning a brilliant red.



  ***** Admin stuff *****
The October group read, which could fill "A book containing magical creatures that aren't dragons" is: The Fellowship of the Ring.  You can join the discussion here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

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 final 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 4 books, one for this Challenge, and I am DONE!  50/50.   I finished the Popsugar Challenge!

Fan Service by Rosie Danan - this is not the sort of romance I usually read, I tend to avoid werewolves because of all the alpha-mated stuff, but someone said this was fun so I borrowed it from the library.  And it WAS fun!  It was fantastic!!  I'll read more from this author, she writes great characters and she has a knack for making a ridiculous premise feel very believable.

Love Is a War Song by Danica Nava - this NetGalley book is the second I've read by Nava, and I think maybe she's just not an author for me. Her characters feel like dumbasses, her dialogue feels clunky and fake, and the situations are ridiculous (far less believable than the werewolf romance I just finished).  There's nothing particularly wrong with this book, so if you're looking for a fun rom com with Native protagonists, and you don't mind some poorly-written sex scenes ((view spoiler)[they first have sex during a tornado, in a storm shelter, without a condom, because she's on birth control and she trusts him (hide spoiler)]), by all means pick this up!!  I'm late reviewing it, it was published in July, so it's available now!

Fear Less: Poetry in Perilous Times by Tracy K. Smith - this NetGalley book publishes in November, it's a collection of essays by a former USA Poet Laureate on how to approach poetry. The opening essay felt powerful and uplifting, but then the rest of the collection felt like an awesome school textbook: useful, but not what I wanted.

We Can Remember It for You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick - that was short and sharp and clever, I would have given it five stars except for all the sexism (one of the only female characters was topless the entire time, and bounced boobily); it was a lot shorter than I expected, so I feel a bit "cheaty" using it for the Challenge, but this is the FOURTH book I've tried to read for "space tourism" so I'm counting it, and I'm DONE!!   That was my final Challenge read of 2025!!



Popsugar 100% 50 /50
Must Reads 60% 6 /10
AtY 90% 47 /52
AtY bonus 100% 10 /10
2025 pub 98% 49 /50
NetGalley ratio 97%

I've made excellent progress on my NetGalley backlog!!  I only have two books left!  One I'm currently reading, and one that doesn't publish until January so I feel sure I'll get to it before publication.  I celebrated by allowing myself to request a 2026 publication. Only one!



Question of the Week

Has anyone taken a look at the new lists GR just published for the Fall Challenges?   

Horror fans, which books do you recommend for "Spine Tinglers" (https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/3...)

Cozy fans, what stands out to you in these 117 choices:https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/3...

Best seller fans, what would you recommend from this list of favorites:https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2...

Memoir fans, which books do you recommend from these memoirs (https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2...)



Now that I see the light at the end of my various Challenge tunnels, I'm more interested in other mini Challenges, and I started paying attention to the GR seasonal Challenges.   I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised by these lists,  I see some great books I've loved, and several books I'm very eager to read.   Quite a few of these have been our monthly reads, too!

Don't feel like you have to go through EVERY list like I did!  I just got too excited because I was so surprised to find so many books I've loved.  Choose the list (or lists) that calls to you!!

In horror, some of my favorites (all very thought provoking novels that have stayed in my head) are:
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter
Lone Women
Our Wives Under the Sea
Mapping the Interior
And I'm planning to read (I actually just started it last night):  Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng 


In cozy (a subgenre I didn't think I liked much, but I guess I do!) some of my favorites are:
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
Murder Takes a Vacation
Here Beside the Rising Tide
And I'm planning to read: Run for the Hills

In popular books, some of my favorites are:
The Wedding People
The Vanishing Half
Nothing to See Here
And I'm planning to read: maybe Writers & Lovers or The Great Believers

And in memoirs I absolutely LOVED The Best We Could Do
And there are several I'm curious about, not sure if I will read one this fall or not:  
Sociopath
Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life
Crying in H Mart
Know My Name
Taste: My Life Through Food
I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness
You Could Make This Place Beautiful

Happy Thursday all!

It's finally started getting colder here in Idaho. Time to pull out the thicker blankets...

Still chugging away at work and school. My writing has slowed down... I've gotten sucked back into playing Breath of the Wild. That game is addictive.

Books read this week:

The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park -- by the author of What You Are Looking For Is in the Library, and a sweet read about a playground hippo ride said to have healing abilities.

The Wolf's Curse -- bittersweet read about grief and moving on, dressed up as a middle-grade fantasy. It's good!

Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures -- short book full of essays on the weird, wonderful, and sadly endangered animals that we share the world with.

The Left Hand of Dog -- goofy and lighthearted sci-fi romp.

Spy x Family, Vol. 11
Spy x Family, Vol. 12

DNF:

Daughter of the Mountains -- wasn't holding my interest

Guillotine -- I’m all for an “eat the rich” story, but the protagonist wasn’t a whole lot better than the evil rich people she was surrounded by, despite the narrative wanting us to root for her.

Currently reading:

The Best of Catherynne M. Valente, Volume One
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax
Puss without Boots
Galapagos
Music for Tigers

QOTW:

I... don't really look at those lists. But now that you've posted them, I should!

Happy October! It’s finally starting to feel like fall. A few trees are starting to turn, and it’s cool enough in the mornings to wear a sweater when we walk Eli to school.

2025 Reading Challenges:

52 Book Club: 47/52 (Connections Challenge: 14/21, September Mini-Challenge: 1/1 )
ATY: 44/52 (ATY Anniversary Challenge: 8/10, ATY Fall Challenge: 30/36)
The Book Girls’ Guide: 55/74
Booklist Queen: 47/52
Popsugar: 47/50
Goodreads Fall Challenge (Bookmarks): 3/12

My Ever-Growing TBR: 119/316 – 37.7% (My goal is 33.3%.)

Recently Completed:

🐿️ It (52 Books September Mini-Challenge – the biggest book of the year/ATY Fall #18 – author’s initials in FIREWORKS) ★★★★★
🐿️ Bourbon & Lies, The Bourbon Boys #1 ★★★★
🐿️ Bad Nature (ATY Fall #6 – author’s initials in COOLER WEATHER) ★★★
🐿️ Vengeful, Villains #2 (ATY Fall #3 – author’s initials in HARVEST) ★★★★
🐿️ Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart ★★★★
🐿️ The Sweetest September, Home in Magnolia Bend #1 (ATY Fall – author’s initials in HOT CHOCOLATE) ★★★
🐿️ Swift and Saddled, Rebel Blue Ranch #2 ★★★★
🐿️ The Fraud (ATY #15 – about secrets, lies, or deceptions) ★★★
🐿️ Another Country: Reasonable Doubt Book Club. (ATY Fall #9 – title starts with a letter in HOT CHOCOLATE)
🐿️ Milk Eggs Vodka: Grocery Lists Lost and Found: An intriguing concept, but much of the humor felt unkind.



QOTW: I’ve read quite a few of the Spine Tinglers. I’m either going to read We Used to Live Here or Ring Shout, but I haven't decided yet. And I really lucked into my choices for Heart Warmers, Fiction Faves, and Memorable Memoirs. Coincidentally, I had already started reading books that fit all three categories! For Heart Warmers, I’m reading The People We Keep. Hello Beautiful is my choice for Fiction Faves, and Solito is my choice for Memorable Memoirs.

Laura Z wrote: "and Solito is my choice for Memorable Memoirs...."



oh I forgot about Solito! that's another one I'm curious about!

Good morning, everyone! Happy Thursday!

It hasn’t been the most productive week. I starting having some stomach issues over the weekend, which didn’t go away until yesterday afternoon, and which really hampered my ability to get things done. I’m still not sure if I came down with a virus, or if my not feeling well was the result of a food allergy or (more likely) food poisoning, but I am feeling better now.

