Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2020 Weekly Checkins
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Week 7: 2/6 - 2/13
Another snowy morning here in Akron - we got dumped on last night, but no school closings in the county (not that I have to worry about that, but still).I only finished two books this week, but they both counted toward the challenge!
- On the Come Up 5 stars. Perhaps not as urgent as Thomas's debut, The Hate U Give, but an engrossing read that deals with gang violence, racism, poverty, and breaking the cycle. Bri and her family and friends were wonderful characters. book by a WOC
- With the Fire on High 3.75 stars. I'm not usually so specific with ratings, but 3.5 felt too low and 4 felt too high. I liked this a lot but the MC was a little too perfect for my taste, even while dealing with being a teen mother and struggling to make ends meet. Overall a vibrant feel-good story. a bildungsroman
15/50
I'm still reading Malcolm X's autobiography and I think I'm going to start Akata Witch on audio. I've also got a library stack at home including Crown of Thunder, All American Boys, and The Obelisk Gate.
QOTW: Do you prefer shorter books or longer books?
Editing to answer this, because I forgot it earlier! I would say I kind of prefer shorter books bc that means I can read more of them rather than spending a month or more on a single thing - which can get sloggy - but then again, Les Miserables took me two years to read. It feels like a big accomplishment to finish a longer book :)
I finished Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation as my book about or involving social media. Thank goodness that's over with.I've just started Memoirs of a Geisha as my book that takes place in Japan. I noticed that it was published in 1997. For some reason I thought it was older than that.
QOTW: I like both, as long as the book isn't long because the author is trying to make it long, if you know what I mean. I've read some long books where the beginning is good and the end is good and the middle just kind of drags and I can't help but wonder if they were trying to get their word count up.
Lonesome Dove is a fairly long book and it's my absolute favorite. And there's not one extra word in there.
Good morning and happy Thursday! Nadine - I hope you are feeling better soon! I'm sitting here sneezing, but hopefully it stays there and doesn't get worse.Finished:
The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne. This is the new book by the author of my much loved Brightly Burning. It's a retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion with a little bit of The Bachelor thrown in for fun. I loved Stars but not quite as much as Brightly. I was disappointed though because I had expected to use it for the robot/cyborg/AI prompt. Brightly Burning had an AI. Stars, sadly, did not :( I used it for a book with a great first line (which I can't share because I've already passed the book along to a friend!)
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland - I'm not even sure how I found this book, but it fit my current reading trend (nonfiction, heavy topics) so I went with it. I remember hearing coverage of some of the violence from Northern Ireland in the 80s, but I really didn't know much. I'm using this as a book on a subject I know nothing about.
Currently reading:
Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love by Jonathan Van Ness. Another memoir from the Queer Eye guys. I've read Karamo's book and Tan's as well. I can hear Jonathan's voice clearly through the text of this book. I almost picked up the audio, but I ended up getting the Kindle book from the library. Using for a book by a trans or nonbinary author.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret - somehow I escaped adolescence without reading this book. I found in on Libby so I decided to listen to it for the bildungsroman prompt.
QOTW
I used to always say I loved long books, but more often than not I find most long books are unnecessarily long and could use a more ruthless editor. Most often these days I stick to books between 300-500 pages. I try to read one or two long books every year.
I don't read very many short books.
This week I finished Little Fires Everywherefor the three word prompt and Thief River Falls. I enjoyed both of them. I just started City of brass. Question of the Week
Do you prefer shorter books or longer books?
I definitely prefer shorter books. At the same time a book being long would not stop me from reading it, but I might put it off for a while.
this week I finished Obama's Dreams of my Father for the world leader prompt, and enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. I'm still working on: War and Peace and The Bartered Brides, and I've started Lisa Genova's Left Neglected for the pun prompt. I really enjoyed Lisa Genova's other two books I've read, and so far this one had not disappointed :).
QOTW: I like to think I like longer books, but as War and Peace has been dragging, I've been looking at my stats, and it seems most of my favorites have been around 350 pages.
Good morning! It’s snowy today and not quite done. I’m on vacation from work (not doing anything special, other than not going to work) so I will wait until the snow stops later this morning before I get out and shovel. I also start art classes tonight. I’ve never been good at drawing or art so this will be a bit of a stretch for me- which is its entire purpose in life! This week I finished:
Golden in Death. It released last Tuesday so I had to stop everything and read it. I put it down for a book about the seven deadly sins but I just realized it also fits for a book with bronze, silver or gold in the title- not sure which I’ll end up using it for.
Norse Mythology. Not for any challenge. This was last weeks audiobook.
All Systems Red for a book with a character with a visual impairment or enhanced vision. This character has drones attached to its visual system so he can see remote items.
And This Is How You Lose the Time War for a book with an upside down image on its cover. I really liked this story but boy was it hard to read. Meaning it took a long time to read a very short book.
I’m currently reading:
The Name of the Wind. Which is good but long for me. I’ll use this for the PS 2018 prompt of a book with a weather element in its title.
Under and Alone: The True Story of the Undercover Agent Who Infiltrated America's Most Violent Outlaw Motorcycle Gang this weeks audiobook which will be for the ATY prompt of a book with a mode of transportation on its cover.
QOTW -
I prefer shorter books. My sweet spot is 250-450 pages. Although it seems that since September I’ve read a lot of books that are much longer than that! And I haven’t even gotten to the ATY prompt requesting a moderately long book!
It has been raining, raining, and raining here and I can't take it! But at least we have the long weekend coming up and I will definitely take that! This week I finished two books. The Hollow, which was meh. That was my book in a series with more than 20 books. I also finished The Girl with the Louding Voice which was spectacular and I highly recommend it. I used it for book with over 4 stars on goodreads, but it could also be a bildungsroman, a book by a WOC, book that passes the Bechdel test, or book published in 2020. I would count it for all of those, anyway.
I just started A Long Petal of the Sea, which takes place in a country that starts with a C. So far its pretty great. I have never read Isabel Allende, but my mom is super into her and I always say I'm going to try her books.
QOTW: I like both long and short books. I tend to be reading multiple books at a time, so with long books I might only read a chapter a day and let it take months to finish. Or I might just read it straight through depending on my mood.
I had a better week this week and finished four books. I'm hoping for a nice relaxing weekend where I can get more reading done. Finished:
Foul Is Fair - I had an ARC of this. It was a contemporary retelling of Macbeth which I enjoyed, but I found the main character unlikable. The book was a bit violent and gory which did not bother me, but it might bother other readers. 3 stars
Dear Edward - I used this for prompt #29 - a book with a bird on the cover. This was such a good story although sad at times. I did think it was hard to get into at first, but picked up at the end. 4 stars
Regretting You - I used this for prompt #33 - a book with at least 4 stars on Goodreads. I'm trying to do mostly romance reads for February and this was my first one. It's the second Colleen Hoover book I've read, and although romance is not my favorite genre, I did enjoy this book. 4 stars
It Ends with Us - this was my second Colleen Hoover book of the month. I have one more that I took out from my library that I want to read this month as well. This book gave me all the feels. It was very well written for such a tough topic to discuss. Trigger warning for domestic violence though. 5 stars
Challenge Progress:
Regular challenge - 7/40
Advanced challenge - 3/10
Total 10/50
Currently Reading:
Things in Jars - not sure how I'm feeling about this one. It's very odd!
