Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2022 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 24: 6/9 - 6/16
I finished The White and the Gold: The French Regime in Canada as my book I know nothing about. There were some interesting parts, but by and large I found it pretty boring.I'm currently reading Murder at Five Finger Light as my book that takes place in my fave season (late summer/early fall), and I'm not very far into it, but it's kind of getting off to a slow start.
QOTW: Pick just one favorite author? Impossible!!!!!
Charles Dickens
John Grisham (although his later stuff is kind of hit or miss for me)
James Michener
John Jakes
Philippa Gregory (I know, I know. Not the most historically accurate (although also not the worst), but she sure can tell a good story)
Sharon Kay Penman (who died last year, RIP)
Scott Turow
So, yeah, historical fiction and courtroom dramas are my go to genres.
Mod
I've had mixed success reading her Tudor series, but her Wideacre was deliciously full of crazysauce!! Someday I'll finish that series.
Happy Thursday!It's summer here and we've already done our classes. I'm going to take a vacation with my father. Anyway, this week I attend mobile Phone Photography, Cooking Challenge, Handprint Activity, Cleanup Drive, Nature walk activity, and Artistic Face Mask. I am so busy this week. I watched the news today in our country and the good news is that South Africa and Romania Country is going to help our Country!
I'm Currently Reading The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James and Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Question of the Week
Do you have a favorite author?
- Yep, a lot. Rick Riordan, Alan Gratz, Robin Benway, Jaqueline Davies, Raina Telgemeier, Sarah Weeks, Rebecca Stead, Robin Stevens, Brenna Thummler, Coco Simon, Elana K. Arnold, Alice Oceman, Thea Stilton and Kelly Yang.
I'm melting! I don't know how some of you cope with high temperatures it's 27 degrees (Celsius, I guess that's about 80F?) and I'm a sweaty mess.We're going camping in Devon this weekend, so hopefully it cools off and we don't bake in our tent.
Finished:
The Deepest of Secrets by Kelley Armstrong for ATY (rural setting). This is the last Rockton book but she's doing a spin off with the main characters, which makes sense as things were starting to get a bit samey. Still enjoyed it with a good central mystery.
That's it for this week, I'm currently reading and loving The Book of Gothel and listening to Coward: Why We Get Anxious & What We Can Do About It.
QOTW:
Like Nadine I can't just pick one. Some of my faves are James Smythe, Laini Taylor, N.K. Jemisin, Terry Pratchett, John Wyndham, Kelley Armstrong, Seanan McGuire and Becky Chambers.
Mod
You're in Indonesia, right? What is going on that they are helping with?
Mod
We're going camping in Devon this weekend, so hope..."
80F is pleasant when there is a breeze and some shade. But 85F and higher, with humidity, is killer. That's why the humid parts of the US are so fond of our air conditioning :-)
(It's also why I didn't mow the lawn yesterday - it was 90F when I got home from our errands, and I said NOPE.)
Nadine in NY wrote: "Katy wrote: "Philippa Gregory (I know, I know. Not the most historically accurate (although also not the worst), but she sure can tell a good story) ..."I've had mixed success reading her Tudor series, but her Wideacre was deliciously full of crazysauce!! Someday I'll finish that series."
Full of crazysauce is definitely the way I'd describe the Wideacre trilogy, but I don't think I'd use deliciously. I read all three, but I barely remember the third, and that was when I realized perhaps she wasn't the author for me. I occasionally think I should reread them, but my copies were sold long ago and there's so many other things to read.
Nadine in NY wrote: "I've had mixed success reading her Tudor series, but her Wideacre was deliciously full of crazysauce!! Someday I'll finish that series..."Wideacre both horrified/repulsed me and fascinated me. It was an odd combo. I don't think the other two books were as good. The third one was highly forgettable.
Ellie wrote: "I'm melting! I don't know how some of you cope with high temperatures it's 27 degrees (Celsius, I guess that's about 80F?) and I'm a sweaty mess.We're going camping in Devon this weekend, so hope..."
It's going up to 28 today. It seems hot, but June started off cold. July usually has days in the 30s.
No books finished this week, but I made good progress on the two I'm reading.AYR is having a summer reading challenge. I may have to move books around (like reading ones I'd planned for the fall in the summer and vice versa).
ATY - 24/52
PS- 21/35
Series - 9/13
Clearing my TBR list: 18/40
Currently reading:
How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe - 55% done
Charmed & Ready - 55% done
QOTW: Too many.
JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Jane Austin, Oscar Wilde, JK Rowling, Madeleine L'engle, and Jan Karon.
In the last few years, I've added Ruth Ware, Riley Sager, and Grady Hendrix to the list.
Happy Thursday, everyone! My office reorganization project has continued this week, and I feel like I’ve made some decent progress. Today I’m planning to start working on the hardest part of my project, which is going through my bookshelves for titles to unhaul.
I already know of several standalone novels (and some series) that I am planning to let go of, which will give me some much-needed room on my shelves.
I’m also going to be taking a second look at the titles that remain on my TBR Checklist to see if I actually still want to take the time to read them. Depending on what I decide, my TBR Checklist total may decrease significantly before next week’s check-in…or it may not. ^_^’ We’ll just have to see how things go.
In other news, the SciFi Summer Readathon is continuing to go well. I did end up taking a little bit of a break from reading SciFi this week because I had a couple of library holds that came in earlier than I anticipated. While I could have delayed their delivery until the end of the month, I’d been waiting so long for them that I just couldn’t resist picking them up. I was able to get through both of those books this week (and really enjoyed them), and now I’m back to reading SciFi.
