Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2026 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 5: 1/29 - 2/5
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Happy Thursday all.Still trying to shake the remains of a cold. This one has hung on for almost two weeks, and I'm kinda sick of it...
Books read this week:
After the Dragons - for “book less than 260 pages.” A surprisingly laid-back novella about a near-future China where dragons exist, this is a quiet story that touches on themes of climate change, queer romance, and both giving and accepting help in times of need.
Delicate Condition - for “book about a character who navigates infertility.” Feels like a modern take on Rosemary’s Baby or The Yellow Wall-Paper. Disturbing and the ending was kind of underwhelming, but I did like that it doesn’t shy away from the realities of pregnancy’s effects and the fact that our medical system is screwed up when it comes to women’s health.
Hallowe'en Party - for “book in a different format from what you usually read.” Listened to the audio drama of this… then went ahead and listened to the actual audiobook to get the full gist of the story. Not Agatha Christie’s best, and WAY different from the movie adaptation (A Haunting in Venice), but still entertaining.
Pocket Bear - for “a book set in Michigan or by an author from Michigan.” This was a cute read, and while on the surface it seems to just be about plush toys trying to find new homes, it also talks about war and how it affects people and families.
Harvest Home - for “book that takes place during harvesting season.” Slow burn of a novel, but all that buildup sure pays off in the end. If you like folk horror, you’ll most likely enjoy this.
Challenge count: 21/50
Books read that weren’t for the challenge: 2
Currently reading:
Girl, Goddess, Queen - for “book with a shadow daddy”
The Girl with the Silver Eyes - for “a book with fruit on the cover or in the title”
Through Gates of Garnet and Gold - for “a book you hoped would fit a prompt but doesn’t”
I Who Have Never Known Men - for “a book about a sexless marriage”
QOTW:
I'm kind of ashamed to admit that I only read one book off this list -- Wild Seed by Octavia Butler. But I would highly recommend another book by Butler, Kindred, as well as P. Djeli Clark's Ring Shout and Tochi Onyebuchi's Riot Baby. All of them are fantasy/sci-fi takes on Black History, but still powerful reading.
How are we on February 5th already?! Today I have some errands to run, but also some studying and plan to take some practice quizzes for school stuff.
*****
I feel I'm falling behind. With reading, I'm on track, but now I feel I need to start creating my March TBR early so I have an idea of what books I want to read and what personal curricula I want to accomplish. Might end up doing that this weekend.
I am doing a travel journal with a group, so that's going to be fun. I can't wait for us to officially start them, as I am sending out mine this weekend.
*****
Book News:
Well, this is exciting, I finished my 26 books in 2026 Reading Challenge! For that, I kept it simple by going with the first 26 books I read for the year.
And how many more reading challenges do I still need to do? LOL. Lots.
****
My personal curriculum has been going great this month. I'm currently reading my 5th book (I like to read more than 3 books at a time, and I do finish them).
Been keeping up with reading journaling, so that's been cool.
*****
Currently Reading:
Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space - This finally came out in paperback (waited nearly 2 years!) Been wanting to read it since it was released in 2024, but the hardbacks are so bulky and make it hard to annotate.
I am currently on chapter 7, and OMG, this book is absolutely incredible! I love so much about it. At this point, it's a 5-star read for me.
*****
The Eye of the World - I am determined to finish this book! I've tried several times in the past, but I get so intimidated because it's so long. I finished chapter 1, and plan to start chapter 2 this weekend when my tabs come in for it because it's the one fiction book I've chosen for this month and I'm annotating it.
*****
Propaganda in the Digital Age: Global Conflicts, Media, Politics, and Fake News - Currently on chapter 2 at the moment. It's pretty interesting and relates to some of what I'm studying for school so I like making those types of connections.
*****
Tip of the ADHD Iceberg: An adult's guide to embracing the hidden layers of your neurodivergence - My therapist recommended I continue learning about my AuDHD, so I found this book at the bookstore. It's amazing so far. It's helping me understand, and there's a lot I can relate to.
Currently on chapter 2.
******
The Cold War: A New History - On chapter 1 of this. It's been a great resource already for what I'm currently studying for school stuff.
I'd heard of the Cold War, but you think of the word 'war' and you think of actual battles and people dying, so it's weird to read 'war' in the context of competition and threats.
******
Question of the Week
NYPL published their list of “100 Black Voices: Schomburg Centennial Reading List” - take a look - do you see any hidden gems on there that you want to champion? Any books you added to your TBR?
Woah, what a cool question! And what an interesting list. As I take a look at it, here's what I've read and what caught my attention.
Read:
The Color Purple (read ages ago in HS), Their Eyes Were Watching God (read ages in HS)
Own But Haven't Read:
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
Author's I've Read
Toni Morrison (Beloved), Octavia Butler (Parable of the Sower)
Books that I've Added to my Wish List
Black Manhattan , Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880 , The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual: A Historical Analysis of the Failure of Black Leadership, Drown, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History, Why We Can't Wait
Happy Thursday! It's been a very quiet week, but something's going around. It hasn't gotten us yet, but we're all warily looking out for the first sign of a sniffle or cough. However, we're also all very excited about the Super Bowl! The last couple of places we've lived haven't had a team to root for. Go Seahawks!Reading Challenges:
52 Book Club: 22/52
52 Books Read It, Watch It: 2/12
ATY: 17/52 (ATY Winter Challenge: 10/14)
Booklist Queen: 16/52
Popsugar: 15/50
Goodreads Winter Bookmarks: 7/12
My Ever-Growing TBR: 17/231 – 7.4%
Recently Completed:
💗 You May Now Kill the Bride (ATY #41 – mystery or true crime/Popsugar #21 – bachelorette trip) ★★★
💗 Winterland (ATY #11 – historical fiction) ★★★
💗 The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom (Booklist Queen #2 – a 2025 GR Award winner/Popsugar #25 – explores influencer culture) ★★★★
💗 The Shark House (Booklist Queen #28 – a 2026 new release) ★★★
💗 The Jackal's Mistress (52 Books #39 – a book that cost you nothing/Popsugar #18 – love story that defies social boundaries) ★★★★
💗 The Festival (ATY #1 – genre starts with A, T, or Y: thriller) ★★★
💗 Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U. S. Navy ★★★
💗 The Future Saints (ATY #21 – related to tomorrow/Popsugar #37 – about a pop star) ★★★★★
💗 The Basic Eight (Booklist Queen #35 – set at a school) ★★★
💗 Finding Her Edge (52 Books RIWI #2 – an uneven number of chapters/Booklist Queen #3 – becoming a movie or TV show in 2026/Popsugar #17 – favorite Winter Olympic event: figure skating) ★★★
QOTW: I've read eight of the books on the list. There are a few others I've been interested in reading, but I've never heard of most of the listed titles. It's not on the list, but I'd certainly recommend The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X. It won the 2021 Pulitzer for Biography.
