Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2026 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 8: 2/19 - 2/26
Happy Thursday all.Dogsitting this week, so I'm typing this with the little guy curled up on the couch beside me. His name's Little Brother and he's a one-eyed poodle mix. He's adorable.
Books read this week:
Skating on Mars -- for “a book about your favorite sport in the Winter Olympics.” Good book about a nonbinary athlete and their struggle for acceptance and recognition after joining a figure skating competition has unexpected consequences.
Z for Zachariah -- for “a book whose title begins with Z.” Chilling post-apocalyptic novel. Hard to believe this came from the author who gave us Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.
Sherlock Holmes & The Three Winter Terrors - for “a book with a Type C character.” A Sherlock Holmes pastiche that’s faithful to the source material while also touching on the supernatural and offering some playful jokes towards the source.
A Whale in Paris -- for “a book where the father is the primary caretaker.” Sweet yet emotional story about a girl living in Paris during the German occupation of World War II… and the whale that accidentally swims up the Seine and ends up befriending her.
Regular Challenge: 27/40
Advanced Challenge 5/10
Books read that weren’t for the challenge: 3
DNF:
Sky Full of Elephants -- Just wasn’t working for me for multiple reasons.
Currently reading:
How Bad Things Can Get -- for “a book that explores influencer culture”
Architects of Memory -- for “a book about women astronauts”
Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail -- for “a book about a granny hobby”
The Deep Dark -- for “two books written by real-life partners or spouses (1)”
QOTW:
My copy of The Last Unicorn probably fits the bill. Not only is it an old edition (not an original but still one long out of print), but it's one I got personally signed by the author! Plus it's one of my favorite books and very close to my heart.
Hey everyone, This week was a good week for reading. I read 4 books in this week alone. Ik crazy!
I finished Sunrise on the Reaping OMG! Even though I already knew what was gonna happen, I was still unprepared. I cried so many times during the whole book. By the end, I was nothing but a mess. I used it for the prompt: A book you were meant to read in 2025, because I did buy the book last year.. But I kept postponing and now Idk what to do! I keep watching tiktok edits of the series.. may be I'll reread them or smth.
I also finished The Yellow Wall-Paper. The truly scary thing about this book is how real it felt. The rest cure the women were subjected to... UGH!!! The author was actually administered this “cure.” This is a very powerful story, and this was a very stupid husband. I plan to use this for postpartum prompt.. idk if its the right fit. Cuz anyone with half a brain cell would figure out that she was suffering from postpartum depression but since it was in Victorian era, and ppl don't actually give a f for women.. They were doomed!
So, Do u think I can use it for this prompt??
O Goalie Night was the book I read after SOTR. I don't even know why I read it tbh.. It was so bland. It seems a little like wattpad writing but, it doesn’t flow as smoothly as it can and the characters at some points seem corny because of this fact!
She Gets the Girl was a book that was on my TBR for a long time. And just the other day, I found out that these authors are married to each other on this group.(YAY!!) So I started reading this.. It was such a cute read.. not groundbreaking or anything but a nice buffer read.. and bonus, it ticks off a prompt.
QOTW:
Lemme start by I don't buy a lot of expensive books.. But I think I would count my FW series books.. cuz I annotated a lot in that book, I had so many theories before the third book release.. It felt like so personal and cool! So yeah.. And also some books from my teenage years. Just the other day, I found my old Wuthering Heights book, I scribbled so much in that.. like my thoughts and HW questions and stuff like that. It felt weird looking at all that.. like I was looking at my childhood photos or smth.
Happy Thursday! We had a light dusting of snow last Friday… it only lasted a couple of hours, and that’s it. That’s all the snow we’ve had this winter. The forecast for the next ten days shows highs in the upper 50s/low 60s and lows that stay above freezing. Eastern Washington really didn’t have much of a winter. There was one week that I wore an actual coat, but a sweater was all I needed the rest of the time.Reading Challenges:
52 Book Club: 33/52 (February Mini-Challenge: 6/6)
52 Books Read It, Watch It: 2/12
ATY: 23/52 (ATY Winter Challenge: 14/14)
Booklist Queen: 26/52
Popsugar: 22/50
Goodreads Winter Bookmarks: 9/12
My Ever-Growing TBR: 25/240 – 10.4%
💗 Hill of Secrets (ATY #42 – set in an isolated location: Los Alamos) ★★★
💗 His Wicked Little Christmas: Goodreads Giveaway. Holiday collection of Regency novellas. The first one bored me, but the other two were quite enjoyable. I’m interested in reading some more of Tracy Sumner’s novels the next time I need a little mindless historical romance. (ATY Winter #1 – the first day of Christmas) ★★★★
💗 Demon Copperhead: Reasonable Doubt Book Club. (Booklist Queen #27 – title starts with D/Goodreads Bookmarks #5 – Tale Spinners) ★★★★
💗 Accidentally Yours, The Improbable Meet Cute: Second Chances ★★★
💗 The Knight and the Moth, The Stonewater Kingdom, #1 (52 Books February Mini-Challenge #3 – related to wing/ATY #4 – new-to-you author) ★★★★
💗 Lot (52 Books #3 – no quotation marks) ★★★★
💗 The Power of Knitting: Stitching Together Our Lives in a Fractured World: Much more interesting than I thought it was going to be. (Popsugar #7 – about a “granny” hobby) ★★★★
💗 Lost and Lassoed, Rebel Blue Ranch, #3 (Popsugar #11 – dad as primary caregiver) ★★★
💗 The Last House on Needless Street: There are three narrators in this book… One of them is a cat. (Booklist Queen #12 – animal narrator or protagonist) ★★★★
💗 Pretty Little Wife (52 Books #11 – requires a suspension of disbelief) ★★★
💗 Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers (52 Books February Mini-Challenge #2 – related to crime/Booklist Queen #45 – a nonfiction bestseller) ★★★★★
💗 The Call of the Wild ★★★★
QOTW: I have many, many books, but what do I prize? Hmmm… My first inclination was my copy of The Bachman Books: Four Early Novels by Stephen King. It includes the story “Rage” which is no longer in print, so this volume is considered highly collectible. But sentimentally my prized books are my mother’s books from when she was a teen in the 1940s. I have a small collection of rapidly deteriorating books such as Sylvia Sanders and the Tangled Web, Sandra of the Girl Orchestra, and Brenda Starr: Girl Reporter. Unfortunately, they don’t have their dustcovers anymore, but I read them every summer when I visited my grandmother’s house.