Goodreads: 300/200
TBR Checklist: 257/1140
TBR Checklist (SciFi only): 27/100
Finished Reading:
~Hide
~The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor
~The Complete Predator Omnibus
~Cinder
~Scarlet
~Cress
Currently Reading:
~Winter
QOTW:
Some of my favorite authors include:
~J.R.R. Tolkien
~Jane Austen
~Elizabeth Gaskell
~Agatha Christie
~Robin McKinley
~Ray Bradbury
~Martha Wells
~T. Kingfisher
~Charlaine Harris
~Mira Grant
Mod
Katy wrote: "Wideacre both horrified/repulsed me and fascinated me. It was an odd combo. ..."
YES that's it exactly! repulsed AND fascinated. And whenever this trilogy comes up, people tend to say what you both said, which is why I never get around to read the other two books.
Happy Thursday, gang! I didn't sleep well last night so I feel like a zombie today; my mom shared some information yesterday which has recolored how I see various family members and my relationships with them, and I'm reeling a bit. It definitely threw my reading plans for last night out of whack because I couldn't focus.
In brighter news, it's roughly the 10yr anniversary of when our younger cats were born, so FB is flooding me with adorable kitten pictures. I still can't believe they were ever that small! (Their birthdays were actually last month, but a month on is when they started getting fairly rambunctious.) Between the downpours of rain and the heat, we're not getting a lot done outside besides barely keeping up with the mowing here and there, but hubby is determined to get this one section of our roof done this season (thankfully!).
Books finished this week:
Shorefall - 4 stars. Some complex ideas going on in this one, and I'm glad I read the print version vs the audio. Looking forward to the sequel in a few weeks! Character on the ace spectrum
The Invention of Wings - DNF. A disappointment, because I've been wanting to read this one for years, but it moved too slowly and didn't hold my attention.
Catwoman, Volume 3: Death of the Family - 2 stars. Crap writing, confusing panels, too much inconsistency. The art was okay but definitely not enough to save this one. Skipping the rest of Nocenti's arc (vols 4-5) and diving straight into Vol 6.
Cemetery Dance - 3 stars. Good not great, but these books seem to fluctuate that way.
PS 30/50
Currently:
Dismembering Lahui: A History of the Hawaiian Nation to 1887 - This is a fairly dense academic piece for only being 260ish pages, and tends toward dry. Hoping to be finished tonight. Pacific Islander author
Persuasion - Apparently there's a new Netflix adaptation dropping in July, which gives me a perfect excuse to pick this up.
Wrath Goddess Sing - Roughly 100 pages in and liking this Iliad retelling so far! A great choice for Pride month.
Catwoman, Volume 6: Keeper of the Castle - Genevieve Valentine gets this character maybe even more than Brubaker did. Her internal monologue is fantastic and I'm really enjoying this after the letdown that was Ann Nocenti.
And I'm still sitting on The Silmarillion.
Upcoming:
Base Notes
The Jasmine Throne
Fever Dream
QOTW: Do you have a favorite author?
Plenty!
Craig Schaefer
Kate Quinn
Angie Thomas
Mindy McGinnis
P. Djèlí Clark
Robert Jackson Bennett
Stephanie Marie Thornton
Elizabeth Acevedo
Tamora Pierce
Well out where I live the temps are rising. The highest we had this week was like 105-F. Nothing like refrigerated air. How humans can manage these conditions is beyond me even though we basically fry.****
Currently Reading:
The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World
This book is actually perfect for a double-dip since it fills in my #BookTok Recommendation as well as one of the Duology categories ( the second part of the duology is The Rise and Reign of the Mammals: A New History, from the Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us ) . They're both pretty long so it will take about a week or two to get through them but I'm determined. Add in the fact that I highlight and annotate and it will take a while.
*****
On a side note, while I work on those, I also want to get in some of the books from my TBR cart which is pretty full.
I also have another project coming up. I recently got a stamp for my books so I'll be busy stamping over 900 of them. LOL!
*****
QOTW: Do you have a favorite author?
Absolutely.
1.) Mary Oliver
2.) Joy Harjo
3.) Nicholas Sparks (I don't agree with his views but I love his books)
Happy Thursday! We're a little stressed today. The high gas and grocery prices have really hit our bank account. I won't be able to continue my daughter's swimming lessons like I'd wanted, which is a bummer. I hope it all calms down soon. Finished 20/50
Welcoming Gifts: Sacrifice in the Bible and Christian Life for "book released in 2022". This was FANTASTIC. Totally changed my worldview and perceptions. Best book I've read all year so far! If you're a Christian in any way, you gotta read this book. Right now.
Currently Reading
A Prayer for Owen Meany for "book with a character on the ace spectrum". This book is interesting but weird so far. I'm not sure what the point of it is yet.
QotW
I looove Nathaniel Hawthorne and Fyoder Dostoyevsky so much. They're my top classic fiction writers for sure. John Chrysostom and C. S. Lewis are probably my favourite all time religious writers. For current authors, Brandon Sanderson tops my fiction and Andrew Stephen Damick and Frederica Matthewes-Green are my fave Orthodox authors. And we have to give an honorable mention to Solzhenitsyn because he's amazing. And J K Rowling and Brian Jacques have their place on my list too. :)
Alex wrote: "A Prayer for Owen Meany for "book with a character on the ace spectrum". This book is interesting but weird so far. I'm not sure what the point of it is yet.I also read that this year for that prompt. I wasn't really feeling it until I got to the end. IMO, the ending is Amazing.
Happy Thursday!This week has been the first week of summer programs at the library. And boy, every year I forget how exhausting they are. Really looking forward to my vacation in July...
Books read this week:
Medicine Men: Extreme Appalachian Doctoring -- Short but amusing and heartwarming stories about rural doctors working in the Smoky Mountains.
Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures -- I loved The Magician's Elephant and The Tale of Despereaux by this author… but this one just felt underwhelming.
The Secret Zoo -- I might have liked this one better had I read it as a kid. As an adult, I found it surprisingly bland.
The Boneless Mercies -- I really liked this one! Nice to have an epic fantasy adventure story with a nearly-all-female cast.
DNF:
Fox & I -- couldn't get into it. Which is a shame as I usually like animal books...
Currently Reading:
Indistinguishable from Magic
Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident
The Tiger
Appaloosa Summer
The Disasters
QOTW:
Catherynne M. Valente
T Kingfisher
Andy Weir
Stephen King
Seanan McGuire
Becky Chambers
John Scalzi
Hello! Still reeling from saying goodbye to my cat last week. Thank you everyone for the well wishes. It's just so hard, and my method of not dealing with it is not good for my long-term mental health, I know. But next week is vacation, and that is a good thing.Read This Week:
Malice by Heather Walter. Finished this last Thursday over lunch, like I thought. The ending took some turns I didn't expect, but probably should have. I'm not sure what I think about it, since the ending was so unexpected. I will reserve judgement until I read the sequel, which I have on hold at the library. Using for #3, Non-Patriarchal Society, since nominally the queen is in charge.
The Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams. Reread of the first book in the series to remember everything about the world. Still enjoy it. Not for prompt.
The Whispered Word by Ellery Adams. Book two in the series. I'm not sure I enjoyed the mystery as much as the first one, and I thought the women took a lot on faith that I wouldn't have. Will probably keep going in the series, but not right now. Using for PS#14, cutlery on the cover, but could also use for #7, Onomatopoeia in Title. It was mostly for Read Harder #2, Set in a Bookstore.
The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison. Finished the audiobook. While I enjoyed it, I'm not sure I'll listen to this one again. This seems like one that should be read. Too many of the names are too similar and I couldn't follow who a lot of the people were. But now I can read the new one, which hit my Kindle a few days ago. Reread, not for prompt.
Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders. And my Hugo reading begins. This book is nominated for the Lodestar Award for Best YA. I had read Charlie's book on writing earlier this year, so was eager to read her fiction. I enjoyed this first book in the series, a space adventure where everyone gives their pronoun and asks for consent. Plus a search for a potentially dangerous weapon no one has heard of except the dead woman who the MC is a clone of. At first I gave it 5 stars, but now it's at 3, and I'll probably end up at a 4. Waiting for my library to get the next one in the series. Using for PS #9, Found Family, but would also work for the non-patriarchal society (they have a queen and princesses).
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske. Book club book for June. A M/M fantasy romance set in Edwardian England, where a baronet gets a government position in what he thinks is a boring department, only to discover he's the new liaison between the magical and non-magical parts of England after the last one went missing. Great fun, but graphic sex scenes. Also a lot of asking for consent, which is appreciated. Only PS Prompt I could find for it was #48, Two POVs.
PS: 29/50 RH: 7/24 ATY: 34/52 GR: 79/100
Currently Reading:
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser. No progress made.
Mossflower by Brian Jacques. I picked up the audiobook because I'd heard it was a full cast recording. The narrator is the author, but all the dialogue is different actors. I love that I can understand the mole speech, but I'm having difficulty with the voices picked for some of the characters, Bella, Gonff and Martin especially. This is a book I've declared as one of my favorite books, if not The Favorite, since I first read it in junior high. I have set ideas of how they sound, or how words are pronounced, and I'm not sure I'll be able to listen to the whole thing. Still very early: Gonff and Martin have just met. Not for prompt.
Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers. Next Hugo read. Book four in the series is nominated for Best Novel, but I've only read books one and two. I'm reading book three to be able to move on to four. Except I'm realizing it's been more than a year since I read the others, I do best when I reread what came before, but the wait times at the library for those are very long. I may just see if there's something online explaining all the alien races. Or buy book one.
A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark. I have started this twice, but keep failing to finish it. And I know it's short, so really no excuse.
QotW: Do you have a favorite author?
Right now, I'll say I have two. I follow them on social media, subscribe to their newsletter/Patreon, and pretty much purchase anything they write because they wrote it. Even in hardcover.
Seanan McGuire
Ilona Andrews
I'll give honorable mentions to two authors who haven't written anything in a few years but I'd buy their next book in a heartbeat if one came out.
Robin McKinley
Julie James
32/50Finished: Killing the Imposter God: Philip Pullman's Spiritual Imagination in His Dark Materials It was fun to live in this world again through someone else's analysis. At the same time, I feel like they didn't stretch much, so there wasn't much to learn from reading it.
Why Design Matters: Conversations with the World's Most Creative People This book was designed so well! (Surprise! Surprise!) I loved the photographs of each interviewee the most and I'm not usually one to focus on the visuals. Very interesting array of folk she chose to highlight as well.
The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia Read for a Fable bookclub, but also using for prompt has the name of a board game in the title. I felt like it addressed the rise of Putin pretty well, but hardly talked about Ukraine at all. I will be looking for another book to address this (such as Kasparov's Winter is Coming or Mendel's The Fight Of Our LIves.
Started: Dealing with Dragons This was for a "read-alike" with Phillip Pullman. It's not nearly as sophisticated as his works, but his protagonist has similar spunk.
Qotw: Favorite authors: I feel like I have to like more than one book to consider a writer one of my favorite authors. My list includes Mo Willems, John Muth, Phillip Pullman, Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Jerry Spinelli, Diana Wynne Jones, Susan Cooper, Naomi Klein, Michael Ende, Julian Baggini, Matt Taibbi, Billy Collins, Wislawa Szymborska, Amanda Gorman, Diane Ackerman, Herman Hesse, Maria Popova.