Happy Thursday! I am fighting off whatever snotty, icky funk is going around my community right now, so I am tired and gross, but still trying to keep it moving. I volunteered to help set up for a benefit auction tonight after work, so we'll see if I have the stamina for all that. I am 40/50 and hoping to finish in the next two weeks to give my brain a rest. This week I finished:
Trick Shot: Overweight MC: This was basically written porn. It was very fast with almost no substance at all, but it was certainly a change of pace from what I was reading.
Gorgeous Gruesome Faces: Pop star: I did not enjoy this. It went in a very strange, ridiculous direction that just did not work for me. I was ready for it to end.
The Tradwife’s Secret: fruit on the cover; This was decent. I found it pretty repetitive, but it had some twists. I thought the twists could have been better executed and the storyline could have been less murky, but it was a perfectly acceptable book.
Silver Foxed: Love story that defies social boundaries; I realized that I didn't want to read the original book I selected for this prompt, so after I finished Trick Shot and didn't hate it, I saw this author had another nice short book that fit this prompt. I thought it fit the prompt well, but again was a short, porn book with very little substance. I had to speed up the playback of the sex scenes just to keep it tolerable.
Lysistrata: Sexless marriage: I liked this more that I expected to. I thought it was short enough that I could tolerate it, but I ended up finding it pretty funny.
Mermaids Never Drown: Tales to Dive For: Underwater prompt: This one was hard for me to rate, because it was a collection of short stories. I really enjoyed some and others I thought could have been left out of the book. Overall, it worked for me.
What Kind of Paradise: I didn't read this for the challenge, but it would work for multiple prompts. Dad as primary caregiver, Type C character; hidden past; new beginnings. It took me a while to get into this one, but eventually I committed to it and was glad to have read it. It was an interesting take on technology and the differing viewpoints on it.
Currently reading:
Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How-To Book and After We Burned
QOTW:
I honestly haven't read very many of the books on the list. I didn't keep count, but it was definitely less than 10. The one that jumped out to me the most was Just Mercy. I loved this book so much when I read it. I had trouble getting through it only because of how upsetting it was. I had to google what happened so my anxiety would settle enough for me to finish it. I work in the CJ field and have always had an interest in the problems with the death penalty, so this one really worked for me.
Ron wrote: "Tip of the ADHD Iceberg: An adult's guide to embracing the hidden layers of your neurodivergence - My therapist recommended I continue learning about my AuDHD, so I found this book at the bookstore. It's amazing so far. It's helping me understand, and there's a lot I can relate to.."
I have been going through a similar reading journey to help me understand a later in life ADHD diagnosis and finding good books has really helped me understand myself better and make small changes that have greatly improved my emotional regulation and my productivity. I hope you continue to find your book helpful.
I am not happy to be up this early. *grumble, grumble.* But I figure as long as I am up, I may as well answer the QotW!PS: 19/40 Nearly halfway there!
52: 19/52
Anti-capitalist: 15/30
Connections: 10/21
Finished: 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction used for prompt about college. Very meh about this book.
Fighting Fascism: How to Struggle and How to Win
The Ethics of Identity
Started: Good Reasoning Matters!: A Constructive Approach to Critical Thinking
The Ministry of Time
QotW: I am not interested in any of the books on this list.
Good morning, everyone! Happy Thursday!This has been a very busy week, but I’m feeling really good about the amount of stuff I’ve managed to get done.
The most important thing that got accomplished this week was having the dryer vent cleaned out. Because of the recent snowstorm and subsequent subzero temperatures, my original appointment was rescheduled a total of 4 times over the past couple of weeks. But the appointment finally happened on Monday, and I’ve been attempting to catch up on laundry ever since.
I did have my food allergy testing conducted on Tuesday morning, but unfortunately the test came up with no results (apart from the histamine used as a control). While I would be thrilled by this result, I strongly suspect some false negatives. Not only this is not the first time I’ve had a no-result skin prick test, but several hours after my appointment ended, about 15 of the 30 spots where allergens were introduced to my back flared up and began itching so severely they actually hurt.
I have contacted the allergy specialist who did the test, and sent them pictures of my back, to see if they can identify which allergens caused the delayed reactions. Depending on what they are able to tell me, my next step will either be blood testing to confirm their diagnosis, or food elimination trials to figure out which food (or foods) may be causing the worst reaction.
As far as reading is concerned, this has been a pretty good week. I’m currently focusing on reading a combination of books from my TBR and New Books lists, and I’ve had a chance to finish a couple of really interesting reads this week.
Just like in previous updates, I am continuing to mark the books that were Christmas gifts with a tree emoji (🎄) in the sections below. Of the 9 books I was gifted for Christmas, I currently have 2 left to read.
Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…
Goodreads Challenge: 18/250
Mount TBR Challenge: 9/150
📚Physical TBR: 8/462
📱Ebook TBR: 1/161
🎧Audiobook TBR: 0/1
TBR Checklist Total: 9/624 (1% complete)
TBR Books DNFed in 2026: 0
I did pick up a few new books this week, including: Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die, by Greer Stothers; Stolen Midnights, by Katherine Quinn; and Slashed Beauties, by A. Rushby.
“New” Books Bought in 2026: 15
“New” Books Read in 2026: 8
“New” Books DNFed in 2026:
“New” Books Checklist Total: 8/15 (53% complete)
Here are the books I finished this week…
Finished Reading (Fiction):
~Phantasma (Deluxe Limited Edition) — I really enjoyed the plot of this book, and was very impressed with the way in which OCD was represented. I did like both of the main characters, and thought their relationship was really interesting, but felt like the physical aspects of their relationship were somewhat overemphasized. (view spoiler) Content Alert: The author does list several warnings regarding content at the beginning of the book. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
~The Earl and the Pharaoh — I thought this was an interesting read, and really enjoyed learning more about the family that owns Highclere Castle. In addition to the time he spent excavating tombs in Egypt, the Fifth Earl of Carnarvon led a pretty exciting life. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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 about 31 and a half hours remaining in the audiobook. 🎧
~The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien: Three-Volume Box Set — I am currently about halfway through the first volume of this 3-volume set, but have decided to take a break from it for a while. 📚
~Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche — I have not made any progress on this book since my previous update, but hope to return to it over the weekend. 📚
~Slayers of Old — I’m currently about 20% of the way through this book, and I’m really enjoying it so far. I really like the main characters. 📚🎄
~Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die — Although I’m not a big fan of the main character of this book, I am absolutely loving the story so far. I’m really looking forward to reading more later today. 📚
QOTW:
I’m definitely interested in reading Wild Seed, by Octavia Butler. I thought her Xenogenesis trilogy and Parable of the Sower were absolutely incredible books.
