Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Happy Thursday! Welcome to October!

This week FLEW by for sone reason, and i cannot believe its already Thursday.

This last week has been CHILLY and the trees are responding by starting to put on their autumnal colors. When the sun comes out, the light reflected into my house is that special golden color that we only get in autumn.

I'm sad about the shorter days, but glad to know I only have to mow the lawn once or twice more this season.






***** Admin stuff *****
The September group read (a book told in letters) was: The Correspondent. You can join the discussion here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The October group read (overweight character) is: The House in the Cerulean Sea. You can join the discussion here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The November group read (debt) will be: Spinning Silver

The December group read (horses) will be: Horse




Let us know if you'd like to lead any discussions!







This week I finished 2 books, one for this Challenge, so I am now 47/50:

Succubus: A Love Story by Kate Fox - This is one of (many!) books I downloaded from NetGalley on a whim, I wasn't expecting much, I thought it might be a fun & fluffy book for fall. And it WAS a very autumnal read, set in September & October, which was nice since I read it in the perfect season. It was also, to my surprise, really really awesome!! I don't usually like "paranormal romance" - that whole "alpha dog fated mate" thing is not my bag. But I DO like "enemies to lovers" so I took a chance here. The hero & heroine start out as friends who are oddly attracted to each other, then it quickly switches to enemies who are trying to kill each other. Throw in angels & demons, good & evil, etc etc, and you have the story, all set in suburban NJ. I never quite knew where this story was going, and that's rare, so I was delighted. I also loved the heroine's voice, and I loved the setting in Princeton NJ - the author bio does not specify, but I think it's likely she lives in Princeton, because the sense of place was perfect. This will be published Oct 20.

The Mighty Red by - I am FINALLY done with this book! I've been listening to it since July. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't exactly good, either. I mean, Erdrich is a great writer, and she creates great characters, so there was that; but this is the worst book I've ever read by her. It was so random. One of the characters hauls sugar beets during harvest, so I read this for my book that takes place during harvest time. I wouldn't really say it fits the category, since MOST of the book does not involve HARVESTING beets (although a lot of the book talks about GROWING beets), but I chose it with the best of intentions, and I'm sticking with that, and checking off that category.




Popsugar 94% 47 /50
Must Reads 0% 0 /1
2026 pub 136% 68 /50
NetGalley ratio 94%


I'm steadily whittling down my NetGalley TBR, so soon I can re-focus on Popsugar again and get those last three books read. I know what I need to read! I've got them all lined up in my kindle! Then, of course, I need to finally knock out my ONE "must read" of 2026, that poor book has been lingering on my "currently reading" shelf since 2025.






Question of the Week
This week's question was suggested by KL:

Have you ever backed an author's Kickstarter campaign for the chance to receive limited edition merchandise? If so, who was the author and why did you back their project? If not, what would an author have to offer to get you interested in backing their project?



I have never contributed to any sort of Kickstarter campaign.

Happy Thursday! We’ve had gorgeous weather lately with highs in the mid-70s. It’s going to warm up a little more this weekend. That’s really going to mess Seth up. His autism insists that October is for long sleeves and long pants.

Reading Challenges:

🏆 52 Book Club: 52/52
52 Books October Mini-Challenge: 0/3
52 Books Read It, Watch It: 9/12
🏆 ATY: 52/52
ATY Fall Challenge: 14/15
🏆 Booklist Queen: 52/52
🏆 Popsugar: 50/50
Goodreads Fall Bookmarks: 4/11
52 Books Mystery Challenge: 38/50

My Ever-Growing TBR: 103/315 – 32.7% (My goal is 33.3%. Dropped below my goal this week… I think I bought too many new books!)

Recently Completed:

🐈‍⬛ Beard Science, Winston Brothers, #3 ★★★★
🐈‍⬛ Hidden Bodies, You, #2 ★★★
🐈‍⬛ Tropesick ★★★
🐈‍⬛ When America Roared: How the 1980s Saved, Then Broke, the Country--and Led Us to Today ★★★★
🐈‍⬛ The Missed Connection ★★★
🐈‍⬛ El Paso: Five Families and One Hundred Years of Blood, Migration, Race, and Memory (GR Bookmarks #5 – Hispanic Heritage) ★★★★
🐈‍⬛ Songs of Willow Frost (ATY Fall #11 – set before you were born) ★★★★
🐈‍⬛ Death in the Dark Woods, Monster Hunter, #2 (ATY Fall #15 – a nature scene on the cover/Mystery #6 – a cozy mystery) ★★★★
🐈‍⬛ This Is Where It Ends ★★★★
🐈‍⬛ The Open Era ★★★★



QOTW: The only Kickstarter projects I’ve backed have been board/card games. We’ve really enjoyed Side Effects and A Place for All My Books both of which are now available through major retailers like Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Happy Thursday!

The director of our library retired this week, after twenty-nine years of service. We had a party last week to send her off, and plenty of hugs and tears yesterday on her last day of work. The library is going to be a very different place without her.

Picked up a couple new anime to watch too. And by that I mean "new to me," since both of these originally came out in the 1990s -- Neon Genesis Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop. Two very different shows, but so far both enjoyable in their own ways.

Books read this week:

Matcha on Monday -- cute novel made up of interconnected stories, many revolving around fate and what connects us all. Makes me want to go to Japan even more…

Sinful Cinderella -- okay, a retelling of Cinderella where Cinderella is NOT a good person could have been interesting. But holy crap, NOBODY in this book is likable. Even the Fairy Godmother, who had the potential to at least be fun and sassy, is a nasty piece of work. We can have a dark, deconstructive fairy tale without turning everyone into a horrible person, can’t we?

Sea of Charms -- another heartwarming entry in the Spellshop series. This one is more of an interquel to the other two books, and rather fast-paced, but still cozy and fun.

Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 4
Spy x Family, Vol. 16

DNF:

A Midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwawoldang -- I usually like these “healing fiction” comfort stories, but this one fell flat for me. Probably not helped by being pretty repetitive.

Robinson Crusoe 2244 -- wanted Robinson Crusoe set in the future… got a very generic-feeling dystopian novel that just happens to have a name or two in common with the original story. Not interested enough to continue.

Currently reading:

Monsters of Ohio
We Kept Her in the Cellar
The Cleaner, the Cat and the Space Station
Rebel of the Sands

QOTW:

I've supported two Kickstarters in my lifetime, and both were for books. They weren't for special editions or extra goodies, however -- the books were only available on Kickstarter (an art book and a graphic novel). I've watched enough YouTube drama about failed author Kickstarters that I'm leery of supporting a book Kickstarter unless it's by an author I trust.

