Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2021 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 27: 7/2 - 7/8
I finished The Last Tudor as my book with a family tree. I mostly enjoyed it.I read Anne of Windy Poplars as my book by an author with the same zodiac sign (Sagitarrius). wasn't super crazy about this one.
I'm now a little over halfway through The Owl Killers as my genre hybrid, historical fiction/Horror(lite). I'm liking it so far.
QOTW: What a timely question. I looked up The Anne of Green Gable Series and see that the books were not written in chronological order. Anne of Green Gables was written in 1908. Anne of Windy Poplars, which is the 4th book chronologically was published 7th (out of 8) and 15 years later than the 8th book chronologically. I haven't read the rest of the series yet, but I will say that it seems markedly different than the first 3. Probably because the author and the world were very different in the yea 1936 than they were in 1908. Had I been alive and reading them as they came out, I don't know if I would have been interested in filling in the gaps after having read the "complete" story, but maybe I would have.
I prefer stand alones and haven't read a great many series (maybe 5 or 6 not including trilogies, or just detective series just using hte same characters, but not really a series), but I think the ones that I have, have all been in order.
Hello from Michigan! I am officially moved and (mostly) settled into my new place. Now begins the exploration of my new neighborhood. I haven’t checked in for a couple weeks because moving states is stressful! It was all worth it, though, to be closer to family and friends. I haven’t read very much the last couple weeks so I know I’m behind schedule. Usually, I would be almost finished with this challenge. This year is a lesson in priorities and patience.Finished
The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin (a book whose title starts with "Q," "X," or "Z"). If you love Grey’s Anatomy, you would enjoy this book. There are great characters and a lot of dark-and-twisty.
Reading
Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin (a book by a Muslim-American author)
The Power Behind the Throne by Steven Savile (a book with under 1,000 reviews)
Next Year in Havana by Chantel Cleeton (a DNF book from your TBR list)
QOTW
Sometimes I read them, sometimes I don’t. Generally, I’ve found that skipping the “between the numbers” stories doesn’t really impact my enjoyment or understanding of the main series books.
Happy Thursday! I'm going to be working the weekend to make up for not coming in on Monday, but that's why I'm thankful for a flexible schedule. I finished one book this week, An Unkindness of Ghosts (and managed to slip in Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 17 last Thursday). But Unkindness I rated 3 stars; I actually warmed to it more in the second half, which is a rare thing.
Still holding at 40/50 for the PS challenge.
Currently reading:
The Unbroken
Terms of Surrender
Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
I ended up setting The Jasmine Throne and The Cat of Amontillado aside because I was feeling overloaded, but I'm very much looking forward to getting back to both of them.
QOTW: What about ‘between the number’ serial installments?
I don't mind them because more often than not they tend to be short stories, which I can either zip through quickly or skip if I'm not feeling it.
Happy Thursday! I'm preparing for a full day testifying in Court, so I thought I would do my check-in quick before I get lost in the chaos for the day. I had a wonderful long break over the weekend (4 days!) which I spent mostly outside, working in my garden which was beginning to look terribly uncared for. I also took Lynn's awesome advice from a few weeks ago and decided to change some of the books I was planning for prompts (from previous years) because I was not excited about them.I finished:
The Vanishing Season: This book went from being good to really good because it had an awesome dog named Speed Bump who I fell in love with, so now I am planning to try to find book 2 so that I can read more about the adventures of Speed Bump.
The Color Collector: I normally do not allow myself to read children's books for the prompts, just as a personal rule, but after trying to fill the immigrant and refugee prompt from several years ago with about 10 different books which ended up not fitting the challenge well or not capturing my attention, I stumbled across this one by a happy accident, and after reading it, I loved the idea of looking at the topic from a child's perspective, so I'm keeping it.
Murder on the Orient Express: Thank you to everyone who told me to keep trying with this one. I originally had some trouble following the audiobook version and thought about giving up, but I downloaded the e-book version and read the first 50 pages or so, and then switched back and forth between that and the audiobook. I had to listen to the audiobook at its proper speed, instead of sped up like I prefer, but I ended up totally sucked in by this and I thought it was an absolute masterclass for the genre and way ahead of its time. 5 stars easily.
The World of Cyberpunk 2077: I try not to use too many graphic novels for the challenge either, but I am not ashamed to say that I am absolutely not a fan of this genre. I think the robot/cyborg/techno-fiction thing is very unsettling and creepy and I don't find anything enjoyable about it. I have disliked every prompt that requires any of those elements.
Currently reading;
Before She Was Found: I like when books parallel real true-crime cases and I'm realizing this one is a lot like the slenderman case from a while back. It is a decent read so far, but isn't as engaging as I would like. I do like when a book switched between chapters and diary entries and text messages/DMs. I think it helps from feeling monotonous and this book has a lot of that.
QOTW:
I struggle with this too. Like Lynn, I always appreciate the stories, but I like to read things in order. A big pet peeve also is the prequels after a series is compete. Of course, I am going to read them, but it always makes me feel obligated to reread the whole series then, and some of my series are very long. Having said that, if I am committed to a series, I'm still going to enjoy an additions to it.
Happy Thursday, y’all.Summer at the library continues to be exhausting. I love that people, especially kids and families, are making use of the library during the summer, and that they love our summer programs. Doesn't mean I don't drag myself home and pass out every night. XD
Books read this week:
Survive the Night -- I LOVE Riley Sager… and so it’s disappointing that this is the first of his books I didn’t love. The gimmick felt unrealistic and cheap, and while the story was a decently twisty thriller, it feels like the final chapter was tacked on for no reason and spoils a lot of the story.
Project Hail Mary-- Andy Weir is one of my favorite authors, and his latest novel did NOT disappoint! All the humor and snarky moments and well-thought-out science of The Martian but taken in a more fantastic direction… and it works!
Boy's Life -- I enjoyed Swan Song by the same author… and while this is much more of a “slice of life” novel (albeit with magical realism elements mixed in), it was still just as good -- equal parts chilling, fantastic, and nostalgic.
Ring Shout -- what if the Ku Klux Klan were demons in disguise? I didn’t enjoy this novella quite as much as P. Djeli Clark’s other works (I read and enjoyed his Cairo novella and shorts and The Black God's Drums}, but it’s still a powerful and delightfully creepy story.
DNF:
My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales -- I normally love fairy-tale retellings… but this collection just wasn't working for me. There has to be better ways to reimagine fairy tales than just throwing in graphic violence and sex (especially since many of the original tales were graphic enough before they were watered down), and many of the stories i did read just felt bland.
Currently Reading:
Long After Midnight
The Ice Lion
The Pygmy Dragon
Under the Pendulum Sun
QOTW:
I don't mind "between the number" installments so much, so long as they don't contain information absolutely vital to the plot of the rest of the series. I don't even mind a series being published out of chronological order -- but then, I grew up on Star Wars and Dragonriders of Pern, two series quite infamous for coming out with installments out of chronological order...
I would like summer back, it's just grey and wet all the time. At least both my books were five stars this week!Finished:
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy for ATY (from best of month threads), beautiful and melancholy.
