Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2020 Weekly Checkins
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Week 8: 2/14 – 2-20
Mod
This group has seemed very quiet this week - usually I have a bunch of updates to read each morning with my coffee! Not this week, I’ve had to read Twitter instead!
This week I finished 5 books, 3 for this Challenge, so I am now 18/50.
Fables, Vol. 3: Storybook Love written by Bill Willingham - this was okay. I enjoy the story, and I’m going to try to read several more volumes from this series this year, but I can’t say I love it. I read comics and picture books for the art, and the art is just blah in these. Like, yes, these are people, I see them doing things, but that’s it. Nothing special. A few years back Popsugar had “read a graphic novel” for one of the categories, and that was literally my favorite category, so voila! Another category checked off.
The Thing Around Your Neck - short stories by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - part of my Black History Month reading, this was the last book by Adichie that I had not read. Although I like short novels, short stories are usually too short for me and end up feeling incomplete. These short stories were just vignettes, so they were really incomplete! My copy had only text on the cover, so I checked that category.
A Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole - a romance for February! I usually love Cole’s romances, but this one had a clunky start. The rest of it was okay. The hero and heroine definitely seemed inspired by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory - my second romance of the month! Coincidentally, this also included a royal couple who seem inspired by Meghan and Harry! (But in RH they are not the focus of the romance.) Unfortunately, this book was a big disappointment and I hated the characters and their romance.
Little Scarlet by Walter Mosley - this was as good as the rest of the Easy Rawlins series but I’m getting annoyed with all the casual sexism- every woman is evaluated on the basis of her sexual attractiveness.
ETA: I just realized Little Scarlet is set in LA, so it works for "Olympic City." So I'm 18/50 now ...
QOTW
Yes! Back when I started doing the challenge, I was certain I did not like “women’s fiction” like Big Little Lies, I thought they were all “chick lit.” And I was sure I’d never like a popular, talked about book, like Station Eleven. I read those for “antonym in title” and “number in title” and they were two of the best books I read that year!! I’ve since learned I DO like those types of books, and I seek them out.
I still haven’t warmed to “chick lit” though ...
Even though it's been a long week, I've only finished one book. Finished:
One True Loves - I used this for prompt #16 - a book that has a book on the cover. For the most part, I really enjoy Taylor Jenkins Reid (minus Daisy Jones) and this book did not disappoint. I don't want to give anything away, but this was a 5 star read for me.
Challenge Progress:
Regular Challenge - 8/40
Advanced Challenge - 3/10
Total 11/50
Currently Reading:
Things in Jars - I'm still trying to get through this one!
Anna K.: A Love Story - I'm using this for prompt #32 - a book by a WOC. Hopefully I'll finish this one tonight.
Hopeless - I'm on a CoHo kick lately so figured I'd start this series.
QOTW - Is there a genre that you've always avoided but have recently started getting into because of this (or another) reading challenge?
I usually avoid sci-fi/fantasy and non-fiction books. I'm in a facebook book club where they read a lot of fantasy though so I've been trying to get more into it. My actual book club picks a lot of memoirs which are not my favorite, but I'm starting to like them more.
I finished Memoirs of a Geisha as my book that takes place in Japan. I know I'm in the minority, but I mostly didn't care for it.I'm now reading The Color Purple as my book by a WOC. I'm not really loving it so far either. I guess I'm in a reading slump.
QOTW: Not really. My mom says I'm a very eclectic reader. So, I like most genres. I was dreading the LARPing category last year and ended up loving Ready Player One, but I doubt I'll be reading more of it. At least not super-regularly.
I was also dreading cli-fi and no surprise, hated the book I read for that.
The other genres that I avoid are gore and smut. And I've read enough of both in the past that I don't think anything will change my minds on those.
This week I finished: NOTHING! I have hit a wall between a family emergency and overwhelming responsibilities at work, so I am not currently able to read for pleasure. My brain just won't allow it. I've tried everything, and I finally got Becoming on audiobook, but I can't concentrate to enjoy it, so I'm going to end up returning it without finishing it, which happened with the last 3 books I borrowed. I'm hoping this improved ASAP, because I would like to lose myself in someone else's story for a while.
QOTW:
YES! So many. Nonfiction in general. Graphic novels. I know it isn't a genre, but audiobooks. This kind of personal change is the reason I love the challenge so much.
I hope our UK members are safe from the flooding. We have flood alerts on every river round us but fortunately the flood water's not reaching houses yet. It just keeps on raining!Finished:
Upright Women Wanted for a western. This was supposedly a futuristic wild west, but it's a future that has slid back into the past. I like Sarah Gailey's ideas but I' m never really that engaged with their plots.
Deathless Divide for ATY (400-600 pages) and Book Riot (disabled character). Took me a while to get into it and I was a bit bothered by the vaccines are dangerous message (I can kinda accept that untested vaccines in the 19th century could be perilous though) but I still enjoyed it.
Currently listening to Parable of the Sower for ATY and it's The Road level of depressing, so I'm looking forward to finishing it. I've just started Goldilocks for review.
PS: 11/50 | ATY: 10/52 | BR: 4/24 | GR: 24/100
QOTW:
I read quite widely anyway but I probably wouldn't have read memoirs before. They still need to be about something interests me, but now I pay a bit more attention to new releases in case there's something that bites.
We had President's Day off this week, which I thought was going to translate to extra reading time, but really it translated to extra Netflix while knitting this time. So, I haven't finished very much reading, but I have a very nice shawl halfway done, as well as part of a blanket. The only book I actually finished this week was The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories. It was a really wonderful collection of short stories, some of which were so lovely that they made me cry. I love when books make me cry, emotions are really one of the best parts of reading. I read this as my book published in my birthday month (March). It might also fit a book with cyborg, AI character (there are several in different stories). QOTW: I can't think of any genres that I actively avoid. I'll pretty much try anything.
Hello again all,I wasn’t planning on doing the Popsugar challenge this year, but I decided I miss it. I miss the structure and sharing book thoughts with everyone.
So, I’m in again. I’ve been doing it every year since 2015, so it would be a shame to skip now, right?
Read for PS so far….
“4 star GR rating”- Daisy Jones & The Six- This was a BOTMC free add on for me and I wasn’t that impressed. The interview format meant that there wasn’t enough character development for my taste. Maybe if I was more into 70’s rock? Idk, it also felt like it might be more satisfying to just read a book about Fleetwood Mac or whatever. 2 stars.
“20 letter+ title”- Invasion of the Body Snatchers- This was written in the ‘50s so mild old timey sexism ahoy. I still liked it overall, and found it suspenseful and creepy. A little bit like reading an extended original Twilight Zone episode. 3 stars.
“Published in 2020”- The Sun Down Motel- I found this disappointing compared to The Broken Girls. A bit too much amateur detectiving, and not enough supernatural creep. 2 stars.
“Same as unrelated tv show or movie”- The Ice Princess- So apparently there was a tween movie from 2005 also called ‘Ice Princess’ so I lucked out. Anyway, the book is a lackluster Scandi noir. Just too long and kind of melodramatic. 2 stars.