Good morning, everyone! Happy Thursday!

The spooky season has officially begun, and I am so here for it. Tonight I will be starting my yearly Halloween Horror Movie-thon, which is always a great time. This year’s schedule is a pretty good mix of horror classics and newer titles, and includes films from a variety of sub genres. This year I purposefully included several movies that I’m a bit nervous about watching…Stephen King’s It (the version with Tim Curry as Pennywise) being one example. If you’d like to take a look at my complete watchlist for the month, it has been posted on Instagram @unapologbkworm.

In other news, I finally managed to get my flu and Covid booster vaccines yesterday morning. I did sleep for most of Wednesday afternoon, and my arm is a little sore this morning, but otherwise I have not experienced any side effects.

As far as reading is concerned, this has been a fantastic week. I managed to read a nice blend of titles from my TBR and New Books lists, and made it a little over three-fifths of the way through a YA fantasy series that has been sitting on my bookshelves for years.

I will be finishing that series over the next couple of weeks, but my main focus now is the FrightFall readathon, which starts today and runs through the end of the month. I am super excited to finally be diving into my massive spooky TBR!

Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…

Goodreads Challenge: 221/250
Mount TBR Challenge: 128/150

📚Physical TBR: 120/462
📱Ebook TBR: 7/161
🎧Audiobook TBR: 1/1
TBR Checklist Total: 128/624 (20% complete)

TBR Books DNFed in 2026: 6
TBR Books Soft DNFed in 2026: 3

I only purchased one book this week, which was Slasher Summer, by E.L. Chen. Look at me, having self-control!

I did also discover that one of the books I preordered last week will not actually be arriving when I thought it would. Sadly, I didn’t realize its release date had changed when I placed my order. I was under the impression that Six Bullets and a Crown came out on the 22nd, when in fact it won’t be released until March of next year. Sigh. Oh well. It’s already preordered, which is fine, but I have removed it from my New Books total for 2026.

“New” Books Bought in 2026: 129
“New” Books Read in 2026: 93
“New” Books DNFed in 2026: 0
“New” Books Checklist Total: 93/129 (72% complete)

Here are the books I finished this week…

Finished Reading (Fiction):
~Accomplice to the Villain — This is the third book in the Assistant to the Villain series. I thought this was a fun read, and was definitely surprised by the twists that the story took in this book. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Heretical Fishing 5 — This is the fifth (and currently last available) book in the Heretical Fishing series. I thought this was a great continuation of the series, and I’m really looking forward to reading the next installment when it is released. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Red Queen — The first book in the Red Queen series was a re-read for me, but it had been so long since the last time I read it that I needed a memory refresh before I could even think about continuing the series. I’m really glad that I decided to do a re-read, because I had forgotten so much! I thought this book was a very good introduction to the world and characters. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include references to (and scenes of) torture. There are also some animal deaths. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Glass Sword — This was my first time reading the second book of the Red Queen series, and I actually enjoyed it more than the first one. I thought the story really benefited from the slightly faster pacing and increase in action. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include references to (and scenes of) torture. There are also some animal deaths. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Adversary to the Villain — This is the fourth (and most recent) book in the Assistant to the Villain series. I read the entire book in a single day and enjoyed most of it, but I’m very glad that there is a fifth book in the works. I would have been extremely dissatisfied if the end of this book was how the series ended. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include references to torture, as well as toxic family relationships. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~King's Cage — This is the third book in the Red Queen series. I thought this was a really good book, but the story definitely took some dark turns. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include references to (and scenes of) torture. The FMC also suffers the effects of PTSD. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
None

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

Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None

DNFed:
None

Currently Reading:
~The Eye of the Bedlam Bride — This is the sixth book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. While this book is a re-read for me, this is the first time I’ve had a chance to listen to the audiobook. As always, I am thoroughly enjoying Jeff Hays’s narration. I currently have just under 12 hours remaining. 🎧
~War Storm — This is the fourth book in the Red Queen series. My original plan was to finish both this book and the final book of the series (which is a collection of novellas) before the end of September, but unfortunately I ended up running out of time. I will be continuing the series over the next few weeks, aiming to read a couple of chapters per day. I hope to be able to finish the rest of this book before next week’s update, but now that it’s October, my spooky reading will take top priority. 📚
~A Bitter Cut — This is the fourteenth book in the Lady Darby Mystery series. I’m about two-thirds of the way through this book, and loving it so far! It’s such a great story! I will most likely finish this book today. 📚
~The Book of Horror: The Anatomy of Fear in Film — I will be starting this nonfiction book a little later today. 📚
~The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Tales — While I have read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow before, this is my first time reading the other stories in this collection. I will be starting this book a little later today, and plan to read 12 pages (or 2 stories) per day through the end of the month. 📚
~Sleep Tight — I also will be starting this book later today, and I’m really looking forward to reading it. It sounds super creepy. 📚

QOTW:
I am a sucker for an exclusive special edition, especially if it’s one of my favorite series, and I will happily back a Kickstarter campaign in order to get a copy. The last Kickstarter campaign I backed was for books 2-3 of Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl series. I was excited about some of the extras that were offered (stickers, cards, standees, etc.), but I really just wanted illustrated copies of the books.

Hello, y’all.

Here in SC, the weather has been wonderful…crisp 60s in the morning, 80s in the afternoon…although some of those 80s have felt like a sauna! Still, I welcome the change.

I have 5 books to finish for ATY: three I own, one is on my desk (backlist for author), and one will not be published until Nov. Anyway, baring a postponed publication date, I should finish ATY.

For PS, I have 17 books to read: 8 are planned and, of those, two are on my desk (one of those is currently being read), and 6 are on hold. That leaves 9, most of which I am not really trying to find books to read. I really do not feel the need to finish this challenge. If I do, it will be a surprise.

Fall is here, so yard is no longer my focus. I am pleased with what has been accomplished this year outside. Now my focus is to clean my small trailer and consider putting it on the market. Although I haven’t used it a lot, I am a bit reluctant to commit to selling it yet.

Finished:
Lowcountry Book Club –PS #22 (Book club). 4*. Fun story.

A Journey The Autobiography of Apolo Anton Ohno – PS # 17 (Winter Olympics). 3*. Written when author was in late teens or early 20s. Writing reflects this.

Love & Saffron – PS #47 (Letters). 4*. Loved this letter exchange. Reminded me of my own pen pal and how very much I enjoy her letters.