A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark for ATY (Muslim character). This full length novel was everything I wanted out of this series and I hope there are many more to come.
QOTW:
I used to be more bothered about keeping up with them, but after reading a fair few, I realised that I'm not missing out on a lot. For favourite series, it's kinda nice to get bonus material after it's over or if there is a long wait between novels, but I no longer try and hunt down hard to find ones. I prefer ones that maybe revisit a minor character doing something not related to the main plot, or a different angle on something I already have read about.
Lynn car rental is ridiculous in the UK too. My partner's car is getting a bit old and he looked at renting something for our holiday just in case something vital fell off, but some places wanted nearly £80 a day for a basic hatchback! You'd think with a lack of international tourists around they'd want to try and lure in domestic customers.
Hello All, I finished 3 books for the week. One for this challenge. The Cold Dish (Walt Longmire #1) by Craig Johnson. I have heard such good things about Longmire the series & show so thought I would start reading it. 4 stars. If you like westerns,crime series I also recommend the Joe Pickett series by C.J.Box. This book wasn't for this challenge.
Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon. 5 stars. Not for this challenge. YA. This was a new to me author & I really enjoyed the book.
Queen Bee (Lowcountry Tales, #12) by Dorothea Benton Frank. 3 stars. A book whose title starts with "Q","X", or "Z". I just picked the first book I found that fit the prompt. I hadn't read the other books in the series but it wasn't a problem. The book was light but I still haven't figured out the meaning or purpose , I guess, of the prompt.
Question of the Week:
What about ‘between the number’ serial installments? That has happened to me where new installments of a series pop up that are before the number I am reading. I don't like it. It happened to me with the Practical Magic series by Alice Hoffman. I had read the series then in 2020 Magic Lessons (Practical Magic #0.1) is published. It was a good book but it did play with my mind.
My husband watches YouTube a lot, and one of his favorite topics is car reviews and the auto industry. From those videos, it sounds like the problem with the car rental agencies (and used car sales in general) is that with the pandemic last year and everyone in lockdown, the car rental agencies sold a large chunk of their fleets to take advantage of the high prices for used cars. Now that people are coming out of lockdown, new cars are scarce due to the chip shortage, and the used car market is still super competitive. The rental agencies can't replace the fleets they sold off last summer, and are raising prices to try to hide the fact they don't have enough cars.
Hello hello! Today I'll have plenty of opportunity to get reading done because I'll have workers here tearing holes into two walls of my apartment to work on plumbing in the building. I'll be sequestering myself and two cats away in my little bedroom, so here's to hoping we don't murder each other.Very Important Dog Update: at a patio dinner the other day a Newfoundland that had the gray/white coloring that always makes me think of Nana from Peter Pan came over and plopped his head on my lap without warning. His name was Albert, which to quote his owner, is "a grumpy old man name to match his grumpy old man personality." 10/10, would have him interrupt any meal any time he wants.
Finished:
Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You by Lin-Manuel Miranda - I appreciate the positive energy this is putting out into the world, but I do think these little encouragements worked better as tweets than as a book, though the illustrations did add a nice Shel Silverstein vibe to the whole thing.
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger - I liked but did not love this book and I feel bad about that?? There was a lot of really cool stuff in this and I don't regret reading it, but the pacing dragged a lot for me and it definitely felt like an author's first novel. I'll be excited to see more of her work down the line!
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid - YIKES this book made me cringe for at least 90% of the time I spent reading it. It felt very true to life in a depressing way, and for the most part I appreciated how things turned out, but the ending did feel a bit rushed and not entirely satisfying.
Hamletmachine and Other Texts for the Stage by Heiner Müller - so this was for the "book that's been on your to read list the longest" and honestly I don't think I'd planned on ever actually reading it. An artist I love mentioned it as the inspiration for their online persona back in the day, so that made me curious about it. But I cannot stress enough how I did not feel like the target audience for this work. Maybe I would have appreciated this more in an undergrad theater history class, but as it was my eyes mostly glazed over reading the majority of these plays and all the European socialist history footnotes required to understand their context.
Currently Reading:
Loveless
Orpheus Girl
Late to the Party
Shadow and Bone
Artificial Condition
Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? And other Questions about Dead Bodies
QotW:
It's silly, but I get very stressed out when I can't read a series in "the correct order" which means I have a lot of anxiety when reading a series that does not HAVE a correct order (looking at you, Discworld!). I also get irritated when authors publish between-the-number novellas or short stories that I either have to purchase an anthology of works I don't want for one story or pay full price for a novella that doesn't actually add much more than filler to the existing universe. I recognize this problem is entirely just me, though, haha.
Another week down! This week went fast due to the holiday on Monday (US). I can't believe tomorrow is already Friday, bring it on! Finished:
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (A book about art or an artist). I really like TJR's books I read Daisy Jones & The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo last year. But this one wasn't as good as the others. There wasn't any sort of twist or reveal at the end, still written well and a good story so I gave it 4 stars.
Almost Finished:
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson. I really hate to DNF a book, otherwise I would have DNF'd this book a while ago. Henderson is a great writer, but this isn't my kind of story - it feels dragged on and forced. I know life is too short to read books you don't like but I started it so now I must finish it.
On Deck:
Arsenic and Adobo - excited to start this one.
QOTW:
I am not really big on series unless I start them from the beginning. Series with more than 3 books out now seem daunting and I like the variety of reading. I got sucked into Robert Galbraith's Cormoran Strike series when it first came out and I am dying for more of them.
Not much new in Texas, but my best friend and I are planning a road trip to North Carolina (after years of talking about it, we're finally going to the Wizard of Oz theme park!), and my mom and I booked a trip to Napa to ride a wine train and stay in a bed and breakfast. So that's all very exciting!I also finished TWO WHOLE BOOKS this last week, which hasn't happened in a LONG time!
Finished:
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - I discovered this is shortlisted for the 2021 Women's Prize for Fiction. Even if it doesn't win, I'm keeping it in that slot because I hated that prompt lol.
Also, I FLIPPING LOVED THIS. I immediately wanted to reread it when I was done. Absolutely beautiful and my goodness, Clark has an incredible imagination! It's now on my "faves" list.
Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams - A book set in a restaurant. The female protagonist owns a cat cafe, and we do spend some time there, so I'm counting it. This was adorable and surprisingly heavy (it shouldn't have been a surprise because the last one was too). I really do like this series - I have no interest in the romance genre, but the plots and character development in this series is so good! And they seem to get better with each book, which bodes well for the other three that are planned.
Currently Reading:
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik - Dark academia. I'm 30 pages in and already hooked. I know many have said it's not like her other work, but it actually feels like it is to me (so far). I love her female characters and her writing, and this has both! I'm excited to see where it takes me.
QOTW:
LOL. Series. I love when a QOTW is about series because I'm the opposite of a finisher. Even when I absolutely LOVE a series, it'll take me YEARS to finish it, if I ever do. That's one of the reasons I like this challenge - I can fit series books into prompts so that I have to read them.