“Published during birth month”-Rising Strong- I’m not all in on the Brene Brown train (I find terminology like ‘rumbling’ rather twee) but she does have some interesting thoughts on failure and disappointment. 3 stars.
“Pink cover”- The Flatshare Okay, so the cover is half pink. But it still gives an overall impression of pinkness to me. This is a cute rom-com in book form with imperfect and very human leads. Unfortunately, it still had some rom-com plot contrivances that I wasn’t a fan of. 2 stars
“Bildungsroman”- The House on Mango Street- Very atmospheric despite the spare writing style. Had its own pleasant prose rhythm that I liked very much. 3 stars.
“Three word title”- The Guns Above- A bit of a strange mixture of humor and graphic wartime violence. However, if you want a tough-as-nails, take-no-prisoners female character in your steampunk then look no further. 3 stars.
“Social Media”- The Witch Elm- A bit of a prompt stretch, but social media does play a part in an important plot point. I enjoy the Dublin Murder Squad series by French but this standalone was a total miss for me. Bloated, with one truly bizarre plot contrivance. 1 star.
“Book on cover”- Wives and Daughters- I listened to an audiobook version (wonderfully narrated by Josephine Bailey), but the Penguin classic edition does have a woman holding a book on it. This was read for an IRL book club. Too long for my taste, and a bit of disappointment to find out that after more than 600 pages the novel remains unfinished (though you can’t blame the author for passing away of course). 2 stars
“Set in Japan”- The Great Passage- Very charming, and I have a much greater appreciation for the work that goes into creating dictionaries, whether in English or Japanese. 3 stars.
”Picked for the title”- HHhH- I suppose you could call this literary historical fiction... or something. Anyway, I wasn’t fond of the ‘meta’ nature of it, but the underlying historical event is fascinating. 2 stars.
“City that hosted Olympics” (Berlin)-Metropolis- Apparently, the author passed away before he was able to properly complete this book. It does read a little like a rough draft. But I gave the author another shot with an earlier book in the series, and couldn’t finish it. He tries valiantly to make a wisecracking hardboiled detective character work in Nazi-era Germany, but it’s so tonally jarring I couldn’t get over it. 2 stars.
“Country beginning with C”(Czech Republic)“- The Killing of Reinhard Heydrich: The SS Butcher of Prague- After reading HHhH, the story really got under my skin. This book answered all the lingering questions I had and pairs well with the Anthropoid movie about the assassination. Author tends to editorialize a bit too much for my taste, even though I tended to agree with his conclusions. 3 stars.
“Nonbinary author”- Circus Girl, The Hunter, and Mirror Boy- Ugh, I cheated a bit on the prompt and read a Tor short story. Thank goodness it was only a short story because I didn’t care for this at all. Though I have to say it’s not every day you read about awkward faux ghost sex. 1 star.
And so ends my novella, lol.
QOTW- Not in particular yet.
I have been so busy lately, I haven't posted in the weekly check in in weeks. And I have only read 7 books so far this month, compared to 15 in January. I can't even lay all the blame on The Count of Monte Cristo.Finished:
They Called Us Enemy Using it for a book with a map. It has a few maps of the different internment camps. These maps are within the art of the book, rather than separate. But it's close enough for me.
Disappearing Earth
Saga, Vol. 2 for book with a pink cover.
Currently reading:
The Count of Monte Cristo I am reading about a chapter a day, and not stressing about it. It's good so far, it's not a struggle to read.
Spinning Silver
Listening to How the Light Gets In
QOTW:
I would say fairy tale retellings. It always sounded childish, but now I love them. Agree on audiobooks. I know it's not a genre, but I started listening to speed up my challenges, and now don't know how I lived without them. I used to make fun of my husband listening to his CDs in the car. But Libby makes it so easy.
The only genres I still avoid are self-help, religious, and espionage or whatever the book version of action movies are.
Hi all! Had something of a lackluster reading week, kept shifting around and couldn't focus.
So I finished:
Home from the Sea - re-read because I couldn't settle on anything I was reading so figured i needed a palette cleanser.
Relative Fortunes - book set in the 20's. This was ok, but not amazing. I find a lot of mysteries seem to think they need to make everything super convoluted and twisted. Which is fine, if it comes together in the end, but this felt like it was kind of being forced. I think i got it free as part of amazon reads, probably just as well.
currently reading:
The Count of Monte Cristo - still slogging through, in the 200s somewhere. I like it, its just not the kind of lengthy tome that sucks me in and barrel through it. Need to have other stuff to break it up.
The Power - audio re-read for my books & brew
The Prey of Gods - this will be my book with a robot/ai/cyborg. Only a couple chapters in, but it seems like it'll be interesting! It's set in South Africa, and is science fiction meets mythology with ai uprisings and vengeful goddesses reclaiming their power.
QOTW:
Nonfiction, for me. I used to never willingly read it, finding it boring. But through various challenges I've had to read some, and found some books I really quite liked! Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, Educated, The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks to name a few.
Life is being a bitch again. Finished nothing.
reading nothing.
Can't focus.
QOTW. Not really I know what I like because I have always read a lot when life is not being a bitch and due to living in lots of places have read anything available in a language I could read.
However, I have discovered a lot of new categories I had no idea even existed. Apparently I like Cli-Fi and have read loads of it.....didn't even know it was a thing until this challenge. So I haven't changed what I like but have discovered what some of it is called.
Happy Thursday, y’all.Heads-up for those of you who don't want to wait until September to read your banned book for the "read a banned book during Banned Book Week" prompt -- February 23-29 is Freedom To Read Week, a Canadian event similar to the American Banned Book Week. So if anyone wants to read their book sooner than September, there's an option!
Books read this week:
Envy of Angels -- for “book about one of the seven deadly sins.” Despite the title being “envy” (every book in this series is named after a deadly sin), it’s more about greed than envy, but I still count it. An urban fantasy about a catering business whose clients are demons! Oddball but fun, though this is one of those rare books that I wish was longer -- it feels like it needed more setup. Still entertaining though.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet -- for “book that won an award in 2019” (the entire series won the Hugo award for Best Series). Oh my gosh, I LOVED this novel! Too often science fiction novels get so bogged down in their worldbuilding and/or techno-speak that they forget to actually develop the characters, but here the author managed to both build a compelling galaxy AND give us fantastically done characters. I’ll be reading more of this series!
Extreme Medical Services -- for “medical thriller.” An urban fantasy where a rookie paramedic discovers the unit he’s been assigned to doesn’t treat humans, but vampires, werewolves, faeries, witches, etc. Very enjoyable premise, though the writing was mediocre and (view spoiler)
River of Teeth -- not for the challenge. The premise -- an alternate history where hippos are imported to the American south as a food source and hippo ranching and wrangling are actual things -- was amazing! But the story and writing were rather “meh” to me, and while I do appreciate all the LGBT representation, it felt like there wasn’t anything else TO the characters other than their LGBT-ness. Give your queer characters some personality beyond their queerness, writers...