Currently Reading:
The First Fig Tree – PAS. 16%. Restarting this one this week.
True Detectives – ATY# 52 (sunset vibes - 2025), PS #44 (spouse #2). 2%
The Tale Teller – Audible. No prompts yet. 45%
The Ephemera Collector - PS #50 (Afrofuturism). 4%

On Deck:
(library)
A Dying Fall – ATY #31 (Backlist), PAS
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor – PS #4 (Title starts with ‘Z’)
Murder is a Piece of Cake – PS #25 (Influencer). OOPS, I just discovered that there are two books with this title and the one I want for the influencer prompt is not the one I have!!! I have put the correct one on hold and, hopefully, will find a prompt for this one.

(owned)
Tainted Sand - ATY #44 (Symbol of death)
Dancing on My Grave - ATY #52 (Reindeer)
Tales for Twilight: Two Hundred Years of Scottish Ghost Stories - ATY #46 (Not a novel)

PS 33/50
ATY 47/52, Seasonal Winter 9/14, Seasonal Spring 9/15, Seasonal Fall 9/15
GR 109/150

QotW: Have you ever backed an author's Kickstarter campaign for the chance to receive limited edition merchandise? If so, who was the author and why did you back their project? If not, what would an author have to offer to get you interested in backing their project? ?

Nope. Never have participated in any Kickstarter campaign. Not even sure I know exactly what one is or how to participate.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Succubus: A Love Story by Kate Fox - This is one of (many!) books I downloaded from NetGalley on a whim, I wasn't expecting much, I thought it might be a fun & fluffy book for fall. And it WAS a very autumnal read, set in September & October, which was nice since I read it in the perfect season. It was also, to my surprise, really really awesome!! I don't usually like "paranormal romance" - that whole "alpha dog fated mate" thing is not my bag. But I DO like "enemies to lovers" so I took a chance here. The hero & heroine start out as friends who are oddly attracted to each other, then it quickly switches to enemies who are trying to kill each other. Throw in angels & demons, good & evil, etc etc, and you have the story, all set in suburban NJ. I never quite knew where this story was going, and that's rare, so I was delighted. I also loved the heroine's voice, and I loved the setting in Princeton NJ - the author bio does not specify, but I think it's likely she lives in Princeton, because the sense of place was perfect. This will be published Oct 20."

Oh, this sounds like it is right up my alley! I have placed an audible pre-order for it. Thanks.

In the last two weeks, I finished two behind the scenes books that I recommend at the 4 star level:

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi: A Visual Archive
Godzilla: The Official Guide to the King of the Monsters: Fully Revised & Updated

Question of the Week:

A crowdfunded book would have to be something that came from an author or authors whose work I trust to be of high quality and would have no other way of getting published. I would be supporting it because of the content and not for supporter gifts. I have yet to contribute to any of these for books, although I did back the DS9 and Voyager documentaries from 455 Films (the first of which was actually worth it).

Brandon wrote: "Godzilla: The Official Guide to the King of the Monsters: Fully Revised & Updated..."


My daughter and I just watched Godzilla Minus One last night!! It was great! Much scarier than the old Godzillas. I don't think I've ever seen a Godzilla movie where he's totally the BAD guy.

Last week we watched Godzilla vs the Sea Monster and he was silly and goofy and basically playing volleyball with the sea monster (to a surf guitar soundrack, no less), he effectively saved the humans from the sea monster (with a huge assist from Mothra), and it was silly and we loved it.

GMO was a completely different feel. He was SCARY.

Morning all! Just had a great visit with my niece. She's moving up here in a month, and I'm looking forward to it, but it will be a very big change having another person in the house! I'm still adjusting to the fact that she's not the teenager we raised anymore.

Just got notified that I won a Goodreads giveaway - this has never happened before! Looking forward to checking out Polemics: Political Poems & Prose by Andrea LeDew.

114 books so far, and finished all my challenges: Popsugar, Booklist Queen, 52 Book Club, Around the year, and This Challenge Killed the Bookworm. In addition to these and the tarot challenge, I'm thinking of designing my own challenge using prompts that were voted on and rejected for the Around the Year Challenge. Which would give me 5 full-length and 2 half-length challenges. Clearly I am out of my mind.

Finished:

Pink Crime: Fighting Against the Criminalization of Motherhood, Pregnancy, and Queer Identity by Valena Beety. Wrongful convictions are an important topic, but there's a factual error on page 1 that really bugged me. The "swimming test" for witchcraft was a real thing (if she sinks she's innocent, if she floats she's guilty). But the author said it was used in the infamous Salem witch trials. It wasn't, and that makes me worry about the fact-checking in the rest of the book.

Henrietta by Charlotte Lennox is an 18th-century book about a young woman fending for herself in London after fleeing to avoid an unwanted marriage. Well-drawn characters, and often funny, but a bit repetitious.

And some poetry, Incorrect Merciful Impulses by Camille Rankin.

Currently reading "Tibet's War for Peace" by Dennis Cusack. Informative but very heavy, will be alternating it with lighter stuff.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Brandon wrote: "Godzilla: The Official Guide to the King of the Monsters: Fully Revised & Updated..."


My daughter and I just watched Godzilla Minus One last night!! It was great! Much scarier tha..."

Godzilla is versatile and can support many tones and approaches. He is quite villainous in the original, Minus One, The Return of Godzilla (1984), and Shin Godzilla.

I had to look up the sea monster film you mentioned. It was released under that title in the US but as Ebirah, Horror of the Deep in Japan. That one is a joy to watch. My favorites of the Showa era would be Mothra vs. Godzilla and Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster.

In sort of reading-related news, my local library is offering a little ghost decoration to take home when you check something out in October. I may get a paper book going just for that.

K.L. wrote: "In other news, I finally managed to get my flu and Covid booster vaccines yesterday morning. I did sleep for most of Wednesday afternoon, and my arm is a little sore this morning, but otherwise I have not experienced any side effects."

I also got mine this past week...both. And, I had the same reaction...mostly sleep the day after then a little soreness in the COVID arm. Otherwise, no problems.

Happy Thursday, everyone! I saw the new The Love Hypothesis movie this weekend. I did like it, but the couple in the movie were a lot more awkward than I remember them being in the book, lol.

I read four books this past week and they were all queer! Didn't plan it that way, but it was a cool coincidence. I'm participating in the ATY read-a-thon this week, so I've been aiming for short and quick reads.