Case in point: I have yet to finish the Eragon series. I read the first three as they came out and have just let that fourth one sit for years. So I've put all those on my challenge for this year! Of course, I haven't actually been working on them...I think some of it is concern about having to deal with the death of some characters. But I'm also like this with shows and movies, so who knows?
All that to say: I don't care one way or the other about in-between additions because it's unlikely I'll ever read them! Granted, I also can't think of a book series I've read that did that...but unless the story requires it, I also don't always try to read them in order. Nor am I bothered by prequels released later (looking at you Who Could That Be at This Hour?).
I didn't post last week due to travels, so I have quite a bit to get caught up on:I'm 44/50 for the challenge.
Read: Language And Learning
The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge Read for prompt that has been longest on my TBR list.
Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows recommended by a friend who is vegan. Didn't persuade as much as Peter Singer did.
How to Order the Universe for prompt of somewhere you want to travel (Chile). Short enough that it never fully developed.
High Fidelity for 90's bestseller. The main character wasn't very likeable but was self-aware enough that he kind of became endearing. Didn't like his taste in music though.
Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters pretty good.
The Art of Communicating I found myself underlining a lot in this book. But I still liked the Lost Art of Good Communication better.
Started: I started a whole bunch of books and have been entirely undisciplined about finishing them before starting more!
Eating Animals
Hello World: Being Human in the Age of Algorithms
The Beekeeper of Aleppo This one's a book club book.
Virgil Wander recommended by Boulder Bookstore employee on the theme of community.
Restaurant Psychology for Everyone for book that takes place in a restaurant
Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data wanted to use this for easy entry into the subject, but still finding it challenging to focus on it.
Qotw: I don't feel like this happens enough with series for me to be annoyed about it. I've read some of the Orson Scott Card spin-offs and I enjoyed the creativity he used to explore other characters' perspectives.
Only four more days of summer school left and then I am free!!! Well, for a couple of weeks anyway. I am excited though because I am going to Montana in my two weeks off- and since Montana in the summer is my favorite place to be...I had a very slow reading week and only finished one book:
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America- I thought this book was very interesting. I got it off the groups DNF list, so it is a DNF on my TBR. I have decided- after trying again on several of the DNFs I have here at home- that this is my least favorite prompt. If a book falls into the DNF category it is because I did not want to finish it. Thank you all for sharing the books you didn't finish so I could read one I really enjoyed.
Currently Reading:
They Came to Baghdad for my book chosen at random off my TBR list.
QOTW:
I don't mind the "in between" installments of series. Sometimes I read them and sometimes I don't.
Happy Reading!
Early check-in for me today since I decided to take today and tomorrow off and am enjoying a quiet, leisurely morning. I'm looking forward to getting some uninterrupted reading time in over my long weekend. I'm not sure if any of the books I have in progress fit any open prompts.I finished one book, which fit an open prompt, so I finally have some movement again. I'm at 17/40 and 2/10 for this challenge, and at 36/100 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge.
Finished:
* Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala, which I used for "a book set in a restaurant."
Currently Reading:
* The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles, which is one my book club's picks for July;
* You're Not Listening: What You're Missing and Why It Matters by Kate Murphy, which is my other book club's pick for July; and,
* Shell Game by Sara Paretsky.
QotW:
What about ‘between the number’ serial installments? I look at these as happy discoveries of bonus reads. At least for the series that I follow that have these, I've found that they are easily read as standalones. Though I prefer to read a series in order, I don't feel like the in-betweens count and just read them when I come across them. The only series where I've tried to read the in-betweens in order is the Baby Ganesh Agency series by Vaseem Khan, mainly because of the timing of when I started the series and when I discovered the in-betweens. The other series where I've picked up the in-betweens but read them out of order were the Bess Crawford series by Charles Todd and the Chief Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny.
Mod
I admit to having loved that whole series!
"QOTW: What a timely question. I looked up The Anne of Green Gable Series and see that the books were not written in chronological order. Anne of Green Gables was written in 1908. Anne of Windy Poplars, which is the 4th book chronologically was published 7th (out of 8) and 15 years later than the 8th book chronologically. I haven't read the rest of the series yet, but I will say that it seems markedly different than the first 3. Probably because the author and the world were very different in the yea 1936 than they were in 1908. Had I been alive and reading them as they came out, I don't know if I would have been interested in filling in the gaps after having read the "complete" story, but maybe I would have."
It is kinda freaky that Card published Ender in Exile which is listed as Ender's Saga #1.2 a whole 23 years after Ender's Game which is Ender's Saga #1. I'm so anxious to see how it fits with the second installment in the series!
"I prefer stand alones and haven't read a great many series (maybe 5 or 6 not including trilogies, or just detective series just using hte same characters, but not really a series), but I think the ones that I have, have all been in order"
Sounds as if you've been lucky regarding series! I'm a sucker for a series I really enjoy!
Just finished my last meeting of my heinous three weeks - hurrah! Hopefully my headspace will be a bit better for reading from now on...Finished:
Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel for A book whose title starts with “Q,” “X,” or “Z”. This was cute, although there were a couple of plot developments/twists that made me go "Say what now?" :)
Haven't actually started anything new. I gave myself permission to put Wolf Hall on hiatus at the halfway mark to read something easier, so now I've gone back to it in order to finish it.
QOTW:
I can take or leave those kind of inserted installments - sometimes I'll read them, if it's a series a I really love and therefore I just want to read anything related to it. But sometimes I just ignore them, if I'm not that bothered - part of me thinks that if the content of them was really that important, then it would have been included in one of the original series installments...
Mod
It sounds as if you are very skilled at prioritization and patience both! I'm so glad the move is done and now you can concentrate on exploration!
"Finished
The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin (a book whose title starts with "Q," "X," or "Z"). If you love Grey’s Anatomy, you would enjoy this book. There are great characters and a lot of dark-and-twisty."
Oohhh...this looks good! Added it to my TBR listing!
"Reading
Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin (a book by a Muslim-American author)"
I really enjoyed this one!
"Next Year in Havana by Chantel Cleeton (a DNF book from your TBR list)"
I think this looks like one I would enjoy...interested to see how you feel about it when done.
"QOTW
Sometimes I read them, sometimes I don’t. Generally, I’ve found that skipping the “between the numbers” stories doesn’t really impact my enjoyment or understanding of the main series books."
I would say that I agree that most of them are not especially impactful.
Mod
Cool! That is so convenient!
"I finished one book this week, An Unkindness of Ghosts...I rated 3 stars; I actually warmed to it more in the second half, which is a rare thing."
Interesting...
"Still holding at 40/50 for the PS challenge."
That's great at mid-year!
"Currently reading:
I ended up setting The Jasmine Throne and The Cat of Amontillado aside because I was feeling overloaded, but I'm very much looking forward to getting back to both of them."
I know that feeling!
"QOTW: What about ‘between the number’ serial installments?
I don't mind them because more often than not they tend to be short stories, which I can either zip through quickly or skip if I'm not feeling it."