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse -- graphic novel (kinda-sorta?), not for the challenge. This is such a hyped-up book, and I wanted to like it… but while the art had its charms, it ultimately felt like nothing but a bunch of Pinterest quotes strung together. And I think it wasn’t the best idea for the author to hand-letter the entire book -- his writing can be tricky to read.
Regular challenge -- 14/44 (split the last prompt into five)
Advanced challenge -- 1/10
Not for challenge -- 13
Currently Reading:
The Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest -- for “anthology”
The Fifth Season -- for “book by a woman of color”
The Three-Body Problem -- for “book set in a city that’s hosted an Olympics”
White Fang -- for “book set in a country that begins with C”
QOTW:
I used to avoid true crime, but reading The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America for the "true crime" prompt a few years back got me interested in investigating the genre a bit more. Still not a huge fan of gory murder, especially real-life murder, but if the crime is unique (such as in The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century) or there's a fascinating story behind the crime, I'll give it a shot...
Mod
Only one book this week and I don’t think it fits a prompt.The Snowman by Jo Nesbo. I bought this last year for the Scandinavian prompt and ended up using a different book. This is the second Harry Holes book I’ve read and it took me a while to get through. I just don’t think it’s the series for me.
QOTW:
I don’t really avoid any genres except maybe westerns. But I still am not into them.
I feel like I won the book lottery this week. On Monday, I got a notice that the book I’ve waiting forever to read is finally available at the library. On Tuesday, a book I pre-ordered on Kindle downloaded 2 weeks before I expected it. The publisher moved the release up! It’s a sequel to a book I loved too. And the rest of the week, I’ve gotten to read books I’ve been looking forward to for months. Of course, this means I’m reading too many books at once. What an amazing problem to have, though.Finished
Sunrise by JF Crane (a book by an author with flora or fauna in their name). Not the best in the Stargate tie-in series, but not one of the worst. It was about original characters a little bit too much.
Wild at Heart by KA Tucker (a book published in 2020). This is the sequel to The Simple Wild, a book I absolutely adore. Sequels make me nervous, but this was a perfect and wonderful sequel. It’s everything I’d hoped for. Now I want the author to write more in this series.
Reading
An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole (a book by a WOC)
The Wolf in the Whale by Jordana Max Brodsky (a bildungsroman)
QOTW
True crime. I thought I would hate the genre because I dislike reading about upsetting things. But it was a prompt without much room for interpretation one year. As it turns out, true crime writers approach their topics much differently and with a lot more sensitivity than novels based on crime. The genre has a lot more to offer than gruesome murders too. I’ve read several more true crime books since that first one. It’s pretty much my go-to genre for nonfiction now. I like the narrative, storytelling aspect, and the genre seems to be more tightly edited than other nonfiction subjects I’ve read.
Greetings from Colorado. It’s very cold, but the most beautiful blue sky. This week I read one book. Bridge of Spies: A True Story of the Cold War by Giles Whittell. I grew up during the Cold War era, so I found the book interesting. I also walked across the Glienicke Bridge 2 years ago. Although I connected with the book, I found the writing hard to follow at times. I almost gave up on this one halfway through. This book fits the prompt written by a journalist.
Currently reading:
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
QOTW - this is the first year I’m participating in this challenge. So, no new genres yet.
12/50
Nadine, I just really don't like the name "chick lit", it feels condescending. Like "this is books for GIRRRLLLSS". So less about "these books aren't good because they're chick lit" and more "...can we call them anything else?"
Kenya wrote: "I used to avoid true crime, but reading The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America for the "true crime" prompt a few years back got me interested in investigating the genre a bit more."That's the same book I read for the prompt! It's the one that got me interested in the genre. The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century is one of the non-violent true crime books I was referring to. I think Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI is the best true crime book I've read.
Finished:The Time Machine by H.G. Wells- this left me with a sense of dread afterwards. I laid in bed thinking about the future.
1984 by George Orwell- really good read
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly- a bit wordy in some places but glad to have read it
Currently reading:
Kindred by Octavia E Butler
14/50
QOTW:
Novels. Before the challenge I pretty much stuck to fantasy exclusively. White Teeth by Zadie Smith has convinced me to give novels a chance.
Nadine wrote: "I think both books are “chick lit” so I think that means I do like some chick lit!!"Maybe it just means you like good chick lit!
Sheri wrote: "Nadine, I just really don't like the name "chick lit", it feels condescending. Like "this is books for GIRRRLLLSS". So less about "these books aren't good because they're chick lit" and more "......"
Same. I know it's a recognized genre term, but I don't use it. Women's Fiction is used to describe a serious book, and Chick Lit is used to describe a lighthearted book. It feels like pitting women's genres (and women) against each other. Ugh. I call them romantic comedies. They're funny, and I've never read one without a romance.
Hello, a couple of books finished for me this week and at 12/50 for the challenge:Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey - read for the Book Riot challenge, this was a phenomenal children's book which handled a sensitive but important subject in a way that children (and adults) can understand. The illustrations were gorgeous, and really captured and even elevated the essence of the story.
The Arrangement by Mary Balogh - read for the advanced prompt "A book with a character with a vision impairment," (view spoiler). This was an enjoyable historical romance with great characters and very interesting subplots.
I'm currently reading The Regulators. The funny story behind this book is that during the holidays my sister asked me about a book she'd borrowed from me several years ago. She could describe the characters and the plot, but didn't remember the title or author. I was stumped. My niece piped up and said she'd read it too, but also didn't remember what it was called. All they could tell me was that it was the most horrifying book they'd ever read, and they felt like it was stealing their souls when they read it. (Which makes you wonder why we were so keen to find it, lol) We started to Google, and we've been searching on and off for months. I looked over my reading logs from that time period, and we couldn't find it anywhere. Finally my niece tried a very (very) specific Google search and - success - came up with The Regulators. Which makes sense, because though it's been on my shelves for years I am pretty sure I never actually read it. So now I promised to read it and then lend it to my brother-in-law. I'm 4 chapters in and I can already understand why they described it the way that they did, and also that I should not read it alone at night (or possibly at all, but now I'm committed).
QOTW: I would say comics/graphic novels - I rarely pick them up unless they are required by a challenge, but I've read several that I really enjoyed lately. Also I was burnt out on romance novels for a few years (which were the bulk of my reading in my late teens/early 20's), but I've had to read a few recently for challenges and I remember why I used to love them.
Nadine wrote: "Yes! Back when I started doing the challenge, I was certain I did not like “women’s fiction” like Big Little Lies, I thought they were all “chick lit.” "Nadine I felt the same way about Big Little Lies! It was chosen as the group read for the other group I'm in a few years ago and I really was not excited but it was my favorite book of the year. It's probably still one of my favorite books.
My update: 3 books this week; 20/50 completed
Maximillian Fly by Angie Sage for author with flora or fauna in their name
Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman for Book with a character with a vision impairment
The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan for more than 20 letters in the title
QOTW:
I will say these challenges and group reads have expanded what I'll read, although I wasn't ever completely opposed to certain genres. That being said, I'm really not looking forward to reading a western this year.