Good news - we both officially tested negative for COVID. Now we're just waiting for my partner's mom's results to come back. She doesn't have any symptoms; it's mostly just a check for our peace of mind.Finishes this week:
The Kaiju Preservation Society - 4 stars, for the parallel reality prompt. I loved this. It was a lot of fun, and both humorous and insightful.
Tokyo Ever After - 4 stars, for the sister city prompt (Tokyo, sister city of New York). This was fluffy wish fulfillment, and I really needed that. Very sweet, cute romance, and fun characters.
I'm currently reading A Mirror Mended for a book with a reflected image on the cover or "mirror" in the title. I'm not too far in, but it's good so far. This is a novella duology right now, if anyone needs that prompt. Both books would also work for a parallel reality, or a book short enough to read in one sitting.
QOTW:
I have a lot of authors I follow, but I think I'd consider these my favorite authors:
T. Kingfisher
Seanan McGuire
Margaret Owen
Martha Wells
Lois McMaster Bujold
I love my new e-bike. I love going to work (and home) by bike. End of emotion. It’s going to be pretty hot and sticky this weekend over here (30 to 35 Celcius, that’s upper 80’s Fahrenheit). My coping: a comfortable chair somewhere in the shade (or inside, doors closed), lots of water or iced tea within reach and of course books (and magazines)! And maybe a bucket with water to dip my feet in and cool down a bit. We have air conditioning in our bedroom so at least we can have a good night’s sleep to re-energize for the next hot day. I’m glad temperatures are cooling down late Sunday or Monday.
PS: 14/40
Total 2022: 26
Finished
The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate ⭐⭐⭐
Not for PS
Not as compelling as Before we were yours, but still a good read.
Currently reading
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Read half a chapter. I was too busy.
Confusion. Good to meet the Cazalets again, love this family!
QOTW
Do you have a favorite author?
This question is probably misspelled. It should be ‘authors’ instead of ‘author’ *smile*
I recently updated my favorite author list on GR, so this one is easy to answer.
Isabel Allende
Fredrik Backman
Annejet van der Zijl
Geert Mak
Charlotte Roth
Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Kristin Hannah
Edward Rutherfurd
Nadine, did you have bad thunderstorms last night? They just kept coming around here! With lots of lightning. Once one started to wrap up, another would come in and wake me back up. Suffice it to say, I did not sleep well last night. zzzzzWhen I was a kid, there were Regents and non-Regents. Non had less requirements and tended to be geared towards kids who were going to go into trades. Right around the time I got to high school, the state got rid of non-Regents and everyone had to take the Regents classes and tests and pass them all to graduate.
Happy Thursday! I can't believe it is the middle of June already! It feels like March was just yesterday.This is the rainiest (or feels like it) spring/summer I have had. I know everyone always thinks it rains in Seattle (and it does for sure) but compared to last summer when it was 100+ degrees at this time, a little rain and mid 60s is perfect for me. It has probably rained every day since May 1st - even if it only rained for a few minutes.
Finished:
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer. I was confused by the whole curse part. I don't understand why and how. Maybe I missed it? It just seemed glossed over like "well this is the way it is" - still good though. I am not sure if it works for "Protagonist using a mobility aid" even though the MC has Cerebral Palsy it doesn't mention any sort of aid. So it will go in either "character leading a double life" (Rhen and Harper both) or parallel reality since the book states that their world runs parallel to our world.
Continuing:
Run Rose Run Dolly Parton/James Patterson. Still making my way through this. Not from lack of interest, just lack of reading time. I'm thinking of putting it in "A book about a band or musical group" but I will wait to assign it until I am done. It also fits into a "book about a secret" and "leading a double life".
QOTW:
Once I find an author I like and I read at least 2 of their books (because sometimes even good authors strike out) I put them on my "I will read anything they write - even a pamphlet" list:
Ruth Ware
Robert Galbraith (I loved the Cormoran Strike books before I found out about her controversial statements, which I absolutely do not agree with)
Andy Weir
Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Angie Thomas
Kristin Hannah (I like her Historical Fiction better than her regular fiction)
Casey McQuiston
Lisa See
I feel as if I'm in a reading funk but then I look at what I finished in the last week... maybe I've just slowed down because I'm busy and stressed with work and I had a socially active weekend -- my 45th Barnard College Reunion! Partly in person and partly virtual. I live 20 blocks from campus which means attending a couple of in person events was easy even given my current workload. I had a great time! I am 38/50 in PS.
Finished:
M.L. Buchman - his White Hose Protection Force trilogy - Studyly Men and Hunky Dogs! I really enjoyed all 3, but especially the first and third (that happens a lot - middle one doesn't satisfy in same way): Off the Leash, On Your Mark, and In the Weeds. Men with dogs protecting the White House. Author needs to get better cover art for his books.
The Island of Dr. Moreau - prompt Social Horror - who knew when I decided to read the orignal Wells classic (since I just read one retelling and another is about to be published) that I would fill the social horror prompt? This was really good and truly creepy scary sci fi that is relevant today.
The Probable Future - just meh - had some lovely sections and I loved her use of bee and flower imagery in her magical realism, but I felt there was too much not really satisfied at the end, and yet too much time earlier on other things.
Undercover Holiday Fiancée - romantic suspense at Christmas - weather getting hot and I crave christmas and cold and snow. As sometimes happens with books in this particular imprint called Love Inspired and having a christian theme, too much prayer for my taste and you are lucky to get a hot kiss at the very end. I would be happy to have a couple of hot kisses --- I don't need full smut, but some heat would be nice. The suspense thriller parts were just fine.
Currently reading:
The Unfinished Clue - vintage 30s English Country House mystery.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Gideon the Ninth
Ulysses - read along
A Clash of Kings - read along
QOTW: Where oh where do I start?????