Yes, the majority are short stories and easily read quickly.
Hello! We're home from Texas, and while we didn't get to as many of our favorite restaurants as we would have liked, it was largely because we were spending more time than we thought with friends and family. And that's a good thing. I didn't get as much reading done on the trip as I thought, but I did finish my audiobook. Oh, and the book I won in a giveaway was delivered while we were gone. Goodreads said 8-10 weeks, and it came in 10 days.Finished This Week:
Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell. I picked this one for the narrator (Xe Sands) and enjoyed it. The main character runs a vintage clothing shop, and the author describes with exacting detail far too many pieces of clothing. I thought the mystery was good, and most of the character motivations believable. Book 2 is on hold at the library, but as a physical book. Using for #35, in a different format.
Daughter of Sparta by Claire M. Andrews. The ebook I was reading on the road trip. I was so excited for this, and while I enjoyed the story, I hadn't realized that the author was taking a lot of Greek myths, mashing them together, and inserting Daphne into them. I was fine with it when I thought Daphne was just the "forgotten" part of the other myths, but when it became obvious the author wasn't going to let those original myths happen as written, I got mad. Gave it four stars because I did enjoy it, but I wish the author had made different decisions. Not for prompt, but could be #1, Published in 2021.
So Lucky by Nicola Griffith. I read this for Read Harder, an Own Voices book about Disability. The story is about the main character discovering she has MS, and what she goes through in that first year following the diagnosis. It also would have worked for Pride month. It's a tough read, and the author pulls no punches about what the disease is like. It's very short, only 180 pages, told without chapters. Not for PS prompt.
PS: 32/50 RH: 12/24 RW: 15/28 ATY: 43/52 GR: 89/150
Currently Reading:
Wonderful Feels Like This by Sara Lövestam. This is a Swedish YA book translated into English, about a teenager who's bullied at school finding comfort in jazz music, and befriending an old guy at a retirement home who was connected to the jazz scene in Stockholm during World War II. Only about half way, but really liking it. For Read Harder, realistic YA book not in US/UK/Canada.
Chasing the Moon: The People, the Politics, and the Promise That Launched America Into the Space Age by Robert Stone. Another space book, this one written in conjunction with a PBS documentary for the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. The first chapter was about Arthur C Clarke. It's definitely different than the other space books. Not for prompt.
QOTW: What about ‘between the number’ serial installments?
I'm fine with in between short stories as long as they're only to add flavor and character development, or focus on side characters. I love Gunmetal Magic in the Kate Daniels series, even though it's technically not part of the core series. There's even a short story that runs in conjunction with it, Magic Gifts, which is one of my favorites in the whole Kate Daniels world. Neither are required to understand book six, but they enhance it.
For the Study series by Maria Snyder, I hate the in-between stuff. I loved the three original Study books, and when I saw a fourth Study book come out a few years later, I bought it immediately. And got very confused, very quickly. It not only required you to have read some short stories, it also required another series entirely. The book doesn't mention this anywhere. I had to go looking on the author's webpage to understand what was going on. Goodreads now shows Shadow Study as book 4 of the Study series and book 7 of the Ixia series. (My review saying all this is the top review on Amazon.) I haven't read anything by Maria Snyder since. I pretend the series ended with Fire Study.
ETA: I used to have extensive debates in middle school about the "correct" order of the Redwall books. Ever since, I read things in the order they were written by the author, unless there's a compelling reason to read them in a different order (which is what I think the Discworld books have). I wouldn't read a book 1.2 before book 2 if it was written 23 years after book 2, despite what the author says the order should be.
Happy Thursday. Just a quick check in for me today because I'm leaving and won't be back until Sunday. I will get to see my grandma for the first time in a year (as well as other relatives) Yay.Books I finished:
Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - This was funny, but short, a little too repetitive and not much substance.
Another One Bites the Dust ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Continuing my reread of this series.
Ruin and Rising ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - This almost got a 5. I am so glad I stuck with this series. I really did not enjoy book 2, but this was just wonderful start to finish. I used it for ATY: A book with a title and authors name that both contain the letter U.
Cairo: A Graphic Novel ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Another fabulous read. It really reminded me of The Daevabad trilogy. And then when I finished it, I was talking about it with my sister and she mentioned she didn't like that it was in black and white and I had to go look, because I hadn't noticed.🤷♀️ I used it for ATY: A book to celebrate The Grand Egyptian Museum.
Books I made progress on:
Jane Austen at Home
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
The Bad Muslim Discount
QOTW
I'm fine with half step stories, provided they're easy to find. I hate when you know there's an extra story out there, but it was only published in a magazine, or limited edition press and therefore not really available outside of the US, unless I want to spend waaaay too much money.
Mod
We had a pretty dry mid-June, if I remember correctly. I remember the grass starting to get dry and crispy. But we have gotten SO MUCH rain recently! It rains every day! With THUNDER! Between the fireworks and the thunder, I swear I think my dog has PTSD, because she trembles every night now, even when there is no storm.
I planted my tomatoes this weekend (spring came late this year), and told my daughter to check them every day, she might have to water them, but ... nope! it's rained every day, no need to water anything! (I think she's a little disappointed.)
Just a warning. In case you were considering renting a vehicle. At least in the midwestern US, prices have doubled and tripled!
It's the same here!! It's crazy! They say it's due to the pandemic, they had to raise prices because no one was renting. I'm not an economist, and that does not make sense to me. Doesn't "supply & demand" mean the price would go DOWN when there's no demand? Or does it actually mean that all the other branches close due to no business, so now you have zero competition, so the price can go up because you have no choice?
What is up with your car? Do you keep driving into pot holes hahaha?
Mod
That sounds like it makese sense - maybe that's what happened. That would also explain the people telling me they got to the rental place and there was no car for them.
Happy Thursday! It's been so hot lately. Storms are supposed to hit today, and I'm looking forward to them cooling things down.Finished 29/50
Made crazy progress this week!
Seeds Of The Word: Orthodox Thinking On Other Religions for "book with something broken on the cover". I really liked it! It's a perfect "intro to world religions for the average joe". It's very respectful and supportive of dialogue.
Of Nightingales That Weep for "book about fresh starts". Wow, this was not what I expected. It was good, but it includes things in there that I'm not sure are appropriate for a middle-grade book (15 year old marries her stepfather???).
Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man for "book with an oxymoron in the title". Wow, this was so sad. I really feel for this family. Child abuse is so sinister and creates so many lifelong issues...this book is case in point.
Currently Reading
The Kingdom of Copper for "book by a Muslim American author". I read The City of Brass a couple years ago and liked it, so now I have the perfect excuse to read the next book in the series!
QotW
It annoys me. The Kingkiller Chronicles and the Stormlight Archives (and I think the Lunar Chronicles as well) do this, and it makes it so hard to figure out how many books are in a series and what to read when. I understand writing spin-off books can be fun or books focusing on minor characters can be cool, but please LABEL THEM BETTER SO I KNOW WHERE IT FITS. It drives me up the wall, ESPECIALLY if I like a series. I want to make sure I have them all, and if you aren't specifically labeling it as "book 2.5 of x series", it tends to not come up when I search for "books in x series" or if it does, I've no idea what it is or where it goes. Very frustrating.