2025 Reading Challenges
PopSugar- 45/50
ATY- 52/52; Winter- 14/14; 24/24; Spring- 16/16; Summer- 7500/5000; Fall- 14/15 COMPLETED
52 Book Club- 49/52; Beach Reads- 24/24; Monthly Mini-Challenges- 15/18
HRCYED 3.0- 82/150; Side Qwests- 3/12
Asian Read-a-Thon- 5/5 COMPLETED
New York Times Summer Bucket List- 10/10 COMPLETED
Read Good- 13/13 COMPLETED
Buzzword- 12/12; Cover- 12/12 COMPLETED
GR Bookmarks- Winter- 12/12; Spring- 12/12; Summer- 11/11; Winter- 4/12
BOTM- 15/15; Omnivoreader- 6/6; Long Hauler- 4/4; Debut Darling- 6/5

1001 Books- 15/20
TBR- 41/50

Finished
The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich- read this for the sapphic comic prompt. The book I initially used was Just Between Us: A Graphic Novel, which actually fits better for the Olympic sport prompt since figure skating is my favorite winter sport. It was a cheesy romance, pun intended. ☆☆☆
PS #46- a sapphic comic
HRCYED 3.0- food pyramid #3

Pretend You're Dead and I Carry You- read this because it was on the National Book Award Longlist for Fiction, and I've heard good things about the author. I enjoyed the makeshift transvesti community in the underground Bogotá scene, and in the rural parts of Colombia. I just wished it wasn't so depressing. ☆☆☆ 1/2
ATY Fall #12- book with more than one point of view
HRCYED 3.0- regional traipsing #4

Unbound- read this because I read the first book three months ago, and it was a short read for the ATY read-a-thon. It was fine. ☆☆☆

Canon- read this because it was the last BOTM book I needed to read to complete the yearly challenge. Its 400+ pages but goes by fast because the chapters are basically all paragraph length. It's funny and reminds me a lot of bible stories and Greek myths. It would be perfect for the non-binary prompt or the author partner prompt as the author's husband is Kaveh Akbar. ☆☆☆ 1/2
ATY Fall #7- a book containing humor
HRCYED 3.0- characters to authors #3; animal families #4
BOTM #15; Long Hauler #4

Currently Reading
The End of Drum-Time
Most Eligible
Salt and Sugar

QOTW
I've never supported an author's kickstarter, and I don't plan to.

Powell's Summer Reading: 14/25
TBR: 131/200
Personal Curriculum: 3/13

Finished: End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World

Started: Lost and Found: A Compassionate Guide to Homeownership
Junk Journaling and Memory Keeping with Recycled Materials: How to Create Beautiful Handmade Journals Using Paper Scraps, Ephemera, and Everyday Finds
The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex Re-read.
I Eat the Stars: How to Live Fully and Beautifully in a Collapsing World Holy crap! What a sobering book.

QotW: I contributed to a kickstarter for a book my friend, Paul Draper, wrote.

Doni wrote: "Junk Journaling and Memory Keeping with Recycled Materials: How to Create Beautiful Handmade Journals Using Paper Scraps, Ephemera, and Everyday Finds"

After reading the description for this book, I am intrigued!

EDIT: Hey! I just discovered that this book is free on Kindle Unlimited and free on Audible if you have a subscription there.

Kenya wrote: "Picked up a couple new anime to watch too. And by that I mean "new to me," since both of these originally came out in the 1990s -- Neon Genesis Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop. ..."



My daughter and I (the same daughter I've been watching Godzilla movies with) have been S L O W L Y working our way through Neon Genesis Evangelion! We have ONE episode left of the series, and then we tackle the movies. It's been a very confusing show and I am thinking we should go back to the beginning and rewatch it once we finish, and then I'll maybe even try reading the manga.

I've heard "Evangelion" pronounced two ways: soft G as in "angel" and hard G as in "angle" - which way do you think is correct? I've been using the soft-G.

K.L. wrote: "Good morning, everyone! Happy Thursday!

The spooky season has officially begun, and I am so here for it. Tonight I will be starting my yearly Halloween Horror Movie-thon, which is always a great t..."



We do a "Spooktember / Spooktober" theme for our TV viewing too. This year we are being a bit more casual about it. We've watched a few Godzilla movies, as I mentioned, plus Banshees of Inisherin (we knew it wasn't spooky, but figured "banshees" sort of worked), Blink Twice, and some episodes of A Shop for Killers, Six Feet Under and Hemlock Grove. Upcoming: more Godzilla, The Matrix series, and some Scooby Doo movies, among others; maybe some vampire & zombie movies, too.

Happy Thursday! Another week, so quickly! We're not done with the A/C yet, but we've at least been able to open the windows at night.

PopSugar 50/50
AtY 43/52
Curiosity Killed the Bookworm: 23/25
Rocky Horror Challenge 12/12

Finished:
The Silversmith by LJ Claren Audiobook. I liked 80%, then it was too many WTF moments along with answers coming too slowly.
Katherine by Anya Seton; for AtY
Tracks by Louise Erdrich for #41, in a different format from my usual. I love her writing, especially the earlier books like this one.

Currently Reading
Das Erbe von Winterfell by George RR Martin 2nd part of Game of Thrones; for AtY, a location in the title
Four Thousand Paws: Caring for the Dogs of the Iditarod: A Veterinarian's Story
Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution by Steven Levy Not hackers like the ones trying to break into your computer, this is more a history of computing. And yes, it is quite dull . . .
Summer of Blood: England's First Revolution by Dan Jones About the Peasants’ Revolt, 1381
Gobbelino London & a Scourge of Pleasantries; for AtY, Frothy or Gothy. A couple of PIs in Leeds, one of which is a talking cat. Awesome.
The Bingo Palace by Louise Erdrich

QOTW
No kickstarters for me.

Laura Ruth wrote: "Just got notified that I won a Goodreads giveaway - this has never happened before! Looking forward to checking out Polemics: Political Poems & Prose by Andrea LeDew...."



Congrats! Very exciting!!!


The last time I won a book through GR was last November! (And the time before that was back in 2024) I still enter regularly, but I assume I'll never win LOL



Pink Crime: Fighting Against the Criminalization of Motherhood, Pregnancy, and Queer Identity by Valena Beety. Wrongful convictions are an important topic, but there's a factual error on page 1 that really bugged me. The "swimming test" for witchcraft was a real thing (if she sinks she's innocent, if she floats she's guilty). But the author said it was used in the infamous Salem witch trials. It wasn't, and that makes me worry about the fact-checking in the rest of the book.

Starting off on the wrong foot with a book can really ruin the whole reading experience! An ARC I'm reading now, which shall remain nameless to protect the innocent, misspells Lake Erie as "Lake Eerie" on the first page. (It was recently published and I took a peek at the published version, they did fix that error, so I really should not be holding that against them, but the very fact that it was still there in the ARC they were sending out to readers, right there in the first sentence of the first page, and no one caught it?!!!) I had a hard time taking that book seriously for a while, my reading really slowed down, although it has finally won me over and I should finish it soon.