Good morning, everyone! Happy Thursday!I’ve officially gotten my results from my allergy bloodwork, which I’ve had to interpret myself since the allergist hasn’t bothered to get in touch with me yet. The results weren’t great, but I wasn’t overly surprised by any of the findings…apart from the fact that some of my already known allergens did not show any reaction during testing. Even without the allergist’s interpretation, I think I’ve got a pretty good idea of which allergens are causing what issues…apart from the still unknown allergen that’s causing the worst of my symptoms.
Nothing that they tested came back with an allergy level high enough to cause my throat to close up the way it has on a few occasions this year, so I guess I’ll have to start doing some food elimination trials on my own to figure it out. I really didn't feel like the allergist was a good fit for me, so I will not be going back to their office. It turns out that the practice doesn’t even take my insurance…which means I’m having to pay for all of my testing out of pocket.
We did get a little bit of snow over the weekend, but fortunately the worst of the winter storm passed us by. I’m convinced that my recently-purchased snowblower is the reason we didn’t get hit harder. If I hadn’t decided to get one, we probably would’ve gotten at least a foot of snow. We’re actually supposed to get temperatures in the mid to high 50s this weekend, which I am very excited about. I’m looking forward to getting back in the habit of walking outside in the mornings. Walking on a treadmill just isn’t the same.
As far as reading is concerned, this has been a fantastic week. I’m currently focusing on reading the books I’ve purchased since the beginning of the month, and they’ve been really good. I don’t know if I will manage to get completely caught up on my New Books list before the end of February, but I think I’m going to be pretty close.
Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…
Goodreads Challenge: 31/250
Mount TBR Challenge: 13/150
📚Physical TBR: 12/462
📱Ebook TBR: 1/161
🎧Audiobook TBR: 0/1
TBR Checklist Total: 13/624 (2% complete)
TBR Books DNFed in 2026: 0
TBR Books Soft DNFed in 2026: 1
I did not purchase any new books this week! Hurray for self-control!
“New” Books Bought in 2026: 20
“New” Books Read in 2026: 17
“New” Books DNFed in 2026: 0
“New” Books Checklist Total: 17/20 (85% complete)
Here are the books I finished this week…
Finished Reading (Fiction):
~A Deathly Display: A Small Town Murder Mystery — This is the eleventh book in the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum mystery series. I really enjoyed this story, and thought the mystery was very interesting. I’m already looking forward to reading the next book as soon as it’s released. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Poet Empress — Although this standalone novel was a tough read because of its content, it was also fantastic. I thought it was extremely well-written, and really liked the main character. Content Alert: The author does include a list of trigger warnings at the beginning of the book, but I think it’s worthwhile to highlight a couple of them… (view spoiler) 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Operation Bounce House — I absolutely loved this book by the author of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series! If you go into OBH expecting it to be connected to DCC, you are going to be disappointed, because this is a standalone novel that takes place in a very different universe. That being said, the book does include a lot of the same elements that make DCC so enjoyable, including great characters, humorous moments, and heavy, video-game related action sequences. I did not want to put this book down, and read almost the entire story in a single day. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Damned — I found the third and final book in the Scarlet Revolution trilogy a fast-paced and exciting read. I had a very hard time putting the book down, and thought that it was a great way to conclude the trilogy. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
None
Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
None
Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None
DNFed:
~The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien: Three-Volume Box Set — After yet another week of minimal progress, I have decided to soft DNF this 3-volume poetry collection. While I do really like Tolkien’s poetry, the vast majority of this book has been editor commentary and literary criticism, which I am just not in the mood to read. I will probably return to reading this collection at some point in the future, so I will be keeping the box set on my shelves, and my bookmark will remain in its current spot (just over halfway through the first volume) for now. 📚
Currently Reading:
~NIV Audio Bible — This audiobook edition of The Bible is read by David Suchet. I currently have about 26.5 hours remaining. 🎧
~American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century — I am currently about a third of the way through this book, and I’ve been pretty impressed with its readability. This is not a case that I knew much about prior to starting the book, so most of the information is brand new to me, and I’m finding it very interesting so far. 📚
~Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter — I’m currently just over a quarter of the way through this book, and I’m really enjoying it. I will most likely finish it this afternoon. 📚
~Stolen Midnights — I’m currently only a couple of chapters into this book, so I haven’t decided how I feel about it yet. 📚
QOTW:
I honestly don’t know if I have an answer to this question. I do have several books that are very important to me, but I don’t know if I’d call any of them a prized possession.
Mod
So, Do u think I can use it for this prompt??..."
I hate this prompt because it's worded so weirdly. "Postpartum" just means "after giving birth." So it can apply to any period of time right after having a baby. It doesn't have to mean "postpartum depression." It could be a happy time!
I don't remember a baby in The Yellow Wallpaper? I thought she was just depressed.
Mod
I used to read that silly comic strip in the newspaper EVERY day!!! I didn't know they once made a book with that character. Have you read it? Is it any good?
Hello, y’all. What a week!
I participated in the ATY Read-a-thon and ran out of steam by the end of it! So very few books finished this week.
I have even run out of energy during exercise class. I started drinking a small Boost just before class a couple of weeks ago, and that choice no longer seems to help me at all!
And, finally, I realized that my house cleaning seems not to get done no matter how much I plan to do it. At least until today…I actually started dusting the living room!
So…I finally took a step toward making plans that I have talked about for a year become real. I am having a new gate installed at the side of my house. It will replace an old gate that is hanging by a thread and will soon either fall off or refuse to open. The new gate will also be in front of where I park my small travel trailer…putting it behind the fence, where trailers are supposed to be in my HOA. It will give Darla a bit more room to run and explore. And, my back fence turns out not to need replacing, only a few posts supporting it need to be repaired/replaced! (Wow! The men are here working on putting the new posts in, despite prediction for rain!)
I have also made the decision to have my dead front lawn seeded. It won’t happen until Mid-March, and, if it doesn’t work, I will have time to lay sod this year. So, two major home upgrades are in the plans.
Finished:
The Way Out: A True Story of Survival – PAS. Non-fiction about exploring unknown canyons and desert land in the Southwest USA. Memoir. Very interesting.
The Last Suppers – PAS. Kindle. A book about how trauma as a child and how it played out in a life. Recipes included, although nothing that I would cook.
Currently Reading:
The She Shed – Kindle. PAS. 61%
Walking: One Step at a Time – ATY #17 (wellness), PAS. 16%
Even When Your Voice Shakes – PAS. 2%
Twelve Years a Slave – PAS. 19%. A book I have avoided since the movie came out.