Because I wasn’t feeling well, a lot of my time this week was spent reading and playing video games. I broke down and purchased the Nintendo Switch 2 a couple weeks ago, along with a Nintendo Online subscription, so I’ve been playing a lot of the new Mario Kart World game and some old SNES titles. It’s been a lot of fun.

It might not look like it, based on the number of books I finished, but I did quite a bit of reading this week as well. (The newest DCC book was close to 900 pages, and was a big part of why I didn’t finish very many titles this week.) I thoroughly enjoyed all of the books I read this week, and I’m really pleased with the progress I’ve made on my long-term reads.

Now that it’s October, I am participating in FrightFall, which is hosted by Seasons of Reading. I’ve done this readathon a couple times before, and I always really enjoy it. I’ve got quite a few horror novels and nonfiction books about horror and the paranormal on my 2025 TBR list, so I will definitely not run out of spooky things to read this month.

Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…

Goodreads Challenge: 322/250 (128% — Challenge Complete!)
Mount TBR Challenge: 160/150 (106% — Challenge Complete!)

📚Physical TBR: 113/731
📱Ebook TBR: 36/218
🎧Audiobook TBR: 11/12
TBR Checklist Total: 160/961 (16% complete)

TBR Books DNFed in 2025: 3

I did not purchase any new books this week, and I am completely caught up on the books I’ve purchased this year!

“New” Books Bought in 2025: 151
“New” Books Read in 2025: 150
“New” Books DNFed in 2025: 1
“New” Books Checklist Total: 100% complete

Here are the books I finished this week…

Finished Reading (Fiction):
~Tarzan of the Apes — This is the first book in the Tarzan series. I thought this was a pretty good story. It’s very different from the Disney movie, so if you think you already know Tarzan’s story, you may find yourself getting surprised. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include references to torture and cannibalism. It also portrays historical attitudes towards indigenous populations and colonialism. (hide spoiler)] 📱: ⭐⭐⭐
~This Inevitable Ruin — This is the seventh book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I’m already looking forward to the next one, and it’s going to be very hard to wait until it’s released. 📚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
~Haunt Sweet Home — I thought this was a fantastic novella! I didn’t find it particularly scary, but I really liked the story and characters. 📚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
~Life with the Afterlife: 13 Truths I Learned about Ghosts — This memoir focuses on Amy Bruni’s experiences with the paranormal throughout her life, including things she experienced while working on Ghost Hunters and on her and Adam’s series, Kindred Spirits. I found her book really interesting! Since several episodes of Kindred Spirits are mentioned in the book, I decided to give it a try. If I tell you that I’m already on the second season after just a couple of days, does that give you an idea of how much I like it? It’s available to stream on Discovery+. 📚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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

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 currently have a little less than 78 hours remaining. 🎧
~The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights, Volume 2 — I was able to read a significant amount of this book over the past several days, and I’m currently about one-third of the way through it. My progress through this book will probably be somewhat slow during the month of October, but I don’t plan to take a break from it, despite focusing most of my attention on FrightFall. 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)] 📚
~Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen — I plan to start this book later today. I think it’s going to be an interesting read. 📚

QOTW:
For Spine Tinglers…
I will either be reading Hidden Pictures or FantasticLand, since both were already on my FrightFall TBR. Of the books I’ve already read, I highly recommend The Hacienda, by Isabel Cañas; Dead Silence, by S.A. Barnes; The Hollow Places, by T. Kingfisher; The Institute, by Stephen King; and Imaginary Friend, by Stephen Chbosky.

For Heart-Warmers…
I will probably end up reading The Thursday Murder Club for this challenge, because I already own it, but I’ve actually read quite a few of the titles on this list. Personally, I recommend Legends & Lattes and Bookshops & Bonedust, by Travis Baldree, especially since the third book comes out later this year; The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers; Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones; The Guncle, by Steven Rowley; The Murder at the Vicarage, by Agatha Christie; The Enchanted Greenhouse, by Sarah Beth Durst; The Teller of Small Fortunes, by Julie Leong; Lonely Castle in the Mirror, by Mizuki Tsujimura; and The House Witch, by Delemach. I also really liked Of Monsters and Mainframes, by Barbara Truelove, but didn’t really consider it a cozy read. It’s perfect for this time of year though.

For Fiction Favs…
I will probably read A Gentleman in Moscow for this challenge, because I do own a copy on my Kindle that I got the year it came out. I haven’t read many of the books on this list, but I did really like The Personal Librarian, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray; The Guncle, by Steven Rowley; and The Henna Artist, by Alka Joshi.

Finally, for Memorable Memoirs…
Unfortunately, none of the memoirs I am planning to read this year made this list, so I don’t know what (if anything) I will be reading for this challenge. I would like to read both of the books by the Obamas, but I don’t know if I’ll have time before the challenge ends. The only book I’ve read from this list was one I absolutely loved, which was You're Never Weird on the Internet, by Felicia Day.

Happy October! Ee've definitely hit the rainy season. I'm enjoying my brand-new Little Free Library, and get positively giddy every time someone adds or takes a book.

I'm at 91 books for the year, 45/50 for the Popsugar, 49/52 for the Booklist Queen.

Finished:

One Life by Megan Rapinoe, for a book about soccer (PS) and a bestselling memoir (BQ). I'm not actually interested in sports, which is not Rapinoe's fault. More interested in her involvement with the fight for equal pay for women players, and her kneeling in solidarity with Black Lives Matter.

The Entanglement of Rival Wizards by Sara Rasch. I agree with the person who said it had a Red, White & Royal Blue vibe. Gay enemies-to-lovers set in a wizard college in contemporary Philadelphia. The banter is hilarious. The sex is significantly more explicit than RW&RB. Warning, there's some traumatic backstory.

Love Is for All of Us: Poems of Tenderness and Belonging from the LGBTQ+ Community and Friends, edited by James Crews. The poems are well-chosen and accessible, understandable without being simplistic.

Magical Negro by Morgan Parker is poetry with a sharp edge, about self-preservation for a Black woman in a white world (and multiple white lovers all named Matt).

Currently reading:

City of Refuge, Starhawk's sequel to The Fifth Sacred Thing, for a dystopian novel (BQ) and a dystopian with a happy ending (PS). At least, knowing Starhawk, I'm pretty sure the ending will be happy. It's a future where the US has collapsed, and the characters live in Califia (formerly San Francisco area), a society based on cooperation, shared resources, and equality. Not a utopia, but a better world that's achievable. Meanwhile, the former Southern California is run by wealthy oligarchs who breed men to be soldiers and women to be trafficked. As before, the question is how to defeat them without becoming them.

Next up:

Probably Very Fine People, essays by A. R. Moxon.

Happy Thursday! I woke up with a migraine at about 5:30 this morning, and now around 9 it's finally starting to ease.

Finished:
Ink and Bone by Lisa Unger - 3 stars - for two books with the same title. I'm not a big thriller reader, but the paranormal/psychic aspect of this appealed to me. It was good, not amazing. I read it as a standalone and was fine, even though it's apparently part of series set in the same area.

Comics & manga:
Akane-banashi, Vol. 13
Queen's Quality, Vol. 23
Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Vol. 22 (Volume 22)
Girl Crush, Vol. 2
Persona 5: Mementos Mission
Persona 5: Mementos Mission Volume 2
Persona 5: Mementos Mission Volume 3

I am currently at 45/50 for Popsugar (37/40 and 8/10). I keep getting distracted by books not on my plan. :D

Currently reading:
A Steeping of Blood by Hafsah Faizal - not currently for a prompt

Upcoming/Planned:
A Philosophy of Thieves by Fran Wilde - not currently for a prompt

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine - for two books with the same title.