I guess Memoirs would be the genre I didn't read any of, and then my real life book club chose a Jenny Lawson book and I loved it. Then I read a David Sedaris book because my dad liked him and I loved it. Then I read Educated because it was a group read and I loved it. While I still don't seek them out, I don't just scroll past them anymore.
Heather wrote: "True crime. I thought I would hate the genre because I dislike reading about upsetting things.."Yes, this is me too. I have avoided True Crime for years. I think I read one book for a criminal justice class in college and didn't like it so I wrote off the whole genre. In the last year or so I've started reading some really fantastic true crime.
I always thought chick-lit was pretty much romance but without a guaranteed happy ending. I don't really mind the term because I grew up with it and liked the kind of books it described when I was a young adult. Not all of them are romcoms, and I don't think "women's fiction" is helpful. Romance readers get upset if there's not a happy ever after... So I just call them contemporary fiction in my own classifications now.
Hello! Another trip to the library. Another stack of books.Challenge Progress: 17/50
Completed:
A World Without Work: Technology, Automation, and How We Should Respond: Automation is changing the world of work, and we're not ready for it. Yep. So let's get serious. Susskind discusses different forms of UBI (which he sees as an inevitability) and working for the good of the community (not necessarily for pay), but his thoughts on how income would be distributed are hazy at best. Still, the discussions of economic theory and the history of economic and technological change were interesting and instructive. ★★★
Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History: Fascinating historical account, but I really got bogged down in the minutia of the mission preparation. A great deal was made over the contributions by Canada and how they were recognized for the success of the mission. I wonder, if the story had been declassified and reported in full prior to the 1980 US presidential election, would it have made a difference in Jimmy Carter's re-election campaign? ★★★
This Is How You Lose the Time War: Time-traveling SF pen pals...with beautifully written romantic prose. Gorgeous and heartrending. (A book with an upside-down image on the cover) ★★★★
Consent: A Memoir of Unwanted Attention: I did not like this book. The writing is sound and the topic is certainly worthy, but it just goes on and on and on. And parts of it made me angry. Of course, I was angry with him, but also with the author: "Once again, I was failing at feminism. Or worse, once again, feminism was failing me." No! Feminism did not fail you - men failed you. Institutions failed you. And this, a few pages later: "I still hadn't figured out what to do about grad school either, and the reality that he would be all over the building where I went for classes, that he had every right to be there since he was a professor. He had more of a right to be there than I did; it had been his place of employment for years." Sigh. ★★
The Starless Sea: Loved it! Beautifully haunting homage to stories and storytelling, myths and magic. I've never read The Night Circus because I thought it could never live up to the hype, but now I will. This is a book I'll read again just for the pure joy and romance of it. (A book featuring a character with a vision enhancement or impairment) ★★★★★
The Witches Are Coming: Sure, I agreed with nearly everything West had to say, and I laughed more than once, but it's only a 3-star rating... It's a "preaching to the choir" kind of book. It's not persuasive in any way, and sometimes the tone was so pop culture-y (?) that it was difficult to separate the message from the mess. ★★★
DNF: It's Up to Us: Ten Little Ways We Can Bring About Big Change: It's just a bunch of platitudes. There's no insight into Kasich's thinking on current politics... nothing to think about.
Currently Reading:
The Obsoletes (a book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character)
Spinning Silver (a book with gold, silver, or bronze in the title)
Something That May Shock and Discredit You (a book by a trans- or nonbinary author)
Antarctica: An Intimate Portrait of the World's Most Mysterious Continent
So You've Been Publicly Shamed (a book about or involving social media)
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder
Greed and Glory: How Doc Gooden, Donald Trump, Lawrence Taylor, Ed Koch, Rudy Giuliani, and the Mafia Ruled New York in the 1980s (a book featuring one of the seven deadly sins)
The Goldfinch (a book with gold, silver, or bronze in the title)
QOTW: I've always been an eclectic reader, but the PS challenge has really encouraged me to keep track of what I was reading. Based on that, last year I challenged myself to read at least 20% nonfiction. And, as you can probably tell from the books I profiled this week, I'm succeeding!
Another tough week of no job prospects, but I'm somehow surviving. I'm at 27/50 for the challenge so far. I listened to Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory (pink cover) even though I keep telling myself that audiobooks aren't the best way to read short stories. There were a few that didn't quite hit the mark for me, but some of them I loved! The really short one about playing the game Taboo was very moving, and the one from the dog's perspective was fun. I also thought it was funny that one of the stories featured a woman with a younger brother named Dusty. I thought I was the only person with a younger brother Dusty! It's not a common name...
I listened to The Angel's Game (Olympic city) for book club. I read the kindle version five years ago and liked it better before. Still good though. One of my book clubs is reading the whole series, so we have two more to go from this author.
I listened to Fleishman Is in Trouble (upside down image) for the ToB and it was a mixed bag... plenty of things I didn't like about it, but the ending was decent so I rounded up my 2.5 star rating to 3.
I finished my hard copy of The Testaments (won an award in 2019) for ToB as well. It was a page-turning story. But definitely not literary award material. I though the ending was cheap and could have been much better. The author also used some questionable language like "street people." :/
I'm currently listening to Normal People (final book of the ToB shortlist!) and just started Arrested Justice: Black Women, Violence, and America's Prison Nation for my other book club.
QOTW: I guess this was my question? Are there other Laurens here? :) I would say that I've been reading more mystery/suspense and fantasy than I used to. I haven't loved all of those books, but a few have stood out like An Anonymous Girl and Children of Blood and Bone. I also didn't expect to like Ready Player One and Warcross, but I was pleasantly surprised. I've never been big on YA (as an adult, I'm sure I loved it when I was younger) but The Hate U Give and On the Come Up were awesome. Now the real test will be the western. Zero interest in this genre, but we'll see. I'm planning to read The Sisters Brothers for that prompt since it will also mark off a super rooster ToB book that I haven't read yet.
Finished: The Silent Patient for A medical thriller. Ended up feeling quite 'meh' about this one. I've started ready more 'psychological' thrillers recently, but this just felt quite shallow and underdeveloped - I had a definite feeling of 'is that it?' when I finished it!Started: The Priory of the Orange Tree, probably for A book with more than 20 letters in its title. It took me a little while to get into it, but I'm really liking it now. Although, having said in answer to the last QOTW that I think twice about any books over 500 words for any of prompts, I appear to have inadvertently ended up reading this 800+ word monster!
QOTW:
I'm not sure there are any genres that I've actively avoided (although I'm sure there are plenty that I just so happen to have not read anything in), but I seem to reading more non-fiction as a result of PS. I have several non-fictions earmarked for prompts this year, and more specifically, I'm discovering I like memoirs - I had a couple last year, and have a couple on the list for this year too.
Good Morning,I didn't get a chance to update last week, so this is for the last two weeks.