I would have liked to have seen one of Nnedi Okorafor’s books make the list. Death of the Author and Binti were both fabulous.
Mary wrote:I have been going through a similar reading journey to help me understand a later in life ADHD diagnosis and finding good books has really helped me understand myself better and make small changes that have greatly improved my emotional regulation and my productivity. I hope you continue to find your book helpful.
I got my official AuDHD diagnosis 2 years ago (also late diagnosed) and my therapist made a good point- 2 years is nothing compared to living as long as I have knowing I was different, but not understanding why until now.
This book has been helpful so far because it goes into the whole spectrum of ADHD which includes AuDHD.
Question of the Week first this time:Some authors on the list that I recommend checking out are Martin Luther King, Jr., Ta-Nehisi Coates, Maya Angelou, and Cornel West.
Finished books:
Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth (4/5 stars, a book that starts with the letter "Z")
It's a children's book featuring a cute panda acting as a Zen master to some children. My favorite story/fable was the monk who carried a rude and ungrateful woman across a wet pathway. We should all strive to focus more on the positives or at least on what can be changed instead of dwelling on our negative interactions.
The Book of Lost Tales 2 by J.R.R. Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien (3/5 stars, not for a prompt)
This book has some of the most famous stories from The Silmarillion in early form like Beren and Luthien. It also has a lot of dry material associated with different versions and trying to reconstruct bits and pieces into sensible frameworks. There is some great material in both Lost Tales books, but I would definitely recommend skipping or skimming bits that do not interest you.
Star Trek Movie Memories by William Shatner and Chris Kreski (4/5 stars, original choice for book with a three-syllable word)
I highly recommend this book. Shatner has a great way of telling stories, and he has brought in lots of relevant interviews that he had with people on the scene like Robert Wise, Nicholas Meyer, Leonard Nimoy, and Harve Bennett. It's entertaining and a bit educational about the TV and film world.
The Secret Book Society by Madeline Martin (4/5 stars, a book about a book club, a book about new beginnings, provokes strong emotions (52 Book Club))
This is a great story about four women in late 1800's England fighting for agency and forming friendships. I got sucked into all of their stories and was motivated to keep on reading any time I had to take a break. The author has some great descriptions of clothing and flowers. Those two things are not usually my jam, but I could recognize the talent and how they tied in to the narrative.
DNF:
The Last Party by A.R. Torre (13%, 1/5 stars, has bookface for 52 Book Club)
This is not the material I want to be reading for my mental health or pleasure. I liked reading Gone Girl, but this book slid past that and the Criminal Minds TV series on the disturbing scale. There's "train wreck" and then there's "spending time poring over post-wreck photos of the victims," and The Last Party is the latter. It obviously works for some people, given its high average ratings, but its content will not be for everyone.
Currently reading:
The Seven Dials Mystery
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (my pick for "shadow daddy" and possibly travel ghost story)
Morning fellow bibliophiles! I checked out my library's "open book club" this week. No assigned book, just a dozen people talking about great books we'd read recently. It was a nice way to get out of the house.I'm up to 18 books for 2026.
Popsugar 15/50.
52 Book Club 15/52.
Booklist Queen 13/52.
This Challenge Killed the Bookworm 8/25.
Finished:
Let This Radicalize You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba. Not sure if I'll use it for any challenge prompts, but it's very timely, talking about the kind of mutual support networks we're seeing in Minneapolis now.
Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. Short stories with the same biting satire as his novel Chain-Gang All-Stars. Using for "shorter than 260 pages," "day of the week in the title" (52BC), and "retail therapy" (TCKTBW).
Spent: A Comic Novel was a hilarious graphic novel by Alison Bechdel, satirizing her life after Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. Included some of my favorite characters from The Essential Dykes To Watch Out For. Used for "sapphic comic," "grumpy/sunshine" (52BC), and "female friendship" (BQ).
Every Heart a Doorway, the first book in Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series. I love the premise - a home for children who've traveled to fairy worlds and desperately want to return there - but the graphic murders were not what I need right now. Used for "new beginnings," "cost you nothing" (52BC), and "published in 2016" (BQ). Also "fairies are good" for TCKTBW, although that's sorta debatable.
Currently reading:
Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves, which will be either "influencer culture" or "pop or sugar in the title."
Now off th check out the link for the QOTW.
QOTW:Citizen: An American Lyricby Claudia Rankine brought together poetry, prose, and art in a unique way.
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison is a classic. I read it in high school, but understood it better when I reread it as an adult.
James by Percival Everett was brilliant, taking a Black side character from Twain and making the story his.
The Known World by Edward P. Jones is fiction on a baffling topic: a Black man who owned enslaved people.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness is a hard-hitting examination of how the legal system is anything but color blind.
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration examines the mass migration of Black people from south to north in the segregation era. I also highly recommend her book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.
So many of the greatest poets are Black women: Audre Lorde, June Jordan, Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, Pat Parker, ntozake shange.
Also for poetry fans, I recommend This Is the Honey, edited by Kwame Alexander: poems about Black joy.
For some of the authors on the list, I'd pick a different book. Octavia Butler's Seed to Harvest series was too much violence and incest for me. Her Kindred is brilliant, showing exactly how a kind, friendly child is gradually warped by power and privilege, becoming a copy of his enslaver father. And her Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents are very prescient, even including a demagogue who vows to "make America great again."I didn't really understand The Intuitionist. But Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad is a brilliantly surreal alternate history of the slavery era. And The Nickel Boys is a heartbreaking story based on a real "reform school."
I liked Audre Lorde's Zami: A New Spelling of My Name, but also want to recommend her essays, like The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House.