Spiritual Reading:
The Heart of Stillness, the Elements of Spiritual Practice – Devotional reading. 33%
PS 7/50
ATY 13/52, Seasonal 5/14
GR 34/200
QotW: Which book is your most prized possession and why?
This question brought me up short. I realize that I do not have such a relationship with any particular book, except one. My childhood Bible, which is amazing to me as I have had many moves and changes in my life and now am Jewish…and somehow that book has been packed and unpacked and moved through 50 plus years. I can’t think of another book that has stayed in my possession throughout my life.
Mod
Most definitely!! Just like when you bring an umbrella, it doesn't rain ...
We got a lot of snow on Monday in MA, but it felt like the previous winter storm taught us how to deal with this one better. Walking paths where I go are clearer at this point than the last time around.Finished:
The West End Horror (4 out of 5 stars, a book told entirely through letters, a fiction book featuring a real person as a character (Oscar Wilde in this case))
The book is exciting, funny, tragic, puzzling, and just a great Sherlock Holmes story. This would be a good pick for less than 260 pages.
My interpretation of the letters prompt is loose. I first took it to mean any book using letters of the alphabet and not pictures to tell its story. This one has at least a little of the actual conceit intended by PS, as it purports to be writings of Watson found and published later, and there is a whole framing introduction.
Requiem (3 out of 5 stars, reread)
This is also a shorter book. While it tells a decent story and uses the Star Trek characters well, it also squanders a lot of its most interesting storytelling potential. The Gorn, the moral dilemmas of the past, and the alien space station could all have been much more developed.
Currently reading:
Godzilla: The First 70 Years: The Official Illustrated History of the Japanese Productions (on Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla)
William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back (reread, at the point where Han and Leia have their first kiss in the asteroid field)
Vendetta (reread, a great book from when the Borg were much scarier and unknown)
What On Earth Have I Done?: Stories, Observations, and Affirmations (for a book with a comma in the subtitle)
The Incredible Winston Browne: A Novel by “Sean of the South” (for a book set in Florida)
I now have read something for 28 out of the 50 PopSugar prompts since 11/1/25.
Question of the Week:
In terms of being a treasure trove of information in one physical book, it would be Deep Space Nine Companion.
For sentimental reasons, I really like my copy of Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men, Vol. 1. I very briefly met Stan Lee and had it signed in the autograph line of Phoenix Comicon.
Hi all! Most of the snow here has melted. There's still some patches in the yard. I actually think this winter has been "just right". We had snow most of the winter, a few days of bitter cold, nothing outrageous, but also enough to feel like NY winter. Kiddo was sick again this week! Argh! She's better today, so can go back to school tomorrow. This weekend is our first Girl Scout cookie booths, and I'm one of the adults in charge for a few of the time slots, so I better not get it!!
I finished Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin this week. I'm using it for a sexless marriage. I can't really recommend it for an explanation of why his artwork was revolutionary or inspirational for upcoming painters, but he lived an interesting life (though he was an irresponsible jerk to his family, hence the sexless marriage).
I went to the library the other day and got grabby hands.... whoops. I'm kind of casting around for what I want to focus on next. I'm in limbo because I have a hold coming in that I will need to get right into because I know I won't be able to renew it, but until I pick it up next week, I don't know what I want to start...
QOTW: I don't know that I have any prized books (aside from all of them, ha!). At this point, it would probably be something like my daughter's copy of Goodnight Moon that I read to her when she was an infant and is a little worse for wear because she used to chomp on it as I read!
Nadine in NY wrote: "Vaish wrote: "I also finished The Yellow Wall-Paper. The truly scary thing about this book is how real it felt. The rest cure the women were subjected to... UGH!!! The author was actually administe..."Yes, I think it totally fits the prompt!
Earlier this year, I read Sick and Tired: An Intimate History of Fatigue. The author speaks about rest cures and talks about The Yellow Wallpaper and the author's experience going through the rest cure (if I remember correctly, she eventually rebels!).
Nadine, she definitely has a baby, but I don't think it ever makes an appearance, as she's not allowed to exert herself by taking care of it.
Morning all! Just dropped the kittens off to be spayed so they won't become teen mamas like their own mother. Mama cat is quite unhappy that they're not here.21 books so far this year.
Popsugar 18/50.
52 Book Club Challenge 18/52.
Booklist Queen 15/52.
This Challenge Killed the Bookworm 9/25.
Finished: Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett for a book about college. I love anything Discworld. (Also love that my spellcheck accepts Discworld as a word.) Also works for "set in a school" (BQ) and "dark academia" (TCKTBW).
Currently reading: Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World by Christian Cooper. More of a memoir than a birding book, but there's also birding, so it counts. Nadine mentioned that the audio book includes the bird calls, so I kinda wish I'd gone that way, but I prefer paper books.
Next: starting Rachel Reid's Game Changer series, yay!
QOTW: It's a thrill for me when someone in my current or former writing group gets published, especially if I contributed in some small way. I have autographed copies of Sacred Girl: Spiritual Life Skills for Conscious Young Women by Kenya Aissa, and The Captain & the King by Jack Champlin. I got to read the early versions and see how the books took shape!
It's my Birthday!!!! Got my free Starbucks this am and most importantly took the day off work, and about to go meet one of my dear friends for lunch. Decided to head to the mountains this weekend and do some exploring of Boone/Blowing Rock. I found a cute bar at the top of Beech Mountain that may be worth a stop for the views too.11/70 GoodReads Challenge
11/50 PopSugar Challenge
11/52 ATY Challenge
Finished:
1.) Writers & Lovers by Lily King (#38-Fruit on Cover) ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫: Really enjoyed this slice of life character study, now I can confidently pick up her newest, Heart the Lover.
Currently Reading:
1.) The House on Endless Waters
2.) Conform
3.) Penitence
QoTW:Which book is your most prized possession and why?Oohhhh this is a tough question. Probably a first edition Jane Austen, or a book given to me by my dad that changed his life - Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill with a personal message written in the front for me.
Mod
That's crazy, you're not that far from me, but I can't remember the last time we didn't have at least a foot of snow on the ground!! It's been so cold for so long so the snow stays, and there's been so much snow that even a "warm" day or two isn't enough to get rid of it.
I need to find a local Girl Scout cookie source. Sometimes they set up a table outside of the movie theater I go to, but that's not a sure thing (mostly because I don't go to enough movies).
my daughter's copy of Goodnight Moon that I read to her when she was an infant and is a little worse for wear because she used to chomp on it as I read!