Brandon wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Brandon wrote: "Godzilla: The Official Guide to the King of the Monsters: Fully Revised & Updated..."


My daughter and I just watched Godzilla Minus One last night!! It was gr..."



Yes, that was it, Ebirah! I couldn't remember the sea monster's name.


In sort of reading-related news, my local library is offering a little ghost decoration to take home when you check something out in October. I may get a paper book going just for that.

So cute!!!!!

It's autumn! Big bunches of cranes (or gooses, but I think it's cranes, I'm always too late to grab my phone and let Merlin listen) are flying and circling over our house preparing for their great migration south. They are SO LOUD!

Another busy week at work. Last week was exhausting. After our holiday, I noticed that I was completely worn out mentally. It was Monday, 11 AM. That's way too soon, so I talked to my manager. She's taking over a complex issue that's wearing me out. So grateful for having such a great manager. My energy is better now and I'm sleeping quite well. I'm not where I should be, but recuperation mode is on.

Read this year: 54
PS: 21/40
Finished this week:
The Golden Hours by Louisa Young⭐⭐⭐ Spin-off of The Cazalets series written by a bonus niece of the original writer. It was great to be back with The Cazalets and pick up their lives.

QOTW
I had to google 'Kickstarter campaign'... So no, I never did. I think the only reason I would contribute to a crowdfunding project is when I personally know the initiator. I'm too scared it's a scam.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Kenya wrote: "Picked up a couple new anime to watch too. And by that I mean "new to me," since both of these originally came out in the 1990s -- Neon Genesis Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop. ..."



My..."

I've heard it both ways too. Though I think it's with the hard G.

Happy Thursday! Been enjoying a slow first week back to work after my vacation.

Finished:
Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn - 4 stars - for a granny hobby. Four older female assassins come out of semi-retirement to help find whoever is hunting down the people involved in an assassination they did years ago. This was a fun sequel to the first book, but not the place to start.

I am currently at 42/50 for the Popsugar reading challenge (32/40 and 10/10).

Currently reading:
Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo - for a book about college.

It Rhymes With Takei by George Takei - for a character that runs a marathon.

Upcoming/Planned:
Espíritu by Aiden Thomas - not for a prompt, unless it might work for travel ghost story.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley - for bachelorette trip

QOTW:
Yes, I have backed crowdfunding projects from authors before. I have backed projects from Brandon Sanderson and Mercedes Lackey, among others. When I back a project, I usually am just doing it for the book itself, not the fancy special merch. I've also backed RPG book projects and comic book projects.

Greetings from NYC! We had 3 days of rain followed by cool sun and today temps and humidity climbing. What to wear is a daily puzzle.

PS 44/50. - the gap is closing!
ATY - done a few weeks ago.

FINISHED:
The Star from Calcutta set in early days of Bollywood, 1922, and promot pop star. If anyone thinks only pop stars are in music - Bollywood stars have always been and still are pop stars.
Rogue Justice - 2nd in series and so good.

CURRENTLY READING:
The Essex Serpent
Hemlock & Silver
The Moose Paradox

QOTW: Rarely and only with an author I know and love - lately only
Cara Black and Sujata Massey.

Hi all! I had a temporary crown put in yesterday. Other than the hit to my wallet, it wasn't too painful. Kiddo has recovered from her illness last week, other than a bit of lingering congestion and cough. I'm still healthy, thankfully! but my BF just got home from work and said he feels like he's coming down with something... Ugh, man colds are the *worst*!
I've been enjoying the first few games of the baseball postseason. Yay Yankees!
Weather has cooled off and I've been running the furnace some. The dog is afraid of it.... Apparently, BF's mom didn't have forced air, so when it kicks on, the dog starts pacing and whining. She's getting better, but stout of character, we aren't.

I finished The Forever Witness: How Genetic Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double Murder this week. In contention for best book of the year for me! It's a true crime murder mystery with some ethical conundrums included. With so many people using DNA to look up family ancestry for fun, or using it to solve family mysteries (adoption, paternity, etc), there's a boatload of *publicly available* genetic profiles out there. Why couldn't the police use them to track down killers? If they have DNA from a crime scene, it doesn't match any profiles in criminal databases, why not pop it into a web-based company and see what turns up? And if not an exact match, but a partial one shows up, why not have an expert create some family trees and see where it leads them? No warrants involved, all publicly available information.... In the case featured in this book, an unsolved double murder that had been cold for 30 years was solved in a couple of hours. But there are ethical questions, and I don't know that I have resolved them even for myself at this point.

Currently, I'm halfway done with The White Rose: Munich, 1942-1943, I hope to finish it tonight or tomorrow. Definitely food for thought in our current age...

I'm also aiming to (finally) finish Inferno before next check in. I borrowed it from my mom, so there's no due date, so library books keep jumping the line.

QOTW: No, I've never supported any kickstarter and wouldn't know how I would hear about them. Other than going to the kickstarter website, but if I have money to give to a project, I'd rather donate it to a local cause.

Nadine in NY wrote: "...Six Feet Under."

I loved that show and was really disappointed when it ended.

Bea wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "...Six Feet Under."

I loved that show and was really disappointed when it ended."



Yes I watched it when it first aired, and it's been interesting rewatching it now after so much time.

Jennifer W wrote: "Hi all! I had a temporary crown put in yesterday. Other than the hit to my wallet, it wasn't too painful. Kiddo has recovered from her illness last week, other than a bit of lingering congestion an..."




LOL that poor baby!

When the furnace runs for the first few times of the season, there is sometimes a burning smell as the accumulated dust & dead bugs burns off, and that often makes my dogs uneasy. Perhaps your new canine buddy will relax soon.

I finished The Other Mother as my postpartum book. LOVED IT!!!!!

I'm reading The Old Curiosity Shop as my book about debt. It's actually a reread, but I don't remember it it was so long ago.

QOTW: No. I didn't even know that was a thing.

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I last checked in!! September was much busier than I realized. But I still got in a lot of reading and bookish fun 🤓 I attended the History Book Festival in Lewes, DE this past weekend and had so much fun (and brought home many new books). Would definitely recommend, maybe minus the Nor'easter conditions ⛈️ 🌬️

I'm at 19/40 and 3/10 for this challenge, and 53/75 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge.