We've had a lot of sun, little precipitation, and very cold temps - even into the single digits which hasn't happened in a very long time in NYC. We still have the snow - now dirty rock hard drifts everywhere - as while sunny, temps have not come close to being above freezing so it doesn't melt. It's actually quite amusing to see how many cars are now stuck in frozen hard snow drifts (you need chisels to hack out now - if you don't shovel out your street parked car immediately after a snow, you have to leave it until it melts). But then, I don't own a car, so I just find it amusing and rather nostalgic to the way every winter used to be. It does make street parking even harder, street cleaning is suspended as is alternate side of the street parking rules, and trash and recycling pick ups are severely hampered. I don't see this changing for at least another week. PS - 9/52, ATY - 12/52
Finished - seems a lot but 3 of them were plays which read quickly:
A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting - PS prompt love story defies convention, ATY - prompt frothy - in fact, review blurbs describe as that!
The Winter Bride - No PS Prompt but ATY - repeat characters prompt
Becket - play by Jean Anouilh - No PS but ATY - a Clue Character - Colonel Mustard -- several knights and King Henry II led his army
Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot - PS prompt different format than usually read - a verse play, ATY - prompt set in a public building - Canterbury Cathedral
Αίας by Sophocles - No PS but ATY prompt not a novel - it's a play about the Greek warrier Ajax and his death after the defeat of Troy.
Whispers Underground - PS platonic relationship - detective partners Peter and Leslie, and ATY prompt wanted to read for a while - about 6 years in fact. I don't know why I waited so long ... won't for the next!
Currently reading:
Freshwater
Jar City
QOTW: NYPL always pulls together wonderful lists for occasions like this. Thanks for posting this, Nadine!
One of the things I liked about the list is that it includes lesser known or earlier works by familiar authors like Marlon James. If you haven't read any James Baldwin or Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston or Edwidge Danticat, now is a good time from this list to do so. I particularly loved older works included with more contemporary such as For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf.
A hidden gem on the list I recommend:
The Sellout by Paul Beatty - it's going to shake up your thinking and maybe disturb you just a bit. It's a satire and darkly funny.
A gem not on the list that I recommend, contemporary and very relevant:
Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala
I also recommend these historical fiction gems relating to race and slavery in the Caribbean:
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys - read the forwards etc. too.
The Summer Country by Lauren Willig - 19th Century Barbados
Not so hidden gem by Marlon James - A Brief History of Seven Killings - Jamaica mostly in the 1960s and 1970s
Mod
It's a children's book featuring a cute panda acting as a Zen master to some children. My favorite story/fable was the monk who carried a rude and ungrateful woman across a wet pathway. We should all strive to focus more on the positives or at least on what can be changed instead of dwelling on our negative interactions.:..."
I love Muth!! He's one of my favorite artists, I've read everything from him that I could get my hands on. Stillwater is so charming, especially the first few Stillwater books (the last few, like Zen Happiness, have been more of a money-grab than thoughtful publications - I blame his publisher).
Not sure if you have read others, if not, be sure to pick up the earlier Stillwater books, like Zen Ties & Zen Socksand also The Three Questions. Stone Soup & Old Turtle and the Broken Truth were okay.
And if you want to read comic books, my all time favorite graphic novel was Moonshadow - that story was such a trip!! And Havok and Wolverine: Meltdown is my favorite X-Men book!!
PopSugar 9/50AtY 10/50
Finished:
Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters I used this for #40, a book outside of my comfort zone. It’s free verse, it’s pretty far outside of my comfort zone.
The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
Currently Reading:
Bad Days in History by Michael Farquhar -- This has an entry for every day of the year, except February 29th. Has nothing bad ever happened on leap day? Anyway I’m in May now. Some of the bad days are pretty bad. Some are hilarious. Most are pretty interesting.
The Shining by Stephen King– For #30, a travel ghost story. I’ve read this a number of times, it’s still good but I think I’m about done with it.
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch – For #43, two books written by real-life partners or spouses
Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum, Shanna Tan (Translator) for #22, a book about a book club
QOTW
I'll have to get back on this one. Off the top of my head, I hope Black AF History by Michael Harriot is on it. I have read many books that are probably on it, and I hold that Black History Month should be all year.
Missed check-in last week as I was away for work, and things have been hectic this week too. Would really like to be able to move onto my next project, but have stubborn loose ends to deal with first.Finished:
Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis
This was fun! I know she doesn’t live in Michigan any more but her bio says she’s from there, so that’ll do.
- ATY 2. A book with a primarily red, green or blue cover
- PS 14 A book set in Michigan or written by an author from Michigan
- TCKtB 23. Back in my day we called it paranormal romance
- 52BC 35. Character with a secret identity
The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
The sentient plants were cute, and I loved that the halophyte wanted to go sail the seas. This really dragged on in the second half, and I didn’t care for the romance.
- PS 1 A book where gardening or a garden is central to the plot
- TCKtB 11. Cosy fantasy
The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths
The main character is getting less annoying (I think she only complained about her weight once) so it’s a bit disappointing that the reveal was unsatisfying. I didn’t even realise who she was talking about at first and the motive was a bit hard to believe without the character development to back it up. Was hoping this would work for postpartum since she’s “struggling with a new baby” according to the blurb, but she seems to be doing fine.
- ATY 41. A mystery or true crime book
- PS 6 A book with an overweight main character whose story isn't about losing weight
Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
I enjoyed this more than the first book. I love a good mystery on a train.
- ATY 47. A book with "this", "that", "these", or "those" in the title
- 52BC 25. Includes a red herring
Currently reading The Incandescent and listening to Human Rites.
QOTW:
Only had a quick glance but I've only read a handful. Seems more like an academic reading list than something I'd go through for fun. Obviously my current reading mode is distraction from the real world.
Happy Thursday!Finished:
Hungerstone by Kat Dunn - for a book about a sexless marriage. A retelling of Carmilla full of female rage and anger. It was a bit slow to start, but I really enjoyed when it got rolling.
Currently reading:
An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole - for a love story that defies social boundaries.
Upcoming/Planned:
Books & Bewitchment by Isla Jewell - not currently for a prompt
Love Me Tomorrow by Emiko Jean - not currently for a prompt
QOTW:
I've only read a couple of books on that list. I loved The Color Purple.
Happy Thursday! Another exhausting week! This weekend I got to see my family- we met up at a Mexican restaurant after the lunch rush, so we were able to hang out extra long without getting in anyone's way. My nieces were in a good mood, so it was a fun time. Tomorrow Petra Lord who wrote Queen of Faces- which I loved- is having a book event near me, so I'm hoping I can make it. Was supposed to do something tonight, but I think I have to just go to sleep early instead. Hopefully I'll feel a little better in the morning.