QOTW:
I used to ignore these lists, but now my competitive side wants the achievements. I could recommend a lot off that cozy list, although I don't entirely agree with the "cozy" descriptor for some of them.

In particular, The Teller of Small Fortunes was fantastic, and I also loved Witchmark.

A friend and I managed to both catch a cold when we dined out together last Friday night. It was a new Sicilian restaurant in our neighborhood on the UWS of Manhattan, small, very crowded, and quite warm with inadequate a/c - NYC is still very warm and humid. The fact we came down with the same cold symptoms at the same time strongly suggests that's where we were exposed. It's not made us happy though so far not too awful for me.

Plus work is less intense this week as it's been disrupted by Yom Kippur, which pretty much pulls someone critical on every project out for 2.5 days.

ATY: 61/62 PS: 46/50

Finished:
A Walk in Wolf Wood
The Golden Scales - this fit soccer prompt!
Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens
Beautiful Ruins

Currently Reading:
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
A Natural History of Dragons
The Tattoo Murder Case

QOTW: I pay no attention to those at all.

Did you guys notice that on FB, PS said they will be releasing the 2026 list early?!

Vancouver Public Library Challenge: 17/24
Mar-Sept. Purchased TBR: 31/58
June-Sept. Library TBR: 17/27
37 to go!

Finished: On justifying democracy I didn't think he did a very good job of justifying democracy...
Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our Future This was for an IRL book club, not on my radar at all prior to. I really enjoyed it. It's such a nice relief to read a book about indigenous peoples that is not all about trauma.
Democracy and Disagreement
Gender Magic: Live Shamelessly, Reclaim Your Joy, & Step into Your Most Authentic Self This was really good too, even for someone who is cisgender. About loving yourself.
Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories This was a collection of stories by different indigenous authors about a magical drive-in that appears just when you need it. Very out of my usual fare and I enjoyed it.

Started: The Courage to Be Disliked: A single book can change your life Book written in Socratic dialogue about the psychologist Adler's ideas. Very interesting because I wasn't at all familiar with them, but I disagreed with him so strongly that I felt like partway through the book, I got the gist and discontinued reading. Too many books to read!
Democracy and Difference: Contesting the Boundaries of the Political An edited collection of essays so the quality is inconsistent. About deliberative democracy.

QotW:I'm glad you guys told me about these bookmarks because I wouldn't have known about them otherwise. I won't be reading the thriller nor the popular picks. Cozy and memoir piqued my interest, but I probably won't read them either because I'm really focused on making progress with the books I already have!

Doni wrote: "Did you guys notice that on FB, PS said they will be releasing the 2026 list early?!."

Wait, what? How early? Be still my over-organized heart!

Doni wrote: "Did you guys notice that on FB, PS said they will be releasing the 2026 list early?!."




GASP! No I did not see that!! I rarely check FB these days ... [rushes off to FB ...]



Oh very exciting, it's a GARDENING THEME!! I am so here for this!! From Taylor:

Some of the best blooms come from early seeds, so we're giving you a head start for 2026. But gardens need tending, so watch this space this month as we sow even more exciting announcements coming soon.

Laura Ruth wrote: "Doni wrote: "Did you guys notice that on FB, PS said they will be releasing the 2026 list early?!."

Wait, what? How early? Be still my over-organized heart!"

They didn't specify, but I did get the sense that they're going to do lots of teasers instead of just a single-day engagement.

Doni wrote: "Laura Ruth wrote: "Doni wrote: "Did you guys notice that on FB, PS said they will be releasing the 2026 list early?!."

Wait, what? How early? Be still my over-organized heart!"

They didn't specif..."

Part of the reason I love reading challenges is the puzzle-solving aspect. Finding the right book for an odd category is as much fun for me as the reading itself.

How in the world is it October? Ah well it's my favorite month so I'm not going to argue it. I did some reading and then realized two that I think I shared before actually fit prompts and somehow forgot it.

Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie (ps 41. A book by the oldest author in your TBR pile) Okay might be a little cheaty here. She wasn't that old when Dame Agatha wrote this but she was still writing until her later years so I'm counting it. A twisty mystery where four supposed got away with it murderers are invited to a party along with four sleuths (including Poirot) and the host gets killed. I enjoyed it (CW, time period racism on the page)

I can't remember if I shared this before but I think so What Cannot Be Saidby C.S. Harris (PS 50. A book that features a character with chronic pain). I had in mind a different series but then realized Gibson (the medical examiner) being in chronic pain from losing a leg and treating it with an opium addiction is a long standing sub plot through the series and Sebastian himself is gearing up for chronic pain with a gun shot wound to his own leg. I love this historical mystery series and recommend it.

I read this one back in the spring and why it never occurred to me that a castle and its grounds as a resort qualifies as luxury... It was a good start to a new cozy mystery series Bodies and Battlements by Elizabeth Penney (PS 27 A book set at a luxury resort)

Also read (for no challenge) Ghost Roast: A Graphic Novel by Shawnelle & Shawnee Gibbs, a cute YA graphic novel set in New Orleans with a strong Ghostbusters vibe. I thought it was fun and it tackled the emotional fraught southern plantation history well IMO (taking the stance that if presented authentically addressing the racism/slavery it serves a real purpose better than simply destroying it)


QOTW
I didn't realize there were lists. I probably won't be reading anything from them (because I have already read what I wanted from most of them) but here are the ones that I personally liked

Off the horror list - What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon
Mexican Gothicby Silvia Moreno-Garcia

And since the list is rather limited let me add my favorites from the last two year

Another Fine Mess by Lindy Ryan (but it might be closer to urban fantasy)
We Can Never Leave by H.E. Edgmon
Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Cinderwich by Cherie Priest
Lies on the Serpent's Tongueby Kate Pearsall (this one and Cinderwich might fix Appalachian Gothic better)
GASPS: A Quiet Horror Anthology by Judith Sonnet (this is a cheat. I'm one of the authors in this one)

From the cozy list - Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree along with Bookshops & Bonedust
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (which is quite different from the movie. They're both so good)
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix (side eyeing the list, I wouldn't have called this cozy but I would call it a great read(

Off the list points up to Bodies and Battlements
Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage The Golden Girls solve a mystery. Wasn't the best but it was cute
that's probably enough recs

Hi all! Still nice weather here in NY. I also can't believe it's October. But days are much shorter, mornings are cold, it definitely feels like it. Excited to watch post season baseball! We're going shopping this weekend for kiddo's Halloween costume. She wants to be a vampire. I'm waiting on some estimates for some work on the house, I hope they get to me soon. Next week, I'm going to have the latch on my car trunk repaired. I haven't been able to open my trunk all summer! That's pretty much all the "excitement" going on around here, and I'm totally good with it!

I haven't finished anything this week (though I went to the library today and got grabby hands, so yay... lol). I've been making some progress in The Uninvited Guests and I am totally tickled by this book! It's pretty well ridiculous, but there's something potentially sinister going on, so I'm interested to see where it all leads.
Also making progress in The Carpet Makers. I'm not entirely sure where we're going in this book. I like the writing, but almost every time (view spoiler)[ a character gets introduced, they get killed off in the same chapter! How are we going to build a story around this?? (hide spoiler)] I'm using it for space tourism, but I think you could also make the case that it works for interrelated short stories (at least up to the point I'm at).
And I'm under 3 hours left in The Winter Garden. Things are slowly happening, and I like listening, but I'm still not totally hooked.

QOTW: I checked the memoirs' list quickly, thinking I might have read something on there, but I haven't, and I only have 2 on my TBR (and now I've forgotten which 2...).