Finished:
* Miss Eliza's English Kitchen by Annabel Abbs, which was a book club pick for September;
* The Favorites written by Layne Fargo and narrated by a full cast, which I used for "A book with a character who has curly hair";
* Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See, which was my other book club's pick for September and I used for the freebie prompt ("A book you were hoping would fit into a prompt but doesn't");
* Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim;
* It's Me, Two by Jim Benton; and,
* The Summer Guests by Tess Gerritsen, which I used for "A book about a book club" (though this is a VERY loose interpretation on my part 🙃).

Currently Reading:
* The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries edited by Michael Sims;
* Killers of a Certain Age written by Deanna Raybourn and narrated by Christina Delaine and Jane Oppenheimer, which I am nearly done with and am thinking will be used for the granny hobby prompt since knitting needles have been mentioned; and,
* The Wright Brothers by David McCullough, which is BOTH of my book clubs' pick for October 🥳

Question of the Week:
This week's question was suggested by KL:

Have you ever backed an author's Kickstarter campaign for the chance to receive limited edition merchandise? If so, who was the author and why did you back their project? If not, what would an author have to offer to get you interested in backing their project? I haven't contributed to a Kickstarter campaign before. However, I did benefit from one via Goodreads! I won a book that was published thanks to a Kickstarter campaign -- Darshan by Amrit Chima. It was excellent, so a Kickstarter success! 🌟📖🌟

Happy Thursday! Happy October!

I finished another two books. Normally, if I read 4 books a month, I feel accomplished. Before the pandemic, my goal was to read one book a month.

I read 8 books in September. I did this by being on vacation for the first 10 days of the month. I swear, if I ever retire, I could read 100 books the first year.

I'm now down to one book and I'm briefly enjoying it before I find another of my planned reads for October.

The most interesting thing about the movie I watched for influencer culture is that the protagonist is kind of unlikeable. People kept asking the director why she made a movie with an unlikeable female protagonist, when people make movies about unlikeable male protagonists all the time.

Finished:

Poirot Investigates
Popsugar prompt: A book with a "type C" character
ATY prompt: A book connected in some way to the "Queen of Crime", Agatha Christie

The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain =Times
Popsugar prompt: can't find one
ATY prompt: A nonfiction book

Series - 8/12
Number 1s - 8/10
Nobel laureates - 3/5
Rocky Horror challenge: 14/12
Summer Reading challenge - 5400/5000 points - Completed!

PS - 33/30 - Completed!
ATY - 42/45
PS movies - 33/50

Currently reading:
We Love You, Bunny - 40%

PopSugar movies
A movie that explores influencer culture - Not Okay

QOTW: never

Kenya wrote: "NI've heard it both ways too. Though I think it's with the hard G...."

My Gen Z kids who watch it, both say it's with a hard G.

Finished one for the challenge so I'm at 48/50

I finally read The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. I have had this slotted into various challenge prompts before and always ended up bumping it for something else. This time I read it for ps 13 A book featuring a character with a hidden past. There is more than one in this one. I really enjoyed it (It's a bit daunting to know I want to read more but there are 8 books in the series).

This would have also worked for A book that features a platonic friendship between a man and woman

I also read The Exorcist's House by Nick Roberts for spooky season. I have a book tuber I enjoy but I'm beginning to think we don't agree on stories at all. This was a poor man's Amityville Horror with SO many passive sentences.

QOTW

Mostly I back music or games but I have backed a few graphic novels including Boston Metaphysical Society by Madeleine Holly-Rosing

And I'm backing another graphic novel The Mafia vs the KKK (based on a true story) so we'll see how that goes.

I wanted to back The Table of the Gods which really had some great add ons but it boiled down to over 100$ for a historical art book/cook book and I just couldn't see it. (they topped 3 million dollars so I might have been in a minority about that)

Happy October! I have a list of spooky books, tv shows, and movies I want to get to this month- I always seem to think I'm going to have more time than I do. Once I finish up the books I'm in the middle of, I have a whole stack to get through.

I'm taking Monday off, since I'm about to max out on the vacation days I can bank, so I'm excited for a random three day weekend!

Finished:
Once, Again, Always- this was a quieter, slower story about a woman who suffers a head injuries, loses years of her life, and has to figure out how she fits into a marriage and friend group she doesn't remember. It's a romance but it's not that heavy on the romance. I really liked it
-no prompt, netgalley

Currently reading:
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music- I gave up on the Leonard Cohen biography, so picked up a different music nonfiction I have. I'm liking this one so much more. He's a really engaging storyteller, and he really captures the excitement of getting into music, and then the different stages of his early career

Undone- another netgalley I need to get to this month, it's very dramatic but I'm loving the characters so far

QotW:
A while ago I was really into supporting kickstarters- everything from coffee shops to webseries. I supported a few book kickstarters, but it was never because of the specific author, it was usually graphic novels or picture books that I liked the artwork, and that were offering posters or drawings as a perk. Or ones that weren't looking for a lot of money so I knew the $20-30 I could give would actually help them out a lot.

The ones I remember were Bones of the Coast: Tales of Terror from the Pacific Northwest- graphic novel anthology of PNW horror, and Four Arms- I thought the artwork was really pretty. I think there was also one about Teddy Roosevelt, but can't remember what it was. A lot of my artwork is still packed away from the last time I moved, I should dig through it and remind myself what's all there

Life update: We're still waiting for necessary information on our house purchase, and my mother's guardian hasn't replied to my last email, so I feel like everything has been on hold this week. It's a public holiday in Germany tomorrow, so maybe he's been out of the office and will respond next week. Meanwhile, our dog has a muscle strain in her shoulder and is on restricted exercise, which she is very frustrated about. She's taken to leaping around the living room furniture like she's playing The Floor is Lava, which is hilarious, but also not really in the spirit of the vet's instructions and a lot to deal with. Especially if she lands on your stomach with all four paws lol.

Reading update: I DNF'd The Shipwright and the Shroudweaver, which I was reading for the r/Fantasy Bingo prompt "judge a book by its title". I was having trouble keeping the characters straight and, because I was going for the challenge's "hard mode" and hadn't read the blurbs, hadn't appreciated how long this book is lol.

After that I had a bit of a rethink and decided to drop some of my challenges, because I realised they were becoming a source of stress rather than enjoyment and stopping me from reading other things that I would probably enjoy more. I dropped Flowers For Your Shelves, r/Fantasy Bingo and the Great Big Jewish Literature Challenge. I will work towards only having two main challenges on the go at any one time, one focused on fiction and one focused on non-fiction. Currently I have two fiction ones, Diversity and Odd Formats, but I will definitely finish the Diversity one by early December and will try to get the bulk of Odd Formats done before PS starts again. I'm also keeping my language challenges and the Reading About Writing one. I kind of think of those as secondary to the main ones and don't feel like they interfere with each other.