Finished:
Messenger Cat Café- this was cute, but the writing was a little on the younger side. I'd almost call it a middle grade book, but then it does talk about affairs and loss of a child. Definitely not my favorite of the Japanese cat books, but interesting enough
-no prompt
Ride with Me- this was such a fun time! I loved the two main characters, such great banter. Best romcom I've read in a minute. Will need to read more from this author
-no prompt for me, but works for pilates and leo/libra zodiac signs
Currently reading:
Two Women Living Together- this is an interesting enough memoir, but I was hoping it'd explore what it is like to live a non-traditional life in a more country that is pretty conservative. Will probably finish tomorrow
Holy Boy- just started this book, but I'm intrigued. I think they should have cut the two prologues though- it would have been more unsettling if we were just dropped into the story knowing as little as the boy with no memory.
QotW:
I've had a copy of The Sellout for years, so maybe this is the push to read it. I feel like the list is mainly heavier, academic reads which I guess makes sense. It's interesting that the Colson Whitehead book they picked wasn't one of the ones he won the pulitzer for.
Happy Thursday!! It's been a nice, calm day. I'm thrilled for the Olympics to start tomorrow!!Finished 05/50
The Secret Garden for "book about a garden". I'd never read this before! It was neat. Cute story. Loved the nature therapy theme.
Currently Reading
Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space for "book about women astronauts". This book so far is a history of the space program, including the first women in space! It's really interesting so far.
QotW
I read Their Eyes Were Watching God in high school and liked it. The New Jim Crow is a must read for all Americans, and Martin Luther King Jr,'s stuffis always inspiring!
I did not finish a book this week, but I started 3 new ones. In Cold Blood was supposed to be my monthly read (for a ATY prompt). I reserved Hidden Pictures last MAY for left-handed character (in chapter 3 the nanny points out that both she and the kid she's babysitting are left-handed). I reserved James in August, 2025. I was next in line. When I went in to the library in November, they confessed that they had no idea where the book was ... so it was a real surprise to get their email this week.I had to put Tolkien on hold because 1) my husband owns the book, and 2) reading it and Murtaugh at the same time was too much fantasy.
I am doing much better with my PS prompts as movie prompts as I've already done 5/50
Series - 0/12
Number 1s - 0/10
Nobel laureates - 0/5
Rocky Horror challenge: 0/12
PS - 4/30
ATY - 2/45
PS movies - 5/50
Currently reading:
Murtagh - 70%
The Book of Lost Tales 1 - 20% - on hold
Quo Vadis - 15%
In Cold Blood - 15%
Hidden Pictures - 25%
James - 15%
PopSugar movies:
A movie you meant to watch in 2025 - The Hating Game
A movie with a trans or nonbinary protagonist - Priscilla Queen of the Desert
QOTW: I haven't read any of these books. I've read some of the authors on the list, but other books than the ones mentioned. BTW - It's Black history month in Canada too.
Kenya wrote: "Happy Thursday all.Pocket Bear - for “a book set in Michigan or by an author from Michigan.” This was a cute read, and while on the surface it seems to just be about plush toys trying to find new homes, it also talks about war and how it affects people and families.
After the Dragons - ..."
I read Pocket Bear recently and thought it was quite educational, informative and enjoyable for adults as well .... I had no idea pocket bears were a real thing!
Hello and happy Thursday! What a week, yeesh. My phone is acting a weird, it keeps going into SOS mode and refuses to connect to my network, and my car is probably done for. Transmission issues that won’t be worth pouring money into. The combo of having to arrange for rides to and from work when I don’t have a working cell phone is quite the combination of problems lol. Finished:
Ruth for a read harder prompt. This followed a woman who grew up in an insular communist Christian community, from childhood to a mother of adult children. It was a fascinating read that makes you think about how do we truly know that we’re happy.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter I guess I’ll use this for the book I wanted to fit into a prompt because I thought for sure this was already on the list lol. Stephen Graham Jones books are always a wild ride. I feel like I have to have my full undivided attention when reading him otherwise I’ll miss so much I’ll have no idea what’s happening. Every paragraph is so dense with plot, imagery, dialogue that it can be very easy to get lost. Everything he publishes is unique (in my experience) and very engaging.
Currently Reading:
Heavenly Bodies: Cult Treasures & Spectacular Saints from the Catacombs
The Count of Monte Cristo
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible
Recently Watched:
I saw Iron Lung with my kid, but that’s about it.
QOTW:
I do not have the bandwidth to go through that list tonight lol.
2025 Challenges:
Popsugar - 5/40; 0/10
Read Harder - 2/24
Classics - 0/12
European Tour - 2/10
12 Friends - 7/12
Yearly Goal - 13/180
At least I'm getting reading done if nothing else. the weather has disrupted everything.She Persisted: Sally Ride by Atia Abawi read for PS 5 A book about women astronauts. I made an error with this one. As soon as I saw the prompt I knew I had to read about Sally. She was my hero when I was young. When I went to med school interviews and they asked who was my hero I said her. What I made the error about was I don't have kids, I don't know the local library's arcane way of dividing out books. This was not YA. It was barely middle grade. I felt guilty that they interlibrary loaned it so I read it. That said it was very good for its target audience and I am so very glad there are books like this for young women.
The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel was what I used for ps 20 A book with a character who does Pilates or Lagree. There are so many sports in this and somewhere in there was pilates. All I can say is I don't like her memoirs at all. This is my second for PS in general and I don't want to ever read another. They're so pretentious. But at least I got that boring prompt out of my face.
I also read Cooking with Monsters by Jordan Alsaqa. I wanted it for a sapphic comic and it had a lot of LGBT rep but there wasn't a sapphic element (yet, maybe in another volume) I'll have to try again but I've read everything my library has so I'll have go further afield. (I've read all the ones I own too and I don't feel like a reread)
QOTW
Looking at that list, outside of Butler's book, there isn't too much I've read because they're not my genres (doesn't mean anything about their worth, just not something I would seek out)
I would recommend Tracy Deonn, Tananarive Due, Terry J. Benton-Walker, Clea Koff and Victor LaValle
Ellie wrote: "Missed check-in last week as I was away for work, and things have been hectic this week too. Would really like to be able to move onto my next project, but have stubborn loose ends to deal with fir..."I know what you mean about Elly Griffiths' books. I ended up bailing on the series
Happy Thursday, everyone! The new season of Bridgerton dropped, and my mom and I binged the first four episodes. I think this season is my favorite so far, but it's diabolical of them to split the season like this, especially after that cliffhanger! Now I have to wait till the end of the month for closure. On the reading front, I read three books this past week. They ranged from just okay to pretty great.