LOL I have a copy of Brown Bear Brown Bear that is all chewed on, for the same reason!! At the time, I was so overwhelmed with being a new parent that I wasn't able to fully appreciate how magical it was. Now that my kids are adults, I wish I had taken movies of them as babies so I could revisit it.
Nadine, she definitely has a baby, but I don't think it ever makes an appearance, as she's not allowed to exert herself by taking care of it.
Okay! I'm glad you corrected me. I read that when I was a student, maybe I completely missed that she had just had a baby - oops!
Happy Thursday!Finished:
Books & Bewitchment by Isla Jewell - 3 stars - for a book about new beginnings. Rhea Wolfe leaves her unsatisfying life to move to her late mother's hometown after the death of the grandmother she never met. I expected it to be more about the bookstore, but it's more about discovering family secrets, and the romance.
If You'll Have Me by Eunnie - 4.5 stars - for a sapphic comic. A really cute lesbian love story with beautiful art.
Comics & manga:
Komi Can't Communicate, Vol. 36
I am currently at 11/50 for the Popsugar reading challenge (8/40 and 3/10).
Currently reading:
The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst - for a book with a character who has curly hair. I'm really enjoying this, more than the first book, I think.
Upcoming/Planned:
The Obake Code by Makana Yamamoto - for a book about a mob.
The Wedding People by Alison Espach for a book with a character who navigates infertility.
QOTW:
I'm not really sure I have one. I have a few signed special editions, but nothing that I'd call a prized possession.
Britany wrote: "It's my Birthday!!!! Got my free Starbucks this am and most importantly took the day off work, and about to go meet one of my dear friends for lunch. Decided to head to the mountains this weekend a..."Happy Birthday! Enjoy your outings! And enjoy a day off work to rest and recharge!!! :)
Another hectic work week but I did finish a few books.Finished:
Human Rites by Juno Dawson. I enjoyed this finale more than the other books in this trilogy. Feel it’s a bit of a stretch for trans protag as it’s an ensemble cast, but Juno is a trans author.
PS 34 A book with a trans or nonbinary protagonist
ATY 7. A book with a character who appears in more than one book
TCKtB 16. Witchcraft
Nightshade and Oak by Molly O’Neill. This was disappointing since I loved her debut. I didn’t click with the characters at all. Once Mallt became human she became a boring person who complained a lot.
PS 13. An author's second/sophomore book
TCKtB 13. There’s probably a deity involved somehow
52BC 1. Set in an ancient civilization
A Room Full of Bones by Elly Griffiths. Why am I still reading this series?! This was full of casual racism. It felt more like a 50 year old book than 15. The racing stables plot was enjoyable but the rest? Meh.
ATY 39. A book connected in some way to the "Queen of Crime", Agatha Christie
52BC 11. Requires suspension of disbelief
Currently reading Hemlock & Silver and listening to Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories.
QOTW
I do have a book signed by Terry Pratchett, but it’s not one of my favourites by him. I have lots of pretty editions but I'm more attached to the words inside than the physical objects.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Hi all! Most of the snow here has melted. There's still some patches in the yard. I actually think this winter has been "just right". We had snow most of the winter, a few days o..."You've had a lot of lake effect this year. I don't really get hit by it.
Did your mom get hit by the nor'easter?
How are our other coastal members, too??
Hehe, I'd sell cookies to you (or anyone else on here, for that matter!), but you'd have to pay for shipping, cause I'm not driving up there (lol, especially with all your snow!! ha!).
Understandable that you wouldn't remember a baby in TYW then, it's barely mentioned.
We had a day where we were supposed to get some snow but we didn't. Not a flurry all season. I doubt it will happen at this point. I've been doing other things so I haven't finished anything this week.
Currently Reading:
Knife Skills for Beginners
A Hymn to Life: Shame has to Change Sides
On Deck:
Strange Buildings
QOTW: Which book is your most prized possession and why?
I have a mass market of Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury signed after a screening of Someting Wicked This Way Comes I went to. I also have a personalized signed copy of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane from the LA Book Festival years ago. Those are what I'm thinking of off the top of my head.
I'm really pleased that I shifted back to reading whatever I want instead of trying to attack the challenge like it was my job. I did find another challenge that I'm adding into the mix through my library's Beanstack page. It is Read Across America and it is a book set in or by an author from each state. Without even knowing about the challenge, I had already completed 19 states this year. Fun fact: I read a lot of books set in Colorado and Montana. I am 42/50.
This week I finished:
Several Kay Scarpetta books as I continue through my reread/listen of the series. Not for the challenge, just for fun.
Someone Knows: A book about college: I liked this. It wasn't incredible, but I enjoyed it.
The Wasp Trap: This wasn't for the challenge, but it had great reviews on social media and was free on Kindle Unlimited. It was fairly suspenseful and kept my interest, but I thought it was missing something in the character development side of things.
Sipsworth: This was for my library's book club. I enjoyed it, but I knew everyone else at my book club would like it even more. We are all suckers for books with what I call "haphazard hopefulness" in them, like A Man Called Ove and The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife. This book gave the same kind of energy, but I enjoyed the other two more. I thought there was more depth and character development in them, but I still thought Sipsworth was really good. I told my book club that I knew the book was good, because I hate mice, but I loved the mouse "Sipsworth" and cared about what happened to him.
Currently reading:
More Kay Scarpetta
The Guncle Abroad: fun, but not as good as the first one so far.
Forget You Saw Her: This book had such a hold on me that I had to put it down and walk away until the weekend. It is punching me right in the heart. Noelle Ihli is going to the near top of the must read list for me, but her books are emotionally intense to get through.
QOTW:
My grandmother taught me how to read when I was very young. She would read me books and then have me read them back to her. When I was 7, her house burnt down and many of their possessions were lost, but some of the children's books survived, with a little wear and tear. Two of them were heavy favorites of mine, and she read them to me so often that when I look at them now, well into adulthood, I still hear her voice reading them to me. She died in 2021 and her voice remains strong in the books, so The Ghost of Windy Hill and Mrs. Beggs and the Wizard are my most prized possessions.
Mod
Happy birthday!!
Britany wrote: "It's my Birthday!!!!" Happy Birthday!!
I just remembered another prized book: For my 10th birthday my grandparents gave big a big red dictionary, with a message in the front. I LOVE that dictionary!
poshpenny wrote: "We had a day where we were supposed to get some snow but we didn't. Not a flurry all season. I doubt it will happen at this point. I've been doing other things so I haven't finished anything this..."