Classics
Charles Dickens
Marcel Proust
Jane Austen
George Sand
NF
Rick Atkinson
Historicals - romance and mystery
Stephanie Laurens
Andrea Penrose
Barbara Metzger
Ashley Gardner
Georgette Heyer
Carla Kelly
Kate Ross
Sujata Massey
Contemporary, genre and literary fiction
George R.R. Martin
J.R.R. Tolkien
Ann Patchett
Martha Wells
Emily St. John Mandel
Amor Towles
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Cara Black
Sue Grafton
Katie Ruggle
Agatha Christie
I could go on for pages and pages.
Hi all! As mentioned above, I'm a zombie today thanks to thunderstorms. It's supposed to storm more this evening. Yay. Tomorrow is supposed to cool off. I still have this stupid cold, though now it's mostly just slight congestion with major sinus pain. Another Yay. I finished City of Incurable Women. It's rare that I say this about a book about mental health, but I did not enjoy this and don't recommend it. I was going to use this for a book with 2 languages, but recently found a book that sounds good set in Rome, and that's Paris' sister city, so I might go for that.
I started Full Count: The Education of a Pitcher for a book set in my favorite season- Baseball season!!
I read a few pages in Burnt Shadows for an Anisfield-Wolf winner, but didn't get very far due to the headache.
QOTW: My 2 favorite authors are Jodi Picoult and Nicholas Evans, and if you really forced me to pick one, I'd probably go with Evans.
Slight spin-off question, do people find the first book they read by a favorite author is the best one they ever read from that person? I can say that's true for both of my authors.
Jennifer W wrote: "Slight spin-off question, do people find the first book they read by a favorite author is the best one they ever read from that person? I can say that's true for both of my authors."This is a great follow-up! I tend not to classify authors as favorites until I've read more than a single series or at least 3 standalone books so I can (hopefully) avoid the first-book-I-read-is-the-best mentality. If I look at my list, I think the first book I read is the best for probably 1/3 of the authors I mentioned.
Hola everybody! It is 30+ degrees here in sunny Spain. I wish it would cool down overnight but alas, it is uncomfortably warm all through the night too. I fly home Saturday and start my new job on Monday so wish me luck!This week I finished The Love Hypothesis. I don't normally read romances but I couldn't resist a bit of Rey and Kylo Ren. I'm not sure either character felt like them but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Currently reading: Feather and Flame. I would usually fly through books whilst I'm on holiday but this one isn't holding my attention very well. I might put it on pause until I get home.
QOTW: That question is too difficult! I'll think about it.
Hi all, Goodreads ate my post last week and i never got around to re-writing it, boo. I hadn't posted in a couple weeks so I'm behind.
It's a hot one this week, but not as hot as some people. Yesterday hit the 90s, but we had rain this morning which cooled it down to high 80s most ot today. Does look like it crept back up to 90 now. I'm a summer girl, so it's in the warm but fine for me territory as long as I don't have to do anything too taxing out in it. I do have dance class tonight, we'll see how that goes, the warehouse just has fans not proper AC.
I went and saw Mean Girls the musical last night which was really great. Was bummed that the pink dress I had ordered didnt' show up until 15 minutes after I had left for the show, boo. But still a fun night.
The last few weeks I finished:
Clap When You Land - did the audio book, i really liked the dual narration. It was sad, but great story.
Girl, Serpent, Thorn - i liked this overall, but it started really slow. I didn;t like Soraya for most of the book, she just seemed really passive and continually made the obviously bad choice. But eventually the plot picked up and i got into it. I really liked the Persian mythology in the story.
We Sold Our Souls - This was fun, I liked it. I think I liked it much better than Horrorstor. It reminded me a little of the movie Knights of Badassdom, horror comedy with metal helping to save the day.
The Battle of the Labyrinth - audio reread
Death on the Nile - for the discord book club. I liked this more than i expected to, not a huge mystery fan. I didn't totally guess what happened, but i kind of suspected. Was kind of surprised it took half the book for the murder to actually occur, although it was pretty obvious who it was going to be. At some point i might watch the movie, we'll see.
Currently reading:
The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear - I set this down for a while but back on it. Its well written, just find it depressing in subject. Given the current climate of the world, it doesn't feel like we've come all that far in over a century.
The Last Olympian - audio re-read
QOTW:
I also can't just pick one. I feel like I have various phases of authors in my life, sometimes I outgrow them but doesn't change that the books were really important to me at the time.
Some current favorites are Seanan McGuire, Becky Chambers, Martha Wells, Holly Black, Neal Stephanson, Mercedes Lackey. Lifetime favs include Anne McCaffery, William Gibson, Piers Anthony, Bruce Coville.
Ashley Marie wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Slight spin-off question, do people find the first book they read by a favorite author is the best one they ever read from that person? I can say that's true for both of my autho..."I agree - I want to make sure they are not a one-hit-wonder. Generally if I like one of their books they tend to stay on my favorites list. Its rare for me to find an author I love then stop reading them. Unless....they shift genres or something. Kristin Hannah is a good example. Her writing is always good but her Historical Fiction hits deeper than just her fiction. I loved Nightingale and Great Alone, but Firefly Lane just didn't do it for me.
Katelyn wrote: "Happy Thursday! I can't believe it is the middle of June already! It feels like March was just yesterday.This is the rainiest (or feels like it) spring/summer I have had. I know everyone always t..."
I just finished that book too. Lilith cursed him because she bribed her way into Rhen's room, they did the nasty, and he basically said, "Sayonara sucker!" so she cursed him because he "used" her and didn't keep her or fall for her. or that was the gist of it anyway. the rest was because she wanted to torture him.