Finished:
Well Met for a book with a main character in their 20. This was okay. There were parts towards the end that I didn't like at all but the epilogue saved me from completely hating it. This book had one of the main issues that I have had with romance recently, if people just talked to each other it wouldn't be so bad.
Beard with Me - Not for the challenge, just trying to finish the Winston Brothers' series. This book was okay (I liked it better than Well Met) but I don't think I needed a whole book of backstory on Billy and Scarlet/Claire. I think it would have been better to have it interwoven in Beard Necessities.
Beard Necessities - That brings me to the last Winston Brothers' book. It was fine. The Billy and Scarlet/Claire story had been built up for so long that the book was a bit of a let down. I think the last two books could have been woven together and I would have enjoyed them more. I was just ready for this one to be done.
The Sisters Brothers for a Western. I listened to the audio of this one and really enjoyed it. It was fun and funny. I think it would even be a good read for non-western fans.
Candy Hearts - This was just a quick novella for Valentine's Day. It was recommend on the When in Romance podcast and I downloaded it that day to read it. It a M/M forced shared space strangers to lovers book and I really loved it. It's super steamy and the two MC were adults and talked things out (for the most part) and supported each other.
Bringing Down the Duke for a book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads. I enjoyed this one. Not my favorite romance I've read but a fun quick read. I liked how they focused on a different aspect of history and used that as the driving force of the book.
The Bookshop on the Shore for a book that has a book on the cover. For the most part, I liked this. I don't think it was as good as The Bookshop in the Corner (but I did love seeing some of the same characters). I said in my review that the main female character didn't have a lot of agency and that was a turn off for me. She really just went where she was told, she didn't make those decisions for herself. I really should have just re-read the first book.
Currently Reading:
China Rich Girlfriend for a book set in a country beginning with "C" . I'm listening to the audio of this and it's really really good so far. I plowed through three parts of it pretty quickly the other day.
In Cold Blood for a book published in the 20th century. I know the story, I've seen the movie and have owned the book for awhile, it's about time I read it. I'm not super far into it yet and it's really just laying the groundwork at the moment.
DNF:
1Q84 - I got just over 100 pages into this and wasn't feeling it. With another 1000 or so pages, I wasn't going to continue if I wasn't liking it.
Love in Due Time - I'm excited about this Green Valley extended universe but I got almost 6 chapters into this one and didn't like either main character. The guy was way too pushy and inappropriate, bordering on needing to call the police because she did not consent to that. And the woman there was just things about her personality and things she was into that I just don't like. I kind of wish I hadn't bought this one and tried one of the other Green Valley books first.
QOTW:
I didn't read a lot of non-fiction before I started this challenge but I've added it into my reading diet and I really enjoy it. I know not all non-fiction is for me but it's nice to try something new.
I, too, am jealous of the snow fall that's not coming to me. Winter has been really disappointing. I'm already seeing robins everywhere too! I'm not ready for spring yet!! I just need one really good snow storm!!Finished 6/50
The Solzhenitsyn Reader: New and Essential Writings, 1947-2005 for "book picked on a shelf with eyes closed". WOW. I loved this. It's basically just a sample of everything Solzhenitsyn ever wrote, and it's all amazing. I learned so much about Soviet Russia that I never knew. It's inspired me to learn more about that time period. Somehow I missed learning about it in school. HUGE book. Took me forever. But it was well worth it! It's got everything: poetry, short stories, fiction, speeches, non-fiction, essays, etc. Loved it all.
Currently Reading
Know the Faith: A Handbook for Orthodox Christians and Inquirers not for the challenge, just for me personally. I should finish it within the next few days, and then I'll get back on track.
The Wilderness Journal: 365 Days with the Philokalia for "book with title that caught your attention". Still plugging along. It's getting a little better. The beginning has been rather "eh".
QotW
Honestly, I'm not a big YA reader. Never really was. I got the taste for high fantasy in middle school (thanks, Redwall) and classics in high school (Hawthorne and Dostoyevsky anyone?) and never looked back. But my last reading/challenge group incorporated a lot of YA into their monthly reading, and while it's still not my favourite, I have found a few I can enjoy. :) I can read through them really fast too, which is a bonus.
I continue to find I cannot prioritize books- there are just too many I want to get to all at the same time!Completed:
American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt- Before picking up this book I had no idea who this fascinating woman was. Driven from an early age to help people she uses the title she obtains from a forced and loveless marriage to the 9th Duke of Marlborough to advance the rights and conditions of the poor, ill and women. The book covers a wide span from the Gilded Age to WWII and I enjoyed the multiple pieces of history it touches including her friendship with Winston Churchill. Only quibble with the book itself is how Consuelo's personality in the final section does not seem to match with the journey of personal growth she has been on to that point. Overall 4 star read.
Prompt: Favorite prompt from a past Popsugar Reading Challenge- 2017- a book about an interesting woman
Currently Reading:
Texts from Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters
Prompt: a book by a trans or nonbinary author (Popsugar)
Ballet Shoes
Prompt: a book with a pink cover (Popsugar)
QOTW: Reading challenges have helped me discover graphic novels! One of my favorite's is the Bandette! series.
Mornin'. Today I dragged my booty to work. I take a bus then walk a half mile. In the icy wind. Nobody else showed up or answered their phone. I'm not allowed to go inside alone, so after waiting around for about 45 minutes (still in the cold) I had to go home. I get paid hourly. I am not thrilled. At least I get to read?My slump is clearly over. Woohoo! It's February so most of these books have black authors/protagonists.
12/50
Finished:
Feeding the Dragon - Sharon's story of growing up inside a public library
Pumpkinheads - White author but one black protagonist. Cute I guess. Don't ask me why I read this now instead of in Autumn
Trouble Is What I Do - Mosley novella. I don't do a lot of grumpy male detective books but I check one out every so often. Love the cover on this one.
Slay - I'm not a gamer but I enjoyed this
Such a Fun Age - Me to that one character: *freaky side eye*
A Few Quick Ones - bedtime Wodehouse
Currently Reading:
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
Hurricane Child
With the Fire on High
The Water Dancer
Full Moon
QOTW:
Hmmm... I have read books in genres I don't usually read, but I don't know that I've really gone down any of those rabbit holes.
Mod
The genre label that I struggle with is “women fiction” because that is clearly saying “this is just for women” and I don’t want the books to be shunted into the “for women only” group, but I don’t know what other label to use. It’s a “type” but what do we call it??
On the other hand, “chick lit” has a pleasant alliteration, it’s cute and sounds like “chiclet” and I also have a shelf for “dick lit.” “Rom com” also has the alliteration happening, but it doesn’t feel accurate. (Have you ever gotten into a pointless conversation with a metal head about exactly which type of metal a band is? Yeah, that’s me, I will waste hours arguing about that.)
I read a lot of romances, obviously, and there are many romance sub-genres. but chick lit is not a sub-genre of romance, so I think “rom com” is not a good description.