3 week check in because I was on a beach or recovering from beach week.A Genre Hybrid
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong. YA retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in 1920s Shanghai with monsters. I truly enjoyed this. It was a great read.
the rest fit no prompts so they go from fave to least fave (I actually really enjoyed all of them except for the last 2)
Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard. Fantasy. This is a thick book and it took me a minute to get into it but then I sped through. Great read.
The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren. Contemporary romance. Really enjoyed it.
The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe. Picked it up based on a tweet that said "be gay, do crime recs". YA. Daughter of a con artist gets caught in a bank robbery. Enjoyed it.
Counting Down with You by Tashie Bhuiyan. YA romance. Muslim/Bangladeshi-American heroine. Fake dating trope. This was a cute read.
Pumpkin by Julie Murphy. YA contemporary fiction. Enjoyable read.
Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon. Sci-fic/romance. This was all over booktok and I finally gave in. I'm not mad I spent 4 bucks on it but if you take away the alien part, it's typical kindle spicy romance. But good for this author for blowing up on booktok.
Ninja Girl by Cookie O'Gorman. I really enjoyed this author's Adorkable (YA romance) but this was a mess.
Heart and Seoul by Jen Frederick. Classified as contemporary romance and there was a big argument on a review here on goodreads about this. I didn't enjoy this book. The main character was annoying. I didn't get why the hero was into her. Also, there's no HEA or HFN which is absolutely a requirement of romance. Without that, it is a book with romantic elements but it's not a romance. Truly annoyed me. There's a second book but I'm out.
QOTW:
I usually just skip the inbetweens. Maybe I'm missing something but I'll never know.
Kendra wrote: "I hate when you know there's an extra story out there, but it was only published in a magazine, or limited edition press and therefore not really available outside of the US, unless I want to spend waaaay too much money..."OMG Subterranean Press is the worst for this. Their postage charges are ridiculous. They have a Mira Grant book that I honestly don't mind paying $40 for if that''s the only way to get it but then postage was something like $50!
For ages I couldn't read the book that comes before Into the Drowning Deep but I found the audiobook on Scribd so that was a relief.
Oh, Subterranean. I have a sort of love/hate thing with them. Like they publish some really awesome stuff from my favourite authors which I always get excited about but every announcement from them comes with that tinge of "... oh. never getting my hands on *that* then."And honestly their editions aren't that good? In terms of quality as a physical object, I don't see the huge difference between a SubPress and say, a Tor novella, that justifies the fivefold difference in price. Just the artificial rarity I guess?
And their ebook editions don't even come out in the UK! >:(
Mod
A Genre Hybrid
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong. YA retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in 1920s Shanghai with monsters. ..."
This book does look good, and friends have given it good reviews, but every time I go to the book page, and I see the author gave herself five stars ... I just can't do it. I try to never read a book that the author reviewed, because I feel like the author is ridiculing all of us, and it's one step away from calling us all assholes (like that one author-who-shall-not-be-named infamously did, when she got a four star review instead of five stars). It seems this is just a ME thing, and no one else minds it when authors rate their own books.
Mod
YES to all of this. I don't mind the little-in-between shorts, when they are published as free tor shorts, or otherwise made available to the frugal general public. But don't make me pay $$$ for it.
Mod
Wow. A full day of testifying in court. Gee! That sounds like so much...fun! Yeah, fun! Sure! Well, I'm glad my suggestion worked for you. 👍 Hope you enjoy whatever you select!
"I finished:
The Vanishing Season: This book went from being good to really good because it had an awesome dog named Speed Bump who I fell in love with, so now I am planning to try to find book 2 so that I can read more about the adventures of Speed Bump."
A book with a doggy! And the synopsis doesn't even mention him/her! What a tragic oversight! 🤨
"The Color Collector: I normally do not allow myself to read children's books for the prompts, just as a personal rule, but after trying to fill the immigrant and refugee prompt from several years ago with about 10 different books which ended up not fitting the challenge well or not capturing my attention, I stumbled across this one by a happy accident, and after reading it, I loved the idea of looking at the topic from a child's perspective, so I'm keeping it."
That looks so good!
"Murder on the Orient Express: Thank you to everyone who told me to keep trying with this one...I ended up totally sucked in by this and I thought it was an absolute masterclass for the genre and way ahead of its time. 5 stars easily."
I read this many many years ago and would agree with you!
"The World of Cyberpunk 2077...I am not ashamed to say that I am absolutely not a fan of this genre. I think the robot/cyborg/techno-fiction thing is very unsettling and creepy and I don't find anything enjoyable about it. I have disliked every prompt that requires any of those elements."
Just curious, have you read All Systems Red? For me, it depends upon the writer, but I am really enjoying Martha Wells' Murderbot series. Just in case there is another reading challenge prompt like this in the future...
"Currently reading;
Before She Was Found: I like when books parallel real true-crime cases"
I so enjoyed Gudenkauf's debut The Weight of Silence! And I own another couple of her books but have yet to read them. Should move those up on my list!
"QOTW:
I struggle with this too. Like Lynn, I always appreciate the stories, but I like to read things in order. A big pet peeve also is the prequels after a series is compete. Of course, I am going to read them, but it always makes me feel obligated to reread the whole series then, and some of my series are very long. Having said that, if I am committed to a series, I'm still going to enjoy any additions to it."
True. If I love the series, I will love the 'between' installments as well. But...it's just a bit surprising! 😊 Fortunately, I have yet to feel compelled to reread the whole series.
Mod
It's obvious that you expend the appropriately immense amount of emotional energy in your job! I felt that way after a day of teaching. I would change clothes and fall into my recliner for 15-20 minutes and often would ask my own children to give me that time before pouncing on me with their own news of the day! Expending emotional energy is exhausting to most people, I think. In some ways it is invigorating as well...
"Books read this week:
Survive the Night -- I LOVE Riley Sager… and so it’s disappointing that this is the first of his books I didn’t love. The gimmick felt unrealistic and cheap, and while the story was a decently twisty thriller, it feels like the final chapter was tacked on for no reason and spoils a lot of the story."
Ugh. That sucks. Perhaps the next one will make up for it! LOL 🤞
"Project Hail Mary-- Andy Weir is one of my favorite authors, and his latest novel did NOT disappoint!"
Ooohhh...I so want to read this!
"DNF:
My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales -- I normally love fairy-tale retellings… but this collection just wasn't working for me."
This is one I am not interested in trying...
"Currently Reading:
Long After Midnight"
Ooohhh...Bradbury! Yes! 👍
"QOTW:
I don't mind "between the number" installments so much, so long as they don't contain information absolutely vital to the plot of the rest of the series. I don't even mind a series being published out of chronological order -- but then, I grew up on Star Wars and Dragonriders of Pern, two series quite infamous for coming out with installments out of chronological order..."