Mandy wrote: "Katelyn wrote: "Happy Thursday! I can't believe it is the middle of June already! It feels like March was just yesterday.This is the rainiest (or feels like it) spring/summer I have had. I know e..."
Oh ok! I knew she was involved but I wasn't sure (view spoiler)
Hey everyone!I have passed the first week of Summer Reading! 5 weeks to go! Then on to a glorious vacation in August. I can't wait.
The weather has been rollercoaster-ing between mid 80s to high 60s and almost freezing at night, to low 90s today, and it's going down again back into the high 70s before estimated temperatures are flopping between 80s and 90s later. Nevada weather: Gotta love it!
Also my internet totally got fried over the weekend. So I couldn't access my kindle app or anything that took the slightest amount of internet.
It was a whole whopping 30 to 80 kbps in its glory.
Repair dude came and put in new modem, cord, and wall jack on Monday. Still slow as frozen molasses. Called again.
Internet magically came back on Tuesday afternoon.
Repair dude comes back Wednesday (he had to replace 6 modems in town anyway) and doublechecked our stuff.
It the wiring somewhere in the world is my guess since more than one of us in town had bad internet from the same company.
Finished:
A Curse So Dark and Lonely I used this for 11. #booktok recommendation because I found it lurking on the Brooklyn Library trending booktok list on page 22. Thanks for the site rec!
The Savior's Book Cafe Story in Another World (Manga) Vol. 1
The Savior's Book Cafe Story in Another World (Manga) Vol. 2
Aria: The Masterpiece, Volume 2
Aria: The Masterpiece Volume 3
Aria: The Masterpiece, Volume 4
Run on Your New Legs, Vol. 1 I did use it for PS. 8
Reading:
The Luminaries Ipad was useless for 5 days.
The Bride Goes Rogue I'm using for whatever PS. is Favorite author thingy on cover or amazon. Is that here or ATY? so lost right now.
Planning:
Aria: The Masterpiece (number 5)
Aria: The Masterpiece, Volume 6
Aria: The Masterpiece, Volume 7
Shad Hadid and the Alchemists of Alexandria
Strike the Zither My newest acquisition from NetGalley
I'm 27/50 on PS.
QOTW:
Um, yeah. I cannot tell you who my favorite authors are. I can tell you repeat reads. I'm more of a OMG! I LOVE YOU! in the moment type of gal.
For brain-dead-I-don't-want-plot-or-think-too-hard, I go for romances. Diana Palmer, Andrea Kane (historical), Julia Quinn off the top of my head. There are others, but these are favored.
I can't say I don't have a favoritein other genres, but I really can't think of anybody else I absolutely love.
I can name favorite books (recently and past) read, but not any more authors.
Mod
Glad to see some Jon Muth love!!! I didn't think of picture book creators, but if I had, I would have listed him as my #1. I first fell in love with his work on the The Compleat Moonshadow graphic novel.
Mod
We had rain, but if we had thunder, I slept through it. We are having thunder right now. My dog Molly is a mess. Other dog Sophie is chill, thunder never bothers her.
Mod
Awesome!!!
Just a lazy week of summer vacation. I'm trying to soak it up before PD starts for the new school year in a few weeks. I finished 3 books this week:
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. I was going to use this book for my duology but I am not sure I will read the second book. This book was just O.K. for me. However, I kinda want to know what happens to them in their new-found community. Hoopla does have the audio of Parable of the Talents so I might give it a try. For right now, I am only going to put it in for prompt # 31 ~ man-made disasters.
My other options for duology are Raybearer/Redemptor or Legendborn/Bloodmarked. If you guys have any suggestions I would appreciate them.
Beloved by Toni Morrison (#10, 12, & 25). This was a second read. I enjoyed it more than the first time but it's not my favorite.
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers (#5). This was a cute romance/mental health story. I think it's worth a read.
Still reading:
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder; it's slow going but I'm going to get through it.
New starts:
Nothing Burns as Bright as You by Ashley Woodfolk (#1). This is a sapphic verse novel, newly released in April.
Dead Ice by Laurell K. Hamilton (#49). This is my comfort zone read. I just need to get back to my sweet spot. I have been out of my comfort zone of reading for a while and just need to relax my brain.
Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow. I am going to listen to the audio version of this. Not sure it fits on any prompt just yet. It is a new release.
Question of the Week
Do you have a favorite author?
Currently, my favorite author is Elizabeth Acevedo. I have become a quick fan of hers and eat up everything she writes. I can't wait for her adult novel next year.
Authors that I also love are:
Laurell K. Hamilton ~ Anita Blake Series
Anne Rice ~ Vampire Chronicles
Sylvia Day ~ Crossfire Novels
Katelyn wrote: "Ashley Marie wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Slight spin-off question, do people find the first book they read by a favorite author is the best one they ever read from that person? I can say that's true..."I agree, I've read several by both of those authors before I declared them favorites. The first one though, seems to stand the test of time as the best one of theirs that I read.
I just drove back to the parents for my birthday and getting ready for cross a few states put a damper on the reading this weekI did get some read for the challenge. For the prompt, A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title Man-Eater: The Terrifying True Story of Cannibal Killer Katherine Knight by Ryan Green. Leave it to me to find a cannibal for this prompt. It was an okay read but for true crime it came with zero footnotes sources etc.
And for the prompt A book about gender identity Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki , it's a SF/urban fantasy mash up with a trans main character by a trans author so you could use this for SFF Own voices and found family too. I thought it was well written and right up my alley and yet I did not fully connect with this.
QOTW No I don't have just one but I have a lot of them.