2025 Reading Challenges
PopSugar- 14/50
ATY- 15/52; Winter- 9/14; 21/24
52 Book Club- TBD
Read Good- 6/13
Buzzword- 2/12; Cover- 4/12
GR Bookmarks- 7/12
BOTM- 7/15; Omnivoreader- 5/6; Long Hauler- 3/4; Debut Darling- 2/5
1001 Books- 1/20
TBR- 5/50
Finished
I Could Be Famous: Stories- only read this because I thought it would fit the influencer prompt. Overall, the stories were okay. The collection mostly deals with people wanting to be admired/famous which I guess is influencer adjacent, so I'm counting it lol, although there is one story that features an influencer. ☆☆☆
PS #25- a book that explores influencer culture
ATY #46- a book that is not a novel
Frankenstein in Baghdad- I read Frankenstein: The 1818 Text two weeks ago so thought I would check out some retellings while the story was still fresh on my mind. I really liked this one, and it got me a Goodreads bookmark! ☆☆☆☆
PS #41- a book in a different format than your usual
ATY #10- an award-winning book
Read Good #9- a book by a Booker Prize-shortlisted author
GR Bookmark- Tale Spinners
Crux- This was my BOTM pick for January and I thought it would be perfect for the platonic friendship prompt and it was! I enjoyed what the book had to say about ambition & purpose even if the story was heavy with the climbing jargon. ☆☆☆ 1/2
PS #2- a book that features a platonic friendship between a man and woman
ATY #6- a book related to blood, sweat, or tears
BOTM #7; Long Hauler #3
TBR #5
Currently Reading
America Is Not the Heart
Murder on Astor Place
QOTW
I've read I think about 12 from the list and most of the ones I would recommend I wouldn't necessarily call "hidden gems", but I'll try.
Just Mercy- I gave this 5 stars and I'm assuming many have already read this. An excellent story about one lawyer's grueling work trying to get justice for the marginalized and wrongly convicted in America.
The Prophets- the only other book I gave 5 stars from this list. I loved the lyrical writing and the forbidden love story told through the many people who witness it. There's pain but also hope and I remember it having a sort of magical quality.
Invisible Man- I think I gave this three stars when I first read it about seven years ago, but it’s one of the few classics I still find myself thinking about. Each section of the novel highlights different forms of racism the narrator encounters, some overt and others more insidious. I read this because it was the most cited book on the Essay portion of the AP Literature Exam and for good reason. It's a great text to unpack and analyze.
Hello All!I finally figured out how to 'right click' on my new laptop!! Gosh that was annoying. Why did they feel the need to change that? Has like 20-30 yrs of it been too much?
Anyway, hope all are well. I know some of you have been dealing with some heavy weather. Here we are in almost desperate need of rain, checked my tank today and it was only at 1600 gal. which is less than half. My sister says it's supposed to rain this weekend, but we'll see 'cause we had some rain clouds blow right over us this afternoon, without dropping anything.
I haven't checked in since week one, so this could be a long list. I managed to reach my goal of 31 books in January! Wasn't sure for a moment there, I read like 10 books in the last week alone. I discovered that in Libby you can look up audiobooks by their length ,and I read a few 2 hour books to quickly bump up my numbers. Also like 3 graphic novels.
I kind of have a crazy idea to do it again for Feb. but I think I might be in a bit of a burn out these last two days so we shall see, especially since I made a goal to read 10 challenge books this month That just might be enough.
Even though I read 31 books I still only read 2 TBR list books when I had planned 5 books. I'm currently reading two of them though so hopefully I can still get this goal down as well as the Feb books I want to read.
FINISHED
Trans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present Day PS#34
Star of the Show: My Life on Stage PS#42, ATY#1
Somewhere Beyond the Sea PS#11, ATY#50 - Loved this!
Swim Team PS#27
Metal Slinger Book club pick ATY#3
Little Black Dress ATY#32
The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler-Colonial Conquest and Resistance, 1917–2017 PS#40, ATY#11
All the Lovely Bad Ones: A Ghost Story Graphic Novel
Weirdo PS#15, ATY#35
Something Wicked Book club pick
City of Night Birds ATY#52
The White Darkness ATY#23
Beast of the North Woods
Before the Ever After
It Rhymes With Takei
Beezus and Ramona ATY#12
The First Time I Saw Him PS#36, ATY#51
I Funny: A Middle School Story Was reading to my nephew. ATY#38
Stitch Head: The Graphic Novel
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
Full Shift: A Graphic Novel ATY#5
Into the Water PS#13
Space Case
A Night at the Tropicana
FEBRUARY finished reads so far:
Brave: The Junior Novelization
The Secret Garden PS#1
All the Single Ladies
CURRENTLY READING
Is This Normal?: Judgment-Free Straight Talk About Your Body
Almost Surely Dead
Last Christmas in Paris
Universality
Binti
Question of the Week
NYPL published their list of “100 Black Voices: Schomburg Centennial Reading List” - take a look - do you see any hidden gems on there that you want to champion? Any books you added to your TBR?
I've read two, have 8 on my WTR. There are a lot of authors I haven't heard of and some I have but not books of theirs I had on my lists. I don't think I will add any new ones.
Life update: My daughter's friend finally got in touch, so I was able to meet with her to figure out what we still have in the house that belongs to her, get it boxed up, and arrange to have it collected and delivered to her next week. Other than that, we have not made much progress this week, but it should go faster after the new carpets get fitted next week.Reading update: I only finished one book this week, but that's because my current e-book is over 900 pages, so it will take a while. The one I finished was an audiobook: Black Stars: A Galaxy of New Worlds, for 2026 Diversity Challenge: Black History and Heritage; Read the Rainbow: purple; and Anti-Capitalist Inspiration: about colonialism. You could also count it for the PS Afrofuturism prompt if you're including fiction in that (I have a non-fiction book planned). As anthologies go, it was pretty good; I rated it 4 stars overall, with individual stories ranging from 3 to 5.
I also decided to pause the Journey to the West podcast I was listening to. It was for a book club within a wider Discord server, and I was feeling uncomfortable there after some things that were said in a discussion about the Epstein files. I was also finding the discussions about the podcast episodes rather sparse and was having some technical issues with the episodes on top of that. So I muted the server and paused the "book" on SG. I may well pick up a different edition of Journey to the West at some point.
Stats:
Popsugar: 0 this week, 12/50 total
Diversity Challenge: 1 this week, 2/14 total
Touch the Rainbow, Read the Rainbow: 1 this week, 2/13 total
Queer Reads Bracket Challenge: 0 this week, 4/7 total
Flowers for Your Shelves: 0 this week, 1/22 total
German Challenge: 0 this week, 5/10 total
Spanish Titles ABC: 0 this week, 1/26 total
French TBR: 0 this week, 1/20 total
Great Big Jewish Literature Challenge: 0 this week, 5/21 total
Anti-Capitalist Inspiration: 1 this week, 12/30 total
Reading About Writing: 0 this week, 3/40 total
All books finished this year: 1 this week, 22 total
DNF or paused this year: 1 this week, 4 total
Challenges completed this year: 0
Challenges in progress (end date in 2026): 4
Challenges in progress (no end date): 7
Currently reading:
Der Zauberberg (The Magic Mountain) - PS: book you were hoping would fit a prompt
Visions of Gerard - audiobook, no prompt
The Complete Mahabharata #2: Sabha Parva & Vana Parva I - spiritual reading
QOTW: What a great question! Of those on the list, I would highly recommend W.E.B. Dubois, but my recommended entry point would be The Souls of Black People. I also liked The Color Purple and Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Powerful Exploration of Identity and Independence: Novel by African-American writer Zora Neale Hurston.
I've read and enjoyed some Edwidge Danticat, Octavia Butler, Angela Y. Davis, and James Baldwin, but not the ones on the list.
I read For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf and thought it was just okay. I found The Intuitionist disappointing; the blurb made it seem right up my street, but I didn't feel that it delivered on the premise.
On my TBR, I already had The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution and The Motion of Light in Water: Sex and Science Fiction Writing in the East Village. As a result of reading this list, I've added The Book of Night Women and My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.
If I could add one author to the list, it would be bell hooks. She has a far more nuanced and compassionate take on relations between genders, races, etc than most of what's out there, without unduly flattering anyone or sacrificing any of her bite.
Mod
Thank you! I knew it was BHM in some other countries too, but I was in a rush and didn't want to take the time to look it up before I posted, and I didn't want to guess and be wrong. I know there is a BHM in the UK also, but I think it is not February?
Mod
Strong agree!!! His books can be SO different from each other, but they are almost always awesome (exception: I was not impressed by Night of the Mannequins or his graphic novel, Earthdivers). My favorite remains the first one I read from him: Mongrels - he has such a unique voice, and his "voice" is in each book, even though they can be very different. I really liked Not for Nothing, too - it was so eerie, but not at all a horror novel, almost zero paranormal elements to the story.
(sorry about your phone & car troubles - hope you are able to get new versions of each!)
Hi all! I seem to have come down with the kiddo's sore throat that she had last week. For my contribution to the winter Olympics, I will be attempting to eat the most ice pops ever.... though I've heard the Russian judge can be a jerk, so I'm not optimistic (yep, clearly out of my mind atm...). Anyone hosting/attending any Super Bowl parties this weekend? We usually host, but with me not feeling well, we probably won't have anyone over. That said, I am getting a grocery order today to make pizza pull-apart "bread", chicken wing dip, and for some reason, I thought southern banana pudding sounded good...
Also, it's supposed to be -25ish with the wind chill all weekend, so I don't really want people out in that.
I delayed posting so I could finish Woman on the Edge. I really liked it, though I had some quibbles that I posted in the group read thread.
I think I read another chapter or 2 in Inferno. I seem to have serendipity when I read his books. When I read Angels and Demons, Pope Paul II had just died a few months earlier, so all the stuff about conclave was fresh in my mind. The other night, there was a clip in a TV show about the Olympics and the hosts were in front of Il Duomo, that night, it was mentioned in Inferno. It'll be interesting to see what else shows up between the 2.
QOTW: I've only read a couple of books on the list. I've read a few other books by some of the authors. I highly recommend Giovanni’s Room and Nervous Conditions. I read NC in college, and honestly remember almost none of it. But there is a scene where the MC goes to a college library for the first time and her awe at all the books (and desire to read them all!) has stuck with me.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Dubhease wrote: "BTW - It's Black history month in Canada too..."Thank you! I knew it was BHM in some other countries too, but I was in a rush and didn't want to take the time to look it up bef..."
UK BHM is usually October. I think they separate it out so that British authors don't get overshadowed by US counterparts.
Happy Friday! The Winter Olympics are starting in about half an hour! I'm a huge speedskating fan (yeah, Dutch, I know) and I'm looking forward to all the individual races (speedskating for teams is just... not speedskating). Read this year: 6
Finished this week: When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer. Could have been so much more. It ended in a testimony of faith in a way that's so not my faith.
Popsugar #3, a book you meant to read in 2025
QOTW
I'm skipping this one.
Hello, y’all. Internet is down, so not sure when this will actually be posted. (It took most of the day for it to be stable enough to post.)
It has been unseasonably cold here in the South, but, starting this weekend, our temps will rise to 60s and 70s during the day with lows ranging from upper 20s to a high of mid 50s!
My gym is raising membership rates and changing their exercise classes and locations. All is supposed to be done by March 1. I am not sure how it will affect me as my health insurance pays the membership. I do have a contract for the trainer led classes that I attend but it runs to May 6.
Finished:
Aunt Bessie Invites – ATY #7 (same character in multiple books). Kindle. 4*. Continuation of series.
The Pied Piper: A Maureen Gould Legal Thriller – ATY seasonal. Kindle. 4*
A New Prospect – PAS. Kindle. 4*
The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul – ATY #26 (z in author name), PAS. 4* I enjoyed this one and particularly liked the different women who played major roles.
Weyward – PAS, PS #38 (fruit on cover – apple). I had planned this one for zodiac but there was no mention of my sign that I could find, so…I changed my plan and fit it in for this one. 4*
Currently Reading:
Seven Black Stones - PAS
The Way Out: A True Story of Survival - PAS
Santa Fe Dead - PAS
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day – PAS, ATY #4 (new to you author)
The Last Suppers – PAS
Spiritual Reading:
The Heart of Stillness, the Elements of Spiritual Practice – Devotional reading. 33%
PS 6/50
ATY 11/52, Seasonal 5/14
GR 20/200
QotW:?
I have read 8 of the 100. I generally do not enjoy books written about the Black experience so it is not a topic that I gravitate toward. That said, I liked what I have read of Maya Angelou’s writings, as well as those of Nora Zeale Hurston and Octavia Butler (although I have not read the one listed for OB).