I'm guessing A Hymn to Life: Shame has to Change Sides is for " outside your comfort zone"? I applaud her for writing it after the horrors she's been through, but not sure I could bring myself to read it.
PS: 21/4052; 21/52
Anti-capitalist: 17/30
Finished: Humankind: A Hopeful History I really enjoyed this! 4.5 out of 5 stars. The thing I most appreciated about this is that it questioned tacitly held knowledge such as the results of the prison experiment or the shock experiment that were supposed to show how terrible humans are but actually the results were distorted by the people running the experiments.
AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference Didn't particularly like this one. I read it for a book club and other people said that they liked it because they hear so much hype for AI and this book offered a different perspective. I'm just the opposite: mostly what I hear about AI is criticism and concern so I prefer books that at least mention good ways to use AI.
Started: Traversal I have a love/hate relationship with this book. I love Maria Popova's Marginalian (it's a website, check it out if you haven't.) I was very much looking forward to this book coming out. But when she writes books, her writing is too long and convoluted and I have trouble keeping track of the historical figures she is writing about.
QotW: I have several answers to this question. The first is the book I wrote and self-published. I also have a copy of my all-time favorite book, A Dream of Silence, which is out of print. I also found a book written by my college advisor that I didn't know existed and saved it from being recycled. And I have a vintage copy of John Stuart Mill's Principles of Political Economy. Now don't go stealing them!
Mod
The "Michigan" category has got me paying attention to where each book I read is set, and now I'm thinking about tracking it for the year.
Mod
Did your mom get hit by the nor'easter?
LOL my mom left to go on a cruise the day before the big storm! So she's chilling down in the Caribbean somewhere right now.
I follow some FB accounts based in her town, and some posted video, and they are very excited about all their snow, but it doesn't really look that bad. Some snow banks on the sides of the roads, but the roads and sidewalks are all completely clear, so it must be warm enough.
Last month when it snowed a lot her neighbors shoveled her stairs for her! and that's an AWESOME favor, because her house is up on pilings, so she's got A LOT of stairs!! She's in really good shape, but she is in her 80s so I do worry about her slipping on those stairs in winter. I'm glad her neighbors look out for her.
Hehe, I'd sell cookies to you (or anyone else on here, for that matter!), but you'd have to pay for shipping, cause I'm not driving up there (lol, especially with all your snow!! ha!)...."
I'm in! Email me the details nnthom266 @ gmail. com I can use the "Digital Cookie" form and they will ship to me, I think you just need to send me a link or tell me zip code and troop number. I've done this in the past via my daughter's friend's younger sister, she got a message verifying that she knew me - of course she lived two blocks away so she could just drop them off, but GS will ship them to me if I check that box, last year I got them from a troop in another state!
PopSugar 14/50AtY 14/50
Finished:
The Ship of Brides by JoJo Moyes Recommended by a friend, I don’t actually see a spot for it.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh #32, a book about an underwater civilization
Currently Reading:
Bad Days in History by Michael Farquhar For #10, a book about a horse or with a horse on the cover. Here’s a quote about the Edsel: Ford became desperate enough to offer those willing to take the Edsel for a test drive the chance to win a free pony. Most winners, however, opted for the alternative cash prize, leaving Ford not only with a forsaken automobile line but with thousands of unwanted equines as well.
The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club For my book club. I’m hoping one of them has curly hair.
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch – For #43, two books written by real-life partners or spouses.
The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King Second in the Dark Tower Series, reading for the umpteenth time around.
Die Strasse Nach Roswell by Connie Willis This is going to take months, but I’m going to get it done.
QOTW
Most prized book. Hmm. I had a couple of first edition Mark Twain but I think I gave them to the kids. Next is probably a book on Napoleon written by a younger Napoleon but the book is at my daughters so I don't have the details. It was written in the 1800's and cost me $70 coming from England.
I used to have a lot of books but since retiring and selling my home and living in a tiny home, most of my books are on Kindle. I do miss books but on the other hand, I bring them all with me when I go.
Britany wrote: "It's my Birthday!!!! Got my free Starbucks this am and most importantly took the day off work, and about to go meet one of my dear friends for lunch. Decided to head to the mountains this weekend a..."Happy birthday! Mine was yesterday, so not quite birthday twins, but close. :)
I missed last week's check-in (oops! 🙊), so this will be a two-week update for me. I finished three books, two of which worked for open prompts. The one title that didn't worked for three of the other challenges I'm working on...and would have been PERFECT for one of the 2025 advanced prompts. I really thought that was a 2026 advanced prompt when I started it - doh! I'm now at 4/40 and 0/10 (thanks to Jennifer W for suggesting I used "a book featuring a platonic friendship" for my RBG read two check-ins ago!) for this challenge and 7/75 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge.
Finished:
* A Dangerously High Threshold for Pain read and narrated by Imani Perry, which was the title that worked for three other challenges (and last year's PS challenge);
* These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant, which I used for "a book with a dad as the primary caregiver" and was one of my book clubs' picks for February; and,
* Yours for the Season by Uzma Jalaluddin, which I used for "a love story that defies social boundaries."
Currently Reading:
* The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries edited by Michael Sims;
* All Fours by Miranda July;
* Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy by Mary Roach;
* Deacon King Kong written by James McBride and narrated by Dominic Hoffman; and,
* The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict, which is one of my book clubs' picks for March (and a NetGalley backlist title!).
QotW:
This week's question was suggested by Erica:
Which book is your most prized possession and why? Hmm...it's probably all of the personalized/signed books I've acquired over the years and not necessarily a single title. Many of them remind me of author events and conferences I've attended with my Mom over the years, so the books are special because of the memories they created (and also because many are signed by our favorite authors 😊❤️📚).
I finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as my book I mean tto read last year. They keep getting darker and darker.And speaking of dark, I read The Hunger Games as a book that mentions my astrological sign (sagitarrius). It was so stressful.
Nadine, how did Erica suggest this week's question? (And how should we suggest them in the future?)
I have read 2 books for this challenge Running Mate for prompt #8 and Love Triangle: How Trigonometry Shapes the World for prompt #40.I am at 25% complete for PS 13/52
But a total of 27 books in February.
Just barely making it in on time!Finished 08/50
Armies of Light and Dark for "book with an overweight character that's not about losing weight" friends this got DARK. WHOA. Was not expecting that!! I have to read the next one now!
