Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2019 Weekly Checkins
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Week 41: 10/3 - 10/10
Nadine, you seem to have started this week´s thread twice.
Yay, updating on time. I'm on lunch at work and about to do some bookish chores - nipping out to the library to return a book and pick up a new one! Thankfully there seems to be a break in the torrential rain we've been hit with this week...Well done Nadine for all your reading challenge successes! I read one book this week, taking me to 42/55 (33/45, 9/10), so I'm on track to finish my PS challenge, though not as early as I did last year when it was my only challenge!!
The book I read was for prompt #32 author from Asia, South America or Africa. I'm reading one for each country, and this was my second (I read Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin for South America). I went for The Incendiaries as R.O. Kwon was born in Asia. I had expected a different story from the one I got from this book. Or perhaps, more accurately, the focus of this story was different from what I expected it to be. Yes, this is the story of a love-struck young man watching his girlfriend be drawn into a cult, with horrible consequences. But this book shifts the focus from a dramatic plot point to a deep examination of what draws a person to extremism. Both Will and Phoebe have been drawn into types of religious fanaticism, but whilst it was trauma that drove Will from his convictions, it is trauma which pushes Phoebe into the arms of a cult. And although Will has lost his religious compulsions, he hasn't lost his tendency toward obsession - as Phoebe pulls away from him, he clings all the tighter to her. This story touches on some deep and complex themes, but it never bashes your round the head by soliloquising on them. Kwon's writing is really beautiful, without being floral or detracting from the story - I flew through this book because it unfurled so compellingly. So whilst this wasn't the book I'd expected, I think what I read was so much better.
QOTW - Do you like to read scary or creepy books?
Not really, which is funny as I was a huge Point Horror fan as a teen, but that taste hasn't extended itself into my adult reading. I can probably count on my hands the number of horror books I've read since then, some classic The Raven, Sleepy Hollow, The Turn of the Screw) and some modern...I read a Poppy Z. Brite book, and Interview with the Vampire. None of them really scared or creeped me out though. I don't know if a book really could, or maybe I haven't read the really spooky stuff. I get freaked out by films and tv in that genre, but a lot of the time it is the visuals and the noises/soundtrack that get me on edge for the big scare, so maybe that's why books haven't done it for me. And I'm not fussed by that really, as that isn't what I'm looking for in my reading.
Johanne wrote: "Nadine, you seem to have started this week´s thread twice."Bumping up the reply count so hopefully everyone responds to this thread rather than splitting the conversations!
I finished Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters as my book with a two word title.I read Bloodstone as my book that takes place in an abbey, monastery, etc. I don't recommend it. It was boring and the characters were hard to keep separate.
And with that I finished the challenge. And, now have to figure out hwat to read on my own. So sad.
So, now I'm reading A Life of Joy
QOTW: I used to. Now, I really have to be in the mood. And it can't be too scary. I live alone. Actually, worse, I live with my cat. So, there are sounds that go bump in the night and only a cat to make it worse.
Years and years and years ago, when I was about 22, I had moved back in with my parents for a little while. They had gone on a camping trip for a week. It was Sunday and we had a pool, so I spent most of the day outside, lounging swimming, and reading. Great day. But, I think I got too much sun, because I had trouble sleeping that night. I had finished my book earlier in the day, so I went out to the living room where there was just a stack of books. I grabbed one without reading the back, went back to my room and proceeded to read it. It was a ghost story. I tried to go to sleep, but was scared. I heard something that sounded like the kitchen cupboards moving. I said tomyself, it's just the cat. Then realized he was sleeping on the bed. So, I then decided to watch some TV. I ended up watching Baywatch Nights. It also had a creepy vibe. I still couldn't get to sleep. I drifted off about an hour before my alarm clock went off. I hit the snooze button. Exept I didn't. I turned it off. I woke up a few minutes after I was supposed to BE at work, and work was 45 minutes away. That's why I don't read that many scary stories. The end.
Not been reading much this week. It was my turn in the work bake-off competition so spent a few nights doing cake-related things. At the weekend I cleared out four bags of books and took them to the charity shop. I think the space on the shelves has refilled already!I did finish Sweet Fruit, Sour Land for sweet in title and ATY (dual timeline) and Command and Control for ATY (second of two connected books).
Currently listening to Gotta Get Theroux This: My life and strange times on television for ATY rejects (journalist) and reading War Girls for review.
PS: 48/52 | ATY: 49/52 | GR: 106/100
QOTW:
I don't read a lot of horror but occasionally I do like a book that creeps me out so much I'm checking all the doors and windows are locked. I wouldn't listen to horror for my commuting audiobook though, I have a narrow alley to walk down, which will soon be very dark at home time. I much prefer reading scary stuff snuggled up in bed.
Johanne wrote: "Nadine, you seem to have started this week´s thread twice."Thanks for catching that! I deleted the other post. Thankfully you caught it before anyone had posted in that thread so it was no biggie.
Mod
It's finally becoming fall here. The leaves are changing and it's cooler at night. We finally had to turn off the A/C, but we haven't yet gotten to where we need to turn on the heat. We're in the middle of planning Halloween costumes at work. A group of us all like to do a big group costume every year but it's hard to put the costumes together without spending a lot of money. Plus, it seems like all the costumes try to be sexy. Why doesn't some company start an affordable line of work appropriate costumes? Is that a thing? This week I finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which I was doing as a read-along with a podcast. I enjoyed it, of course. It's probably the best book in the series. I'm going to take a short break before I start book six.
I am currently reading A Cosmology of Monsters, which I am enjoying a great deal. I expect to finish it either later today or tomorrow. Great spooktober read.
QOTW: I love a good scary book now and then. But I have a hard time finding books that are actually scary. Ghosts don't really do it for me, but I love monsters and weird supernatural stuff.
Hello book buddies.Another strange old week here. The build-up has started properly and if you move you sweat. Back to multiple showers a day. Was very good and sorted all the paperwork for my tax return and got that lodged which unfortunately ate my reading time.
Finished 2 books both of which were 4 stars
Strange Weather and Force of Nature. Force of nature was for the hobbies prompt since it involves hiking and camping.
Strange Weather was my TRIM for October.
Currently reading
Zombie Apocalypse! which I am using for the no chapters prompt. It also has no page numbers and is probably going to be a 5* read for me because it is so different. The whole book is diary entries, emails, medical reports, memos, tweets etc during the first phase of the zombie apocalypse. So it is also multiple points of view. If you like the zombie genre this is worth a read because it is so different. It is set in London and a knowledge of the way things work there, the history of the area and the slang used is definitely advantageous or you will miss some of the fun bits.
QOTW
Erm see my list for the week.
I had a difficult time finding a new book I wanted to read this week. I read about half of one book, but ended up DNFing. I started another one, but felt all the characters were caricatures so quit after a few chapters. A third book I started was so poorly written I barely made it through the first chapter. Fortunately, I did find some good books later in the week.Finished
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. Wow! I really loved this book. I’m glad I decided to read it now instead of saving it for vacation like I’d planned. I would have had a hard time putting it down to go enjoy vacation plans! I haven’t read The Turn of the Screw, so I don’t know how similar the plots are. But I definitely fell for the red herring. I didn’t see the end coming at all. The whole book is very atmospheric and suspenseful.
The Furies by Jo Graham. This is the fourth book in a series that continues where Stargate Atlantis left off when it was cancelled. I read it because I’d purchased it ages ago, but I haven’t really enjoyed the series. I don’t like their interpretation of all the characters, and I don’t like that they’ve introduced quite a few original characters while almost completely sidelining two main characters for the last several books. I think I’m finished with this series. I’m only going to read this franchise anymore if the stories are set between episodes.
Reading
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
The Indian World of George Washington: The First President, the First Americans, and the Birth of the Nation by Colin G. Calloway
DNF
Trailer Park Heart by Rachel Higginson. The main character was unlikable and boring. She had very immature, redundant internal monologue sessions. The love interest “showed his love” by bullying and belittling, and he had inexplicable mood swings (threatening to sweet or vice versa) that raised red flags.
QOTW
I don't read a lot of horror. I've stumbled upon a few novels and short stories that I've liked, but they're horror light. I prefer the suspenseful atmosphere of a thriller.
Happy Thursday,I finished the five books I've been reading for a couple of weeks plus two more over the week.
Finished:
For my personal classics challenge I read The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway. He can now be checked off the my list. And Timbuktu by Paul Auster. I like when a book is from a non-human prospective. The dog tells the story.
I Heart London – BOTM for the I Heart series
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng – PS #43 – Own Voice Book. This book has some annoying characters. Can parents really be that into themselves that they don't know anything their children are doing or feeling?
The Bear and the Nightingale– PS #12 – A book inspired by myth/legend.
I have 1 prompt left for the POP Challenge, which is November's BOTM Prompt. Monday I started downloading books for vacation, which is in two weeks. I read
Cure for the Common Breakup by Beth Kendrick and Same Time, Next Year by Debbie Macomber. Both books were cute romance reads.
QOTH: I like ghost stories, and “mild” thrillers, but I don’t like detailed murder scenes. I don’t mind a murder, but don’t want every gruesome detail. This is a change in reading preference as I did read them when I was younger. I’m not a fan of zombies or vampires.
I do want to read a couple more ghost stories before October is over, so I'm going to check out what everyone is reading.
Happy October!!!
Happy Thursday, y’all!It’s gotten cold here! Not as cold as it’s going to be this winter, of course, but still a sudden dip in temperatures after an unusually warm September. Time to finally turn on the furnace, heh...
Books read this week:
Auraria -- historical fantasy based on both actual events and folklore in rural Georgia. The writing is good and, while the plot tends to wander a fair bit, it makes for a fascinating and unusual read.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January -- oh my gosh this was fantastic! This was much more than just fantasy, it was a powerful statement about a young woman fighting to forge her own path in a time period where both her gender and her skin color made it nearly impossible.
Sam's Story: It's A Dog's Life -- some cute moments, but ultimately didn’t really see the point of it.
Rogue Protocol -- another excellent Murderbot novella. Is it bad that I relate to Murderbot as a character? Maybe it is, but I’m really enjoying following their development over the course of these novellas.
The Unicorn Whisperer -- another cute and funny “Phoebe and Her Unicorn” collection… though I keep hoping that one character in particular (Dakota) gets her comeuppance someday. Seriously, this kid is just rude...
DNF:
Sanctuary 12 -- I figured I should read at least one horror/spooky book this month… but I only got through the prologue of this one before going “not THAT one, not THAT one!” The writing wasn’t wowing me to begin with, and after hitting a really grisly scene in the prologue I just decided “nope.”
Currently Reading:
The Best of Planet Stories 1
The Infinite Future
The Butterfly Girl
Daughter Of Earth And Water: A Biography Of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley -- seems appropriate for this time of year...
QOTW:
I enjoy the occasional spooky book, but I prefer "supernatural chills" over "extreme blood and gore." Sadly, there are a LOT of authors who think that for something to be scary there has to be a lot of blood and gore and/or sexual perversion. Didn't Stephen King once say something about it being easier to provoke disgust and shock than true terror?
I definitely find horror based on what you don't see or know much scarier than that based on gore/violence. I really liked that Bird Box played with the unseen/unknown concept. I need to try some of his other books.
Happy Thursday! This week has been pretty good. I'm sad because I wont get to read during lunch today. I have to go to a meeting with a local bar association to hear about new health insurance plans for attorneys...yes it's going to be as exciting as it sounds. Finished:
The Night Circus for a reread of a favorite book. I mentioned in my post for last week that I was listening to this on audio. I didn't love it on audio. I enjoy a Jim Dale narration but this one fell flat for me.
The Haunting of Hill House for a ghost story. This was also the start of my creepy reads for October. I really loved this book but didn't find it scary at all. It really was more about watching someone slowly go mad than a ghost story.
Currently Reading:
American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century - I don't know if I'll be able to fit this in for a challenge prompt but it's one of my October creepy reads. Lately nothing scares me more than true crime books. I've also heard/read good things about this. I'm only five chapters in but it's pretty interesting so far.
Beard in Mind - Not for the challenge, I just want to try to get through the rest of the Winston Brother's books before the final one comes out in November.
DNF:
Wilder Girls - The cover's gorgeous, I just couldn't get into it. It wasn't grabbing me and I didn't want to waste more time on it.
QOTW:
I love a spooky/creepy/scary book. It takes a lot to actually scare me. The last book to genuinely scare me and make me check my apartment lock 10 times a night was I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer.
The weather is finally slightly less like dogs breath outside. Another hot day today but not for long. Yeah for finally some coolish weather. My nephew and his partner are visiting this weekend so I doubt I'll read much this weekend but they always have a list of really strange but interesting things they've read recently and that is just one of many, many, many reasons I'm looking forward to this visit.
complete
The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute by Zac Bissonnette which is pretty fun read about the beanie baby craze and how it all came together in a time and a place and how it all came crumbling down.
The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion which is the third book in the Rosie series. It wasn't great but it was a fun read.
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou The Theranos story told by the WSJ reporter that broke the story. I watched an HBO documentary on this topic earlier this summer. This goes deeper into the story and I thought it was worth reading despite having already seen the documentary.
QOTW
Not a big fan of scary/creepy. But sometimes if I'm in a mood.
Nadine wrote: "Weird!! I didn’t hit “post” twice!!! I did have to go back and edit to add the link to the “thoughts” post so maybe my computer glitches then. And then I drove to work so missed the comments :-) Th..."Well it was pretty obvious it was some sort of glitch, I just thought I´d point it out before comments started in both threads :)
Ellie wrote: "I definitely find horror based on what you don't see or know much scarier than that based on gore/violence. I really liked that Bird Box played with the unseen/unknown concept. I ne..."I agree. The unknown is always scarier than the known.
I also find things that aren't necessarily "horror" to be extremely scary. Like Cli-fi. Or dystopian novels. True crime.
Ashley wrote: "Happy Thursday! ...I have to go to a meeting with a local bar association to hear about new health insurance plans for attorneys...yes it's going to be as exciting as it sounds...."
Ha! You made me laugh! Sounds as funny as bank meetings and filling out tax forms ;)
Good morning from Columbus! Today we have a field trip to a farm later this morning so I’m excited to get some autumn fun in with a bunch of adorable kindergarteners. Spooktober is going well, I certainly love this time of year and it’s spooky mood.The Grip of It for a ghost story. I saw this recommended on a list, and was immediately sucked in by the cover and title. The book centers around a couple that moves to a new town, into a house that has a mysterious history and comes with a strange a neighbor. It has a creeping sort of anxiety about it. I liked the writing, and it was strange and certainly spooky. It kind of left me wondering what exactly happened, but I throughly enjoyed this book.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - I used these for prompts across a few challenges, for the favorite prompt from a previous years challenge. The last few books of this series is emotionally draining. Nothing else to really say, it’s Harry Potter, you know what it is lol.
Sharp Objects also for a previous years challenge favorite prompt. I decided to pick one from each of the last four challenges. Seriously unsettling and anxiety inducing, especially as a mom of a 13 year old lol. Now I really want to watch the HBO series.
I’m at 131 books this year, 36/40; 5/10 for popsugar, 15/24 for book riot, 4/12 for back to the classics, 17/37 for Marisha Pessl’s challenge
Qotw: yes! Lol I’m always on the hunt for a book that’ll actually scare me but it’s rare. I still enjoy them!
Finished 2 books this week:A book with a plant in the title or on the cover: I read The Secret Garden for this prompt. I can't believe that I never read this book myself, or to my kids! I loved everything about it!
The other book I finished was for the ATY Challenge for the prompt a book inspired by the saying "Something Blue" and I read Something Blue. (I like when things work out like that!)
I am currently reading The Graveyard Book and am not sure how I really feel about it. I'll keep going and discuss on the other thread.
QOTW: No, I don't really like creepy books, just like I don't like horror movies.
Happy thursday everyone!I finally finished tracking the books I´ve read and pairing them off with prompts! Feels like an accomplishment as big as finishing the challenge. So I can proudly say I am on track to finish:
PS 40/50 ATY 42/52 GR 115/150
The last couple of weeks I read:
Færgen (Blood Cruise) by Mats Strandberg. For "takes place in a day". A 24-hour cruise from Sweden to Finland with unexpected guests of the supernatural kind. Turns out pretty gory :) My colleague was scared half to death when she went on a cruise with what we call "The Oslo Boat" (the ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo) right after she read the book - the hallways look exactly like the one on the cover:
100 års ensomhed (One Hundred Years of Solitude) by Gabriel García Márquez for "Family" (PS) and "Family saga" (ATY or was it vice versa?). My first Marquez. I really enjoyed it, it was different than I thought and just altogether different, but easy to read.
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman. Oh I liked this! Using it for PS "favourite prompt from previous years" -Next in a series, and ATY "A book from one of the polarizing or close call votes" - portal fiction.
And som picture books/children´s books that make a pretty collage:
QOTW:
I don´t seek out horror, but I quite enjoy it when I read it. I prefer the kind that plays tricks with your mind or is about supernatural beings, weird stuff creeping out of your subconscious. I don´t read it before bed, because my pulse gets too high... In general people and reality scare me more than zombies.
I really like this Danish illustrator who makes some delightfully scary drawings:
https://www.instagram.com/johnkennmor...
I'm continuing reading thrillers, mysteries, and horror books for October. I finished three books this week. Finished:
The Chain - I thought this was very good, but could have been a little shorter. The first part was great, but part 2 dragged a bit for me. I liked that the story was original so gave it 4 stars.
The Night Olivia Fell - I had been wanting to read this for a while so I'm glad I finally go the chance. I thought it started off kind of slow, but picked up and moved quickly about 40% into the book. 4 stars.
A Simple Favor - I listened to this on audio. I thought it was okay, but found none of the main characters are likable. I wasn't routing for any of them because they were are awful, but the book moved quickly and had lots of twists and turns. 3 stars.
Challenge Progress:
49/50 books - I won't finish until next month when I can read the last book which doesn't fit what I'm reading this month.
Currently Reading:
Next Year in Havana - I will finish this next month. I put it on hold when October started since it didn't fit with my reading theme.
Baby Teeth - this has been on my TBR for a while, but I'm struggling to get into it. It's kind of slow, and I was expecting it to be scarier since it's listed as horror.
The Family Upstairs - I have an ARC of this. I haven't read much yet so no opinion yet!
The Husband's Secret - so far I'm not loving this one. I'm listening to it and wonder if I'd prefer the actual book because the narrator kind of annoys me.
QOTW - Do you like to read scary or creepy books?
I do like to read them, but prefer books that make me feel scared for example, The Whisper Man actually scared me to the point of not being able to read the book before bed. I don't really care for the blood and gore horror books though.
Hi everyone, I’ve been taking a break from the challenge, catching up on my Reading Women challenge prompts for awhile.Like a lot of people this week I finished a Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This is my first time reading HP, and I realize I’m not really the intended demographic (I’m a middle aged woman), but I am enjoying them, although can’t say I love them. Goblet of Fire was just so long..... and the rest don’t look any shorter! I’m likely to keep on, but I will take a break for awhile.
I only have 4 books left on the Pop Sugar challenge and I’m reading my Cli Fi book, Flight Behavior. Reading it at the same time as Goblet of Fire probably wasn’t a good idea as both are over 600 pages. I generally love Barbara Kingsolver, but this isn’t my favorite. It is slow and seems even more preachy than her other books, and I loved Unsheltered. I also don’t like the main characters much, which may be the biggest problem.
Since I last posted I also read The Song of Achilles for my book inspired by a myth. I liked this a lot more than I thought I would as myths are not usually something I enjoy, I have Circe and am looking forward to it!
QOTW: I don’t usually read scary or creepy books. I don’t avoid them, it’s just not something I usually choose.
Greetings, all! Well, there are free donuts in my office this morning so I am in a fantastic mood! And I had a decent reading week. I finished two books for the challenge putting me at 42/50.I read Save the Date by Mary Kay Andrews for my second book with the same title. I liked this one okay. It was a sweet story and I liked the main characters but everyone else seemed really one dimensional. The "bad guy" was bad just because. There was no real reason for his bad behavior.
I also finished My Lady's Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel for a choose-your-own adventure. I liked the premise of it better than the execution. If you read it like satire, then it's pretty good. I also read it as an ebook which made it incredibly tedious to go back and try new threads of the story. I think I read three complete threads and bits of others. Overall, it was rather hollow.
QOTW:
I used to read horror a lot more in middle and high school. I read things like the Fear Street books. I tried reading Salem's Lot in ninth grade and it went over my head. I still like it but I don't necessarily seek it out much although I am waiting for my hold on The Shining to come in. I find true crime to be much scarier than any work of fiction.
Hi everyone!I've been doing inktober and a halloween stitch-along so I've had a bit less reading time than usual.
I finished:
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet - This was my Book Riot self-published book (it's been picked up by a publisher now, but originally it was a kickstarter self-publish so I'm counting it). I really liked it! It feels like it should be a syfy miniseries, would be good to fill the spacefaring crew niche.
The Fire Rose - re-read because I felt like it
currently reading: Semiosis - not too far in this yet, like it ok. I don't love books where every section is a new set of characters. It's interesting, but i always feel like i never get to know any of them well before it shifts again. i'm only on the second section though, maybe it'll grow on me. I do like the premise a lot.
QOTW:
I don't go out of my way to read creepy/horror stuff, but I'll read it if something catches my eye or I hear a lot about it. I do love Coraline, and other stuff with a creepy vibe. I don't like outright horror if it's got a lot of gore.
It's beautiful weather for baseball! St. Louis Cardinals are headed to the NLCS, and I've got my tickets ready! (It's also beautiful weather for walking. I'm averaging 20,000 steps a day, and I've lost 10 pounds. Yay!)Challenge Progress: 46/50
Completed:
Lab Girl: I never thought a book about plants could be so interesting. Part memoir, part natural history, altogether unique. Informative and beautifully written. (A book recommended by a celebrity you admire - Barack Obama)
The Testaments: Although this novel greatly differs in tone from The Handmaid's Tale, I still think it's a worthy addition to the canon and provides a treasure trove of material for the producers of Hulu's version. I enjoyed it.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January: "Sometimes I feel there are doors lurking in the creases of every sentence, with periods for knobs and verbs for hinges." Beautiful. Stunning. Gorgeous. Need I say more? I checked this one out from the library, but I loved it so much I'm going to buy a hardcover copy just to have it.
Currently Reading: Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do, Trust Exercise (a book with no chapters), The Nickel Boys, Woman 99, and The Perks of Loving a Scoundrel
QOTW: Yes, I absolutely enjoy scary/spooky books. I grew up reading Stephen King, Anne Rice, William Peter Blatty. (I read The Exorcist when I was 10!) Now my favorite horror author is Joe Hill - he's a better writer than his father!
So funny thing, I started writing update this early this morning. Then I got sidetracked by work stuff and now it's at least 5 hours later and I'm finally coming back to it. Sigh...I finished 3 books this week:
Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory. This is the fourth book in her Wedding Date series. It was a fun read though not my favorite. Hooray for having a "seasoned" protagonist though!
Wildcard by Marie Lu. Sequel to my five-star read from last year, Warcross, which I had not expected to like. I didn't love this one as much. It was ok, but it just didn't have the same pull as the first book. Using this for my LitRPG book.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.
Currently reading:
Dash & Lily's Book of Dares - I'm maybe a third of the way through this Christmas scavenger hunt story. It's cute so far. I think it's a little too YA angsty for my taste, but we'll see where it goes. Using this for a book involving a game.
DisneyWar - by James Stewart. This book covers the tumultuous years when Michael Eisner was ousted from Disney CEO. I don't read a lot of business books, but as a self-proclaimed Disney fanatic I wanted to learn a little more of the behind the scenes. I've only just started it so I don't have an opinion yet.
QOTW
I don't really read scary books anymore. I will read some suspense books like Ruth Ware. And I will read some classics like Frankenstein and Dracula (well, I'm planning to read Dracula for the first time soon). The older I get the harder it is to separate the story from my reality. I need my sleep and peace of mind too much to read truly scary things.
Brandy wrote: "The weather is finally slightly less like dogs breath outside."Ha! I love that turn of phrase and will use it evermore. Luckily NC finally stopped having dog's breath weather and it might really be fall?
I've missed so many check-ins! Life has been topsy-turvy, with my husband constantly traveling for a high-stress consulting engagement, my 16yo getting her driver's license, and then I had a brief (but not brief enough!) health scare that put me in a tailspin.
But I'm back and Nadine picked the perfect QOTW to delight me! Thanks! ;)
I am in fact reading The Ritual right now, which has some very unnerving content. Unfortunately it's like a 1:4 ratio of spooky to "bunch of dummies fail to plan for camping and have Emotional Angst." But I'm soldiering through because when it delivers the creep it gives me the shivers!
I'm also reading Nine Coaches Waiting, which I really like. It's making me have fantasies of teaching an English class called "Girl vs. Mansion" and include this, Rebecca, The Turn of the Screw, etc.
I'm stalled on Blackwater: The Complete Caskey Family Saga. It's quite good writing and the premise is interesting, but it just doesn't seem to be going anywhere. It's not sparking any of that delicious "what happens NEXT?" in my soul.
QOTW: see above. Started out with John Bellairs books as a grade-schooler, my uncle gave me Salem's Lot when I was 12, and I was off to the races. I love supernatural scary stories of all kinds: ghosts, zombies, eldritch gods, and so on. I don't like torture porn and gore for the sake of gore, but can appreciate well-placed ickiness (The Visible Filth is a great example - mostly scary for concepts, but has some grossness that contributes to the story).
I really don't like realistic horror like serial killers; much less true crime. I need to be able to put the book down and say, "That could never actually happen!"
Since you asked, yes autumn leave-change has been belated and dull. I've been swamped and have read nothing. Go me.QOTW
I love creepy books. Douglas Clegg, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, John Saul just to name a few of my faves. The creepier the better, though not necessarily gorier. Psychological creep is even better.
Laura wrote: "It's beautiful weather for baseball! St. Louis Cardinals are headed to the NLCS, and I've got my tickets ready! (It's also beautiful weather for walking. I'm averaging 20,000 steps a day, and I've ..."I loved Lab Girl too! It is so much more than a science book, which was what I expected. Also glad to hear you liked the Testaments, I am interested, but have read too many poor reviews it has me wary.
Laura wrote: "It's beautiful weather for baseball! St. Louis Cardinals are headed to the NLCS, and I've got my tickets ready! (It's also beautiful weather for walking. I'm averaging 20,000 steps a day, and I've ..."P.S. go cardinals!
Two-week updateRec’d by a celebrity:
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. This was also rec’d by almost every teacher (or so it seemed this summer) on my facebook AP Lit teacher pages. I did really enjoy it.
Set in Scandinavia:
A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson. Daughter is accused of murder, told from three perspectives. Honestly, my big issue with the book is (view spoiler).
These don't tick off prompts
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. Delightful contemporary romance. He’s the prince of England, he’s the son of the president of the U.S. Hijinks and romance ensue.
Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered by Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff. Memoir from the hosts of the podcast My Favorite Murder
Screen Queens by Lori Goldstein. YA about girls at a tech camp and the difficulties of being girls at a tech camp. It was okay.
QOTW:
I read them but I don't necessarily seek them out.
Our weather has been up and down this week, but it's starting to feel more like October at least. I need to get my Halloween costume soon... I'm planning to be Sabrina from the excellent series on Netflix. We are anxiously awaiting season 3. This week I read The Giant's House since McCracken is a local author and this was one of her big ones I felt like I needed to read. It was a bit odd, but nicely written. Overall I enjoyed it and felt like it was something different. Quiet, subtle, and sad. It puts you in a strange mood, but I still was eager to get back to it each time I picked it up. 4 stars
I listened to When We Left Cuba (the sequel to Next Year in Havana). Ughhhh I struggled with this. I have always been fascinated by Cuba and love reading about it. The first book was decent since it took place in Cuba and the plot was interesting enough. This one was pretty blah. Although I struggled sympathizing with the main character in both books. Her family was rich from the sugar industry in Cuba - not an acceptable way to make money, considering the suffering it caused. It might have made a difference that I read the first one on kindle and listened to this one on audio, but I'm not sure. Too much dialogue, too much romantic relationship bickering, and not enough Cuba. I appreciated the decent amount of historical references throughout, but that was about it. Disappointing. 2 stars - I think my favorite novel that takes place in Cuba is Dreaming in Cuban, that I would recommend much more than these. It's beautiful.
I also listened to Everything's Trash, But It's Okay. I enjoy her comedy, although I'll admit it's kind of a rush of words coming at you. She packs a lot of ideas/new words into each paragraph but it's pretty fun and I respect her for pursuing comedy, which is not an easy field for black women to succeed in. 4 stars
I just finished The Graveyard Book for our monthly discussion. It started off slowly for me, but definitely picked up in the second half. I loved the author's note at the end, explaining the writing process for this book. 4 stars
I'm currently reading Cantoras (loving it!), How to Be an Antiracist, and listening to The Greatest Love Story Ever Told.
QOTW: It hasn't always been this way, but I'm definitely in the mood for creepy reads right now. I like suspense and general creepiness in fiction, as long as it's not about things that could happen to me (murder, sexual assault, etc.). I get enough of those details in nonfiction reading and my work, so I'm pickier about what's in fiction. I'm cool with psychological thrillers and ghosts but have never been into zombies or vampires. I have The Haunting of Hill House checked out and I'm excited to get to that soon. I'm also working on a short story right now about a haunted place where each (living) character is killed off, so I'm looking for inspiration. I want it to be creepy, but not gory.
I am being super melodramatic today (as you will notice in my reading notes). I am burning the candle from all ends right now and it is starting to take its toll. The weather here in Vegas is stunning. I hope everyone is having a wonderful week. Sorry so whiny!29/40 Regular
5/10 Advanced
Currently Reading
I thought "it's short, I can finish it no time" A week later I'm like 6 chapters in and fighting falling asleep everywhere because I'm so burnt out.
Dear college, I think I hate you. That is all.
Finished
My Sanity
QotW:
Do you like to read scary or creepy books?
Sometimes. I honestly don't read a ton of them although I have a lot on my tbr right now. I really enjoyed Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. That's the most recent scary book I have read. That was ages ago. I would like to read The Haunting of Hill House this month but I highly doubt I will manage it.
Mod
Congratulations on completing the challenges! Wish I could say the same!
I loved A Certain Age as well! I appreciated the character development and the mystery. I also liked the fact that some of the subplots were left a bit vague...
I have added The Haunting of Maddy Clare to my TBR listing since it looks to be in my wheelhouse. I have the exact same preferences as you do...minus the zombies! :)
Hi everyone. I've come down with a bad cough so I've been annoying all of my co-workers this week. Luckily me and my Mum have booked a last minute holiday for next week so I won't be annoying them for a week lolThis week I finished This House is Haunted. The main character was such a bore, I found myself siding with the vengeful ghost for most of the book.
I also finished Death of an Eye. This booked grabbed my attention at the library and I picked it up without knowing much. I was enjoying it as a bog standard mystery but with an ancient egyptian setting, but the loose ends took too long to tie up. It felt like the ending was dragged out just to flesh out the book so it lost a star for that.
Currently reading: Song of the Sea Maid I just started it so don't have much of an opinion yet apart from the cover is a let down! I love this one:
but this is the one my library has:
Boring!QOTW: I don't read much horror really. I used to as a kid/teen. They were my favourites but I think I have a been there/done that mentality when it comes to horror. I feel like I've read all of the stories before. I tried a couple of "scary" books recently for a bit of a Halloween theme but none of them wowed me.
This week I went on a Bardugo-binge and read the whole Grisha trilogy:Shadow and Bone
Siege and Storm
Ruin and Rising
and finished Crooked Kingdom.
So much fun!
And I finished Triangulum by Masande Ntshanaga for prompt 32, from Africa.
QotW:
Like many others I am no fan of Splatter-Horror, but Poe and King are my favourites in that genre. I also adore the Charlie Parker cases by John Connolly, where the horror creeps in at the weirdest moments.
Happy Thursday, and I Happy Thanksgiving to all the other Canadians here. Books I finished:
Rosemary and Rue &
A Local Habitation - I love this series, and I meant to do a reread of it in Sept. but it just didn't happen then.
Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language - This was a fun look at language and it introduced me to my new favourite word: Mondegreen - A term for when you mishear song lyrics or poetry.
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? - This has been sitting on my nightstand for a while. I enjoyed it, but I don't know how much it will stick with me.Books I made progress on:
An Artificial NightQOTW
I went through a horror phase when I was a teen but I've mostly moved on. A lot of the time I find books that are supposed to be scary boring or gross and mildly unpleasant. But I make decisions on a case by case basis and I don't think merely having a ghost or vampire or zombie in the story makes it horror by definition (Twilight would count as horror if that was the case). I do like dark fantasy.
Lazy post after a long day.This week I finished:
The Walking Dead Volumes 26-31
Blind Spot: The final in a series that I enjoy. This series is all about the characters and the setting and not as much about the plot, and if you can get behind that it’s really good.
Life Will be the Death of Me: I’m going through a female comedian phase.
The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo: I did the audiobook version, which I prefer for nonfiction.
Currently reading:
Uganda be Kidding Me
The Poetry of Emily Dickinson
QOTW:
Not generally. I prefer horror movies to horror books, but I enjoy suspense.
I am done! Here's the full list (I don't feel like figuring out where I updated last): https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...QOTW:
I don't seek them out, but I'm not opposed to reading them. My son really likes "scary" books so we've read a few YA/Middle grade ones together. Currently working on Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror
Hi all. I am loving this crisp fall weather but I'm glad the snow some of you have gotten is not here yet.This week I've been engrossed in a new series I found:
Third Grave Dead Ahead
Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet
Fifth Grave Past the Light
Sixth Grave on the Edge and
Seventh Grave and No Body
They have been quick but satisfying books and I've enjoyed the series through the seventh book (more on that below).
I also had I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban as this weeks audiobook.
The first 2 of the below books I've had most of the week and keep picking up and then putting down to go to the next book in the above series!
I am currently reading:
The OneI'm enjoying this but having a little trouble keeping story lines straight. The chapters are 3 pages long and jump between people
One of Us Is Lying. Seems good but I haven't gotten very far yet.
Flavor: The Science of Our Most Neglected Sense which has been this weeks audiobook and very intersting.
And Eighth Grave After Dark. So, i have a habit of occassionally looking forward and reading the last chapter of a book before I finish. I did that with this book and HATE the direction they took the story arc. HATE IT!. So, I've put it down. I'm about 3/4 done with the book. I don't know if I'll finish it or not. I will probably read the next one- I've already got it from the library- but if they don't redeem the story line then I don't know if I'll finish the series. I've really enjoyed it this far so I'll feel bad if I make that choice but... Maybe I'll just put it in time out for a while and see if my feelings change.
QOTW- I go in stages with liking horror/suspense. I really enjoy them but I live alone and so can't read them at night. I don't have a problem with actually reading them at night. I have a problem with putting them down and trying to go to sleep at night, after having just read them. LOL.
Finally sneaking a minute or two to post. Work work work, that's all I seem to do, when not trying to catch up on sleep, laundry, etc.I still have 1 to finish for AtY. I'm reveling in PS being done! I have also caught up -- or am only 1 behind (it shifts daily) on my GR challenge. For a while there it looked like I might fall short, but now I don't think I will.
Finished:
A Time Traveler's Theory of Relativity - 5 stars -- middle grade book about the meeting of science and magic - Finn keeps losing family members, and then he finds out the women in his family are from a line of Time Travelers...set in Vermont. Full disclosure: this is a debut by a close friend of mine. It is GOOD! And let me tell you, being at her signing at Books of Wonder in NYC last weekend was such a moving moment as I know how long and hard she has worked for this.
I also read 2 October themed books:
The Cottage on Pumpkin and Vine - the third story was great, the other 2 - nope.
Witchful Thinking - set in Everlasting, ME where normal and paranormal co-exist. Very enjoyable. Part of a series where each book is written by a different author.
Then there was Autumn Chill in Utah Springs which is a retitled book (originally High Risk) and is set in the extreme heat of August...actually not a bad escape read and the parts from the missing boy's POV were excellent.
I also stumbled through an odd little mystery reading -- set in religious communities - odd because I am not devote or observant!
Killer in the Cloister - historical mystery set in 1965 at a very thinly disguised Fordham University in the Bronx. Pretty decent standard mystery but very unusual setting and time period -- right at the time that massive changes were sweeping not only our country but the Catholic Church (post-Vatican II).
A Very Private Grave (The Monastery Murders) - Set in Yorkshire and Northumberland, among the Anglican monasteries and churches in the 21st Century. A mixed bag -- first in a series featuring feisty American theology student Felicity and Fr. Antony who has not yet taken his vows of celibacy. Their mentor is murdered in the monastery, leaving clues to a medieval treasure involving St. Cuthbert.
Currently reading:
Proust -- Swann in Love - class is next week and I have 250 pages to read....
Hallowe'en Husbands: Marriage at Morrow Creek / Wedding at Warehaven / Master of Penlowen - when i can't read Proust due to lighting -- first story was fun. Romance and total fluff.
Standby short ebook reads for bad lighting while reading Proust:
That Month in Tuscany
We Should All Be Feminists
The Nonesuch
On the nightstand:
The Master and Margarita
Home to Stay
QOTW: Never ever ever. Nope. No Way. I hide behind the sofa when the flying monkeys show up in Wizard of Oz, no way am I reading anything scary.
Witches, ghosts and such in cozy mysteries - different story.
Mod
..."
Congrats! WOW that is a lot of challenges you are doing, all presented in a remarkably well-organized format!!! I'm impressed.
Evening. Definitely autumn here in Scotland - it's been bucketing with rain for the past few days. 😕☔Only finished 2 books - Dark Tales and Hard Times. Both were decent.
Dark Tales had a few stories I really enjoyed, most were pretty okay, and some just didn't quite click with me or I failed to understand them. But all in all I really like Shirley Jackson and she's great at that just sliiightly unsettling creepy vibe.
As for Hard Times, I really enjoy Dickens but that particular one wasn't my favourite. I liked a lot of the pointed little bits of social commentary he slipped in. The worst thing was the one character he wrote with a lisp... everything spelled out phonetically - "you thee, thir, Thethilia thays..." for pages on end. Charles dear, that was nowhere near as funny as you obviously thought.
Currently reading a bunch of stuff:
The Leavers - Probably another 3-star in the making. I like the sections from Polly's perspective more than Deming/Daniel's.
North and South - Gaskell is another Victorian author I absolutely love. Her writing is a lot easier to understand than many of her contemporaries, but still gorgeous in quite an understated way.
The Graveyard Book - Rereading this for the group read.
QOTW: I prefer "spooky" books to ones that are actually creepy or scary. Something like Graveyard Book, The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Sparrow Hill Road or Diane Setterfield's work is the kind of thing I like reading in the darker months.
Coraline is about my limit for scariness - I was in my teens when I saw the movie and it still freaked me out. 😨😅
Mod
hahahahah I find both the Wizard of Oz movie and the Willy Wonka movie (well, the original) to be too scary to watch. Can't stand them. They are so upsetting. I'm mystified by their popularity. I've never seen the WW remake so I don't know about that.
Hi everyone! Fall is here, heat is on (and working, hooray!), and yeah, the leaves have been kinda bland so far. Deer are out like crazy, though, seeing loads of those hormonal carwreckers on my drives! Got a toothache and a headache, may be related, so just taking as much tylonal as I can as I can't take any other types of pain medicine. :/I finished BB Wolf and the Three LPs for a fairytale retelling. Someone mentioned it here recently. I liked the idea, wasn't thrilled with the execution.
Currently reading Born to Run, making good progress, probably another 2 weeks to finish. Still working on Lincoln's Last Trial: The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency, hopefully only another few days to finish that. Going to have to return Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History, but I'll try to get it right back out. Started The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt: A Tyranny of Truth for a book by an author with same initials. I know basically nothing about her, so it's interesting. This weekend I hope to start The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for a Halloween type book.
Which leads nicely into the QOTW: I scare easily, so I don't read much that is classified as horror, and I certainly don't watch it (and yes, original Oompa Loompas are scary as hell!). Oddly, though, realistic crime/ murder mysteries and true crime don't hardly bother me at all, to read or watch. It's the supernatural or gore-fest stuff that gets me. We'll see how I do with Dr. Jekyll...
I had a wonderful day on Sunday riding with a friend to see the changing leaves. It wasn't as wonderful in the places we thought it would be. But the colors were spectacular and beautiful in a canyon that no one has been mentioning. And that's why we explore. The temperatures have fallen rapidly this week but are supposed to slowly climb back up to normal autumn weather. I finished three books this week:
Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories by R.J. Palacio; 5 stars, not for challenge
These are three stories that are a follow-up on some of the characters from Wonder. It uncovers the motivations of the bully, the welcome buddy, the old friend. These stories really captured the feelings and experiences of being an adolescent (these kids are in the 5th grade but seem to be having experiences more conducive to 7th/8th grade-a minor quibble). I loved it!
An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen; 4 stars, not for challenge
I enjoyed The Wife Between Us and thought I'd give these authors another shot. While this wasn't as "thriller-y," it kept me entertained and interested.
Black Swan Green by David Mitchell; 3 stars, PS #14 (book someone is reading on TV [You])
I picked this book because it was the one scene I could vividly remember seeing a book being read in the TV series "You" that I hadn't already read (although I had to do a little research to figure out the book). It's about a 13-year-old boy trying to find his place in the world. I wasn't very interested at first as it dealt mostly with other (annoying) kids, but it got better as it delved more into his inner life and family life. It was a decent read.
I decided to expand on a couple of the categories, so I plugged in books from my non-challenge reads to fill #40 (favorite prompt from past challenges) for each of the years 2015 to 2018.
GoodReads: 65/80
PopSugar: 38/45, 6/10
Around the Year: 47/52
QOTW:
I am a total wimp. I don't read scary books or see scary movies. I could live without Halloween. I don't mind ghosts, goblins, ghouls, etc. in theory, but I prefer them to be on the friendly side.
Jennifer W wrote: "Hi everyone! Fall is here, heat is on (and working, hooray!), and yeah, the leaves have been kinda bland so far. Deer are out like crazy, though, seeing loads of those hormonal carwreckers on my dr..."That might have been me -- I read the "BB Wolf and the Three LPs" a few weeks ago. I'm in the same boat of "interesting idea, not sure about the execution."
ACK I forgot this week starts a thing at work and I need to get up hours earlier than normal, so I'm dropping this like it's hot and coming back another day!Finished:
What Rose Forgot: A Novel
Much Obliged, Jeeves
Currently Reading:
Platform Seven
A Darker Shade of Magic
Aunts Aren't Gentlemen
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
La Belle Sauvage (other topics)Red, White & Royal Blue (other topics)
The Amber Spyglass (other topics)
Black Swan Green (other topics)
Black Swan Green (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Neil Gaiman (other topics)Tracy Weber (other topics)
Tara Westover (other topics)
Sara Shepard (other topics)
Jimmy O. Yang (other topics)
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Our October group read is ongoing with The Graveyard Book. If you have any thoughts about the Challenge and you haven't added them, we have a post set up for that: Thoughts and Opinions
This week I finished my reading Challenge! I finished the Around the Year challenge two weeks ago, so now all I have left is my personal “must read” list (two more books). Plus all the other books I’ve been meaning to read “soon.”
I guess I was energized by finishing the Challenge - I finished six books this week (a lot more than my ONE book last week!):
Wilder Girls by Rory Power - gorgeous cover, disappointing book with flat characters, dull writing, and an ending so open-ended that it shouldn’t even qualify as an ending. I mean, the words stopped, so it was an ending, but nothing is resolved.
Undertow by Elizabeth Bear - this was an amazing story wrapped up in a hot mess, the plot took forever to make an appearance; recommended only for patient readers who love alien planet sci-fi. I really like Bear, but this was not her finest work. This was my second book with the same title, and my last Challenge read!
A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams - I loved this book and I’m not quite sure why!
The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James - wow this blew me away. So good! The perfect Spooktober read.
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead - short & powerful. Five stars.
Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun by Sarah Ladipo Manyika - I can see why a lot of people loved this, but it wasn’t for me.
Question of the Week:
Do you like to read scary or creepy books?
I don’t, generally. (You may have noticed my choice for ghost story was the notably NOT creepy The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, which was EXCELLENT, by the way.) I’m fine with gritty storylines or suspense, but I don’t want to be so terrified that I hesitate to get out of bed and walk down the hall. (And yet, I love zombie books! Hahaha we are all full of contradictions. Zombies are so far from reality that those books don’t scare me.) But recently a lot of my friends were picking out spooky books for “Spooktober” reading, so I decided to try another ghost story, which is why I ended up listening to - and inhaling - The Haunting of Maddy Clare. This book struck exactly the right amount of creepiness for me: the ghost was angry, and threw things and grabbed people and even possessed people, but I never doubted that it was all going to work out in the end.