C.S. Harris
Leanna Renee Hieber
Jana Denardo
Kim Fielding
J Scott Coatsworth (if you're looking for SFF own voices here you go)
Stephen King
just to name a few
It's June and we are in the thick of mulberry season at my house. My poor husband has to clean off the patio every 2-3 days, lest we attract flies. Would really love to go read outside this weekend, but with the heat and the berries, I don't see it happening... I miss living in a climate that has spring.The big news of the week is that we got a new dresser!! The old one has been unusable for months so our clothes were just sitting in drawers on the floor. Of course, we have not yet moved it into our bedroom, so it lives for the moment in the middle of the kitchen. Our cat has already decided it makes an excellent nap spot.
Ahem, books. I finished one this week, My Best Friend's Exorcism for the 80's prompt. I loved it!! Not all of the references hit for me, I'm a little too young, but it still felt very authentic to my early 90's childhood. Though I wish the author had expanded on a few plot points (view spoiler), I would definitely try another book by him.
Currently reading Sword of Destiny, which is about 50% actual interest and 50% hate-read at this point. Tried The Witcher, gave up 3 episodes in because that stupid bard (Dandelion?) is just unbearable. Henry Cavill is nice to look at but he might as well be carved from wood for all the emoting he does. I'm trying to push through the books, though, because I think Yennefer is really interesting. I'm hoping her incredibly abrupt turn from powerful sorceress >> "I'm nothing without a baby" is handled better and makes more sense in the books, because I shut off the TV when that happened.
16/40 for the year on this challenge. A bit behind, but meh!
QOTW: Do you have a favorite author?
Like most of us, I can't narrow it down! Is an author really a favorite if I haven't read most of their work? I guess I enjoy skipping around too much, because I don't tend to stick with an author unless I get invested in a series. A few that are springing to mind are Tana French, George R.R. Martin, Stephen King, Sarah Waters, Agatha Christie, Ira Levin, and Marlon James.
Happy check-in! It's been mostly rainy here lately but tomorrow the heat is supposed to start. I guess I'll have no excuse but to mow the lawn this weekend. Football is back up here and I'm so glad, so far my team is doing good. ;) Happy Father's Day to those applicable.Finished Reading:
Stuck with You ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (2022 Twin city New York)
This is the second of Ali Hazelwood's steminist novellas. This novella followed the stuck in an elevator trope which lent itself to a short length better than the first book, that I found to be rushed. Also the humour is good and I mostly got the soccer references.
Something Wilder ⭐⭐ (2022 book about a secret)
This took effort to finish. I don't like westerns/desert settings. It picked up at the end but mostly this was boring.
The Prison Healer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (2015 author you've never read before)
This was awesome, and I had trouble putting it down. Ya fantasy.
Clap When You Land ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (2022 onomatopoeia in the title)
Loved this. It's my second favourite of her books. Inspired by a real plane crash that happened shortly after 9/11 and the stories/secrets that came out after.
The Wedding Crasher ⭐⭐
I always want to like her books more than I do because she's a funny writer. I think I was half-way through this before I realized it is a sequel to The Worst Best Man and these charcters weren't completely new.
PS 2022 44/50
PS 2015 39/50
Goodreads 145/250
Currently Reading:
The Gilded Cage This was so good until the 75% mark where the characters suddenly became stupid/weak to further make room for book three. I'm stalled. :(
QOTW:
I too cannot reduce the list to one. Here's who I need to read their new books asap.
Ilona Andrews
Holly Black
Elizabeth Acevedo
Christina Lauren
Ali Hazelwood
Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples
Amanda Gorman
Garth Nix
J.K. Rowling
Jane Austen
Chloe Neill
I'll stop there.
Looking through the list I pretty much do like the first book I read by them the most. Although I do like series and usually the first book is best.
Something I love paying attention to is looking at people's books and seeing how many or who likes nonfiction.Personally, it's a genre that I absolutely love. I guess because growing up, really I only read less than 3 nonfiction books in my entire academic career from 7th grade up until 12th. The rest was fiction. (College was different. There I had way more exposure to NF.)
I found that on Instagram and even TikTok, most of the books people recommend in various tags are fiction. It's a bit tricky to find nonfiction ones, even when I look really deep. And even then it's tricky because it's rare that I come across readers who have read or liked the same books as I do or books that I may find of interest.
*shrug*- it's just something I've noticed. No big deal, of course, I just find it curious.
Just this year alone I've read 82% nonfiction. And my book collection as a whole is 69% nonfiction.
Again, no big deal, but it's fascinating to me.
Happy Thursday! I missed the last few check-ins, so I'm playing catch up this week. I've been going to more live shows this month, and that's probably what I missed the most during the worst of the pandemic. There are so many amazing bands coming through the area in the next few months. I want to see everything. But I figure since I probably won't be traveling anywhere this year, I'll spend my travel money on shows instead.Finished:
A Molecule Away from Madness: Tales of the Hijacked Brain- I thought this was pretty fascinating. Also made me a little anxious- just being reminded how quickly you can lose your health. Not fun!
The Fell- I really didn't like this. Didn't work for me at all. I don't know if it was the writing, or the actual story- but it's probably my least favorite book of the year so far. Sometimes I think the authors writing pandemic books should sit on their books a little while before the publish them...
Lucky Breaks- short story collection about women in Ukraine. It was very interesting and I'm glad I read it. But I'm not sure I fully got it.
Would You Like To Be A Family?- this was recommended on hoopla, and I needed something mindless and quick after the last group of books
Currently reading
Everything Leads to You- I only have this book for a few more days from the library. Let's see if I can actually finish it in time!
I've started about another 5-6 books, but I don't know which ones I'll stick with, so I'm not bothering to list them
QotW
So hard to narrow down. Definitely Ann Patchett is one of my favorites.