*Curmudgeon appearance*: I don't care for this bookmark game at all. Especially the books you have to pick from a list. I'm such a mood reader, that even if I wanted to read one of the books, I might not want to read it now. And even if I did want to read it now, I probably wouldn't get to it in the timeframe. It seems like monthly homework to me. I much prefer our yearlong timeframe. I checked once what was the monthly challenges, and got so irritated, I haven't been back! To those who like it, enjoy (but also, get off my lawn! ;)

Here in the states, Banned Book Week starts on Sunday, so celebrate your freedom to read!

https://www.ala.org/bbooks/banned

The top 10 most challenged books from last year are (2025's list will be released on the 11th):

All Boys Aren’t Blue
Gender Queer: A Memoir
The Bluest Eye
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Tricks
Looking for Alaska
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Crank
Sold
Flamer

Pen America's list of books banned in the 24-25 school year (over 6,700 titles!)
https://pen.org/book-bans/pen-america...

Chances are, even if you're not super passionate about this stuff, like I am, you're still reading books that have been banned somewhere in America.

Jennifer W wrote: "Here in the states, Banned Book Week starts on Sunday, so celebrate your freedom to read!

https://www.ala.org/bbooks/banned

...Chances are, even if you're not super passionate about this stuff, like I am, you're still reading books that have been banned somewhere in America."

Is there anything that HASN'T been banned in Florida?

Happy Thursday! Finally felt a fall breeze outside today! Heavenly...

Finished 40/50

Steelheart for "book with the same title 2". UGH this was the worst book I read so far this year. Do not recommend. So bleak and weird and lots of objectification of women.

Currently Reading

That Hideous Strength for "book by oldest author on your TBR". I am not liking how close this hits to home so far...yikes! Lewis was a prophet.

The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it for "book featuring an activity on your bucket list". This book is fantastic so far!

QotW

Nope. Are you kidding? I'll be happy just to finish this challenge in time!

Life's been a little busy, mostly due to my folks being in town a couple weeks ago, so this is a three week check-in. I had a good time traveling around with them, including going to the Big E and visiting my dad's side of the family.
Today is the start of the latest Stephen West MKAL, and I'm enjoying it so far, though I decided to try tackling brioche this time, so we'll see how that goes.
I feel your pain, Theresa, as I'm at the tail end of a cold myself. Not sure where I got it, though. Both my husband and my sister had one two weeks ago, but enough time has passed that I don't think either one of them gave it to me.

Finished:
Pizza Witch - This was a fun read, with a creative magic system.
The Cartoonists Club - Understanding Comics for Kids, but that was the intent. While a good intro for kids, I think it would have done better to either lean more into having a plot or left the plot out all together.
The Secret Language of Birds - A nice read, but a bit slow.
Songs for Other People's Weddings - I listened to the audiobook because I heard the songs were actually sung, and that aspect did not disappoint. The actual story was pretty good, too, but I was always just waiting for the songs. Interestingly, there was an album released, but only three of the songs from the audiobook are on it. The rest of the tracks are based on the book, and are so specific to it that it makes me wonder how much appeal it has outside of people who have read the book.
The Beautiful Game - This grabbed me with the drama almost immediately, and once things slowed down I still enjoyed the plot, but it felt like things resolved a smidge too easily, especially for the main character's father figures.
Chickenpox - (CL Something you might see in a hospital) Good family dynamics, and the friend drama was relatively reasonable. Not a fan of all the close ups of the actual chickenpox.
Telephone of the Tree - (BLQ - Book that makes you cry) Despite being short, this moved at a glacial pace. But when the emotional part hit, it hit hard.
Ride On - The description makes it sound like this is all Victoria's story, but it's really an ensemble piece. Not sure the sci-fi fandom mixed well with horses, but it was an enjoyable read.
Olivetti - Interesting ideas and a compelling mystery, but the pieces never really gelled.
If a Digitized Tree Falls - Technically a novelle, but it's on GR so I'm counting it. I didn't quite understand everything, but it was short enough not to outstay its welcome.
Soma - (PS A happily single woman protagonist) I liked the art, but didn't really click with the story.

Currently reading:
Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon
Awakened
Automatic Noodle
Medusa
Creature Clinic

QOTW: I forgot the new challenges are out today! I looked over the lists, and I'm already reading one from the Heartwarmers list. I already have my Halloween reads picked out, and none of them are on the Spinetingler list, sadly. One of the books I plan to read for this challenge is on the Fiction Favs list, and since more than one challenge I'm doing has a memoir prompt, I'll pick one from that list that fits, though I'll probably do that later rather than sooner.

I miss chatting with you guys. I get so busy with work and school, so it's hard to find time to post anymore.

I am loving my job. Working part-time is a huge step because it also gives me time to do my school stuff. And working around books is certainly my happy place.

*****

Book News:

September was a big month in terms of reading. I finished with 22 books read. What's really helped is that I've cut television out so it frees up my time.

10 books were a mix of fiction and nonfiction that I read for class. The remainder 12 were books of my own choosing so it balanced off nicely.

*****

I've already got 5 books I'm currently reading and almost done with two of them.

Currently Reading:

Bad Indians Book Club: Reading at the Edge of a Thousand Worlds - This book has been so fascinating and healing even. Especially as a marginalized person. I rarely see any representation in books I read unless I deeply search for them. In school I never read any Indigenous or Hispanic authors so I often felt left out. It's nice to have a book that points out those issues.

*****

The Portable Edgar Allan Poe - Been over 20 years since I read Poe (having first read him in 7th grade), but it being spooky season I wanted to get back into him and I'm glad I have.

*****

I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine - This is a re-read for me, but it's out in paperback now so I wanted to get back to it.

*****

Undomesticated Ground: Recasting Nature as Feminist Space - A book on Ecofeminism that I'm just getting into.

******

Up Next:

Somebody Is Walking on Your Grave: My Cemetery Journeys - Speaking of spooky season, excited to get to this one! Definitely one of my most anticipated reads/new releases for October!

Framing the World: Explorations in Ecocriticism and Film - Excited for this one since it's part of a school assignment.

*****

Has anyone taken a look at the new lists GR just published for the Fall Challenges?

I did and I'm not too impressed. They usually don't have many good nonfiction recs that interest me.

Happy October! I am going to keep this brief. I just started a new quarter at school and I'm very busy with new students and new policies. I completed the # 25 prompt: A book where the main character is an immigrant or refugee. I read by Javier Zamora.

Has anyone taken a look at the new lists GR just published for the Fall Challenges?
I have not but I will.

I finished Middlemarch as my book mentioned in another book. It was good. I felt it could have been jsut a little shorter.

I'm reading Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil as my 2025 book. Not sure about this one so far.

QOTW: No.

I don't know where this week has gone! I have finished nothing since the last check but started several more books because my Giveaways win arrived (hooray!) and I excitedly checked out a book on my public library's banned books recommendation list to get an early start on my Banned Books Week reading. Wishing a Happy Banned Books Week to all who celebrate (or is that just me?!?!?!?) 📚🤓📚

I'm at 16/40 and 1/10 for this challenge, and 56/85 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge.

Finished:
* nothing

Currently Reading:
* The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries edited by Michael Sims;
* Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngoni Adichie, which is a NetGalley backlist for me - and I'm almost done;
* All Fours by Miranda July;
* The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly: Life Wisdom from Someone Who Will (Probably) Die Before You by Margareta Magnusson;
* Joyride: A Memoir by Susan Orlean, which arrived on Monday and is my latest Goodreads Giveaways win; and,
* Be Gay, Do Comics by a bunch of different authors/artists. This was on my county library's frequently banned list, so I decided to check it out!