When You Pray: A Practical Guide to an Orthodox Life of Prayer for "book about a granny hobby". C'mon. You all have that one religious grandma. This book was actually short, sweet, and lived up to its promises!
Currently Reading
Mary, Worthy of All Praise: Reflections on the Virgin Mary for "book about a sexless marriage". Yeah, so the Orthodox Church holds that Mary, though married to Joseph, never had sex with him (he was an old widower who basically just needed someone to help with his kids and she didn't want a sexual marriage anyway). SO. I think this counts.
Hymns of Repentance (not for challenge): our parish book club is diving into this one for Lent. I sing a lot of his stuff, but never this one!
QotW
JUST ONE?! uh......man....I treasure so many! I guess I'd have to go with my copy of The House of the Seven Gables which was my old English teacher's copy that she gifted me as a graduation present (filled with her notations to boot) because I loved Hawthorne so much. Dostoyevsky has dethroned him since as my fave author, but I still adore Hawthorne's writing.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Vaish wrote: "I also finished The Yellow Wall-Paper. The truly scary thing about this book is how real it felt. The rest cure the women were subjected to... UGH!!! The author was actually administe..."She had a baby in the start. She gets nervous to hold him and slowly develops some kind of anxiety/depression. The baby is never mentioned later again.. So I can see confusion.
Jennifer W wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Vaish wrote: "I also finished The Yellow Wall-Paper. The truly scary thing about this book is how real it felt. The rest cure the women were subjected to... UGH!!! The author w..."I mean it is never mentioned that is postpartum depression. So I was debating it a bit.. And yes, she does rebel!
Happy Thursday!I finished a book this week. I had to wild card it for ATY since I'm still mad that we couldn't get our best books of the month prompt in this year.
I also used it for unusual format because I requested this damn book last August, and was first in line to get it since early September. However, my library managed to lose our copy and only found it this February. I had a PS and ATY prompt for it last year, so I feel a bit like I'm scrambling this year. But yes .. a book that went missing for 5 months is a different format for me.
I also finished 2 movies for my PopSugar movie prompts. You could argue that hidden Figures isn't about female astronauts, but the women who working behind the scenes to put male astronauts into space ... but I say, close enough. Garfield is definitely overweight and has no interest in losing weight.
Finished:
James
Popsugar prompt: A book in a different format than your usual
ATY prompt: Wild card - Best books of the month for 2025
Series - 1/12
Number 1s - 0/10
Nobel laureates - 0/5
Rocky Horror challenge: 2/12
PS - 8/30
ATY - 7/45
PS movies - 8/50
Currently reading:
The Book of Lost Tales 1 - 45%
Quo Vadis - 30%
The Third Wheel - 25%
PopSugar movies
5 A movie about women astronauts - Hidden Figures
6 A movie with an overweight main character whose story isn't about losing weight - The Garfield Movie
QOTW: My parents gave me a lovely clothbound copy of Pride and Prejudice that I still love.
Hello and happy Thursday! I missed the last two weeks, I’ve half the wildest time getting a new phone and working on getting a new car. Got a touch of the winter gloomies and wasn’t feeling much like posting. Hopefully next week I can report back that I have a new vehicle and all is well in my world lolAlso since I get thrown off when people change their profile pictures, mine used to be my yellow hair in case anyone needed that bit of info 😅
Finished:
Bunny not for a challenge. Reread before I dove into the follow up. I’m glad I did because there were a a few things I forgot. It would’ve made the second book a little confusing at times. I know this is a polarizing book, but it’s almost exactly the perfect book for me. It has all my favorite elements. Is someone crazy or is it paranormal, maybe both, but things are weird and people are mostly having a not great time.
We Love You, Bunny for the read harder challenge. I saw in the ratings that this book was not as well liked as the first one. Even people who really enjoyed the first book seemed to have not liked this one. But I’ve said it plenty of times, I’m not very critical and I generally have a good time with anything I read. And this was no exception. I liked getting read the bunnies’ perspective and reading about how crazy the whole situation really was. This book validated my take on the ending of the first book. Also the Allen bit got some genuine belly laughs out of me. I got a kick out of that and the smiley face, frowney face thing. Very silly but I thought it was really funny.
Appetites: A Cookbook not for the challenge. This was a book I got for Christmas, anyone who knows me knows how much I love Anthony Bourdain. I’ve been watching him since his first show, back when he had brown hair still. This was bittersweet because you can hear his voice in every word. There were some pretty cool recipes in here that I think I’d like to try someday, but a lot of the recipes seem intimidating.
The First to Die at the End for the read harder challenge. Why did I pick up this book when the first one made me so incredibly sad? Who knows, but I did, and this one also made me very sad.
Mayra for a book, I meant to read in 2025. This one falls firmly under the crazy or paranormal but weird and not great category. A woman is visiting her childhood best friend in a weird house in the Everglades after years of not speaking. Emotions are complicated between them, but also the house is maybe a little sinister.
Through Gates of Garnet and Gold not for the challenge just a quick dip into the newest wayward children series. I was so looking forward to visiting Nancy and the halls of the dead again but I didn’t get enough of the elements I liked from this world, there was a lot going on and I was mildly annoyed when I found out what was causing the issues. I’ll keep reading the series but I wish Nancy got more time just existing in her world.
Devout: A Memoir of Doubt for my friends challenge. I think this was recommended to me because it deals with Christianity, but I don’t think it was recommended by someone who knows enough about the differences in denominations and various Christian cultures. This was an interesting and good read, but there were so many times were I was like wow this girl was given some terrible theology no wonder she’s going through it. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book and the author’s perspective.
Heavenly Bodies: Cult Treasures & Spectacular Saints from the Catacombs fun lil collection of beautiful photos of the catacomb saints and some history about them. My client let me borrow this because she knows how much I like the bones and memento mori side of Catholicism lol.
Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux for my classics challenge. A very inspiring read for those wanting to honor God in every day life.
Currently Reading:
The Witch of Colchis
The Count of Monte Cristo
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible
Recently Watched:
Nothing lately
QOTW:
I collect old books and I think my favorites are my vintage princess bride and the last unicorn.
2025 Challenges:
Popsugar - 6/40; 0/10
Read Harder - 3/24
Classics - 1/12
European Tour - 3/10
12 Friends - 8/12
Yearly Goal - 22/180
Same here on getting back to 90% on Netgalley. I was close to 100% then suddenly I was given so many arcs from publishers that sounded too good to say no to and then depression hit and nothing got readNot much got read this past week at all. Just one thing Dark Life by Kat Falls (for Ps32 A book with an underwater civilization) I was originally going to read Aquaman for this but then I ended up stumbling over this YA in my library (I still have to read and get that Aquaman back to them...)