Hi everyone! This week has flown by! I spent a long weekend in Colorado visiting my sister & her kids. We spent a day in the mountains on Saturday and went on a snowshoeing excursion, which was really fun and a lot of work, and the rest of the time there was spent playing games with the kids and attempting to walk their 3 ½ month old puppy. I never think I get much reading done there – and then I’m always surprised when I look at what I actually finished. 14/50 for Popsugar
13/52 for Around the Year
2/26 for Reading Women
Books I finished:
The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir (Popsugar #6: A bildungsroman) I thought this was good and liked the different points of view. And even a fictional glimpse behind the scenes of a family that is the subject of a reality series is frightening.
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (Popsugar #13: A book with the same title as a movie but unrelated to it) This had just the right amount of suspense. I figured out a lot of the mystery in advance, but I was still unable to put this down. I need to read more Lisa Jewell because I really enjoy her writing.
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James (AtY: A book chosen because of something I read in 2019) So creepy! This is told in 2 time periods, roughly 30 years apart. A 20-yr-old female works the night shift as a motel desk clerk and disappears about 3 months after arriving in this small New York town. Her niece travels there and also gets a job at the motel to try to figure out what happened. I enjoyed The Broken Girls last year, so I was excited to get this as my January BotM selection.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (AtY: A book with a geometric element on the cover) Even though I knew what was coming, I was still glued to the story. I thought this was a great depiction of high school life and mental illness.
I am currently reading:
What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand (AtY: A book that fits a prompt from the list of suggestions that didn’t win – A book with water on the cover)
Reunion in Death by J.D. Robb (Popsugar #8: A book with an upside down image on the cover)
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai (AtY: A book about an event or era of history described in Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire”)
QOTW: I never used to read contemporary or romance/rom-com books until a couple of years ago when I was prompted to in a reading challenge. But now I read them often! They are great palate cleansers after a heavy read or an intense mystery thriller. And they also are easier to read when I am traveling, since my reading time comes sporadically and sometimes just a few minutes at a time. Rarely are there a lot of plot points to remember, so that works well if I can only read a handful of pages each sitting.
Happy Thursday everyone!! I was outside walking the dog today and it occurred to me that I have only had to bundle up in a scarf/hat/gloves maybe 3 times this winter. It has been WARM here in Connecticut. No complaints. My arthritis appreciates it :-)I didn't finish much this week, but I'm flying through a few larger books pretty quickly.
ATY: 9/52
PS: 6/50
BR: 5/24
RWC: 2/26
(I think)
I finished 2 books this week:
The Farm for #12 Passes the Bechdel test. This wasn't what I expected at all. I was thinking it would be more dystopian/handmaids tale. I did enjoy it though. The writing was good and it was a fast read.
Real Friends by Shannon Hale for ATY #2 author has one syllable in last name. I still need to read this to the girlies before I return it, but it was a cute story about how friendships happen and change throughout an entire lifetime. We have the second book here, so we'll hopefully be reading both of them soon.
Still working on:
A Clash of Kings and The Binding. I'm 50% through both and I LOVE them. I don't care about reading anything else right now LOL.
On audio: Becoming and The Narrow Road to the Interior/Hojoki. Whoever recommended online jigsaw puzzles to help me focus on listening (Carmen??) YOU ROCK!!! And I've found a new obsession.
I have The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell on hold at about 15% because I only want to read my other two books right now, and I own it so its not going anywhere.
Also almost done with Maggie & Abby's Neverending Pillow Fort. The girls and I have been reading a chapter a night. I think we have about 5 chapters left so It will be done next week sometime. My older daughter and I have the best conversations while we are reading this. The little one falls asleep haha.
QOTW: For me it's Graphic Novels and Non Fiction. I've been reading tons of both since I satrted the challenge. I also now realize that my preferred genre is Fantasy :-)
Today is my youngest birthday .. 12 yrs old! Days are long but years are short. Progress:
Popsugar - 21/50
ATY - 16/52
Goodreads - 27/100
Finished:
How Long 'til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin Anthology 3 stars - I don't really think I'm a fan of short stories, I like something that will suck me in and keep me sustained. Some stories were interesting and I didn't want them to end. The other's I couldn't follow or get into before they were over.
The Chain POP. Involving social media 3 stars Really liked part 1 of the book, kept me on my toes and wanted to know what was going to happen. As part 2 unfolded the story seemed to drag on.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides POP. Medical Thriller 4 Stars
I listened to it on CDs as I was listening I would say this is the last CD for now, it would end on a cliff hanger and I wanted to know what happened, so another CD would go in! I didn't see the twist coming until the last chapters of the book.
The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson POP. Book published in 2020
Great ending to the triology, both mysteries were solved. Some twists I saw coming, others I did not.
DNF:
Wild Card by Stuart Woods Series with more than 20. meh This was book # 49 in the series, I had not read any of the previous books. Felt I might have had better back story and able to follow the characters if I'd read a prior books. Story didn't keep me interested and I think it's because I didn't follow the characters.
Currently Reading:
Normal People by Sally Rooney adv prompt Author in their 20's
Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead No Prompt
Tell Me Everything by Cambria Brockman No Prompt
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:
Is there a genre that you've always avoided but have recently started getting into because of this (or another) reading challenge?
Generally I don't like Non-Fiction books but will pick up one now and then. I have found I get in a reading rut with the genre I read. In the past I've really liked a book and I look on GR for books similar and go down the rabbit hole on to the next and the next. I really like the challenge because I don't get in that rut. The Prompts pull me into other genres. I have to say Western is one that will determine the answer to this question for me. lol
Not much to report for me, as I'm still working through The Count of Monte Cristo. I'm about 60% at this point! I may have more to report next week, if I can get it finished, though!Question of the week: Is there a genre that you've always avoided but have recently started getting into because of this (or another) reading challenge?
I'll admit I'm not really comfortable with LGBTQ fiction. That said, there seem to be a lot of books in the SF/Fantasy genre now where either the authors or the characters are LGBTWQ, and I've enjoyed quite a few of them, and from there I've read a few outside those genres. I don't go searching them out, though.
Walking to work I was like "why do I feel so cold stop being such a wuss" and then I checked my phone and it said 13 degrees (feels like -1). So I guess I'm not that much of a wuss. But I'm excited for things to warm up this weekend.Finished reading:
Permafrost (passes Bechdel test, AI characters) - Saving the world with time travel is more complex than it sounds. In explaining the system, one of the scientists says, "These are only small paradoxes, after all. You just buckle up and ride the turbulence. Be glad we never go near anything big." - so, you can probably figure out what happens next
On a Sunbeam (passes Bechdel test, three-word title) - Graphic novel about found family and girlfriends in space. Super cute and I also loved the art.
Currently reading:
The Wicked King (won an award in 2019 (Goodreads Choice), author with flora in name (Holly Black), three-word title, has a map, recommended by my favorite bloggers (Cait, Elise)) - I like Jude/Cardan's dynamic but I don't ship them. I just want them to stay platonic best enemies forever tbh
QotW: Not really. I like fantasy/sci-fi/dystopia, which is a broad umbrella, and I can get most prompts to fit that pretty easily.
Unrelated to challenges, I used to always avoid/dislike romance in fiction, but in recent years I've started to enjoy it more. I still dislike some common romantic conflict tropes (e.g., will they/won't they, tension built on misunderstandings or failure to communicate) but it's more nuanced than "eww romance."
Hi everyone! I didn't update last week so here's two weeks' worth. I didn't get all that much read either though, been real busy with work. I did read:Come Tumbling Down for a book with a three-word title: I loved all of the rest of the Wayward Children series, but this one fell a little flat for me. I would have liked to go on an adventure with someone new rather than picking back up with Jack.
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir for a book with more than 20 letters in the title: I read this in a single sitting. So good.
Oligarchy for a book involving social media: wow, this was wild. I loved it. I'm always a sucker for boarding school books. CW: eating disorders.
THE LYNDON TECHNIQUE: The 15 Guideline Map To Booking Handbook: not for challenge. A good quick read for working actors.
Parable of the Sower for a book with a book on the cover: absolutely incredible. Ellie, I agree it's a bit of a downer! I live in the LA area and I found the portrait of the breakdown of society there hit really close to home.
DNF:
Ninth House. I was going to use this for a book that won an award in 2019 since it won Goodreads Readers' Choice for Best Fantasy, but seriously, how many of the people who voted for this book actually read it? It's literally unreadable. It's so bad. It needed like three more editing passes. I gave it until page 200 (which took me WEEKS) and when really nothing had still happened I gave it up. It may work for people who REALLY like secret society books, but goodness, I would not subject anyone to this book.
Currently reading:
The Calculating Stars (my replacement book for the 2019 award prompt)
Furious Thing
QOTW: I don't think I've done a deep dive into anything new while doing these challenges. I did discover series/authors I really liked (Flavia de Luce!!!) but not whole genres. I generally have a pretty good idea of what I'll like and still tend to stay away from thrillers.
Good morning from Columbus! Been kinda busy, also kinda more interested in watching YouTube than reading this week. It happens lolWildwood not for a challenge, just wanted to relisten to this audiobook. I absolutely adore Amanda Plummer and she does a really good job with the narration. If you haven’t read or heard of this series yet, I’d best describe it as a hipster Narnia lol. It’s written by Colin Meloy from The Decemberists and has lovely illustrations by his wife. It’s kinda pretentious in the way that I’d expect from a book about Portland, but I genuinely really enjoy this series.
A Confederacy of Dunces for a book featuring one of the seven deadly sins and I think they all kind fit in this book. I really wanted to enjoy this more, considering how tragic the book’s publishing was and how much the authors life tugs on my heart. This was a very funny book about a ridiculous man in New Orleans. The story just wasn’t that interesting to me unfortunately, it took me forever to get through it.
The Pun Also Rises: How the Humble Pun Revolutionized Language, Changed History, and Made Wordplay More Than Some Antics for a book with a pun in the title. Amusing book, the title is very self explanatory. Pretty short too if you’re like me and didn’t find anything you were super interested in for this prompt.
I’m at 32 books read this year, 24/40; 0/10 for popsugar. 2/24 for book riot. 0/12 for back to the classics.
QOTW: hmm. I think I’d have to say mystery thrillers. I never felt attracted to them before but now I look forward to them because I find I always enjoy them.
Things have been so busy for me lately that I've had very little time to read. And what time I have had, I've mostly spent napping or staring into space because I'm tired haha. But the busyness is all stuff that's good, so at least there's that!I am also jealous of those getting snow. We just keep getting lots of rain. At least that will hopefully mean we'll have a nice spring!
Finished:
Nada
Currently Reading:
The Prodigal Tongue: Dispatches from the Future of English: I'm going to put this on the back-burner for a bit. I'm enjoying it, but I need a break.
How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens: I'm reading this for my "book with only words on the cover." The copy I have just has words--the one linked also has some stick figures. I'm also reading it for work, so yay for double-dipping!
The Pink Fairy Book
Queen of the Sea: This will be my "book that shares a title with a movie/TV series but is unrelated." It's a bit of a chunk, but it's a graphic novel, so it still shouldn't take too long to get through.
QOTW:
I don't know that it's necessarily gotten me in to any new genres (I still don't enjoy sci-fi or high fantasy), but it has helped me read more from some that I've always liked but spent less time with (non-fiction in particular). I have also increased the number of "written for adults" books I read--juvenile fiction is my true love, but I know I need to read other age levels. Especially since I'm 31 lol.
Where I've enjoyed PS's influence is in the authors I read. I appreciate the callouts it gives me when it comes to POC and LGBTQ+ authors. I'm always surprised when I see how few I have on my list and I'm glad it's helping me explore other perspectives and experiences.
Hi everyone, nothing new here - busy week, rain outside... Bookwise - all over the place.
This week I finished:
The Thirteenth Tale – For “Book that passes the Bechdel Test” – 5 stars, very interesting book. A bit strange in the beginning, but after that it is really an amazing read and I didn’t expect the ending at all. I’m so happy I finally read it - it was on my TBR since 2012.
The Dutch House – for ATY, 14th Prompt – 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3 because of the narration by Tom Hanks.
Hidden Figures– for “Book about or by a woman in STEM” – 2 stars, I almost DNF this one. The (hi)story itself is very interesting and very important, but the writing is just awful… disappointing.
That makes 17/50 for PS.
Currently Reading:
The Dressmaker's Gift
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows – I just started the audiobook today, I’m laughing so much, the narrator is perfect.
QOTFW
Like others, I'm also (cautiously) looking forward to the western, I don't think I've ever read one before.
Other than that, maybe historical fiction. I've read a few this year - still a bit undecided on the genre though.
Mod
Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey - read for the Book Riot challenge, this was a..."
Your story about The Regulators reminds me of working at Borders. Customers would come in looking for a book with just a few pieces of information about it (Except for title and/or author!) And everyone working would be researching to try to be the first one to find it! It was soooo much fun for a book nerd like me! :) We would even share the limited information with other customers to see if they might know which book it was!
Hey everyone! I've missed the past few check-ins because life. I haven't felt super motivated this year for anything, including this challenge and I feel like I'm falling behind even though I've read 6 books which is right on track. I think I'm mostly just ready to be done with school and done with winter.On to the books I've read. I read What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions for a book I know nothing about. I had actually bought this book for my brother several years because he asked for it but he forgot he already had it on his Kindle. After he passed, I went through his books and this is one I've had on my shelf for years now and finally had a reason to read it. It was funny and informative. I loved the comics.
I also read Havana Storm. I originally was going to use it for a book in a series with more than 20 books but then I realized that it's set in Cuba so I switched it to that category. This was only okay. I love the Dirk Pitt books but they've really lost any sort of depth for the past few installments. Cussler tries to do too much but it's a big turnoff when the villains are more rounded characters than the protagonists.
QOTW:
I don't know that I've fallen in love with any new genres that I've previously avoided. I've read a lot of genres I wouldn't normally pick up though (Nordic Noir, Cli-Fi, etc). The one that I tend to avoid (then and now) is murder mystery, particularly cozy mystery. I prefer thrillers and adventures over classic mysteries.