Happy Finished this week:
Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes: The Official Biography - 5 stars. Absolutely brilliant, and I’m starting Discworld ASAP Makes you feel FOMO
Batman: One Bad Day - Catwoman - 3 stars. Excellent art, rushed story.
The Eyre Affair - 4 stars, reread. I like Rochester better here lol
The Book of Anansi - 4 stars, fun continuation of the Nic Blake series! Dad as primary caregiver
Priest - 3 stars, my second Sierra Simone book and better than American Queen IMO. Love story that defies social boundaries
PS - 11/50
ATY - 11/52
Mount TBR - 3/6
Paused:
The Butcher's Masquerade - I made it to p300 before this had to go back to the library, and of course right as it was getting good. Alas! I’m blaming the weather for the bad vibes all month lol
Currently:
Angela Davis: An Autobiography
Pride and Prejudice reread - moving steadily along with this
Amari and the Night Brothers New to you author
QOTW: NYPL published their list of “100 Black Voices: Schomburg Centennial Reading List” - take a look - do you see any hidden gems on there that you want to champion? Any books you added to your TBR?
I was delighted to see Assata: An Autobiography and The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution on the list. I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem was assigned reading in undergrad and I adored it – probably time for a reread, and a deeper dive into Maryse Conde’s work.
I finished up The Forgotten Garden as my book about a garden. Loved it!!!!!I read The Jane Austen Book Club as my book about a book club. Enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
I've started The Lost Quilter as my book about a granny hobby. Haven't had a lot of time to read the last couple of days so haven't really gotten into it yet. Only on page 30, so there's still time.
QOTW: i really liked The Known World and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
This is probably a very controversial opinion, but I couldn't even finish The Color Purple.
Ellie wrote: "UK BHM is usually October. I think they separate it out so that British authors don't get overshadowed by US counterparts."That may be part of it, but the reason that's usually cited is that October is the first full month of the school year and the founder wanted black children to start the academic year with a sense of pride. Also, the American date was chosen because the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass fall in February, but those figures are less immediately relevant to British children. The first black figures they are taught about are usually the British-Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole and the British-Nigerian abolitionist author Olaudah Equiano.
We have LGBTQ History Month in February instead, to avoid clashing with Black History Month and to commemorate the abolition of Section 28, which was a law that prevented positive depictions of same-sex relationships in schools.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Forgotten Garden (other topics)The Lost Quilter (other topics)
The Jane Austen Book Club (other topics)
The Book of Anansi (other topics)
Batman: One Bad Day - Catwoman (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Gabrielle Meyer (other topics)Victor LaValle (other topics)
Tananarive Due (other topics)
Terry J. Benton-Walker (other topics)
Tracy Deonn (other topics)
More...
It's Black History Month here in the USA. Serendipitously, my hold on Jason Mott's latest book, People Like Us, just came in, so I'll start listening to that later today.
***** Admin stuff *****
The February group read (for book club) is Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop and you can join the discussion here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
The March group read (transgender / non-binary) will be: What Moves the Dead
Let us know if you'd like to lead any discussions!
The final poll for April (gardening) is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...
The nomination poll for May (birding) is here: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...
Both polls run for one more week.
This week I finished 4 books, all for this Challenge, so I am now 14/50:
Chouette by Claire Oshetsky - this was weird!! If you like Mona Awad, you might like Oshetsky too. I read this for "postpartum" but it would also fit for "birding" (her baby is an owl-baby, after all - a lot of birds are mentioned in the story), and it would fill any "about music" categories you might have in other challenges, since the mother is a cellist.
The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst - I downloaded this from NetGalley because I've heard so much praise for Durst's books, and I thought this one might fit "travel ghost." As it turns out, I do NOT like Durst's books (at any rate, I did not like this one), cozy fantasy is not my thing, and there were no ghosts. I checked off "new beginnings" instead (unfortunate, since that category feels like a wild card and I was hoping to save it until later).
Sugar Street by Jonathan Dee- I've been curious about this book for a while, so when I needed a book with "sugar" in the title, this was an automatic choice for me. It is very spare writing, sort of a noir style, making it a fast read, a real page turner, although nothing much happens. You're inside this guy's head, he's done his best to disappear from the world, but you don't know why. The ending was disappointing or I would have given this five stars.
Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum - I read this for the "book club" prompt, and I purposely picked another Korean "healing fiction" book because I was intrigued by this sub-genre last year. And WOW did I hate this book!!! It's pretending to dole out profound wisdom, but it's so simplistic and privileged. How many of us can afford to quit our jobs, open a bookshop, and sell only books we like? Not very many of us. Every character in this book is just sort of floating around, not worrying about supporting themselves. Does South Korea have a robust safety net so that people don't have to worry about working? I guess it must.
Popsugar 28% 14 /50
Must Reads 0% 0 /1
2026 pub 8% 4 /50
NetGalley ratio 85%
I'm getting approved for NetGalley books as fast as I can read them! I still have a 13-book backlog on NG. (Of course the solution would be to stop requesting books.)
Question of the Week
NYPL published their list of “100 Black Voices: Schomburg Centennial Reading List” - take a look - do you see any hidden gems on there that you want to champion? Any books you added to your TBR?
https://www.nypl.org/books-more/recom...
There are, of course, plenty of books on this list that everyone talks about, but there are also books that could use more attention (and I was surprised by how many titles there were that I'd never heard of). Which titles do you think need a brighter light shone on them?
The hidden gems I recommend:
The Street by Ann Petry- this is a short and powerful story that more people should read. I don't understand why Petry seemed to be forgotten by so many.
Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde - this was one of the assigned texts in the first women's studies class I took back in 1986-87 (I can't remember exactly now) - it was amazing! It blew me away and I immediately bought a copy for a friend's birthday. For some reason people don't talk about Lorde much anymore, and when they do, they never seem to mention Zami. And they should.
Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine is a more recent publication, and perhaps people are still discovering it; I found it very powerful, and I intend to read more from her.
I was annoyed that the cover of The New Negro: An Interpretation is almost all MEN. A product of its time, I suppose, and the list-makers balanced that with Bambara's The Black Woman: An Anthology anthology.
I was surprised there were no titles from Ibram X. Kendi or Carol Anderson.
I added Mama Day & Plum Bun: A Novel Without a Moral to my TBR.
I have had Nervous Conditions, The Intuitionist and The Book of Night Women on my TBR for a long time, maybe I can read one of those this month. (Or not! LOL My reading has been so chaotic and I'm trying to stay focused on this Challenge.)