Yaa Gyasi has only written 2 books, but they were both my favorite books the years I read them. I'll read anything she writes.
For mysteries/thrillers I love Karin Slaughter- her books are too graphic for me sometimes, but I like that she writes difficult, complicated characters.
Simone St. James writes my favorite ghost stories.
there's probably a bunch more I should list, but it's late now and my brain isn't interested in working anymore.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Patricia wrote: "... I watched the news today in our country and the good news is that South Africa and Romania Country is going to help our Country! ..."You're in Indonesia, right? What is goin..."
Oh, sorry late reply. No, I'm a Filipino and I lived in the Philippines. We have a new president here so they approach to our new president in our country.
Alex wrote: "Happy Thursday! We're a little stressed today. The high gas and grocery prices have really hit our bank account. I won't be able to continue my daughter's swimming lessons like I'd wanted, which is..."I feel you, Alex! I went shopping for Father's Day cards and they were all like $7!! I guess we'll be making heartfelt phone calls on Sunday instead.
Mod
Ohhh! Got it. And sorry I got your country wrong!! I'll do better :-)
Mod
YES! I just looked at my list, and this is the case for 14 out of the 16 names I listed (and for all 9 of my current full-fledged favorites). I never realized! I wonder why that is? Is it that special thrill of first discovery and surprise can never be repeated? Are expectations so high that they can never be fully met again?
Mod
LOL well you've finished a lot more than I have this week!
Ron wrote: "Something I love paying attention to is looking at people's books and seeing how many or who likes nonfiction.Personally, it's a genre that I absolutely love. I guess because growing up, really I..."
In college, for my freshmen literature course, the professor was trying to get a sense of what type of readers she had in the class, asking us what type of books everyone enjoyed. I was the only person who said they liked reading non-fiction. (I was also the only person who said they liked romance. Prof took that as an odd combination.)
Right now, I'm waiting for my library to get their copies of Nimitz at War: Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay so I can read it. It only came out last week, and it usually takes a couple months for the library to process new releases, so I'm debating if I should read The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King—the Five-Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea while I wait. I worry that would be too much overlapping information and I won't be as interested in the first book when the library finally gets it. So I'm also debating if I should just read The Miracle of Dunkirk instead and wait on the Pacific theater altogether.
Reading 9th June to 16th JuneBooks read
I read The Prodigal Sister by Darry Fraser which was not for a Popsugar prompt but for my Aussie Readers Group June Challenge. An enjoyable historical mystery, romantic suspense. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my reviewchallenges
Popsugar: 41/50
ATY52: 44/52
Aussie Readers June Challenge: 5/10
Aussie Readers Winter Challenge: 4/12
Question of the Week
Favourite authors….Jane Austen, L.M.Montgomery, Kate Quinn, Fiona Lowe, Diana Gabaldon, Kate Morton, Eugenia O'Neal
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
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Fire and Flood: A People's History of Climate Change, from 1979 to the Present (other topics)
Parkland Speaks: Survivors from Marjory Stoneman Douglas Share Their Stories (other topics)
Sparring Partners (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Agatha Christie (other topics)Taylor Jenkins Reid (other topics)
John Grisham (other topics)
William Shakespeare (other topics)
Louisa May Alcott (other topics)
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It's almost the end of the school year here. I took a vacation day yesterday, because my daughter was done with classes for the year, and we zoomed around town running various errands and it was exhausting and I only accomplished half of what I'd planned. One of the errands was to pick up a bass for her to practice on all summer. Those things are HUGE!!! I was correct that my car could handle the length and width with the back seats folded down, but the depth of it was more than my trunk could fit. We ended up putting it in the back seat and driving home with the neck sticking out my back window. And we got some more containers for planting, and she talked me into buying her a pile of manga books at Barnes & Noble. Guess that lawn won't get mowed, and the tie dyes won't be dyed just yet. It was really refreshing to take a vacation day in the MIDDLE of the week - I should do it again some time! But next time, I'll make sure that I really have nothing else planned, so I can just mow the lawn and read some books and take a nap. This morning I just dropped her off for her Algebra Regents exam. The Regents are this big end-of-the-year final in certain core subjects, and that's all I know about that, because they are only in NY and I grew up in NJ so I never took them.
Admin stuff
June's group read is Beloved, and you can join the discussion here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
This week I read 1 book, and it was for this Challenge, so I am now 34/50.
The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith - I've been wanting to read this for years, and I'm so glad I finally made time for it. It was perfect for "sapphic book." (view spoiler)[After reading multiple books in which the gay or lesbian character DIES, it was lovely to read a book about two lesbians who fall in love and have a happy ending. (hide spoiler)] But I can't say I loved it. The beginning was much too slow for my taste.
I had been wondering why she named it "The Price of Salt" since there is no mention of shopping for salt in the book! I googled, and learned that she said she was referring to the price Lot's wife paid for turning back to look at Sodom. I also learned that she dedicated the book to "Edna, Jordy and Jeff"—three people whom Highsmith invented, which is pretty funny. And when she finally decided to publish this book under her own name, it was Highsmith herself who changed the title to Carol. So I guess that means this book is properly referred to as "The Price of Salt by Claire Morgan" OR "Carol by Patricia Highsmith."
Question of the Week
Do you have a favorite author?
And my answer is: LOL NO! How am I supposed to choose just one???
I have MANY favorites, including:
Patricia Highsmith
Stephen Graham Jones
Kristen Lepionka
Chang-rae Lee
Bryn Greenwood
Gene Wolfe
Laini Taylor
Ada Limon
Edna St. Vincent Millay
And quickly becoming-favorites:
Martha Wells
Lauren Beukes
Tana French
Emily St. John Mandel
Louise Erdrich
Julie Anne Long
Tracy K. Smith