February are historically our coldest month and this week I noticed that our hedge was starting to get small green leaves....Finished reading
Klubben Prompt: by or about a journalist. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Currently reading
A Judgement In Stone
The Lightning Thief aloud for my son
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire aloud for my daughter
QOTW
I read à LOT of different genres. Doing the challenge for the first year I will have to see if it broadens my readings
Mod
Thrilled to see someone else reading this and giving it some love. :)
I adored The Calculating Stars last year and now am reminded I purchased the second book in this series and need to read it!
Not much going on this week, save for getting back into Survivor now that it's in its 40th season.Finished:
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo. 3.5 stars, a charming story whose MC turns out a little too perfect for my taste. However, she's an excellent cook and this book had me drooling. bildungsroman
The Autobiography of Malcolm X 5 stars, an incredible journey from start to finish. Malcolm would've been 95 years old in 2020 - I wonder what he would think of the world today? 4-star rating on Goodreads
16/50
Currently:
Hidden Figures so far I like the film better; the book jumps around and switches focus quite a bit. It's interesting regardless. women in STEM
Deathless Divide I've been waiting for this one since I finished Dread Nation and it's pretty chunky! Very excited to see how this goes. published in 2020
QOTW: (From Lauren) Is there a genre that you've always avoided but have recently started getting into because of this (or another) reading challenge? I've never considered myself a huge contemporary (especially contemporary YA) fan because I tend to think of it as a mostly-fluff genre, but every time I pick up a contemporary book I'm reminded of how damn good they are.
18/40Finished: Report to Greco for bildungsroman prompt. I know it is an autobiography and so doesn't quite fit, but it reads so much like a novel and his wife declares in the forward that his account is highly fictionalized, so I'm counting it. That being said, this is quite possibly the best autobiography I've ever read.
The Winterhouse Mysteries for title with three words prompts. This is the final in a trilogy, and while enjoyable, it felt like it was time for the series to end. A lot of the tension hangs on whether the character is going to choose to use magic for good or evil, but there wasn't much of a question how this was going to play out by the third book.
Upright Women Wanted for a Western. Even though this was a queer book involving librarians, I didn't like it at all. It felt like it threw us into the middle of the plot, didn't develop the characters much, and treated the gunfights so matter of factly, that they aroused no emotions whatsoever.
Started:
How to Be an Antiracist I had given up on this book, but the author is a much better speaker than he is a writer, so seeing him speak, resparked my interest. He has a fairly dry, straight-forward layout but the structure can be misleading, because he actually had a quite nuanced analysis, especially where race interacts with other identifiers.
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma A friend recommended this one to me. It can be quite difficult to read, as it includes descriptions of people's traumatic events. I don't know what I think of it yet.
QotW: I'll probably be exploring more cozy mysteries. Definitely not Westerns though, which was my latest foray into an unfamiliar genre due to a prompt.
Hey y'all! We are in NC and we're supposed to get that snow. I'm ready - groceries bought, and everyone cozy in the house, with no need to leave for the next couple days. And we have plenty of books!Finished:
The Fifth Season - A book with a three-word title - I was really intrigued by the world and I liked the characters. So why did this kind of fall flat for me? I guess it felt like a pointless depressing slog (not the reading, the experiences of the characters) in retrospect. I'm happy to have read it, but I feel no urge to read on.
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup - A book about or by a woman in STEM - OMG, this was so juicy and alluring in a train-wreck kind of way. There were a few really angering and saddening events, but mostly I had fun being shocked again and again by the company's sheer audacity and gall. I kept exclaiming out loud while listening to it, like "WHAT?!" and "How did they get away with that?!"
Currently reading - Emma - I reckon this can be my bildungsroman and get me prepped to see the new movie. Enjoying it, but it moves slowly in a way P&P never seems to, despite both taking their time with the story. I think Clueless is my favorite movie adaptation of this so far!
QOTW:
I can't say true crime or history as such; is there a genre for true stories that read like thrillers but aren't too scary? I find contemporary true crime scary and depressing, but I adored Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. And as noted above, I loved the story of Theranos, told from the hero-reporter's point of view! I'm going to check out some books about Enron, and see what else I can dig up. Any suggestions for stuff that's thrilling but not so immediate as stuff like I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer?
Although The Ice Princess the book disappointed Shannon, I recommend the movie. It's an above-average sports film.Finished:
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
I am calling this one finished. I read over 100 pages of it, plus parts of the last chapter and epilogue. The story is fine, and I am glad to see different cultures and traditions represented in fantasy. It gets 3/5 from me.
Currently reading:
Watching the Clock by Christopher L. Bennett
I read this one back when it came out and maybe once more since then. It's great sci-fi, and it's even better if you know your Trek time travel/time loop episodes.
QotW: I have a greater appreciation for historical romance from reading challenges.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Writers & Lovers (other topics)Euphoria (other topics)
The House We Grew Up In (other topics)
Euphoria (other topics)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Lily King (other topics)Sara Pennypacker (other topics)
Lily King (other topics)
Carl Hiaasen (other topics)
Jeffrey Toobin (other topics)
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Admin note:
-Discussion leaders needed:
March -
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite.We have a volunteer!April -
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn HugoWe have a volunteer!May - The Tattooist of Auschwitz
PM me or Nadine if you would like to volunteer.
-Upcoming nominations. Toward the end of March we will start collecting nominations for Quarter 3 monthly reads so keep that in mind. You can view the list of prompts for July, August and September here. We will post again here when the nomination polls are open.
And now for the reading check-in.
Finished:
Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love by Jonathan Van Ness. I was excited to read this as I’ve already read books by two of the other Fab Five. Jonathan’s story is so heartbreaking and yet his joy for life still peeks through even through his darkest of times. If you are a fan of the show I think it’s a great look into one of the biggest personalities. Using for a trans or nonbinary author.
If You Ask Me by Betty White – I heart Betty White. She’s such a delightful person. This book is just a little collection of thoughts, memories and moments from her life (mostly more recent years).
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore. This was a delightful historical romance. Annabelle is a suffragette in Victorian England. She is tasked with recruiting one of the most brilliant politcal strategist minds in the country, the Duke of Montgomery. He, meanwhile, has been tasked with defeating the liberal party in the upcoming election by none other than the Queen herself. In return, he'll regain something he's been working towards for years. It's a sweet story that definitely kept me entertained. Using for a book recommended by a favorite podcast - Currently Reading.
Currently reading:
In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero
Meet Cute by Helen Hunting
19/50
Question of the week:
(From Lauren) Is there a genre that you've always avoided but have recently started getting into because of this (or another) reading challenge?
Fantasy – Before doing reading challenges I probably had only read a handful of fantasy in my entire life. It isn't my top genre, but I read at least a few every year.
Memoir/biography – again, before reading challenges I’d probably read a couple but I now read quite a few. Memoirs, in particular, have become a favorite genre for audiobooks.