I did finish five books:

Mrs. Victoria Buys a Brothel: The Definitive Edition - Queereads Bracket Challenge: Winners' Hall of Fame. I was actually rather disappointed by this one, but maybe it had just been hyped up too much. 3 stars.
Socialism and Religion. No prompt. Very thought-provoking, but probably only if you're already a socialist and accept the general outline of Marxist theory. I did, but in a vague "learnt it in my teens and didn't really think through the implications" sort of way. Now I feel like I might need to take it more seriously, especially with the way the world currently seems to be going. 5 stars.
The Autobiography of Mother Jones - Anticapitalist Inspiration: About class and capitalism. I saw that Audible had this and thought it would be an opportunity to learn more about US labour history, since my existing knowledge is very Europe-focused. It was interesting, especially for the moving description of workers' conditions in the early 20th century. Mother Jones herself struck me as something of a mixed blessing. 3 stars.
Everfair. No prompt. I was in the mood for more alternate history and had this on my TBR. Steampunk isn't an aesthetic I'm particularly into, but I did enjoy the underlying story. 4 stars.
The monument: The story of the Socialist Party of Great Britain - Anticapitalist Inspiration: about politics. You might think a history of a political party would be dull, but Robert Barltrop makes it very entertaining, with interesting period detail and witty observations about some of the personality clashes in the party's early years. It helps that he was an eyewitness to some of the later events, too. 5 stars.

Stats:
Queer Reads Bracket Challenge: 1 this week, 7/7 total - COMPLETED
Diversity Challenge: 0 this week, 12/14 total
Odd Formats: 0 this week, 3/11 total
Anti-Capitalist Inspiration: 0 this week, 21/30 total
Spanish Titles ABC: 0 this week, 3/26 total
French TBR: 0 this week, 2/50 total
Reading About Writing: 0 this week, 4/40 total

All books finished this year: 5 this week, 129 total
DNF or paused this year: 1 this week, 29 total

Challenges completed this year: 4
Challenges in progress (end date in 2026): 1
Challenges in progress (no end date): 5

Currently reading:
Ungleich vereint - Anticapitalist Inspiration: nonfiction about an imagined future

QOTW: I haven't contributed to a Kickstarter specifically for the merch, but on a few occasions I've helped to fund a book that the author wouldn't be able to publish otherwise. They were all authors that I already knew from fannish activities.

Megan wrote: "Finished:
* Miss Eliza's English Kitchen by Annabel Abbs, which was a book club pick for September; ...
* Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See, which was my other book club's pick for September..."



LOL what a coincidence that both of your book club's chose books with titles in the form of "[honorific] [woman's name]'s [noun]"

Cornerofmadness wrote: "I finally read The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. I have had this slotted into various challenge prompts before and always ended up bumping it for something else...."



congrats!! It always feels SO good to FINALLY get to that book you keep meaning to read!!!

Happy Friday! I was amazingly busy yesterday and just didn't have the time to check in. But, I do now! I've just started perimenopause and am hot flashing like crazy, so the cooler weather is a GODSEND. Keep it coming!!

Finished 41/50

The Olympics' Strangest Moments: Extraordinary But True Tales from the History of the Olympic Games for "book with a character who runs a marathon". This was wild. So Many insane stories!! Good grief, people need to just chill, lol.

Currently Reading

The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature for "book with a picture of a fruit on the cover". Well, it's not on the library cover, but it is on the Goodreads cover, so I figure that's close enough, lol.

QotW

Yep! Brandon Sanderson totally got me with his Secret Projects and the Year of Sanderson swag. I have zero regrets!

I'm so behind on the weekly catch ups and have reached that point in the year where I need to prioritize my PS reads in order to finish the challenge. I have 7 books remaining and am currently reading 2.

64/70 GoodReads Challenge
43/50 PopSugar Challenge
50/52 ATY Challenge

Finished:
1.) Free Ride by Noraly Schoenmaker [ATY #46 Not Novel] ⭐⭐⭐: Really neat memoir about a woman that motorbikes all over the middle east and Asia.

2.) Mercury by Amy Jo Burns [ATY #45 Queen]⭐⭐⭐⭐💫: I adored this family drama set in the 90s (which I guess we're considering HF now).

3.) When Mikan Road Was Ours by D.K. Furutani [No Prompts] ⭐⭐: This just didn't work for me - the way the story was told confused me and I had such a hard time connecting and keeping the characters straight.

4.) A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas [PS #48 - Shadow Daddy] ⭐⭐⭐⭐: REALLY enjoyed this more than I thought I would and appreciated that she didn't have a cliffhanger ending, I'm still thinking about the world building, and really appreciated the beauty & the beast nod.



Currently Reading:
1.) Pod - #32 Underwater Civilization
2.) Rabbit Rabbit
3.) Murder Road #30 Travel Ghost



QoTW: Have you ever backed an author's Kickstarter campaign for the chance to receive limited edition merchandise? If so, who was the author and why did you back their project? If not, what would an author have to offer to get you interested in backing their project?
Nope

Did you all see Goodreads posted on Instagram (and I guess also on tiktok? not that I'd know about that) that half and quarter stars are in the works? No idea when.

I can't be the only person who does not want this!! It's hard enough deciding on a rating when I have only five choices, now I'll have 17 choices? I'll be paralyzed with indecision.

Oh, sure sure, I'll PLAN to just ignore the option. But the mere KNOWING will paralyze me.

Lol, I don't know that we need quarter stars.... but I'll take half stars.

Jennifer W wrote: "Lol, I don't know that we need quarter stars.... but I'll take half stars."



someone on reddit just pointed out that it will be nice to give a book we really hated LESS than one star, if .25 is available. Good point, I would enjoy that for a few books LOL. I assumed the scale would start at 1 and finish at 5. I guess we wait and see.

YESSSS I squealed with delight when I saw it last night and immediately reposted!!

There are sooo many books that I cannot decide between two full star ratings - better than a 3 but not great enough for a full 4. I'm thinking now I'll have to go back and adjust my ratings to match my excel tracker when it goes live. It's a rating system GR has been SO behind on compared to other bookish apps.

half stars are so needed - do I round up or down - no longer will be a date.

I don't get quarter stars. or any fractionals other than half.

Finally fully recovered from my illness (Whatever it was!) and back to a normal routine. Been lazy this weekend though. Well, perhaps "unmotivated" is a better descriptor. I actually spent some time watching "Lucy Darling" shows last night and much of today. I laughed and laughed. Just what I needed! I can so relate to her sense of humor and reactions! Entertainers who can use the audience for their act amaze me!