This was good. The world building/science is a bit light but overall I liked the characters. Some environmental catastrophe happened and an underwater colony is built and oddly is treated badly.
QOTW
This is a tough one. I don't really have many I suppose. These Haunted Hills by Jana Denardo and A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America's Ghosts by Leanna Renee Hieber because I know the authors and that means something to me.
I think The Crow by James O'Barr (signed) and The Complete ElfQuest, Volume One by Wendy Pini because they were so formative in my teens and early 20s.
If you had asked younger me I might have said The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
So much snow in posts the last couple of weeks, yet we are expected to break the record for hottest Feb 27th tomorrow if it reaches 90+ in LA. I finished 2 books, one for PS:
North and South
PS: n/a
ATY: n/a
52: written in 1800's
Read harder: n/a
True to Form
PS: teen angst
ATY, 52, RH: n/a
PS: 9/50
ATY: 5/52
52: 7/52
RH: 4/24
QOTW:
Walt Disney's Story Land (owned since I was like 3-4, the cover is falling off. It was one of the few books we had int eh house and I read it over and over, and then I read it to my daughter and her daughter)
Winnie the Pooh Treasury (replaced my childhood copy that fell apart)
I also treasure my original copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy but I've read it so many times I had to put it away due to age, but I have the complete series on Kindle now so its safe
Doni wrote: "Nadine, how did Erica suggest this week's question? (And how should we suggest them in the future?)"There's a thread for people to suggest questions (now that we can't send private messages to the mods). Here's the link:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Another 2 week check-in for me. The good news is that the ATY read-a-thon got me past my reading slump. The bad news is that means I've got a lot of books to post about.😜Stats
GR: 42/250
PS: 14/50
ATY: 11/52
ATY Rejects: 2/25
TCKTBW: 11/25
GR Choice: 7/20
GR Bookmarks: 9/12
TBR: 0/10
Finished
Sapphire Flames, Emerald Blaze & Ruby Fever ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rereads
I Finally Bought Some Jordans: Essays – Hilarious and Sharp Stories About Race, Class, and Dating by a Black Creative Voice ⭐⭐⭐
ATY: Reject prompt (Goodreads Bookmark book) (Black Heritage bookmark)
This was more political than I was expecting or wanting, but I didn't DNF it because it got me the bookmark.
Knight of the Ice, Vol. 8 ⭐⭐⭐
Mate ⭐⭐⭐
PS: Meant to read last year
The first book in the series was so bad it was good. This wasn't as bad, but it just ended up being boring.
Peacocks of Instagram: Stories ⭐⭐⭐⭐
PS: New beginnings
This caught my eye in the library, and I'm so glad. It was such a nice little surprise. The first few stories were kinda dark and needed trigger warnings, but then the stories got going and I just couldn't put it down.
Castle Swimmer: Volume 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
First Comes Scandal ⭐⭐⭐⭐
ATY: Window on cover.
Wynd Book Four: The Power of the Blood ⭐⭐⭐⭐
ATY: Blood/Sweat/Tears
Spy x Family, Vol. 15 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
PS: Sexless marriage
Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum ⭐⭐⭐
PS: Written by a partnership
I know that's not the way the prompts are supposed to be interpreted, but I'm doing it my way.
My Perfectly Imperfect Body ⭐⭐⭐⭐
ATY: Not a novel
So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men ⭐⭐⭐
ATY: Read because of something you read in 2025
In progress
Audition for the Fox
QotW
Well, my collection as a whole is sorta a prized possession, but if I had to pick one book, it would be The Secret World of Og. My copy was originally my Mom's copy from when she was a kid. I would read it over and over every year when I visited my Grandparents for the summer.
Happy Friday! It seems that I just can't check-in on Thursdays this year. Last night we went to a theater lecture on "News as a Weapon." For 2 hours we were captivated by the lecturer and the videofragments he showed. Thoroughly enjoyed it!It's truly stunning spring weather today: 18 degrees Celsius, sunshine... I'm sitting by the open door, soaking up the sun. And it's only February... Enjoy whenever you can, because before you know it, it'll be pouring rain again.
Read this year: 9
PS: 4/40
Finished this week: Een klein land vol geschiedenis by Lars Boon
Popsugar #10, horse on the cover (an old Dutch painting, bingo!)
The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley. I need to finish the last part of this series. Now.
Popsugar #4, a book starting with the letter Z (in Dutch the title of this book is 'De Zevende Zus', the 7th sister. Counts for me for starting with a Z.).
QOTW:
I really don't know whether one of my books is a prized possession. My own treasures are the books from my childhood when I learned the joy of reading. I still have them all.
Life update: Not much has happened this week. We've been either attending medical appointments (my husband) or preparing for them (me). Hopefully by next week I'll be able to report that the house is on the market.Reading update: I finished two books this week:
The Far Reaches: Stories to Take You Out of This World - Rainbow: Black. I'm finding that short story collections are a good audiobook option for me. Because there's more than one story, I can listen to longer audiobooks than my ADHD would normally allow, and somehow the (to me) shortcomings of the short story form also bother me less when listening than when reading. This was a good example of its kind. 4 stars overall, with individual stories ranging from 3 to 5.
The Death of Cuchulain : Manuscript Materials Including the Author's Final Text. My version was just the play, but this was the closest I could find on GR. No prompt, just the result of going down a rabbit hole after my daily poetry app showed me the poem that ends the play. It's still haunting me 48 hours later. 5 stars for the poem and 4 for the wider play.
Stats:
Popsugar: 0 this week, 16/50 total
Diversity Challenge: 0 this week, 2/14 total
Touch the Rainbow, Read the Rainbow: 1 this week, 5/13 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, 6/10 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: 0 this week, 14/30 total
Reading About Writing: 0 this week, 3/40 total
All books finished this year: 2 this week, 30 total
DNF or paused this year: 0 this week, 5 total
Challenges completed this year: 0
Challenges in progress (end date in 2026): 4
Challenges in progress (no end date): 7
Currently reading:
Pixie. A NetGalley ARC - a fictional autobiography of Pamela Colman-Smith, who drew the pictures for the classic RWS tarot deck. It fits for a character with curly hair, as her cousin Mary and her companion Norah both have curly hair. I will also use it for Women's History in the Diversity Challenge.