Ah. That no doubt helps you be more flexible than others of us, I would guess! 🤗
Not much to share this week. Life goes on, we’re probably in another lockdown next week or forced to spend our vacations at home because our government re-opened a bit too quickly and Delta is spreading like a tsunami at the moment, end of emotions.25/40
Finished
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by ⭐⭐⭐
Prompt: #29, a book set in multiple countries. It also fits #34, a book about a social justice issue (if you consider refugees a social justice issue)
A story about the human tragedies behind the wave of refugees that crossed Europe in 2015.
Currently reading
De Dertigjarige Oorlog: De allereerste wereldoorlog 1618-1648
Een nieuw sociaal contract
QOTW
I have never thought about it. I’m not a big series reader, so I have never bumped into such a thing.
Mod
Well there's a bright spot in your otherwise drab environment! LOL 😊
"Finished:
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy for ATY (from best of month threads), beautiful and melancholy."
This looks fascinating!
"A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark for ATY (Muslim character). This full length novel was everything I wanted out of this series and I hope there are many more to come."
Cool!
QOTW:
I used to be more bothered about keeping up with them, but after reading a fair few, I realised that I'm not missing out on a lot. For favourite series, it's kinda nice to get bonus material after it's over or if there is a long wait between novels, but I no longer try and hunt down hard to find ones. I prefer ones that maybe revisit a minor character doing something not related to the main plot, or a different angle on something I already have read about."
Like you, I do appreciate these types of 'extras'!
Mod
I had read that once the lockdown was going to be long-term car rental companies sold off much of their fleets. Understandable. Why pay for vehicles when they're not being used... But then I suppose now they're not anxious to build those fleets back up until relatively certain we won't be back into lockdown again...at least in the near future. IDK. Could also just be their way of trying to make up for lost revenue, though I can't imagine they're renting many vehicles at those rates. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Who knows?
Mod
The Cold Dish (Walt Longmire #1) by Craig Johnson. I have heard such good things about Longmire the series & show so thought I would start reading it. 4 stars. If you like westerns,crime series I also recommend the Joe Pickett series by C.J.Box. This book wasn't for this challenge."
This is one of my husband's favorite series that I've thought I might also enjoy.
"Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon. 5 stars. Not for this challenge. YA. This was a new to me author & I really enjoyed the book."
I have yet to read Everything, Everything! I really hope to get to it yet this year.
"Queen Bee (Lowcountry Tales, #12) by Dorothea Benton Frank. 3 stars. A book whose title starts with "Q","X", or "Z". I just picked the first book I found that fit the prompt. I hadn't read the other books in the series but it wasn't a problem."
I have yet to read a book written by Frank.
"Question of the Week:
What about ‘between the number’ serial installments? That has happened to me where new installments of a series pop up that are before the number I am reading. I don't like it. It happened to me with the Practical Magic series by Alice Hoffman. I had read the series then in 2020 Magic Lessons (Practical Magic #0.1) is published. It was a good book but it did play with my mind."
That made me laugh! It reminded me of informing my most mischievous kitty, Tigger the Terrible, this morning that she could drive a sane person crazy, let alone me! 😁
Mod
Aha! Truth be known...
Nadine wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Happy Thursday! I got caught in a storm last night on the way home and just pulled off and sat for 30 minutes. It was raining so hard I literally could not see well enough to drive. Th..."It just occurred to me that maybe my dog has PTSD also. He has been so weird lately. Thank you, Nadine, for clearing that up.
Mod
Oh, my! I hope they finish quckly!
"Very Important Dog Update: at a patio dinner the other day a Newfoundland that had the gray/white coloring that always makes me think of Nana from Peter Pan came over and plopped his head on my lap without warning. His name was Albert, which to quote his owner, is "a grumpy old man name to match his grumpy old man personality." 10/10, would have him interrupt any meal any time he wants."
Awwww...that just makes me sigh happily!
"Finished:
Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You by Lin-Manuel Miranda - I appreciate the positive energy this is putting out into the world, but I do think these little encouragements worked better as tweets than as a book, though the illustrations did add a nice Shel Silverstein vibe to the whole thing."
Now you've intrigued me! 😊
"Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger - I liked but did not love this book and I feel bad about that?? There was a lot of really cool stuff in this and I don't regret reading it, but the pacing dragged a lot for me and it definitely felt like an author's first novel. I'll be excited to see more of her work down the line!"
If I ever get to it, I assume I'll either love or hate this one! LOL
"Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid - YIKES this book made me cringe for at least 90% of the time I spent reading it. It felt very true to life in a depressing way, and for the most part I appreciated how things turned out, but the ending did feel a bit rushed and not entirely satisfying."
I plan to get to this in either July or August.
"Hamletmachine and Other Texts for the Stage by Heiner Müller - so this was for the "book that's been on your to read list the longest" and honestly I don't think I'd planned on ever actually reading it. An artist I love mentioned it as the inspiration for their online persona back in the day, so that made me curious about it. But I cannot stress enough how I did not feel like the target audience for this work. Maybe I would have appreciated this more in an undergrad theater history class, but as it was my eyes mostly glazed over reading the majority of these plays and all the European socialist history footnotes required to understand their context."
Man! This sounds like it was somewhat of a slog to get through. I admire your fortitude in finishing it! 👍
"Currently Reading:
Artificial Condition"
Loved this!
"QotW:
It's silly, but I get very stressed out when I can't read a series in "the correct order" which means I have a lot of anxiety when reading a series that does not HAVE a correct order (looking at you, Discworld!). I also get irritated when authors publish between-the-number novellas or short stories that I either have to purchase an anthology of works I don't want for one story or pay full price for a novella that doesn't actually add much more than filler to the existing universe. I recognize this problem is entirely just me, though, haha."
I don't know. I bet there are others who feel very similarly or the same! I worked with several people at Borders who insisted they would never begin a series until it was complete. But...then I would argue you can't know if it is "complete" or not... The author may choose to revisit it 15, or 23, or even more years later! What about that?!? LOL
36/40 books so far for the 2021 Popsugar challenge26/40 books so far for the 2020 Popsugar challenge
16 read in 2020
10 read in 2021 (now called the 2020-2021 challenge)
This week I finished:
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
2021 prompt- set mainly outdoors
I couldn't put this book down. I like books that tell a story from multiple view points. My mind was wondering the whole time, trying to read the clues. The ending was unexpected. I'm participating in the monthly read with this book.
Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender
2020 prompt- written by a trans or nonbinary author
This book was recommended to me for my classroom library. I enjoyed reading it.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
2020 prompt- banned book
Both of my daughters had to read this in school so I thought it was time I read it. I just wanted to scream, "Can't you see all the signs that she is depressed!!"
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
2020 prompt- a book about or involving social media
This was a cute read. It reminded me of the movie "You've Got Mail" in the beginning.
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
2020 prompt- a book with a great first line
This is also in my classroom library. It was a fast read, but it was a good one. I like how it is written from Ivan's point of view and I like the short, to the point chapters.
Next to read:
Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky
Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
I can't believe how much reading time I've had so far this summer!! I'm loving it!