I have adored all 6 books written by Kristin Hannah I have read and plan to work my way through her backlist! She has published 25 novels by my count… Here are her Historical Fiction recommendations:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/...
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
Agreed! I loved this one!
The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani
I have read and loved 2 of her books, but really need to read more!
Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie
The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont
The Last Train to London by Meg Waite Clayton
Those last 3 are on my TBR list!

4 authors Reese Witherspoon says every book lover should know
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainme...
Margaret Renkl is totally new-to-me! (Shocking! LOL)
Celeste Ng is a favorite author for me. I adored Everything I Never Told You! I want to read her most recent release Our Missing Hearts!
Curtis Sittenfeld is okay. I read and enjoyed American Wife but have not yet read any others.
Ann Patchett is a favorite author for me. I plan to work my way through her backlist… The book club I facilitate will be reading her newest release Whistler in December!

ADMIN STUFF:
THE SEPTEMBER MONTHLY GROUP READ SELECTION IS The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
This book could be used to fulfill prompt #47 A book told entirely through letters
World Letter Writing Day is September 1
https://nationaltoday.com/world-lette...
Doni is the “literary luminary” who courageously volunteered to facilitate this discussion!!
Thanks so much for your willingness to guide this discussion!! 👍👏👏👏👏👏🎊🎊🎊🎉🎉🪄🪄
Thought-provoking content and questions!!

THE OCTOBER MONTHLY GROUP READ IS The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles #1) by T.J. Klune
This book could be used to fulfill prompt #6 A book with an overweight main character whose story isn't about losing weight
National Plus Size Appreciation Day is October 6
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/na...
Who among you is the “rambunctious rule-minder" to lead this discussion?
I have posted some initial questions to get us started. I hope to read this during the upcoming week! I recently reread this and I swear it is a book I believe I would immensely enjoy after reading it 10 times!!

THE NOVEMBER MONTHLY GROUP READ IS *Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
This book could be used to fulfill prompt #28 A book about debt
Buy Nothing Day is November 27
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buy_Not...
Which one of you is the “silvery spinner” ready, willing, and able to lead this discussion?

THE DECEMBER MONTHLY GROUP READ FINAL SELECTION IS Horse by Geraldine Brooks
This book could be used to fulfill prompt #10 A book about a horse or with a horse on the cover
National Horse Day is December 13
https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/n...
Surely there is "heroic horse handler" amongst you to facilitate this discussion!
I have been curious about this book and luckily obtained a cheap used copy!

THE LISTING OF 2026 MONTHLY GROUP READ TOPICS IS HERE!
***

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
From K.L.:
Have you ever backed an author's Kickstarter campaign for the chance to receive limited edition merchandise? If so, who was the author and why did you back their project? If not, what would an author have to offer to get you interested in backing their project?
I have never been presented with that opportunity!
******

2026 READING CHALLENGES:
Popsugar: 42/50
52 Book Club: 49/52

FINISHED:
*Strange Fascination (Essex Witch Museum Mystery #3) by Syd Moore ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was yet another enjoyable entry in this series. It is strange to me that I enjoy this series, but I do! I think the snarkiness of the female MC is much of the reason for my continued enjoyment!
POPSUGAR:
52 Book Club:

Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy (Murderbot #2.5) by Martha Wells ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ is a new-to-me between-the-numbers short story in the Murderbot series available at Reactormag.com. I wanted to quickly read it as a prelude to reading the most recent installment in the series, Platform Decay. I do love Murderbot!!
POPSUGAR: #9, #13, #15, #16, #41
52 Book Club: #3, #8, NEW #15, #25, #28, #39, #44, #49

*The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ almost got 10 stars from me! What an excellent book, depicting the older more traditional aspects of Indian culture as well as some of the westernization that was beginning to occur in the mid-1950s. Just fascinating! Especially these characters. Joshi does such an excellent job of characterization and building suspense! Can’t wait to read the next 2 books in this trilogy!
POPSUGAR: #1, #3, #9, #13, #15, #18, #19, #26, #27, #28
52 Book Club: #5, #12, #16, #18, #19, #26, #44, #49

*Summer on Sag Harbor (Summer Beach #2) by Sunny Hostin ⭐⭐⭐⭐ was an okay read for me. After really enjoying the first installment in this trilogy, this second book simply had too much sexual detail for my liking. This explains my reaction to her comment on a segment of The View regarding the fact that her books were “spicy” or had “a lot of spice” in them. At that point I had just finished reading the first book, Summer on the Bluffs, and it had relatively little to no sexual details, so I immediately shook my head as if I didn’t find that true at all. Then I read this second installment in the trilogy… I don’t know if I’ll purposefully read that third and final installment or not. It certainly won’t be a priority since I know of so many other books I can be certain I’ll really enjoy with no hesitation… I can appreciate the twists and turns of this book however!
POPSUGAR: #2, #8, #9, #13, #15, #18, #27
52 Book Club: #5, #12, #16, #35, #48, #49

CONTINUING:
*Slightly South of Simple (Peachtree Bluff #1) by Kristy Woodson Harvey
*Aké: The Years of Childhood by Wole Soyinka for Great African Reads
*The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green is great, but am taking notes and will read intermittently between other books…as I typically do with essay collections!
*A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
*Salvation City by Sigrid Nunez is rather fascinateng. I keep wondering exactly where/how this will end…
*Hope on the Inside by Marie Bostwick is not what I was expecting! Bostwick is so savvy at connecting titles…
*Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power by RebeccaSolnit
*The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
*The Double Life of Benson Yu by Kevin Chong for an IRL book club meeting
*The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty

PLANNED:
*Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser
*The Last of Her Kind by Sigrid Nunez
*What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez
*For Rouenna by Sigrid Nunez
*Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict
*The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley
*The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
*The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict

Nadine in NY wrote: "Did you all see Goodreads posted on Instagram (and I guess also on tiktok? not that I'd know about that) that half and quarter stars are in the works? No idea when.

I can't be the only person who..."

I realize I am in the distinct minority on this, but I'll just stick to the whole numbers. That's tough enough!! LOL

I'm quite jealous of all the people saying it's cooling off. SoCal has yet another heat wave and we are roasting. It hit 101 yesterday near the beach and 99 today. Being 4 miles or so from the beach, most of us DON'T have AC. Lots of reading though since you can't do anything but sit in front of a fan

Last week I finished 1 book, Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald which I used for the Z prompt.

QOTW:
no kickstarters for me