The Lonely Men - audiobook, PS: horse on the cover
Introduction to Curling Strategy. I will use this for the Winter Olympics prompt and move Throwing Stones to the new beginnings prompt.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values - either "starts with Z" or "dad as primary caregiver"
THE COMPLETE MAHABHARATA SABHA PARVA AND VANA PARVA VOL 2: Sabha Parva and Vana Parva - spiritual reading, no prompt
QOTW: It would have to be Exit Chip, which doesn't have a GR entry, but is a short story my son wrote in college and then turned into a short film as part of a group project. They published the story with some BTS notes as part of the project. I'm not sure how big the print run was, but there probably aren't many of them still in existence.
Mod
Haha yes I get very thrown off when profile pics change! You used to have a photo of a blue braid, right?
I'm one of the readers who LOVED Bunny but really really did NOT like the sequel/prequel/companion book. I got so impatient with it.
I do love books that with the "are they crazy or is it paranormal .... or both?" theme, so I'm adding Mayra to my TBR now. Some other books that I think are also like that: Flux, Mongrels, Mapping the Interior
Mod
Yes ugh I keep downloading more books! Berkeley rarely approves my requests but they seem to put a lot of books on "read now" and I can't help myself, I download them even if I'd never heard of the book before, in the hopes that they'll see I'm actually very good at reading (LOL) and they'll approve me more in the future. Just this morning I downloaded I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell because it's a Berkeley read now and the title sounds fun. Do I know anything about this book? no! Did I download it anyway? yes!
Last week I saw a book that caught my eye because the cover was cool and the title was cooler, and I got approved immediately. Tyrant Lizard Queen: The Love, Life, and Terror of Earth’s Greatest Carnivore I mean, how was I supposed to resist that title? And the cover? BRILLIANT!! Do I know anything about this author? no! Did I get approved immediately? yes!
And, I am absolutely not complaining here, but I JUST got approved for Katherine Arden's new book, The Unicorn Hunters
So now I have 19 books waiting to be read!!!
Luckily the earliest pub date is in April so I should be able to keep up and stay ahead of publication dates. If I read really hard!!!
Mod
Sounds gorgeous!!! Are there any flowers up yet?
This morning the SUN is shining here!! hooray! No snow in the forecast today!! It was 15F first thing when I let the dogs out, but it's supposed to warm up to high 30s later today. Time to break out the shorts! j/k
K.L. wrote: "Good morning, everyone! Happy Thursday!I’ve officially gotten my results from my allergy bloodwork, which I’ve had to interpret myself since the allergist hasn’t bothered to get in touch with me ..."
KL - About 10 years ago I went to a gastro and got an endo done, tested the white blood cells and she stretched my throat, I eliminated dairy and went back 6 weeks later for another stretch and white blood cell count was significantly lower, so I've tried being cognizant of that, and haven't had nearly as many issues since then. I was diagnosed with EOE Eosinophilic esophagitis - maybe this would be helpful for you?
Nadine in NY wrote: "Harmke wrote: "It's truly stunning spring weather today: 18 degrees Celsius, sunshine... I'm sitting by the open door, soaking up the sun. And it's only February... Enjoy whenever you can, because ..."Oh, lots of those typical first-spring-flowers: snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils. About 10 days ago it was freezing cold, so the seasons change pretty fast.
Thanks Jennifer, Nadine, & PoshPenny! 💖
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell (other topics)Tyrant Lizard Queen: The Love, Life, and Terror of Earth’s Greatest Carnivore (other topics)
The Unicorn Hunters (other topics)
Mapping the Interior (other topics)
Flux (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Katherine Arden (other topics)Lars Boon (other topics)
Lucinda Riley (other topics)
Michael Sims (other topics)
Uzma Jalaluddin (other topics)
More...
It's still snowing here. Syracuse now has gotten over 132" of snow so far this season - the average for a whole season is 127" so this is excessive, and it's still only February. We had a lovely few hours of actual sunshine on Tuesday afternoon! Delightful! Winter wouldn't be so bad if the sun would come out more often.
Usually my snowdrops are up and blooming by now, but not this year!!
***** 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 No one else volunteered, so I will be leading the discussion (since I planned to read the book anyway). I added the first few questions in the post. You can join the discussion here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
The April group read (gardening) will be: The Secret Garden
The May group read (birding) will be: Birding with Benefits
The final poll for June (influencer) is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...
The nomination poll for July (granny hobby) is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...
Let us know if you'd like to lead any discussions!
And, finally, some Goodreads news: Goodreads is adding an official "Did Not Finish" shelf.
This week I finished 3 books, none for this Challenge, so I remain 16/50:
Evil Genius by Claire Oshetsky - I got this from NetGalley because I enjoyed the other book I read by her. This one is completely different. It's hard to describe. A young naïve woman finds herself in an unhappy marriage, and gradually she starts to realize that her husband is a jerk, and she wants out. The title and blurb imply that this will be a thriller, but it's not. I don't even know how to classify this one! No challenge category.
The Re-Do List by Denise Williams - I picked this up from my library because it fulfilled TWO GR challenges (one of which I checked off with a different title last week anyway) so I figured it must be good! It was NOT good. The male & female lead were in their 20s or 30s, but acted like dumb teenagers. Wayyyyy too many dick jokes! No challenge category.
The Shippers by Katherine Center- another NetGalley book, this was a fast read, but disappointing - I've loved the other books I read by Center, I had high expectations, and I was let down. This is sort of like Emily Henry's People We Meet on Vacation, except with a far more annoying and emotionally immature heroine. No challenge category
Sadly, none of these books are by authors from Michigan, nor did they involve overweight characters, sexless marriages, bachelorette trips, teen angst, hidden pasts, granny hobbies, debt, or astronauts!
I JUST started a NetGalley book, Yesteryear, and it turns out to be about a social influencer! Hooray! right? except ... I just borrowed a book from the library (Life’s Too Short) about a social influencer. I guess that Jimenez book is going back to the library unread, for now. I'll get to it some other time.
Popsugar 32% 16 /50
Must Reads 0% 0 /1
2026 pub 22% 11 /50
NetGalley ratio 83%
LOL I am now adding books to my NetGalley list faster than I can read them. I've given up on my goal of 100% - that's never gonna happen! My goal now is to get back to 90%.
Question of the Week
This week's question was suggested by Erica:
Which book is your most prized possession and why?
I don't really have an answer to that question! I want to say my original copy of New Recipes From Moosewood Restaurant cookbook, because that edition is not in print any more (they did release a new edition), but ... I'm not sure where it is. So I guess I don't treasure it THAT much!