QotW:
Has anyone taken a look at the new lists GR just published for the Fall Challenges? Honestly, all of the extra GR challenges are too much for me to keep up with right now. I do like looking at the lists though to see how many I've read or have on my TBR list already. I modified my approach to the reading challenges I proactively signed up for (like this one) and really don't have the bandwidth to handle trying to keep up with ones I didn't opt into this year. 2025 has been...a lot. And it's not over yet. If I happen to read a book that checks off one of the bookmarks for the Fall Challenge, great. If not, also great. Chasing another challenge would be a chore for me and I just want to read to escape right now. I hope that those of you who are participating have fun collecting the bookmarks and maybe I'll feel like joining in next year (fingers crossed!) 😊

Jennifer W wrote: "*Curmudgeon appearance*: I don't care for this bookmark game at all. Especially the books you have to pick from a list. I'm such a mood reader, that even if I wanted to read one of the books, I might not want to read it now. And even if I did want to read it now, I probably wouldn't get to it in the timeframe. It seems like monthly homework to me. I much prefer our yearlong timeframe. I checked once what was the monthly challenges, and got so irritated, I haven't been back! To those who like it, enjoy (but also, get off my lawn! ;)..."




LOL because that's normally how I am!!! But it just so happens that the last few bookmarks have synched with books I want to read right at the moment, so I have had the books already borrowed from the library or on hold at my library before I even saw the list. (Or, in that one case, I finished the book the day before the list came out and then fudged my "read" date so I got the bookmark.)

I’m so happy it’s October! Now I just need the weather to turn cool so I can wear all my favorite sweaters and jackets.

Since I’ve finished the challenge and my library holds have stopped coming in, I’ve fully embraced mood reading. I’ve enjoyed finishing a book and then searching through Libby or my library’s catalog to find my next book. Dewey’s Readathon is coming up in a couple weeks so I will need to make a list for that.

Finished

Unascended. Stargate has a long tradition of making character deaths temporary so the plot didn’t surprise me. I’m happy to have the character back, so I’m just accepting it without criticism. There’s one book left in the series, and I’m wondering how all of these loose ends will be tied up in 300 pages.

Famous Last Words. I liked this one a lot, but not quite as much as the author’s other books. It would be hard to beat Wrong Place, Wrong Time though.

Reading

Godkiller

The Paris Apartment

Crime and Punishment

QOTW
I don’t really pay attention to those challenges.

Happy check-in! I was very happy for the new bookmarks/lists to open on Wed.

QOTW: It's going to take intentional reading instead of mood reading to accomplish these but that's okay, I pushed to finish my ATY challenges knowing there would be new bookmarks.

Spine Tinglers - The Hollow Places looks like the best option, I've read the other Kingfisher on the list.
I'd recommend Ring Shout or The Girl in Red

Heart Warmers - I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons is on hold at the library.
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and Book Lovers are all faves.

Fiction Faves - Atmosphere and My Friends are on hold at the library.
Homegoing, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Where the Crawdads Sing, and The Henna Artist were five star reads.

Memorable Memoirs - I'm not sure about this one yet. I have a lot of books on the maybe list.
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood and I’m Glad My Mom Died were five star reads.

Finished Reading:

Baba Yaga's Assistant ⭐⭐
I did not like the artwork and the characters were nothing special. I did like the old stories the mc's grandmother had told her as a child.

Quicksilver ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Really enjoyed this romantasy book dealing with alchemy.

Siksikaitsitapi: Stories by the Blackfoot People ⭐⭐⭐
This wasn't exactly what I thought it was when I borrowed it from the library. I expected a children's book with more story, and this was more about showcasing language.

Solo Leveling 3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The mc gets earns a job classification.

But Not Too Bold ⭐⭐⭐ Goodreads bookmark Hispanic Heritage
A good take on the Bluebeard story in this novella. Don't read if you don't like spiders.

PS 46/50
ATY, Anniversary, Summer completed
Goodreads 233/50 Bookmarks 4/12

Happy Thursday, everyone! I'm continuing to prioritize Hispanic books and authors for Hispanic Heritage Month. I've been reading a 600+ page book for the past 2 weeks, so I've been trying to pepper in some short quick reads here and there.

2025 Reading Challenges
PopSugar- 50/50 COMPLETED
ATY- 52/52; Anniversary- 10/10; Summer- 7500/5000; Fall- 18/18 COMPLETED
52 Book Club- 52/52; Connections- 21/21; Mini-Challenges- 12/15 COMPLETED
Barnes & Noble- 50/52
Booklist Queen- 49/52
Read Good- 12/12 COMPLETED
Buzzword- 9/12; Cover- 9/12
GR Bookmarks- 4/12

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

Finished
A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez- was looking through the National Book award nominees to see if there were any books by Latinx authors to read for Hispanic Heritage Month, and I think this was like the only one. It was a quick read, a solid novel-in-verse about the first school desegregation case in the US (Brown v Board of Education was the first to reach the Supreme Court). ☆☆☆

Rise of the Knight- I needed a fast read for Hispanic Heritage month, and found this graphic novel by Rex Ogle on this year's Bluebonnet List. It delivered exactly what I expected. ☆☆☆
52 BC October Mini-Challenge #1- Choose your costume -- Mythological, Princess, or First Responder

The Great Divide- I brushed this book off initially because I don't normally click with multi-character historical fiction, but I'm glad I gave it chance anyway. I was invested in every character's story! I shouldn't have doubted Cristina Henríquez, since I loved her previous novel as well. ☆☆☆☆
ATY Fall #16- title starts with a letter in BONFIRE NIGHT

Liliana's Invincible Summer: A Sister's Search for Justice- this was on my radar since it won the Pulitzer Prize last year and I finally picked it up for Hispanic Heritage Month. It's a heart-breaking memoir about the author's sister, narrated by the many people who knew her before her murder. ☆☆☆☆

Currently Reading
The Savage Detectives

QOTW
I have! For Spine Tinglers I recommend Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng and The Only Good Indians if you don't mind gory imagery and racism themes; Cursed Bunny, Mexican Gothic, and Her Body and Other Parties: Stories are also great but not that scary. I'm going to try to read Jawbone for this one.

For Fiction Faves, The Wedding People, Trust, The Vanishing Half, Writers & Lovers, The Nickel Boys, A Place for Us, This Is How It Always Is, Little Fires Everywhere, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, and The Underground Railroad were all five star reads for me. I'm going to read Intermezzo for this one.

For Memorable Memoirs, I recommend Solito, Educated, Between the World and Me, and In the Dream House. From the list, What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma, The Yellow House and Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body are the ones that are calling to me.

As for Heart-Warmers, I don't really read cozy books and the ones I have read were just okay. Oh, I did give Book Lovers five stars, but I wouldn't call that cozy, lol. I might pick up The Love of My Afterlife or another book in that zany category, idk yet.

Still a lot of bummer things happening this week. 5 days of no hot water, $1500 plumber bill, dislocation due to construction of a new balcony (old one damaged by water intrusion), the discovery that the intrusion went further into the house than originally expected, my elderly mom taking a fall onto the plywood set down for the construction....

I did finish one book that I have been working on for months: Fabric: The Hidden History of the Material World. No prompt

QOTW: I'm not doing the challenges even though GR thinks I am and occasionally gives me awards. But because they were posted I looked at the links. I have nearly all the cat books in the cozy section on my TBR. I've read two of the horror books and didn't like either. I've read a surprising number of the best sellers and cozies, though IDK what makes some of them "cozy". I've read a couple of the memoirs.

Hello and happy Thursday (and a very happy October) from Columbus! If only the weather could get the memo. I had the best of intentions to get all my fall pumpkin decor put up since I got off of work early but I came home and immediately got in bed. I am utterly pooped after this week lol.

Finished:
Changes for Kaya: A Story of Courage and Kaya's Short Story Collection and Felicity's Valentine not for a challenge, just working my way through American Girl books.