QotW:
I find the inbetween books a bit annoying, actually. When I read the Outlander series, I didn't want to also read all those novellas. I noticed Anne of Green Gables has a lot of extra books, now, too. Divergent did it too. It must be a fad. I don't mind a prequel once in a while, but when there are too many it is a distraction IMO.
DNF:The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins
The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison
A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon
These books were generally just not working for me after a chapter or sample. I can elaborate a bit on any of them if someone else in the group is interested in them.
Finished:
The Best American Food Writing 2020 (anthology)(3/5)
As with most anthologies, there are some really good pieces and others that I don't care much about. Some of my favorites talked about ice cream, Nashville hot chicken, Benihana, baby food, and New Coke.
Skywalker: A Family at War by Kristin Baver (5/5)
This is my first non-reread 5 star book in a long time. The author is less focused on the battles and more interested in the main characters of the saga as real people. She examines why they do what they do, what their motivations and emotions are, and what makes them tick psychologically. All of the TV, books, comics, and other canon material from 2014-present day is brought in as much as possible, which is great for someone like me who loves to experience most of the non-movie material, too.
I've been heavily into Star Wars fandom since 1995, and this book has enhanced my enjoyment and appreciation for all of the movies, even the ones I know the best.
The Empty Chair by Diane Duane (4/5)
It's a whole lot of fun to spend time with the crew as written by Duane, as well as her original characters. The pacing is more deliberate than propulsive, so bear that in mind when choosing when you want to read this series. The final scenes on ch'Rihan/Romulus are inspiring and very far from where things are in US or Arizona politics currently.
Currently Reading:
Three Nights in August: Strategy, Heartbreak, and Joy Inside the Mind of a Manager by Buzz Bissinger (could be a book your best friend would love, as he is a huge baseball and St. Louis Cardinals fan)
Legacy of the Force: Bloodlines by Karen Traviss
Elusive Salvation by Dayton Ward
Question of the Week:
Most of my series are in the Star Wars and Star Trek series, so I am very used to stories coming before or between other entries. As long as I can position the tale around some kind of major milestone or am given enough information to understand everything, then I am satisfied. I believe that every story should stand on its own to some degree, no matter how many other books, episodes, or movies are also in the series.
Dune is one of the book-only series I read where chronological and publication order are far from the same. In general, I would recommend publication order first and trying chronological on a reread if so motivated.
Brandon wrote: "DNF:The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins
The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison
A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine
[book:Project Hail Mary|544..."
I'm a little curious about what you didn't like in A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine -- I've liked most of her books that I've read, but I know sometimes authors get to a point where they kind of stop trying lol.
Mod
The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins
The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison
A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine
[book:Project Hail Mary|544..."
I liked Remnant Population!! Looking back, I see I only gave it 3 stars, so I guess I wasn't blown away but it is one of those books that has stayed with me, and every now and then I think of a scene from it.
Mod
Woohoo! Another VIDU (and all dog updates are important updates, of course) - how wonderful that you were chosen :-)
I felt the same way about Elatsoe: I didn't really like it, and I felt bad about that.
Mod
That's funny, I disliked Evelyn Hugo enough that I didn't even consider reading Daisy Jones! But I was sucked in by the beach cover so I picked up Malibu Rising, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really liked it!!
A Tale of Two Castles: I wasn't really pulled in by the protagonist or setting in the first chapter, and the getting seasick was a turn-off for me. There wasn't anything terrible I can point to, just a mismatch of reader, book, and time.(Edited to add: I did read and like Ella Enchanted, which is why I gave this one a try.)
Remnant Population: What I remember from its first chapter is hydroponic farming and a very unpleasant maternal character. Our book club is reading this in September on my suggestion, so maybe I should only recommend books I've already read and enjoyed for our 2022 picks!
Hi all, Been getting many storms here this week, also. Had a big one that woke me up around 4 am, but luckily i was able to get back to sleep.
This week I finished:
Stealing from Wizards: Volume 2: Burglary - I loved this, it's such a fun series. I recommend for Harry Potter fans, it's a charming wizard school series. I'm in a discord server with the author, he also seems like a genuinely nice guy! Looking forward to the 3rd, I don't wanna wait a whole year + though, boooo. (a good portion of the server immediately started pestering him for book 3, haha.)
1Q84 - I FINALLY FINISHED. I got tired of it hanging over my head, so gritted my teeth and got it done. I'm a little annoyed, goodreads put it as my longest non-omnibus book at 1300 pages. But my actual kindle version was only 926, and I looked it up on wikipedia, also says 926. So no idea where goodreads got that number from. However my next several options were parts of a series anyhow, so I'm counting it because it took me ages. I didn't particularly care for it overall. Long winded, and lots of really sexist imagery. (Every single female character in it got her breasts described. Repeatedly. among other things)
Currently reading:
Act Your Age, Eve Brown - I certainly need a brain break after finishing 1Q84, so this hold came up in a timely fashion.
QOTW:
I don't mind it overall, I like getting extra snipets of a world I really like. I more get annoyed if they're not available for a reasonable price as a standalone. I don't want to pay full-book price for a short story, and I don't want to have to buy an entire short story collection just to read one story in it. Especially if it's a story that will be important in later books. I have a random short story collection on my shelf still because there's a Women of the Otherworld short in it that's really important. Introduces a character that will be main lead in two additional books, and her meeting another character also is important later. Would have been nice if that'd just been tucked in the back of one of the other books, as a bonus feature. (And yes I know I can read the other short stories in the collection, and I usually do. but quite often the only one I end up liking is the one I end up getting the collection for. or at least liking enough to re-read)
Brandon wrote: "DNF:The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison
Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire"
Those are the first books in two of my all-time favorite book series. What turned you off about them?
Brandon wrote: "A Tale of Two Castles: I wasn't really pulled in by the protagonist or setting in the first chapter, and the getting seasick was a turn-off for me. There wasn't anything terrible I can point to, ju..."That's good to know--book-reader mismatch isn't as bad as what I was thinking!
My personal favorite of hers is Fairest, which is a take on the Snow White story. I loved the main character and the way she flipped the "fairest of them all" storyline.
Alex wrote: "Very Important Dog Update: at a patio dinner the other day a Newfoundland that had the gray/white coloring that always makes me think of Nana from Peter Pan came over and plopped his head on my lap without warning. His name was Albert, which to quote his owner, is "a grumpy old man name to match his grumpy old man personality." 10/10, would have him interrupt any meal any time he wants."I always enjoy the animal updates in here!
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Bad Muslim Discount (other topics)A Study in Emerald (other topics)
The Housekeeper and the Professor (other topics)
Before the Coffee Gets Cold (other topics)
The Ballad of Black Tom (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Neil Gaiman (other topics)Toshikazu Kawaguchi (other topics)
Arthur Conan Doyle (other topics)
Victor LaValle (other topics)
Richard Nelson Bolles (other topics)
More...