One True Loves - I'm using this for prompt #16 - a book with a book on the cover
Anna K.: A Love Story - I'm going to start this tonight
QOTW - Do you prefer shorter books or longer books?
I tend to feel overwhelmed by longer books so I definitely prefer shorter ones. Books between 300-400 pages are perfect in my opinion!
Sadly, the book I really want to read and have on hold is now several weeks overdue at the library, and there’s only one copy in our system. After talking to the library about it, it sounds like this book is a likely candidate to go “missing.” This is the second time a book has disappeared after I’ve placed a hold on it .... They very kindly offered to ILL the book for me, though, so at least I’ll get to read the book soon-ish.Finished
Babylon's Ashes by James SA Corey (a book with a made up language). Not my favorite book in The Expanse series. It’s a lot of plodding politics. But I have faith it’s leading to something bigger and better in the next book.
Reading
Sunrise by JF Crane (a book by an author with flora or fauna in their name)
QOTW
I think it was Neil Gaiman who said an author should write until the story is finished and then stop. I like books that are the right length for the story whether they end up long or short.
Finished:Soulless by Gail Carriger- this was meh. I would start to get into this then the main character would say something that sounded more modern and it would pull me write out of the story.
White Teeth by Zadie Smith- I feel like I'm kind of stingy with giving out 5 stars but this was 5 stars for me. I didn't like any of the characters from the get-go but I enjoyed the story and it's really well written.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon- another enjoyable read.
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn- meh. Glad it was short.
Currently reading The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
11/50
QOTW: Like someone else said, I prefer my books to be in the 300-500 range.
Only one book this weekBook with a pun in the title
Frankly in Love by David Yoon. The main character's name is Frank Li. I gave this 2.5 stars but rounded up because Goodreads doesn't allow half stars.
YA. Romance? I feel like it was billed that way but there wasn't a lot of it in the book. There is fake dating which is my second favorite trope. But the romance was very meh. And there was a lot thrown in to make a huge mish mash that was somewhat shallow.
The cover is fantastic.
QOTW: I don't really care about the length of the book. Sometimes short books can feel a bit shallow. Sometimes, long books can feel like the editor needed to have a heavier hand (I'm looking at you The Goldfinch.
Greetings all. I was a bit of a slacker this week. I completed one book. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - I loved this book and gave it 5 stars. It’s set in Alaska in the 70s. The drama of the Albright family was emotional for me. This book fits the prompt book with a 3 word title.
I’m currently reading
Bridge of Spies: A True Story of the Cold War
QOTW - Do you prefer shorter books or longer books?
I prefer books in the 400-500 range.
Nadine wrote: "Happy Thursday! I’ve been sick with a cold so I’m miserable; I feel better today than I did yesterday, so that’s a good sign. I hope everyone else is having a better week! Bright side for me: Mon..."
Hope you feel better soon, Nadine! And thank you and our other admins for all the hard work you do in keeping this group running smoothly. We all appreciate it so much. :)
Lisa wrote: "Good morning! It’s snowy today and not quite done. I’m on vacation from work (not doing anything special, other than not going to work) so I will wait until the snow stops later this morning before..."Interesting that you called Murderbot a "he," because I've been imagining Murderbot as a "she!" I guess technically Murderbot is a "they," given that they're a robot, but still, it's interesting how people can view characters differently...
Happy Thursday, y’all.Not much to report this week, so on with the books!
Books read this week:
The Final Empire -- for “book with a map.” A friend has been trying to talk me into reading the Mistborn series for ages, so I guess it’s about time I dove into it, heh… I have some nitpicks with the worldbuilding (how the heck are plants supposed to survive without chlorophyl -- I guess magic?), but overall this was a unique and entertaining fantasy. Still debating whether to continue with the series or not...
A Natural History of Dragons -- not for the challenge. Enjoyable, but not sure I liked it enough to continue the series. For being “a natural history of dragons,” there weren’t that many dragons, haha...
The Okay Witch -- graphic novel, not for the challenge (though could work for “passes the Bechdel test”). A familiar plot (teen girl discovers she’s secretly a witch) made highly entertaining thanks to some unique worldbuilding, great humor, and an adorable yet sassy talking cat.
Regular challenge -- 11/44 (split the last prompt into five)
Advanced challenge -- 1/10
Not for challenge -- 11
Currently Reading:
The Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest -- for “anthology”
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet -- for “book that won an award in 2019”
Envy of Angels -- for “book about one of the seven deadly sins”
QOTW:
I read books of all sorts of lengths... though I do notice that I used to be able to whip through long books when I was a teen/young adult, but started to shy away from them when I started working full-time. It took me a month to read The Stand... and really, I do find that almost every long book drags at least a little in the middle. If the normal edition of "The Stand" felt a little too long, I can only imagine how the 1200-page expanded edition feels...
For me, between 200 and 400 pages feels like a decent length for a book. There are exceptions -- I LOVED The Priory of the Orange Tree and that monster's 800 pages -- but that's my preferred range.
Me? Checking in on time? Uh, yeah! Being on leave from work helps a lot. And I am having the laziest of lazy days I've had in a long time. Still not out of bed and it's gone 2pm...I feel like a teenager again!I read two books this week, taking me to 6/54 (6/44, 0/10) for PS and I'm on books 9 & 10 for the year.
My first book this week was my 2nd of five books I'm reading for PS prompt #40 favourite prompt from a past challenge. I read Enduring Love by Ian McEwan, for the 2015 prompt book from an author you love that you haven't read yet. This book has to have one of the best opening scenes ever - a bizarre but horrifying incident where a group of strangers rush to save a child from an out-of-control hot air balloon, recounted in exacting detail by one Joe Rose. Scientific writer, happily living with his partner Clarissa, who through his involvement in the botched rescue attempt attracts the obsessive attention of one of the others involved. A fanatical loner, Jed Parry is convinced that Joe loves him and takes to stalking him, seeing every denial of romantic interest on Joe's part as further proof that their love is enduring and will lead atheist Joe to God. There are some amazing scenes in this book (the drug dealers in a farm house was a standout for me), and I loved the build up to the conclusion whilst even as a reader I questioned what was reality and who really was suffering from a psychiatric turmoil. I think that was what I enjoyed about the book. Well, that and McEwan's prose, which I think I've enjoyed in all the books of his that I've read (I think about six now). This is no Atonement, but I enjoyed it more than some of his others. And that's even taking into account my loss of appetite for middle class characters...possibly because this isn't exactly a rich people problems story. The situation is so out there, and that is what really makes the book.
My second book wasn't for a challenge, it was a NetGalley from Penguin Random House and part of my self help/healing reading as I go through divorce - Wintering: How I learned to flourish when life became frozen by Katherine May. PRH liked my review so much they sent me a hardback copy, which arrived today and I'm so happy to have as I definitely think I will revisit and share this one. When I came across the description of this book, I knew I had to read it. This is the story of one woman's journey through a "winter" of her life - a time where we have to hunker down, go into ourselves and retreat in order to heal. For May that was a period of illness and uncertainty, but there are many reasons why our lives enter winter. Grief, depression, heartbreak, fear. And that is why this book caught my attention, as I'm going through my own winter and am looking for the guiding light of those who have been through it themselves. I wouldn't have used the term before coming across this book, but it fits so perfectly. And so does May's way of looking at it - not as something to be feared or avoided, but instead something to be used as a time for healing and transforming. When winter comes, you can't hide from it and so the best thing to do is embrace it. And if you're able to prepare for such periods in life, so much the better. This book is both a map and survival guide.
That is wintering. It is the active acceptance of sadness. It is the practice of allowing ourselves to feel it as a need. It is the courage to stare down the worst parts of our experience, and to commit to healing them the best we can. Wintering is a moment of intuition, our true needs felt keenly as a knife.
May explores the experience of wintering alongside elements of seasonal winter - nature, weather, feeling the cold, traditions and hibernation. I thought this was a fascinating book as she is able to balance her own experiences and that of others she interviews with natural history and scientific evidence. Her writing is what elevates this book. I thought it was beautiful and really brought the full force of a cold wind or a crackling fire to life on the page. But mostly, what really resonated with me was the encouragement that she gives the reader to see even times of the worst emotional turmoil as a chance to withdraw, heal and transform. Not as an act of cowardice or selfishness, but as a natural way to cope with the ebb and flow of life.
Life goes on, abundantly, in winter, and this is where changes are made that usher us into future glories.
QOTW - Do you prefer shorter books or longer books?
I think I probably sway to shorter books, just because there are so many books I want to read that I feel longer books just take me too long! My usual picks are between 300-400 pages, which I can usually get through in a week with the reading time I have available. That isn't to say that I wouldn't read a longer book, but I just have to be careful that I balance them out with shorter books and be mindful of what I can actually accomplish in a year! I don't think bigger always means better. I've read a lot of shorter books that I've thought I could have read more of this, but I don't think there's been many longer books that I thought needed to be longer...and even some that could have been just as good or better had they been edited down a bit.
I only finished one book this week. Four library holds came in, so I had to set aside everything I had been reading to tackle those - they're all 14 day books with other people waiting for them. I try really hard to spread out my holds, but it seems like this happens on a fairly regular basis. I wait and wait, finding myself at loose ends because nothing on my TBR is really calling to me, and then BOOM! Everything all at once.Challenge Progress: 15/50
Completed:
Bad Feminist: Remarkable blend of social commentary and memoir. I enjoyed the pop culture references. My favorite essays were "Not Here to Make Friends" and "The Careless Language of Sexual Violence." Very different topics but I felt like they were both really important in our understanding of the term feminism. (A book with only words on the cover, no images or graphics) ★★★★
Currently Reading: The Obsoletes (a book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character), The Starless Sea (a book with a character with a vision impairment or enhancement); Antarctica: An Intimate Portrait of the World's Most Mysterious Continent, The Witches Are Coming, A World Without Work: Technology, Automation, and How We Should Respond; Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History, and Consent: A Memoir of Unwanted Attention
I temporarily set aside Twenty-one Truths About Love (a book with 20 or twenty in the title), Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Here's Looking at Euclid: From Counting Ants to Games of Chance - An Awe-Inspiring Journey Through the World of Numbers (a book with a pun in the title).
I should have lots to report on next week!
QOTW: 300-500 seems about right to me. More than 500 pages? It better be a great book! Many books with more than 500 pages seem to me to be bloated and could really benefit from some more aggressive editing.
Two completed this weekRed Sister Finally! It was a bit of a slog for me, but I'm not sure how much of that was because I read it as an e-book, which I do not enjoy. More thoughts in the discussion thread.
Dune Another finally. Picked it back up and got through it. Pretty enjoyable, definitely a page turner. But I feel like it got a little too compressed at the end - things happened so quickly, or off-screen, that I wanted to know more about. Was going to use it as the made-up language book, but from the afterword, it sounds like it all the language in the book was based on actual languages? So I've put it as my 20th century book for now.
Currently reading:
The Nightingale for the group read.
The Count of Monte Cristo for the other group read.
21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality
Coming up:
Just picked up The Toll, which I only have for 7 days (when I'm waiting, I appreciate that my library only lets you have books with holds for 7 days, but then once I have it, I think "this is way too short!") and I'll also have to read Everything I Never Told You before my book club next weekend. I'm thinking this is going to be a reading heavy weekend, fortunately Monday is a holiday!
QotW
I've never really thought about whether I have a preference between short or long, feel like I'm happy to read anything and length is not a factor in my enjoyment.
That said, if I know for some reason that I will really enjoy the book, I like seeing that it's long because I know I'll have more time to spend in that world. So, I loved the escalating length of the Harry Potter books. And I did do a bit of a wiggle of delight when I picked up The Toll and saw how hefty it was.
Kenya wrote: "Happy Thursday, y’all.Not much to report this week, so on with the books!
Books read this week:
The Final Empire -- for “book with a map.” A friend has been trying to talk me into ..."
The plants thing in The Final Empire is explained in the third book - so keep reading!
I am finding these days there are so many books I want to read that I am having trouble prioritizing and making time for all of them. At least with President's Day on Monday I have a long weekend to look forward to!Completed:
The Cherry Cola Book Club- Spunky librarian Maura Beth Mayhew is driven to create more traffic to her small-town library of Cherico, Mississippi when the city counsel threatens to pull funding to put up an industrial park. She decides to host a book club focused on Southern Classics and as the individuals begin to meet they find themselves bonding in new ways through the literature they are discussing. With a great cast of characters I loved this book and am looking forward to reading more in the series! An added bonus- the book contains the recipes of what was provided at the book club!
Prompt: A book about a book club (Popsugar)
Currently Reading:
Texts from Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters
Prompt: a book by a trans or nonbinary author (Popsugar)
American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt
Prompt: Favorite prompt from a past Popsugar Reading Challenge- 2017- a book about an interesting woman
QOTW:
I focus more on the storyline of the book rather than length. If the story is well told and I connect with the characters I am fine reading 500+ pages.
My progress:10 / 50 Popsugar
7 / 52 ATY
22 / 175 Goodreads challenge
Popsugar books completed this week:
A Darker Shade of Magic - for the advanced prompt about enhanced / impaired vision, as the MC has one 'normal' eye and another which is entirely black because magic.
3 stars. I liked it, but there was something about the writing style which made it hard to get sucked into. I've previously read Vicious and Vengeful by the same author and had a similar issue; I thought it might be different with the Shades of Magic series because I prefer fantasy to sci-fi but I still found I wanted to put the book down after about 50 pages. I'm planning to complete the series - mostly because the next two books fit prompts for the ATY challenge! - but I didn't love it as much as I had hoped.
Good morning from snowy Wyoming! Our state is closed. We had a huge storm last week which is all ice now, and then we got another foot or so all day yesterday. Interstates, highways, and half the town shut down. Both my husband and I got our cars stuck in our driveway until a kind neighbor rescued us with his tow truck. Dog refused to go outside this morning (and she usually likes snow). Once again, I haven't checked in in 2 weeks and only finished 3 books in that time, all for the challenge, putting me at 17/50:
All of them were 4 stars for me!
QOTW:
I don't really care about length when deciding whether or not to read a book (unless it's crunch-time on a challenge). There are pros and cons to each. I like long books if they are good because I love really delving into that world and spending some time there. I like short books because I like adding books to my completed challenges and it makes me feel accomplished.
Right now I'm reading 3 books that are all over 1000 pages, and it's making me feel unaccomplished because I have so few updates!
It's been a rough week job-search (and now health)-wise but at least I'm getting in some good reading...I just finished listening to With the Fire on High which was nice and cute. A tad too "easy" but I probably needed that this week. 4 stars
I also listened to Island Beneath the Sea which didn't exactly meet my expectations. I'm really interested in Haitian history and am a fan of Isabel Allende, so I thought this would be perfect. I enjoyed some parts (especially that it also included some history related to New Orleans) but for some reason it didn't quite click for me. One reason might be that I was distracted by the use of the modern term "people of color" throughout the story that took place in the 1700s. I get that the terminology used back then is unacceptable, but authors are generally given a pass for using what was accurate at the time, if necessary. Overall this story felt too long, which was unfortunate since I was excited about it. 3 stars
I read The Last Time I Lied after seeing some hype about it. The story definitely held my interest and I was pretty happy with the ending. Just checked out the author's previous novel, Final Girls. 4 stars
I listened to We Are Never Meeting In Real Life and enjoyed it. While I don't have a ton in common with the author, I appreciated her honesty and comedy style. 4 stars
I finished my signed copy of The Nickel Boys for one of my book clubs this week. Wow, I was not expecting that big reveal! This book dealt with some very tough stuff, but I think it was done well, and was a story that needed to be told. 4 stars
I'm currently listening to Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory and still making my way through my hard copy of The Testaments.
QOTW: I like the idea of short books... They are less daunting and a smaller time commitment, so I'm more eager to jump into a short one than a door-stopper. But sometimes I'm loving a book so much I don't want it to end. Cantoras is what comes to mind first in that category. My sweet spot is probably in the 250-350 range, but I have certainly loved some longer ones.
One strange thing I noticed is that I've only had one 5-star read so far this year. I normally have about two per month, but only Wave (a short one at 274 pages) has reached that level this year. But I've had plenty of 4-star reads, so I don't think I've lost my touch for picking good books. ;)
Sorry you're sick, Nadine; but I totally get the "time to read!" angle - I vividly remember reading What the Hell Did I Just Read in its entirety while coughing so much I displaced a couple of my ribs! On average, it came out as a positive experience. :DGood reading week for me!
Finished:
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones - A book with a pun in the title - fascinating and helpful ideas buried in annoying padding. I recommend reading a summary!
The Turn of the Key - A book featuring one of the seven deadly sins (envy, lust) - semi-trashy domestic thriller that did something interesting by morphing Henry James's "governess isolated at Gothic manor" into a modern setting where the house is hella creepy because it's full of surveillance cameras and "smart" automations. I liked it a lot except for the very ending. Felt unsatisfying and truncated.
Currently reading:
The Fifth Season - finally getting around to this and it's great. I tried Audible's "Bookcast" version which has subtle ambient music - interesting idea, and I'm game as long as it costs the same number of credits as the regular version!
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup - A book about or by a woman in STEM - OMG, I'm so caught up in this! Fetch some popcorn and gasp in horror/disbelief/schadenfreude at the audacity of this fraud. (I work at a medical device company with the compliance team and I'm ASTOUNDED at how far this company got without regulatory approval!)
QOTW:
Short, please! There are some long books that I tore through, but unless it's unusually captivating, better to wield the editorial pencil liberally, IMHO! A good-but-flawed idea can be entertaining in a novella and unendurable in a 500+ page format. Length tends to magnify irritants and reduce momentum. I'd much rather see an author artfully segment a long story into shorter, somewhat self-contained books that aren't doorstops.
I just woke up today with a runny nose. Yikes! Hoping to kick it before something worse settles in!I did not complete anything this week so I'm still at 5/50.
Currently Reading
The Solzhenitsyn Reader: New and Essential Writings, 1947-2005 for "first book touched on shelf with eyes closed". This is why I haven't finished anything. IT'S A BEAST. 600+ pages! But I'm 2/3 of the way through and it's been absolutely stunning.
Know the Faith: A Handbook for Orthodox Christians and Inquirers I'm not reading this for the challenge, just for my own personal gratification. I'm a new convert and have been needing something like this to help me unlearn all the junk I learned in my previous faith expression. So far, this book is exactly what I've needed!
The Wilderness Journal: 365 Days with the Philokalia for "book with title that caught your attention". Still slogging through. Some parts of this are great so far. Others just ho-hum.
QotW
So, the thing with long and short books is that you can do both poorly. Short books run the risk of skimping on character development in favour of plot. Long books run the risk of unnecessary details and tangents. Looking at my favourite books, they all tend to run long. C.S. Lewis was a master at the short book (so it's ironic that he likes long ones...but then again he was bffs with Tolkien). He can describe a scene, build a character, and finish a plot well in a short amount of space. But I've run into very few others who can do that well. It's truly an art. I love books that take the time to develop their characters deeply and realistically. The great Russian writers (Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Solzhenitsyn) do this very well, and they take up a lot of space to do so. Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series is mammoth, but the world and character building are exquisite. On the other hand, I find Lord of the Rings overdone. Too long with the wrong details emphasized. So, all of that to say, I tend to lean toward longer books, but length does not always equal good writing. It's not a big factor for me when choosing a book.
Do you prefer shorter books or longer books?I've never thought about what I prefer, to be completely honest. Yes, I do think that books over the 600 mark are too big, and will honestly not usually read them because they are intimidating. But at the same time, If a book is enjoyable and the aspects that made the book too "long" are pleasing, then I'm okay. The longest book I've read is definitely IT, and I'm one of those weird people that enjoyed all the tiny little tidbits about everyone in town. I would hate to see it "abridged" because it would lose everything that I found haunting and scary without all that information.
Read
Magic for Liars - A book by a trans or nonbinary author. - 3 Stars
Well… this was not what I expected.
This cover makes you think occult, the idea of a magical school makes you think Harry Potter, the overall murder mystery plot makes you think Agatha Christie.
What you get is a righteous Petunia (HP) with tons of self-pity monologues, and glimpses of plot.
The ending? I figured that one out too soon, but the addition of the subplot girlies was nice. I was intrigued enough by the actual mystery to keep going, and the last 25%, the book was intensely good.
Currently Reading
Truly Devious - A book with a map. (Even though I have the audiobook instead of the physical. Still counts right?)
Gods of Jade and Shadow - A book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics.
Morning!Get well soon, Nadine.
It's been stormy here in Scotland, though nothing compared to down south - poor Yorkshire is underwater. We've just been getting a lot of wind and snow, snow, snow. Not even nice "do-you-wanna-build-a-snowman" kind of snow either, wet unpleasant stuff.
Oh well, I've been taking the opportunity to cosy up indoors with a weighted blanket, chocolate, and my books.
Didn't get around to checking in last week, so this is a fortnight's worth. And uh, holy crap, did I read a lot in a fortnight.
Completed:
A Stranger City - This was alright, I like Linda Grant's writing a lot, but it says something that it's only been a couple of weeks and I can barely remember any of the actual plot. Had a lot of commentary on contemporary politics, Brexit etc., which... was honestly not comforting considering I was reading it the day of Brexit itself.
(hahaha we're all going to hell in a handbasket)
Used for Popsugar prompt #5, city that has hosted the Olympics (London).
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption - This is a genuine must-read, I don't even know what else to say. I was gripped and disturbed and angered.
The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life on Death Row - A great companion book to Just Mercy, it's a memoir by one of Bryan Stevenson's clients who spent decades on death row. So very powerful.
Trumpet - Read this for a book club, didn't make the meeting but very glad it prompted me to pick this up anyway. Really interesting. I admit it shocked me, seeing the attitudes to trans people even just a comparatively few years ago in the 90s - even in 2020 we're not as progressive as we should be, but in Trumpet so many characters see transness as this scandalizing, tantalizing, freakish thing - even, for much of the book, the trans person's own son is disgusted by it. I spent a lot of time considering how the same circumstances would play out today. A very thought-provoking book and the writing was great, I especially enjoyed the one-off interlude chapters from the perspective of side characters. I think "The Registrar" was my favourite of those.
Used for Popsugar Advanced prompt #8, published in the 20th century (in 1998, so only just pre-millennium, but still).
Pet - This was unusual, but I mostly liked it. Kind of a parable on morality and wilful blindness.
Every Heart a Doorway
Down Among the Sticks and Bones
Beneath the Sugar Sky
- Reread the first few books of the Wayward Children series in prep for the newest release. Loved them as much as ever.
Come Tumbling Down - A solid addition to the series. I love Jack and I'm glad she got a good conclusion to her arc, even if it wasn't necessarily happy. It was great to see Alexis again too and the two of them being together and happy after everything.
Oh, and there are some very, er, interesting horses. To quote Sumi:
"That horse has no skin, and that one has too many skins. I think one is the usual number of skins for a horse."
Used for Popsugar prompt #1, published in 2020.
Roots - A really impressive work. Though I was annoyed at how the female viewpoint characters got skipped over - we get several hundred pages with Kunta Kinte, then like a chapter or two of Kizzy, couple hundred pages with Chicken George, couple hundred pages with Tom, then I think one chapter skimming over Cynthia and Bertha both, before Alex Haley brings it up to the present day with himself.
All in all though, I definitely see why it's such an iconic story.
Used for Popsugar prompt #38, by or about a journalist.
Red at the Bone - Took me a while to get my head around it in the beginning, with the shifting viewpoints and non-linear timeline, but once I was into it I absolutely loved it and thought it was brilliant. Enjoyed the references to classic African-American poetry - I noticed "And Still I Rise" and "I, Too, Sing America" but I'm sure there was lots more I didn't catch.
Used for Popsugar prompt #32, by a woman of colour.
The Summer We Got Free - Unusual, not quite sure what I think of it yet. Family drama, sprinkling of magical realism, maybe a touch of mystery? (There's two timelines, one before a tragedy and one after, and the reader only knows some of what happened - does that count as "mystery"?)
Writing was great, especially when it came to the parts about art and painting - I could almost feel the texture of the paint when the characters touched it.
Currently reading The Luminaries. So huge. So intimidating. But I'm liking it so far! Not sure where the plot is going yet...
QOTW: Really depends on mood. Mostly I like medium-to-long books, in the 350- to 500-page range. But short ones are good when I don't feel like a huge time commitment, and really big brick-like books can be so relaxing to just sit down, dive into and get lost in. My favourite tomes, like the one-volume Lord of the Rings, I wish I could just curl up right in the middle of its pages like a little fieldmouse.
Hello. I know so many people battling colds/flu the past few weeks, I hope you feel better soon.This week I finished 3 books:
The Winner by David Baldacci - used as a book with a 4 star rating on Goodreads, it's a predictable story about fixing the lottery, with a strong female lead that was a little unbelievable at times and an unnecessary romance
Homeport by Nora Roberts - used for a book that passes the Bechdel test, since Miranda has several conversations with her mother and her ex-sister-in-law on her field of expertise, authenticating art. This was another strong female lead that for no particular reason (other than following romance novel tropes) had to depend on a scoundrel of a guy to help her out of a jam. I would have been less aggravated by the love story being based on lies and deceit if it hadn't come at the expense of a talented female character.
Flight of Eagles by Jack Higgins - twin brothers (and ace pilots) end up on different sides in WWII. Though I was appalled by their parents' behavior, the twins were relatable (the teddy bear mascot certainly humanized them from the start) and their circumstances played out differently than I'd expected.
QOTW: I prefer shorter books, to be honest. I think 200 - 400 pages is ideal. The story has to be truly spectacular if it is a doorstop.
I don't think I checked in last week - I keep forgetting and then spend so much time reading everyone's posts that I run out of time to post my own, and then it happens all over again a few hours later:) Sitting here watching an unexpected snowstorm out my window and counting the days until I fly to Mexico for some SUN and WARM. February is NOT my favourite month, even if its my birthday month.Finished (over last 2 weeks):
The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa - for book set in Japan. I liked it but didn't love it . Never quite felt like I got exactly what was going on, but I think that was part of the point. But not sure I like books where that's the point.
Land of Shadows by Rachel Howzell Hall - for ATY first in a series. I liked this one. It's been awhile since I have read a fairly straightfoward police procedural, and this one had a great main character and interesting setting. I might pick up the next one at some point.
From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle - ended up slotting it into author's name with flora, and switching out There There by Tommy Orange to another prompt (award winner 2019). I'm trying to read all the Canada Reads, and this was the first of the bunch and I ended up liking it more than I thought I would. I was kind of dreading reading a memoir that involves a lot of drug use etc. (they upset me) and it was definitely a hard read but also eye opening and worth reading.
The Godmother by Hannelore Cayre - slotted this into my Reading Women challenge. I really wanted to like this more than I did - it got great reviews, and I loved the idea of an older drug smuggling female protagonist. But I ended up finding it just meh - I couldn't quite get the voice of the character or what tone the book was trying to strike.
The Topeka School by Ben Lerner - for ATY transportation on the cover prompt. Yet another book that got rave reviews that I didn't really get into. The author is clearly very accomplished but I found some of the writing a bit inaccessible. It was one of those books where I didn't feel quite smart enough to get it a lot of the time - there were moments where I got into it and enjoyed it but there were a lot of off putting sections with lots of big words and big ideas that I just wasn't sure about. I don't love books that make me feel inadequate :) Curious if others have read this (who aren't NYT or Guardian literary critics) and what they thought.
Currently reading:
Followers by Megan Angelo - for a book about social media. Enjoying this one so far. I like books that toggle back and forth between timelines and the premise is quite interesting. Curious to see what happens next, which is always a good thing in a book (and sadly, I have been missing in a few of my latest reads)
QOTW: I have developed a preference for books in the 300-400 page range I think. Not sure if that's because of all the challenges I do now - my husband is always teasing me about picking the shortest book possible to fit prompts, but it's not true I swear! I used to love long epic novels but not so much anymore - I get impatient. And they are hard to hold and read and carry around or read in bed!
Errlee wrote: "Sitting here watching an unexpected snowstorm out my window and counting the days until I fly to Mexico for some SUN and WARM. February is NOT my favourite month, even if its my birthday month."Oh, enjoy Mexico! I was there over Christmas, it's gorgeous. Stock up on bug repellent though, the mosquitoes and assorted nasties might try to eat you alive...
Happy Thursday! I'm still slow on my reading lately so I only finished one book. I already have to start tailoring my book choices around the prompts. This year, they feel slightly more specific so just generally picking books leave me without a prompt being filled. Well, I still have like 10 and a half months left to complete them so I'm not too worried.
Finished:
Into the Water (no prompt) - This was a very average read for me. I wouldn't classify it as a thriller but the writing was very nice and enjoyable.
Currently Reading:
Bringing Down the Duke (no prompt) - This could probably work for the "character in their 20s" prompt but I'm not exactly sure how old the protagonist so I wanna err on the side of caution. I've just started this so I don't have much of an opinion yet.
Cursed (no prompt) - I heard that this was becoming a netflix series and it's a retelling of the King Arthur so I had to pick it up.
The Infinite Noise (favorite past prompt - A book with a LGBT protagonist) - I'm still technically reading this but I'm waiting for it to be checked back out to me from the library.
Hidden Figures (A book with a woman in STEM) - I wish the writing was more interesting in this but its very dry so it's taking me a lot longer than expected to get through it.
Progress:
Regular: 7/40
Advanced: 0/10
QOTW
I prefer shorter books but I do enjoy reading longer books on occasion. Shorter books tend to keep my attention a little bit better than long books.
Hey all! Still in the grip of winter over here. It snowed all night and is still snowing now, and it's going down to 5 degrees (F) tonight.Finished reading: (6/50)
Ninth House (won an award in 2019 (Goodreads Choice), main character in her 20s, vision enhancement (seeing ghosts), has a map, passes Bechdel test, 4+ rating on goodreads, recommended by my favorite blogger (karen)) - Alex Stern best character of 2020 so far. Highly recommended (and look at all those prompts it fits! you can totally find somewhere to slot it)
Currently reading:
Permafrost (AI character, passes Bechdel test) - if you want to read about a 71-year-old schoolteacher and her co-conspirators who travel back in time to save the world from a climate change disaster, this is the book for you
QotW: I prefer medium-length books (300-400 pages). With novellas, story elements and characters often feel underdeveloped. But I'm often hesitant to try huge books - too much commitment, I guess.
(But really, it's all in the execution. There are novellas I love; there are 700-page books I love.)
Kenya wrote: "Interesting that you called Murderbot a "he," because I've been imagining Murderbot as a "she!" I guess technically Murderbot is a "they," given that they're a robot, but still, it's interesting how people can view characters differently..."This is really interesting to me. I imagined Murderbot as a guy - their "voice" seems unequivocally male to me, and I didn't realize their gender was unspecified until I read a review referring to them as "she."
Mod
You made me laugh! So, I'm guessing this is NOT one you would recommend?!? ;)
Mod
I’ve been sick with a cold so I’m miserable; I feel better today than I did yesterday, so that’s a good sign. I hope everyone else is having a better week! Bright side for me: Mon..."
I think this new method of communicating through this one message is brilliant! For everyone! :) Thanks for considering possibilities and being willing to make some changes to increase efficiency, etc.!
Mod
Thanks for this recommendation! It looks like a book I would really enjoy and help me better understand some aspects of this conflict, etc.
Howdy allDrakeryn wrote: "Kenya wrote: "Interesting that you called Murderbot a "he," because I've been imagining Murderbot as a "she!" I guess technically Murderbot is a "they," given that they're a robot
This is really interesting to me. I imagined Murderbot as a guy - their "voice" seems unequivocally male to me, and I didn't realize their gender was unspecified until I read a review referring to them as "she.""
I'm another fan of Murderbot! I tend to thinking male, as well - I think it might be that the image on the cover seems more male than female to me. Apparently the author's written a Murderbot novel. Woohoo.
I got a couple of quick and easy ones finished this week - The Curse and Boxes in the Basement, which were for a different challenge, plus a bit lighter.
My main achievement has been finishing The Gift of Rain, which I've used for the great first lines prompt (3). It's well written, but it annoyed me in places, and I didn't enjoy it as much as The Garden of Evening Mists, by the same author. Still, while the ending was inevitable, it was poignant nonetheless.
I've read about another 10% of The Count of Monte Cristo since last week, but I can see I need to stop getting diverted and concentrate on it!
I think Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is going to have to wait until after, although finishing both by the end of February probably isn't impossible.
Basic prompts: 11/44
I also did a rejig and moved No Fixed Line from Adv.6 to Adv.9, and replaced it with The Curse of Hollister House - by the same author as my two quicker reads this week, but read last month. Kathi Daley writes fairly simple, generally enjoyable cozies in the 180-250pg range, that are easy reading between more serious stuff: Boxes in the Basement was kind of a palate cleanser after The Gift of Rain, as I needed something lighter. And she's written a LOT - somewhere north of 150 novellas/short novels! So if anyone's looking for something to read for Adv.6...
Advanced prompts: 6/10
Is it me, or are the Advanced prompts this year easier than last?
QotWeek: Do you prefer shorter books or longer books?
Nadine said: "I prefer shorter books. I’ve never met a long book that I didn’t think could be improved with a firm editing hand to eliminate the chaff."
That's so true in so many cases. Especially when the author has got so estabilshed or popular that their editor is afraid to edit!
I will read shorter - especially when I'm behind on challenges - and I will read longer - mentioning no Monte Cristos :-) - but my ideal is somewhere in the 250-400pg range, which is roughly what I can usually read in a day.
Cendaquenta wrote: "Morning!Get well soon, Nadine.
It's been stormy here in Scotland, though nothing compared to down south - poor Yorkshire is underwater. We've just been getting a lot of wind and snow, snow, snow...."
I really want to read both Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption and The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row. I'm hoping my library will order copies of both, but at least the first one because of the recent film!
Finished this week:
Currently Reading:
Hello All -Turning cold here for a few days, with the weekend coming maybe that means staying warm and reading? We shall see!
Progress:
Popsugar - 18/50
ATY - 14/52
Goodreads - 23/100
Finished:
The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson No Prompt 2nd book in Truly Devious trilogy. Enjoyed this 2nd installment, looking forward to the 3rd. Stevie is continuing to try to figure out the old 1930's kidnapping murder along with the deaths that are happening currently. The 1930's is solved but we still don't know what happened to Alice.
Devil's Peak ATY Prompt Set in Southern Hemisphere. 3 stars This was a book that took me a long time to get involved in, easy for me to give up. Once I got to 70% I wanted to keep listening to find out what happened at the end. It was interesting to read about the different cultures.
The Girl Who Reads on the Métro by Christine Féret-Fleury Prompt Book on Cover 4 stars, quick read, cute book. Girl is given the task to give books to others. She's supposed to study the people and give them books they need. She doesn't know how to study people and ends up giving books randomly. These books have different impacts on the readers. Favorite character: Sieda, the daughter of the bookshop owner. She is optimistic and artistic as a character.
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead - POP Subject you know nothing about
This is a tough book. Great story telling, I was worried the subject was going to be too hard to read but it was done well. Promising boy is in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up in Nickel Reform school. The school is for troubled or orphaned boys. Beatings, abuse and deaths occur at the school and go unnoticed for more than 100 years. There is a twist in the story that I didn't see coming.
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor 4 stars. very quick read and interesting story. This was the first Novella in a trilogy which was later made into one book.
Currently Reading:
How Long 'til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin Anthology - I don't really think I'm a fan of short stories, I like something that will suck me in and keep me sustained.
Wild Card by Stuart Woods Series with more than 20.
This month I want to try to read these also:
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
QQTW: I tend to listen to longer books rather than read them. Last year I was pretty exclusively listening to books. I can listen while I'm working so I get a lot in. This year I'm attempting to read a few books a month as well. I've been picking up shorter books from the library, under 350 pages. This way I can turn them around within a week.
Hi everyone! My reading really slowed down this week, as I have been really busy at work whilst fighting a cold/ flu at the same time.Books finished
The Invention of Wings - Used for PS 6 - A bildungsroman. The Invention of Wings follows the Grimke family and their slaves through a turbulent time in the history of the US. This is a fictionalised account of a woman who played a significant role in both the Feminist and Abolitionist movements. Sarah Grimke and Hetty (Handful) alternate the narration in this novel, and so we see one woman fighting for her physical freedom, whilst the other fights to free herself from the belief that women are less important and intelligent than men. This was a very interesting and well-researched book.
And the Mountains Echoed - Used for ATY 10 - A book between 400 -600 pages. Written across different continents and generations, this book focuses on the bonds that ground us, how our choices resonate through the years, and how often those closest to us surprise us. The characters were interesting and well-developed, and there were some beautifully written parts, but I felt it did not live up to my expectations. I loved the other books I have read by this author where I felt immersed in the culture and world he created, but I didn’t get that feeling with this book. This was an enjoyable read, but probably not one I would come back to.
NW - Used for ATY - A book by an author on the Abe List of 100 Essential Female Writers. NW follows four characters who are trying to live their lives away from the council estate they grew up on in northwest London. I’ve read a few books by Zadie Smith recently, and I really wanted to like this book because of the topics it dealt with (poverty, council housing, drugs and alcohol), but I just didn’t like it. The structure was very fragmented with short chapters, and there were large sections that were written in a stream of consciousness style, which I didn’t enjoy.
Currently Reading:
A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing - I put this aside a couple of weeks ago because of holds coming in at the library. I should get around to picking it up again in the next couple of days.
QOTW:
I like both long and short books, as long as they fit the story they are telling. If I'm going to have a lot of reading time at home, I tend to pick up the longer books, as shorter books are so much easier to fit in my handbag when I go into town or travel by train.
Aimee wrote: "Kenya wrote: "Happy Thursday, y’all.Not much to report this week, so on with the books!
Books read this week:
The Final Empire -- for “book with a map.” A friend has been trying to..."
Thank you. :) Will pick up the next book after I'm done with the challenge.
Storms are battering the northwest of Europe these days. Last weekend Ciara came by for a visit and this weekend Dennis is going to say hello with rains and a lot of wind. No damage so far, thankfully. And lots of time to read because it is the best weather to curl up on my favorite chair with my books.Finished
The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club Nice to get to know 5 completely different women who happen to meet each other in the Fairvale Ladies Book Club. The reading experience will be better when you can read a lot of pages at once. Every chapter has a different narrator, so it is difficult to remember the last chapter of a character when you read only a couple of chapters each time. Prompt: book about a book club (also: book with a bird on the cover, book that passes the Bechdel test).
Currently Reading
Grote verwachtingen. In Europa 1999-2019
The Book Thief
QOTW
My favorite books are longer ones. Because I can enjoy the story longer. And postpone that moment of shock and sadness when you finish the book and think ‘I want to go back to the story!!’.
That said, I prefer good stories. I don’t care if the book is shorter or longer. My usual picks are in between 300-500 pages.
Good afternoon from Columbus! I woke up with the telltale sore throat, but is mysteriously disappeared after a nap. I’m highly suspicious and just really hope I’m not getting the cold my son just had. Acceptance for a woman in stem prompt. It took me a while but I finally finished all three books. The third was kind of a wrap up of the first two, plus insight to how area x was created. It switched perspectives from different characters. I did enjoy the series but I think I can firmly say I liked the movie more.
Sadie for a book that won an award in 2019. I can’t remember what award it won specifically in 2019 tho. This one has been on my radar for a while. I’m glad I finally got to read it, but it did make me incredibly sad. Half the book is from Sadie’s perspective, after she’s run away in response to her younger sister’s murder. And then it’s also told in podcast style as a they retrace her steps to try to find out why she ran away and where she is now.
The Hidden Gallery and The Unseen Guest not for a challenge, just working my way through a kids series about a governess carrying for three children raised by wolves. It’s pretty cute so far.
After You for a book with just words on the cover (my copy didn’t have the illustrated plane on the cover). A sequel to Me Before You, idk how to describe the book without any spoilers. She traveled, she stagnated, she had an accident, she meets interesting new people. Not amazing and thankfully it didn’t make me cry like the first one, I did like it enough to pick up the third book.
Still Me not for the challenge I was just waiting on library holds and decided I’d finish this series. Louisa is in New York, working for a rich, dysfunctional family. It was a good wrap up to the series I think.
This brings me to 29 books read this year, 22/40; 0/10 for popsugar, 2/24 for book riot, and since I recently added back to the classics to my challenge list: 0/12 there.
QOTW: I find it easier to enjoy shorter books, simply because they require less effort but both types have a place and make me feel accomplished for different reasons.
Hello All, I finished 2 for the week. Cat’s Eyewitness #13 A Mrs. Murphy Mystery by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown. I used it for 2 advanced prompts. A book from a series with more than 20 books. A. Book by an author who has written more than 20 books. The second book was Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I used it for a book with a great first line. “The circus arrives without warning. “Currently reading The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides.
QOTW: I prefer books between 300-400 pages. Longer books don’t bother me but is seems within the last few years I have noticed most books are between 300-400 pages. Books seemed much longer when I was growing up in the 60’s,70’s & 80’s.
Hello from a cold but sunny Nebraska. I am glad to see the sun again, but I am so tired of the cold. I am really looking forward to spring.This week I read three books. Two were for the challenge and two were for my youth reading committee (I was able to double dip on one). I read:
The Line Tender- a middle grade reader book that I thought was beautiful. I used this for a favorite past prompt- 2016 a book that takes place in the summer.
The Vanishing- seven deadly sins (lust and greed).
Far Away- another book for young readers about a girl who discovers the things in her life are not what they seem. This girl is passionate about the things she believes in- which I totally related to, but it was almost exhausting to watch her in all her stewing (good and bad).
QOTW: I used to think I really didn't care how long a book was as long as it was amazing- and that is still true to a point- but I have discovered my sweet spot is between 300-400 pages.
Happy Reading!
This week I finished: The Nightingale – for “Book with the same title as an unrelated movie” – 3 stars, I seem to be the only one that wasn’t very impressed by the book. Don’t get me wrong, it had its moments, but it just wasn’t enough for me.
Who Moved My Cheese? – For ATY “Book you can read in a day” – 3 stars, an ok “book”. Nothing really new was said, but it helped me put some stuff in perspective, so I do recommend reading the “inner story”, the one with the mice and Littlepeople.
The Hate U Give – for “Book written by a WOC” – 4 stars, I really liked it and I recommend the audio version by Bahni Turpin.
That makes 15/50 for PS.
Currently Reading:
The Thirteenth Tale – about halfway done, it’s a really odd one, but interesting.
The Dutch House
QOTFW:
Usually the books I read are between 300 and 400 pages. But I don’t pick based on the number of pages and I have favourites that are much longer or shorter than that. Lately I’ve been disappointed by some longer ones – I truly felt what Nadine said, as if the editor were scared to cut even a single sentence out..
Nadine may be tired of cold, but here in NYC we have not had winter yet. It has felt like early spring all winter. I wore my down coat for a total of 3 days so far this winter...I want snow and cold! Side effect of this mild weather - colds are rampant. No one is escaping a cold.
PS Challenge - I have read 19 out of 50. Pretty dang good considering I have no plan and am simply reading what I feel like reading! Actually many are for challenges in another group - Play Book Tag -- but it's still more random than planned.
Finished:
Heist Society - prompt title caught my attention -- acquired years ago because I love a good heist or caper -- book or movie. Unfortunately, this was not that good -- it's also YA which I did not realize at time I got it and the fact that teenagers were the geniuses behind these impossible, undoable heists was stretching reality just a tad too outrageously impossibly for me. Was it terrible? No, but I won't be reading the others in the series.
Chomp - not for PS Challenge - omg, why have I not continued to read Hiaasen???? He's back in my TBR after this. A YA novel that is not dumbed down at all, satire of survivalist reality tv shows with an abusive father subplot that is so well handled. Excellent.
Two Times as Hot - not for PS Challenge - the next cowboy romance in one of Cat Johnson's series - lots of fun and perfect for a February is Cowboy month challenge in another GR group.
Gray Mountain - prompt is Bechdel test (easy fit because this revolves around a legal aid office in Appalachia and it is manned 100% by women. Of course they talk about many other things besides men!) - if I had not already had a book for the prompt topic you know nothing about, this would have fit because man did I learn a lot about contemporary coal mining practices, coal companies and the big firms that represent them! This has to be one of the best least disappointing Grisham's I have ever read. 4.5 stars from me.
The Secret of Shadow Ranch - not for PS but it would fit western (I actually have
on my nightstand for western prompt) - Nancy Drew turns 90 this year and I read this as my birthday valentine to her. This was my absolutely favorite of them all. Were there too many exclamation points? was it ridiculous that the treasure Nancy finds so easily remained hidden in such an obvious location for over 100 years? Yes, but it's Nancy Drew, who made me the reader I am today. 5 stars. Currently reading:
Proust - second half of Guermantes Way. I'm slagging behing, as you can see by all those quick reads I finished this past week.
- not sure if will fit PS but does fit another challenge I'm doing. So far so good. 
- I'm only on page 12, there have been 2 brutal events, and it is gripping. Not sure if I will use for PS or not. 
- my farewell read for Toni Morrison - PS prompt WOC. Of course. QOTW: Ummmmmm, given I'm reading PROUST, clearly I don't mind long big books! ROFL.
I mostly read books that average in the 250 to 400 page range. I do read much shorter, but I always read a couple of really big books a year. Since last September, I've been working on Proust in conjunction with a discussion class, A Rememberance of Things Past being a bucket list read for me. I read and re-read GRRM, Tolkein, even HP which are not short reads. Another doorstopper I read a couple of years ago was
. I tend to go for the longer reads in the summer - not sure why - perhaps carryover from all those years of education when the only time you had to really sink into a big book was in the summer. Other big books I've read - lots of Dickens, Anna Karenina, Gone With the Wind, Middlemarch, Name of the Wind, Lies of Locke Lamora, many others.
Mod
It sounds as if you're doing a great job of taking care of yourself and reaching out for information and help during this time of upheaval with divorce and all that can go with it. You will get through it, but it does take time, IMHO.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Pantomime (other topics)Beauty Is a Wound (other topics)
A Secret Affair (other topics)
Gravity's Rainbow (other topics)
The Scent Keeper (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Juliet Blackwell (other topics)Sarah Pekkanen (other topics)
Tarryn Fisher (other topics)
Greer Hendricks (other topics)
Mary Roach (other topics)
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I’ve been sick with a cold so I’m miserable; I feel better today than I did yesterday, so that’s a good sign. I hope everyone else is having a better week! Bright side for me: Monday afternoon I was too sick to do anything other than lie in bed and read :-)
ADMIN STUFF - ONE BIG ITEM
Over the last few months we’ve gotten quite a few questions and comments about how members can stay up to date with this group (most questions were about the monthly group read voting, since that’s our main activity at this time of year). Sara and I have been brain storming the best and most robust method for communication, and this is what we think is the most reliable method to communicate to YOU, our enthusiastic members:
~~~~ ********* . . . . ************* . . . . ********** ~~~~
All group communication will be in the weekly check-ins, which are posted every Thursday at around 6-8 am EST.
~~~~ ********* . . . . ************* . . . . ********** ~~~~
“Communication” includes:
* Nomination polls for group reads.
* Voting polls for group reads.
* A reminder about the current/new group read.
* Any news we get from Popsugar.
* Any changes to the group.
* Anything else that seems important to the group.
Even if you don’t want to post anything, just take a moment once a week to scan the opening post. I know everyone reading this already does this :-) This way: we don’t have to spam our 28,000+ members, we don’t run the risk of 18,000 members voting for a book (because polls are FUN! Who can resist?!) and then not participating in the group read (we ended up with a few books that no one was interested in a while back due to this), Sara and I don’t have to remember to post in different places (my memory can be like a sieve some days!), and we don’t have additional posts opened up to our almost daily spammers who are very good at finding the top and active posts to copy/paste their nonsense that I then have to go find and delete (okay that one mostly benefits me and Sara).
Onward to the week’s reading! This week I finished 4 books, and used 2 for the Challenge, so I am 15/50.
Stag's Leap: Poems by Sharon Olds- I absolutely loved this! I can’t believe I’ve never read Sharon Olds before! Better late than never?
Long Bright River by Liz Moore - I really enjoyed this but the persistent clinical remoteness and unforgivable lack of quotation marks prevented me from rating it higher than 3 stars. It probably would have been better as an audiobook. This was my book published in 2020. I’ll definitely read more books by this author. Hopefully she uses quotation marks in her other books!
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan- this had a strong start but it kind of fell apart. If you like long rambling books without much plot, this is for you.
The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams- this was great, one of Williams’ best, I thought! I used this for “gold in the title.”
Question of the Week
Do you prefer shorter books or longer books?
I’m sick this week so I picked an easy one ;-)
I prefer shorter books. I’ve never met a long book that I didn’t think could be improved with a firm editing hand to eliminate the chaff.
We’ve been talking a bit about abridged vs original in The Count of Monte Cristo book discussion. The older I get, the more I’m starting to think maybe abridged books aren’t so bad after all. I know, I feel like that’s blasphemy, but I also feel like maybe it’s becoming true for me.
That quote you see sometimes by C.S. Lewis about never having met a book long enough?
Wrong for me on both counts - I hate when my tea or coffee becomes tepid before I can drink it all!