Mosquitoland for the road trip prompt. This was a very cute YA book about a teen adventuring her way back to Ohio to see her mom. It has the perfect amount of somber, funny, cute, and heartfelt.

Housekeeping for a book mentioned in another book. I wish I could remember what book this was mentioned in and in what context because this was a strange read. Lovely, and sad, but strange.

This Savage Song for a read harder prompt. Historically I have enjoyed this authors work so I was confident that I would enjoy this more than I typically do YA dystopian fantasy type novels. And I was right, if you like this genre this is probably a solid pick but even if you don’t you probably still will. I think this had less convoluted fantasy lore and was easier to just casually dive into.

Currently Reading:
The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft
The Silent Stranger: A Kaya Mystery
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible

Challenges:
Popsugar - 28/40; 1/4; 1/3; 3/3
Read Harder - 16/24
Classics - 8/12
European Tour - 8/10
12 Friends - 6/12
Yearly Goal - 119/180

Happy Thursday and Happy October

I finished two books this week. The one from NS was hauntingly good. The Jane Austen mystery was fun.

I'm pretty excited. I said I'd only do 40 PS prompts this year, but I'm already at 35 and I still have 3 months left. I should be able to crush that goal.

Finished:
An Audience of Chairs
Popsugar prompt: A book you have always avoided reading
ATY prompt: A book with a coastal setting

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor
Popsugar prompt: A book with a happily single woman protagonist
ATY prompt: A history or historical fiction book set prior to 1925

Series - 7/10
Reading Across Canada - 8/10
Nobel laureates - 3/5

PS - 35/40
Regular ATY - 37/40
Anniversary ATY - 8/10
Summer Challenge - 5100/5000 - Completed!

Currently reading:
Interior Castle - 45%
Selected Poems of Gabriela Mistral - 50%
The Troop - 50%
Here's to Friends! - 30%

Buddy Reads:
Library of Souls - 20%

QOTW: I have added so many books to my TBR list because of all those lists.

Horror fans, which books do you recommend for "Spine Tinglers"
I love Grady Hendrix, so I'll recommend all the books of his listed and even the ones that aren't.

Home Before Dark was one of Riley Sager's better books.

Cozy fans, what stands out to you in these 117
I'm not a cozy fan, but loved The House in the Cerulean Sea and Legends & Lattes.

Memoir fans, which books do you recommend from these
I only read Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology and Becoming.

Life update: I'm actually starting to have a tiny bit more energy, although work is trying to sap it again as fast as possible... Still, I redownloaded an exercise app that I've found good for chronic illness recovery in the past, and we'll see if I can get a streak going.

Reading update: I got more of my initial batch of NetGalley requests than I expected, so now I'm desperately trying to get my feedback percentage up lol. I finished four books this week:

Abschied - German Challenge: a book in German, not translated. This made me feel very nostalgic!
Rules of Summer - I saw some gorgeous artwork from it and fell into a rabbit hole about What It All Means. Having read it, I disagree with pretty much everyone about that, but that's okay.
The Optimistic Decade - research
All of Us Murderers - NetGalley; Readers of the Wild Moor: a book set on the moors; Horror Subgenre Challenge: Psychos/Slashers/Serial Killers.

Stats:
Disability Pride Challenge: 0 this week, 4/5 total
Readers of the Wild Moor: 1 this week, 24/30 total
Queer Reads Bracket Challenge: 0 this week, 4/6 total
Horror Subgenre Challenge: 1 this week, 8/11 total
Politics & Philosophy: 0 this week, 4/15 total
Anti-Capitalist Inspiration: 0 this week, 7/30 total
All books finished this year: 3 this week, 128 total
DNF or paused: 0 this week, 21 total

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

Currently reading:
Ice - NetGalley. This is over 1000 pages, and while I enjoyed the first third or so, I'm flagging a little now.
Motus - also NetGalley, reads as YA but wasn't advertised as such
The Mind of the Maker - Reading About Writing: bonus, "any other book on writing"
Der Tränenpalast - German Challenge: a children's or middle grade book. I am not vibing with this at all, but fortunately I should be able to finish it today and move on to something else.
The Valmiki Ramayana Vol. 3 - spiritual reading. I've reached Uttara Kanda, which is the last "book" of the Ramayana, written later, and very amusing to me because it's basically 6th century "missing scenes" fanfic.
Journey to the West (Chinese Lore podcast) - Discord book club

QOTW: I've checked out the lists, but haven't started reading for any of the bookmarks yet because of wanting to finish my NetGalley selections first.

For Spine Tinglers, I haven't read any of the list before.
I will probably read What Moves the Dead or Ring Shout or The Hollow Places.

For Heart-Warmers:, I can recommend The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet or Anne of Green Gables or The Wee Free Men, if anyone hasn't tried them yet. I will probably read A Gentleman in Moscow.

For Fiction Faves:, I highly recommend West With Giraffes if anyone didn't read it during the group read, or otherwise Sing, Unburied, Sing. A Gentleman in Moscow will tick this off for me as well.

I haven't read any of the Memorable Memoirs; it's not a favourite genre for me. I will probably read either How to Say Babylon or The Best We Could Do.

Nadine in NY wrote: "This week I finished 4 books, one for this Challenge, and I am DONE! 50/50. I finished the Popsugar Challenge! ..."


YEAH!! Congrats!

I myself have been stuck with 7 left for quite some time now. Hoping to get a move on these this month.


Also... The Great Believers was good, a little sad, but good.

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Happy Friday!!

I ended up sleeping a lot of Thursday away and completely forgot to do my weekly update! I've finally caved and bought some ear cancelling earmuffs so I don't end up overhearing my housemates all the time. Having hearing good enough to hear what's going on two floors down is a pain and I'm tired of overhearing things that aren't meant for me. I also just frequently crave complete peace and quiet, so hopefully these earmuffs will grant me that.

In other news, my new mattress will be arriving on Monday!! I'm super excited to have a proper bed finally. And I got it at a huge discount, which is just icing on the cake. No more makeshift bed or sleeping on the floor for me!

I'm continuing to take my girls outside so they can frolic and play while the weather's still relatively warm. I'm not sure what I'm going to do once the colder temperatures roll in. I have a couple of jackets for them, but I'm pretty sure only one of them still fits any of them. My tiny princess, Magnolia, is prone to getting too cold from this time of year until mid-spring next year. She's just not built for the cold and ends up visibly shivering within ten minutes of being out in cold weather. Thankfully, her jacket still fits her. My other two girls are larger and have thicker fur, so they'll likely be fine until mid-winter. I just don't want to deprive them of the outdoor time they love so much.

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Popsugar Challenge Completion: 12/26, 46%
📖=book 💻=ebook 🎧=audiobook 🌠=rating
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Popsugar Challenge 16: A Book Set in or around a Body of Water.

📖 HIATUS

I found a spot to add The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinnimaninto my list. It was blaringly obvious once I'd finally noticed. I've swapped out Swell: A Sailing Surfer's Voyage of Awakening by Liz Clark for Popsugar Challenge 16: A Book Set in or around a Body of Water.

I continue to devour the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. The Gate of the Feral Gods continued to be very enjoyable and full of unexpected twists and turns. It's always great when a story pulls off something completely unexpected, even with the clues and tidbits left throughout. Here's my sort of review. Mind the spoilers!

📖
Popsugar Challenge 3: Space Tourism.

I've started on the next volume, The Butcher's Masquerade by Matt Dinniman, for Popsugar Challenge 3: Space Tourism, and I've been loving it! The way the A.I.s work is really neat, and I can tell it's gonna get absolutely wild further into the series. (view spoiler)[ The way the setting and the A.I.'s control of it keeps getting warped further on this floor is so good. I love that the hunters are being forced by the A.I. to participate and are no longer being allowed to sit idly in their city. At the same time, you can see the injustice imposed on some of those hunters by their own governments/organizations, being forced to participate in the hunt, even when a high amount of them are accountants whose sole reason to be there is manage the loot and funds gained. It's a bit unfortunate for them that the A.I. is being completely indiscriminate about who it forces to actively participate in the hunt. At the same time, it mirrors the forced participation of the Crawlers, who aren't even acknowledged as a valid people. (hide spoiler)]

I'm pretty fascinated at this point as to Prepotente's character development, (view spoiler)[especially now that Miriam Dom has died. My heart aches for them both. The atmosphere is taking a more serious tone now that we've had several big name characters become incapacitated or die (hide spoiler)].

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Nadine in NY wrote: "This week I finished 4 books, one for this Challenge, and I am DONE! 50/50. I finished the Popsugar Challenge!
..."

Congratulations! There is nothing like finishing a challenge!

I managed to read one of the five I had left for PS, so now down to 4. I've had the books - or multiple options - set aside for months, but none of them seem to fit other challenges I have ongoing -- though that's finally changing. I'm down to 1 for ATY - again had the book set aside for months and now I have TWO options! But one of those will be read by next Thursday, and ATY will thus get finished.

This year especially, I need my reading to fit more than one obligation - whether it is IRL Feminerdy Book Club or other year long or mini-challenges. I'm at that point where overlap is nearly impossible.

I realized one of the issues I've had with finishing both ATY and PS for multiple months: the remaining prompts do not have books which fit other challenges I am doing, even mini ones. And I don't have reading time at the moment for additional books. Oh well, I will manage to finish by year end.

Happy Friday! I am so tired after this week- can't wait to curl up with a pile of blankets now that work is over. I swear my brain is working at half speed right now. I've also made myself an impossibly long list of books, tv shows, and movies to read for the spooky season. Sometimes I think making a list is my favorite of a new season.

I'm planning to go to a museum tomorrow to see a quilt exhibition, which should be fun! I am not crafty like that, but have friends who have a bunch of quilts and I find it so impressive.

Finished:
Overdue- I really liked this a lot! I think it won't be everyone's cup of tea. It's not a straightforward romance, it's much more following the main character as she figures out what she wants in life. And it takes her a while to get out of her own way. But I really liked it!
-no prompt

What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky- I loved this one too! A short story collection, a mix of speculative and more grounded in reality stories. They're almost all tinged with a sense of melancholy. I'm glad I finally got around to this collection, even if it did make me sad
-no prompt


Currently reading:
The Graceview Patient- I'm a little underwhelmed so far, but haven't gotten to the meat of the story yet

Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere- I think I'd like this more if I knew the author's standup. But I need to get this "cult" prompt taken care of, so I'll finish it

QotW:
The thing about these bookmarks/challenges is that I love a list! Even when I'm probably not going to get around to actually reading anything for the bookmark, I like making the plan

Horror- I think I'll finally read Cursed Bunny. Just read Bora Chung's Midnight Timetables and loved it, so even more incentive to pick up her backlist

Cozy- planning to read The Teller of Small Fortunes for happily single woman prompt, so that'll be what I use for this one. I've already read a bunch of the cat ones though- always a good time!

Bestsellers- I'm least interested in this list, even though I own several of them. I might finally pick up Beartown once it gets colder, but it's 50/50

Memoirs- a lot of great ones on this list: Knife, Strong Female Character, Beautiful Country. My cult book works for this one

Stats
PS: 46/50
ATY: 48/52
ATY Anniversary: 9/10
ATY Rejects: 22/28
ATY Rewind: 8/10
GR Choice: 19/30
TBR: 5/10
GR Bookmarks: 3/12

Finished

Dead But Not Forgotten ⭐⭐⭐
PS: A book you got for free.
This is Sookie Stackhouse fanfiction, by other published authors (Seanan McGuire for one) Some stories were better than others. Overall, not worth keeping now that I've read it, but I'm still glad I did.

Baba Yaga's Assistant ⭐⭐⭐⭐
ATY Rejects: Skull & Bone imagery on cover.
I thought it was cute and sweet.

To Clutch a Razor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
PS: Unlikely friends
This was darker than the first book in the series, with the one MC having to return home and face his family now that he's 'switched sides' on the monsters vs. monster hunters battle. So it took me longer than expected to finish it, because I wasn't in the right head space at first.

In progress
Silver and Lead
The Paris Secret
Three Shattered Souls
Glorious Rivals

QotW
I normally hate list prompts, but throw in a way to earn a badge or bookmark, and suddenly I'm to competitive to not do it. I am a mood reader, so some lists are harder than others to work with than others.

Horror - This one is hard. The only book on the list that appeals to me is The Hollow Places, because I've read the other 2 Kingfisher books, and I don't feel like a reread.

Cozy - This is the opposite of the horror list. It is hard in a different way because I've read at least half of the list but I'm going to try to read The Reading List because it works for 2 bookmarks, and I own a copy so I would get another thing off my shelves.

I would recommend:
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
The House in the Cerulean Sea
Anne of Green Gables
Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Lonely Castle in the Mirror - Note this is NOT cozy, and deals with mental health and childhood bullying
Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop
Bookshops & Bonedust - I found the first book a bit boring. This one was better.
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop
Book Lovers
We'll Prescribe You a Cat
The Blanket Cats
The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen
The Kamogawa Food Detectives
The Cat Who Saved the Library
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library
The Travelling Cat Chronicles

Told you I'd read a lot - and that's not all, just the one's I'd recommend.

Bestsellers: As I said, I'm going to try to read The Reading List

I'd recommend:
The Marriage Portrait
Hamnet
The Diamond Eye
The Rose Code
There There
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Beartown

Memoirs: This one I have read most of the books I'm interested in, so I'm not sure which I'm going to try.

I'd recommend:
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing
A Very Punchable Face
You're Never Weird on the Internet
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood

It’s Sunday, and I still haven’t posted for the past week. I am of two minds about it…wait until Thursday and post for two weeks or go ahead and get it done. Thinking that I should get it done.

Between my dog and my desire to just hide in TV reality shows, my reading, despite the number of books I finished, has lagged. I find that I do not have the time nor inclination to spend the time reading. And, yet, I will watch hours of TV while playing games on my phone. Such a waste of time!

My house is so dusty that I can easily see it! My yard is full of pine straw that needs raking. And, I am feeling down because it looks like I will not finish any of the three big challenges that I am taking part in.

And, spiritually, I am caught in a maze…neither Jewish nor Christian…and belong nowhere.

I yearn to belong.

Yikes but I am a mess!

Finished:
Resurrection Bay – PAS. 4*. The primary character is deaf. And, yet he is searching for a killer. Set in Australia. Lots of twists. A series that I will definitely continue.

Storm Cursed – PAS. Continuation of a paranormal series. My candy for when reading is bogging down. 4*

Neverhome – PAS. 4*. An interesting story of a woman who went to war (Civil War). Tragic outcome.

Fangs for Nothing – PAS. Kindle. 3.5* A paranormal read about a human and a vampire who fall in love and must confront their own secrets and hurts from the past.

Currently Reading:
Eat a Peach – PAS. 12%. Memoir

Smoke Bitten – PAS. Audiobook. 54%

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 John.

The Imitation of Christ – Devotional reading. 21%

Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much – Bedtime devotional reading. Started Oct. 3.

Just Starting:
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle – PS #10 (free).
The Thing About December - PAS

On Deck: (library)
All the King's Men – Book Club December
Key West Connection – PAS
Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame - Book Club October
Murder on Black Swan Lane - PAS

PS 40/50
ATY 39/52
GR 166/200

QotW:
I got so frustrated with my failure to finish a book in time to get a bookmark last quarter that I had decided not even to look this quarter. And, then the QotW came up.

At first, I didn’t understand that the lists for GR Bookmarks, and my first reaction was no. I am just going to try to read for my current challenges, which given my disinterest in reading was going to be hard enough without adding additional books into the mix.

But, today, I realized that those lists were for bookmarks, and I took a closer look at them.

The Personal Librarian (Popular) and The Left-Handed Booksellers of London (Cozy) and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (Popular) were already planned for PS prompts. Run for the Hills (Cozy) can be substituted for the planned book for road trip and is shorter than the planned one…and perhaps more fun. So I will probably read for those two bookmarks at least.

And, although I do not know what prompt I could put Lone Women (Horror) in…it interests me.

I find that, at this time, I do not have a desire to read memoirs, and the one that I am currently reading is going very slowly. Perhaps another time. Perhaps before the quarter ends…but right now, no.

Bea wrote: "the number of books I finished, has lagged. I find that I do not have the time nor inclination to spend the time reading. And, yet, I will watch hours of TV while playing games on my phone. Such a waste of time!..."



Sorry you're having a tough time. This will pass. If it makes you feel better, I'm stuck in a dumb cycle of excessive time wasting on my phone, too. It's especially difficult because my NetGalley books are ON my phone, and it's so hard for me to hold my phone and know I can do all sorts of other things. And when I go to bed, I should pick up my book right away, but instead I spend 30-60 minutes doom scrolling or playing dumb games. Why? I do not know.

Welp, I finished my cult memoir book, and then realized the memoir bookmark only counts after October 15... maybe in December I'll look at the list again and pick a new one to read, but right now I really need to focus on finishing the popsugar challenge!

Erin wrote: "Happy Friday! I am so tired after this week- can't wait to curl up with a pile of blankets now that work is over. I swear my brain is working at half speed right now. I've also made myself an impos..."

I looooved Cursed Bunny! I hope you enjoy it too.

Dubhease wrote: "Happy Thursday and Happy October

I finished two books this week. The one from NS was hauntingly good. The Jane Austen mystery was fun.

I'm pretty excited. I said I'd only do 40 PS prompts this ye..."

I loooove horror! That's my jam.

My very very favorite book, tied for 2nd place after House of Leaves, is on the list: I'm Thinking of Ending Things. I didn't find it terribly scary, although there is a little bit of blood, but it made me ache and have all the feels.
It made me a kinder person. I'm super- aware of people who live in the margins.

Iain Reid is an amazing writer, and he often delves into what human connection we all need. Foe is on the list too. You'll see some similar themes.

I adore Cursed Bunny, and Bora Chung is one of my favorite authors.

Enjoy and happy reading!

Happy Sunday everyone!

I’ve been bad about posting, because…. I am finally working and getting paid for it! Feels like a miracle. I’m temping, and I love my assignment. I’m loving the patients, the providers, and the staff. A very refreshing change! I also love being the “exchange student”. Pressure plummets, for the most part, and you’re appreciated for everything you can do.
Love the hospital, love the center I’m working in, and the research happening. Toughest thing is getting up at 5 am every day to do PT so I can function and get to work by 7:45 am.
These are the problems I have dreamed of.

Finished:
Parents Weekend. Great mystery. A wee bit predictable (YMMV), but some clues fell into place quickly and early. I love an academic setting, and I have a mind that is far too suspicious. I enjoyed the ride, although the ending broke my heart (view spoiler)[I really liked one of the characters, and I wanted them to survive (hide spoiler)].

The Takeout. Works for a book about a food truck. I came for the Filipino folk magic, and was hooked by the Filipino/Indian fusion cuisine. Family, food, fun, fighting to preserve your place in the world …. And fitting in. What’s not to love?

Sweet Bean Paste. For found family or unlikely friendships. I needed a little more of Japan in my life. This is a lovely healing fiction read, too. It begins quietly, but about a third of the way in, it ramps up, as one of the characters shares more of her earlier life. I’d had no idea of one of the modern day hurtful societal structures that had been in place (view spoiler)[the segregation/internment of persons with Hansen’s disease (hide spoiler)]. You just might fall in love with the characters, and at least one will, possibly, teach you another meaning of life.

QOTW:
I discovered the bookmarks early on, and each little dopamine hit with every book I read to earn a bookmark keeps me hooked. I even put PS aside for a bit.

I really like the lists, too. I often find I’ve read a lot of the books already, yet I usually find something new I want to read.

Loved Parents Weekend for the Community Picks.

Not sure which of the Hispanic Heritage choices I’ll read. This is the first list that didn’t thrill me, as I read a lot of Spanish lit, and didn’t find too much of what I like. I’m intrigued by But Not Too Bold . It would be so much fun to read outside, and answer people, “Why, it’s a sapphic- romance -horror story between human(s) and an arachnoid/humanoid creature…” Not my usual fare, but I have to admit I love the cover.

I’ve read most of the books on the Horror list, so I’m happy to give recs if you *hate* horror and want something not-scary. I have to find something I haven’t read yet…. But I am sooooo ok with a reread of one of my very favorite books ever: I'm Thinking of Ending Things.

Lots on the Cozy list, and not too sure what I’ll pick. If you like Jim Parsons’ definition of a cozy, though, they all work. He told Stephen Colbert that “some of them are pretty gritty, but …the characters all know each other”. Works for me.

The Fiction Faves: A good friend in London who is originally from Jamaica recommended Open Water, so I’ll probably read that.

Memoirs. I like Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling, so I’ll probably read Why Not Me?. I’ll probably read it along with whatever the soccer book turns out to be. Sounds like a good balance.

Bea wrote: "And, spiritually, I am caught in a maze…neither Jewish nor Christian…and belong nowhere.

I yearn to belong."

*hugs* I know that feeling. I feel like it's been with me for most of my life, since my dad decided to uproot the family to try to recapture his lost youth. Ever since then, it's been the same story of belonging-yet-not, whether it's because of language, culture, religion, neurodivergence or queerness.

In the end, the only remedy I've found is to embrace it as a strength. Yeah, I live permanently in the cracks between communities, yeah, it can be alienating, but it also creates so much potential. It allows me to appreciate the good in every community without feeling bound to defend the bad (but hopefully also without losing empathy for the conditions that lead to people embracing the bad).

Keep thinking it's September. I'm having a hard time believing it's October already, LOL!

Just been busy with school and work. And trying to fit in personal reading when I can.

*****

I am loving my current read though:

American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850-1873



It turns out this is book #4 in Taylor's 'Continental History' series so I ordered books 1-3 and I can't wait to read those in the coming months!

Hello all! I've been busy watching my nephew (it is fall break) and have been trying to read as much as possible since I have so many books due soon and am feeling the push of finishing the challenges I am doing.

I'm not at home so I don't have access to my list of finished books but I wanted to answer the QOTW.

Question of the Week

Has anyone taken a look at the new lists GR just published for the Fall Challenges?

For "Spine Tinglers" I was thinking of reading The Reformatory since I already have it slotted into a challenge I am doing. As far as all these lists this is the only one that I would have to deliberately pick and plan a book for. The rest I have a lot of options and am already planning on reading some from these lists before the end of the year.

Cozy: I already am planning on reading Legends & Lattes, Bookshops & Bonedust, and Remarkably Bright Creatures for this year anyway.

Best sellers: I have read a surprising amount of these but have more on my TBR. As long as I can in fact around to Remarkably Bright Creatures this will be covered.

I was really surprised at how many of these memoirs I have read. Not sure if I will get to another one before the end of the year however, I do have at least 3 of these on my shelf at home.

----------------------

I'm looking forward to this weekend because my sister has to house-sit and my nephew will be at his dad's so I should be able to get in a ton of reading...as long as my phone doesn't snatch me into it's abyss.