Just a warning. In case you were considering renting a vehicle. At least in the midwestern US, prices have doubled and tripled! No kidding. The last time I rented a vehicle about 6 months ago I couldn’t obtain a compact vehicle, so had to pay a bit more for a more standard-sized vehicle, about $250 per week with unlimited mileage. When I called last week the cheapest weekly rental was $500! The highest was $750-$800! Un-freakin’-believable! And there are only two rental companies left in our area, whereas there used to be 5. My car is due to the shop next Monday and will hopefully be ready for pickup next Tuesday, but who knows? They ordered parts to fix the front end (more damage had occurred) and now there is something else wrong, I’m guessing either brakes, tie rod end(s), or wheel bearings. I have dealt with vehicular challenges for so many years there are not many that I am not familiar with. Ah, well. Could always be worse! In the meantime I am driving a borrowed car again and just grateful for it!
ADMIN STUFF:
Here is the complete listing of 2021 monthly group reads. We now have the rest of the months filled for 2021!
Firekeeper's Daughter just barely beat out There There for the November monthly group read!
Attention! We are in need of volunteers to lead the following monthly group read discussions:
August: Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
October: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
November: Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
December: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This really is a unique opportunity to facilitate discussion among the members choosing to read these books. You can include links to author interviews or critiques of the book. You can list questions you discover on the internet. You can start discussion by listing your own reactions to specific portions of the book or your overall impression. You can pose questions based upon your own understanding…or lack thereof!
The possibilities are seemingly endless for ways in which you can help initiate or even sustain/expand discussion of each book! You will get to know other members much better and can help facilitate a respectful and open-minded exchange of ideas. What’s not to love?!? LOL
YOU, too, can be a discussion leader! Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer! It is always so much fun to experience diverse approaches to the discussions! POPSUGAR needs YOU!
*****
Question of the Week:
What about ‘between the number’ serial installments?
I admit to becoming a bit frustrated when I revisit the listing of installments for some of my favorite series and discover new ones that fit into the series between previous 'whole number' installments. While I typically enjoy reading them, I am initially a bit angry because now I feel as if I have “missed” something in the series when I’ve been reading through the installments in sequence so as NOT to “miss” anything… Has this happened to you? Or does it not bother you?
My most recent experiences:
(1) The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. As I’ve mentioned before I would like to catch up to the current installment in this series this year. I love these books so much! When I pulled it up and started listing those I needed to obtain, I realized there were at least 6 more “books”/novellas/short stories in between the whole-numbered installments—1, 2, 3, etc. I know my jaw dropped, but then I told myself it was just that much more of a favorite reading experience than I had expected, so that’s a good thing, right?!? I read three of those and they were quite enjoyable, but I wasn’t expecting it! I guess you could say it was a ‘pleasant surprise’ but initially I was upset!
(2) Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s series. This is even more complicated since there are three different series by now. You can choose how to read them in sequence since some include books from other series, etc. I am completing the Ender’s Saga series first. Admittedly, the fact that book #3 is entitled Xenocide was a factor in that decision since I didn’t have a book to fulfill POPSUGAR prompt #32 A book whose title begins with “Q,” “X,” or “Z.” I have now read the 3 “between the number” installments prior to Speaker for the Dead which is installment #2 and feel as if they have provided further information that will most likely improve my enjoyment of it..
*****
Popsugar: 37/50
ATY: 47/52
RHC: 11/24
Reading Women: 10/28
FINISHED:
Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was an absolutely excellent read, IMO! An example of a person overcoming challenges and not shying away from life, rather, embracing it and excelling!
POPSUGAR: #18-Appropriate educational environments for all, compassion for and acceptance of all creatures, #21-Adventure, Animals, Contemporary, Fiction, Juvenile, Prejudice/Discrimination, Young Adult, #27. #30-Alaska and Oregon, #33, #34-Equal access to educational resources, scientific study of wildlife, #37, #43, #47-Helping a child to participate in life!
ATY: #1-In the beginning it seemed that Iris would never be able to participate in Blue 55's life, #3, #8-Alaska, #20-While Iris’s future is uncertain, she will be much better prepared for life, #23- Adventure, Animals, Contemporary, Fiction, Juvenile, Prejudice/Discrimination, Young Adult, #28, #29, #34
RHC: NEW #21
Reading Women: #18
I read and loved Ender in Exile (Ender’s Saga #1.5) by Orson Scott Card ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ as a precursor to the July Buddy Read of Speaker for the Dead (Ender’s Saga #2)
(I keep wondering who Jane really is…)
POPSUGAR: #21-Classic, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, #27, #47-This is now one of my all-time favorite series/writers!
ATY: #10-Arkinian Delphiki’s surrogate mother, Nichelle Firth, #14, #15, #20-Hopefully, Ender’s future will allow him to undo at least part of his past transgressions, #23-Classic, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, #27-Strength, Death, Judgement, Justice, The World, #29, #31, #34, #39, #44, #45-Victor, #49, #52-This was no where near the “end” of Ender!
Moon Pie by Simon Mason ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was a quite poignant story of an 11-year-old girl trying to be mother to her five-year-old brother, Christopher/”Tug,” since their mother’s death a couple of years ago. She is trying as well to manage her father who is hiding alcohol bottles everywhere and drinking all the time. She and her brother end up living with their maternal grandparents. Then she ends up following in her mother’s footsteps…so to speak! This book was not at all what I was expecting...but much better!
POPSUGAR: #7-Martha is an actress, #18-A safe and loving environment for children, #21-Contemporary Fiction, Family, Fiction, Health & Wellness, Juvenile, Young Adult, #27, #33, #34-Addiction, Child Welfare, #36, #37, #38-Martha is an actress, Marcus is a costumer, Laura is a cinematographer, #46, #48
ATY: #15, #19-It was difficult for their father to undo the past in the present to make for a better future for them all, #23- Contemporary Fiction, Family, Fiction, Health & Wellness, Juvenile, Young Adult, #27-Temperance, The Moon, #32, #34, #52-In the end Martha discovers herself and her father is rehabilitated.
CONTINUING:
Origin (Robert Langdon #5) by Dan Brown a June Buddy Read. As always, Brown just hooks me from page one! My “buddy” is still catching up so she can start reading this one as well! (That made me feel a bit better!)
Rather than starting another mystery, I hope to at least make progress on both of these next two books this coming weekend. It would be great to actually finish them! I was craving children’s books and mysteries this past week!
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence
I still just sigh when thinking of this next one…such a good friend! And I missed her birthday. I have been so stressed out lately, I just have immersed myself in books/imaginary lands! I must think of a way to make it up to her…
The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
PLANNED:
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo is my favorite used bookstore’s book club selection for July. Really looking forward to it!
July Buddy Reads:
Kiss the Girls (Alex Cross #2) by James Patterson
Speaker for the Dead (Ender’s Saga #2) by Orson Scott Card
And still these:
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende to fulfill the 2020 Reading Women prompt #26 A book written by Isabel Allende.
Paradise by Toni Morrison to fulfill the 2020 Reading Women prompt #25 A book written by Toni Morrison.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi