Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

HAPPY THURSDAY! Autumn has established itself here. Cooler temperatures and leaves turning and falling. My body always goes through an adjustment period with my allergy symptoms heightened and my spinal alignment messed up. So more decongestant and more frequent chiropractic adjustments for a bit.
That seems to have evened out now, so that’s always a relief to me! :)

I forget where, but I discovered the following link. I believe it was sent via email from the publisher: https://www.simonandschuster.com/p/au...
It is an event featuring John Irving and Jason Reynolds (Wikpedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_R...). I don’t know much of anything about Irving other than I have read a few of his books and he tends to be a “hit and miss” author for me. But I idolize Jason Reynolds! He is amazing, IMO! Not only do I love each and every book of his I read, but I so admire his dedication to working with children and teens and the programs in which he is involved. He was named as the Library of Congress’ National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature in January 2020. I heard an interview with him on NPR and it is amazing all that he is doing and has done with children’s literature and reading programs! I just received a confirmation email message about this program scheduled for 7PM ET--6PM CT--5PM MT--4PM PT this evening. It includes the link, etc. It does include a note that the event is near capacity and that it is being recorded so that those unable to attend in real time can listen later. The link to that recording will be emailed to those who registered. I’ll post that whenever it arrives just in case some of you are interested. I am very curious as to what these two very different men, in ethnicity and age, will discuss!

And next Thursday I will be attending an author event in Carmel, Indiana, The Guilded Leaf. Not sure what to expect. It has been designed similarly to the Christamore House Guild Indy Book Author event I attend every April in Indianapolis. The main difference is that the CHG event benefits a lower SES community by supporting their local community center and its many programs as well as providing scholarships to local students. However, this event will benefit the Carmel Clay Public Library, which, in all reality has much support just from the tax base since Carmel is a much higher SES community. It will be interesting to me to attend and see what programs they are supporting, etc. Meeting authors is always so exciting to me! I love to hear their comments about their own work and writing process.

The IRL book club I facilitate is due to meet on October 23! I can’t tell you how excited I am to start discussing books with them again!

So much to be excited about! So glad I’m alive and healthy enough to participate in events!

ADMIN STUFF:
Thank you to Sherri for being the “knowledgeable navigator” leading the October Monthly Group Read discussion of The Ex Hex (Ex Hex #1) by Erin Sterling! She started the discussion with a self-proclaimed “easy” activity that I found darned near impossible to complete! I love it when I’m stumped! :) That book was selected to satisfy prompt #16 A book about witches for “Spooktober”/Halloween! That discussion is HERE. The thread to post the book you have read to satisfy prompt #16 is HERE. Thank you, Sherri!

We still have ONE Monthly Group Read still needing a discussion leader for 2022
Thank you to JessicaMHR for volunteering to facilitate the discussion for
December: Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!

The comprehensive listing of Monthly Group Reads for 2022 is HERE.

Also, just a reminder that every single past 2022 Monthly Group Read discussion and “I Finished!” thread is open and available to all in the 2022 Monthly Group Reads folder HERE.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
If you could meet any author face-to-face and have a discussion with them, who would you select? What might you ask them?
This is almost impossible for me to answer since I have a whole list of authors I would like to meet. (As you might imagine, since, as you all know, I adore lists! LOL)

I have had the privilege of meeting many authors and was only disappointed once, so there is that!

Uhm. I guess if I had to select just one at this point in time it would be Alexander McCall Smith. I am absolutely fascinated by his vast breadth and depth of knowledge in so many areas as well as his phenomenal (IMO) writing skill. I would want to know why he turned to writing fiction after all the other prestigious accomplishments in his life. Does he find it to be more fulfilling than his past accomplishments?

How about you?

Popsugar: 46/50
ATY: 50/52
RHC: 18/24

FINISHED:
*Murder at the Serpentine Bridge (Wrexford and Sloane #6) by Andrea Penrose (10 STARS) was another outstanding mystery! On its own as well as a part of this amazing series! Each new book is just as good and even a little bit better than the last, IMO! I just cannot adequately describe in words how enjoyable these books are for me! Though I rarely reread I do plan to read all 6 installments prior to book number 7’s release. Not that we know when that might happen, but I’m already planning on it!
POPSUGAR: #1, #9, #25, #40-2015: prompt #17 Recommended by a friend, #47, #48
ATY: #1-Tyler, #3, #4-A book written by an author you might like to meet , #6, #7, #11, #14-446 ratings, #21-a battleship, #29, #33, #36-Harper, #40-The Emporer, The Chariot, Strength, Justice, Death, Judgment, The World, #41, #44, #46-Harper, #50-Alison, #51
RHC: #24-2020: prompt #7 A historical fiction novel not set in WW II

*The Ex Hex (Ex Hex #1) by Erin Sterling (4 STARS) was just a bit too romance-y for me, as I feared it might be. Too many sexual details to suit me. Though the story was rather enjoyable.
POPSUGAR: #5, #12, #16, #20- Read immediately after Murder on the Serpentine Bridge, #25, #38, #40-2021: prompt #27 A book about do-overs or fresh starts, #46, #48
ATY: #4-A book written by an author younger than you, #6, #34, #36-A talking cat!, #40-The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength, Justice, Death, Judgment, The World, #43, #44, #46, #49
RHC: #24-2021: A book you’ve been intimidated to read-I feared it would be too romance-y for me, and it was…

*The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (10 STARS) was a phenomenal read, IMO! Nana, the cat, tells us his story of life with Satoru. It is an amazing read. Very poignant and yet very hopeful. I was reminded of one of my all-time favorite reads The Art of Racing in the Rain in the way it made me feel.
POPSUGAR: #9, #25, #36, #40-2015: prompt #38 A book that made you cry, #47
ATY: #3, #4-A book written by an author you might like to meet, #7, #15, #19, #31-2012, #35-purple and yellow flowers, #36-Nana, Calico, the other cats and dog, #40-The Chariot, Strength, Death, The World, #46, #48
RHC: #24-2017: prompt #11 A book that is set more than 5000 miles from your location

CONTINUING:
*Big Sky (Jackson Brodie #5) by Kate Atkinson
*The Perfectionist by Lane Kauffmann for a Read Harder prompt.
*Mrs. 'Arris Goes to New York (Mrs. ‘Arris #2) by Paul Gallico
*Beloved by Toni Morrison
*The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed This is scheduled for this weekend! :)

PLANNED:
*Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
*If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
*The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo
*Blue Lightning (Shetland Island #4) by Ann Cleeves
*Strange Sight (Essex Museum Witch Mystery #2) by Syd Moore
*The Winners (Beartown #3) by Fredrik Backman
*Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk
*The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
*Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz
*Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
*Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

Been fighting something all this week that might be my first fall/winter cold or might be allergies (lots of smoke in this area from wildfires). I doubt it's covid -- I took a test and it came back negative -- but today I finally felt lousy enough to stay home. Gonna mostly read and nap today, heh...

Books read this week:

Second Hunger: Attack of the Paleo Panda! A Fast Fiction Technothriller -- reading this book feels like I watched an episode from the middle of a series without any context. The summary says the books in this collection can be read in any order, but it feels like I was expected to already know who all the characters were and what everyone’s history with one another was. At least the premise (a team of mercenaries trying to catch a giant mutant panda) was so goofy and stupid it was fun.

Carter & Lovecraft -- a detective story involving the cosmic horror of Lovecraft. Not the best but still entertaining.

A Rover's Story -- a very cute story focused on the Mars rovers and their mission. Who would have thought the relationship between a rover, a drone, and a satellite could be so adorable?

Sailor Twain: Or: The Mermaid in the Hudson -- graphic novel. The artwork was beautiful, but the story was pretty muddled. And I still have no idea what the heck happened in that ending…

DNF:

Death in the Beginning -- the downside to reading self-published Kindle books is that, too often, they’ve never seen an editor. After about the twentieth time I read about a character having a “triton-shaped birthmark” (do you mean “trident?”) and seeing “premise” used instead of “promise” at least once, I decided that it wasn’t worth pressing on. I might have kept going if the story was interesting, but alas, it wasn’t.

The Innkeeper's Song -- I usually love Peter S. Beagle’s writing, but I just could not get into this one. Might try again later…

Currently Reading:

Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts
Under the Skin
Alex
The Wicker Man

QOTW:

Man, there are so many. I'd love to talk to Andy Weir and talk space and nerd with him, or Anne McCaffrey (I know, she's deceased, but you said ANY author) about the worldbuilding of her Dragonriders of Pern series.

Autumn is in bloom. Even when I've been driving around doing some pretty draggy errands, the month is so pretty where I am.

I had to move some books around for PS prompts. I know there are some people who think that once you assign a prompt to a book, it shouldn't be moved. But sometimes books can fit more than one prompt and I already shuffled AYT prompts once as well.

I moved The House in the Cerulean Sea from Found Family to "Own Voices SSF". It fit found family so well, but I can't think of a SSF I'm reading before the end of the year.

I moved Insurgent from "About a secret" to "Found Family". Your faction is supposed to be your family.

Although Terabithia may not be as big a secret as what the Erudites were protecting, it was Jesse and Leslie's secret.

This means I've technically finished my 35 PS prompts, but I'm going to keep going.

Finished:

James and the Giant Peach
ATY prompt: A book with a theme of food or drink
Popsugar prompt: Can't find one

Bridge to Terabithia
ATY prompt:
Popsugar prompt: A book about a secret

ATY - 43/52
PS- 35/35
Series -12/13
Clearing my TBR list: 33/40

Currently reading:

My Best Friend's Exorcism- Over 80% done

QOTW: Some of the authors I love were either sexist (Oscar Wilde) or didn't have a lot of experiences of female writers (Lewis and Tolkien). I'm not sure I'd have any fun with them.

I'd love to talk to Jane Austen and find out what it meant to be a female writer in her day. Or else meet with someone like Ruth Ware or Jan Karon and hear about their writing process.

I finished City of Dreams: A Novel of Nieuw Amsterdam and Early Manhattan. I liked the last half better than the first, but all in all, I would call it so-so. I've read much better epic historical fiction, namely, Michener, Rutherford, and Jakes.

I'm almost 3/4 the way through The Matchmaker of Kenmare. Started out slow, but I really got into it. Can't wait to find out what happens.

QOTW: Gee, I don't know. I kind of want to ask GRR Martin why he won't finish his stinking stupid books, but I might end up getting a big too ragey. JK. I'm probably not intellectual enough to have a conversation with an author. So, I'll go with nobody.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

My Halloween Horror Movie-thon continued this week with a mixture of movies and television series. I ended up watching several episodes of the old Addams Family television series along with the following movies: Sleepy Hollow, The Bat (1959), White Zombie (1932), The Munsters, and House of Wax (1953).

Of the movies I watched this week, my favorite was definitely The Bat, which starred Vincent Price. I would describe it as more of a murder mystery than a horror movie, but it did have some spooky moments. I also really enjoyed re-watching Sleepy Hollow.

I also managed to do a lot of reading this week, and was able to get caught up on some of the books from my Kindle app.

Goodreads: 508/200
TBR Checklist: 410/977

Finished Reading (Fiction):
~Return to the Dark House
~Closed for the Season
~Get The Dwarf Out
~Monster Manor
~Gentle Giant: A Fantasy Monster Romance
~The Alien's Mail-Order Bride
~Pretty Human
~Marple: Twelve New Mysteries

Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
~The Joy of Hygge: How to Bring Everyday Pleasure and Danish Coziness into Your Life

Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
None

DNFed:
None

Currently Reading:
~House of Leaves
~Killers of a Certain Age
~Mated to the King of Dwarves

QOTW:
There are several authors that I’d love to have a chance to talk to specifically about the world building and characterization in their novels, including: J.R.R. Tolkien, Andrzej Sapkowski, Seanan McGuire, and Martha Wells.

Happy Thursday!

I didn't finish ANY books this week! Been busy busy busy :) Mostly with theatre every night last weekend and then carving pumpkins on Sunday evening. And playoff baseball (go Guardians!) We went out for dinner on Monday to celebrate hubby's 6 month sobriety anniversary; he found it super-meaningful, which was made me even more pleased.

...and now I find out tonight's performance is canceled because one of our principal actors has Covid. Ugh. (And someone left me off the email chain to boot, so I had to go annoy others to get some answers.) We'll rehearse this evening with our emergency understudy and see how it goes, but... yikes.

All of which is neither here nor there, so. My Current stack seems to have ballooned (at least mentally).
The Paradise War - I'm making good progress here. It feels like Timeline but for Celtic mythology and without all the science. Hopefully finishing tomorrow.
The Hellbound Heart - I picked this up on Kindle a few nights ago because a) Hellraiser is one of my favorite horror films, b) the new Hellraiser film was excellent, and c) this is short and I should've finished it in a few hours. Of course I fell asleep instead. But it's very good so far!
The Castle Doctrine - We're getting into the multiverse now and I'm loving it so much
The Neverending Story - Woefully behind here. I'm still back on ch3 (C) and hubby's already up to F. I do love how each chapter starts with the next letter of the alphabet, that's very fun.

Upcoming:
Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories
Goddess of Filth
The Immortal Game: A History of Chess, or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science and the Human Brain
A Scatter of Light
Legends & Lattes

If I can find time for all of these ^ it'll be a miracle

QOTW: If you could meet any author face-to-face and have a discussion with them, who would you select? What might you ask them?
Ohhhh man. I think after having just seen Les Miserables on stage for the second time in my life (and adoring it just as much), I'd have to talk to Victor Hugo about the incredible work that is the novel. A lot of wine would be involved. I'd probably ask about each successive character's backstory and so forth. The man loves his details.

Katy wrote: "I kind of want to ask GRR Martin why he won't finish his stinking stupid books, but I might end up getting a big too ragey."

I thought about adding Martin to my list of authors to meet, but I have no doubt that I would end up demanding to know when we could expect the remaining books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Happy Thursday! It's damp, balmy, and blustery here today, with brightly colored leaves flying everywhere. (It is SUPER windy right now!! Tomorrow is trash pick up day, so I hope this wind dies down overnight or we will have recyclables and trash cans blowing all over the neighborhood.)


This week I finished 4 books, 3 for this Challenge, so I am now 46/50 for this Challenge.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!!


All These Monsters by Amy Tintera - this was book #1 in my duology, and it was just what the doctor ordered!  I DEVOURED this and immediately put the second book on hold. It's a real relief to have my duology selected and started - all year that's been a big question mark on my list.

Didn't Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta by James Hannaham - I had SUPER high expectations for this book (I mean ... that title alone indicates greatness!) but it let me down.  Turns out I also did not give a shit about what happened to Carlotta.  Sorry, Carlotta!  You are a great character!  It's not you, it's me.

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier - this book is the perfect example of why I'm often reluctant to DNF, because I was NOT feeling it with this book for the first half, the story was over the top, the characterizations were ridiculous, the writing was not great, the audiobook reader was terrible ... but at some point this book GRABBED me, and I could NOT put it down for the last 25%.  I ended up loving it.  This was my "same title as a board game" book - I went and bought the game Jamaica, for the full well-rounded Challenge experience, but we've not played it yet.

Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz - I had really been looking forward to this book, as soon as the 2022 list came out, I knew this would be my "cruise ship" book (a super-yacht is close enough to a cruise ship for me!!).  And what a disappointment this book was!!!   I liked the slow-burn quality of the romance, but all of the characters were idiots, meddlers, and jerks, so I didn't care about any of them. I probably won't read any more books by Ruiz.




(At Lynn's urging, I also combed through all the books I've read this year and found that I am 45/52 for Around the Year!  Forty-four of those books just happened to fit an AtY category, only one was read intentionally for that challenge (The Guncle for "Monopoly token")!  Three that I'm currently reading will fit open slots, so that leaves four books that I will need to intentionally seek out to finish AtY this year.)




QotW
That's a tough one.  There are so many authors I would love to meet, but  I tend to idolize them and I get really intimidated in their presence.  Like, I could NEVER ask Colson Whitehead or Bryn Greenwood or Stephen Graham Jones questions, I would just be awed in their presence.  I'd probably just hyperventilate and pass out.  I met Kate DiCamillo once and I was a giggly mess, I could barely talk to her.  (And she's not even one of my "favorite" authors!)

Lauren Willig, Kristen Lepionka, and Emma Lord seem approachable, I think I could have a discussion with them.   

What I most want to know is:  what do they like to hear from their readers?  what are their favorite comments?  Like, I want to tell them that I love their books, but I don't know if they want to hear it!  Whatever they want to hear, that's what I want to tell them!!!

After that, what I'd want to know is how difficult was it to find a publisher for their first book? Did they have to search for an agent for a long time? Did they get many rejections before the first offer?

Finished:Information Wars: How We Lost the Global Battle Against Disinformation and What We Can Do about It Good as a memoir, not as a critical media literacy book.

Different Kinds of Fruit complex LGBQTIAP identities. I enjoyed it!

Faith and Doubt: An Anthology of Poems some good poems in here. Made me want to read poetry more often.

Started: Chores Without Wars: Turning Housework into Teamwork Exactly what I was looking for! 5 Stars!

College-Prep Homeschooling: Your Complete Guide to Homeschooling Through High School

Qotw: I think I would like to meet Amanda Gorman. She is so talented and kind! I've taken a master class with her and really enjoyed it, so it would be fun to meet her in person.

Hello! It is cold and rainy today, and we're not expected to make it out of the 40s. It was almost 80 on Tuesday, so my husband and I went for a long walk in one of the regional parks after work. There were a bunch of other people out doing the same, everyone enjoying what may be the last good weather of the season.

People have started reminding me it is almost November, and I need to figure out this year's plot for National Novel Writing Month. This will be my 20th year participating, which is just an astonishing number. (How? How has it been 20 years?!) I feel like I need to do something momentous to mark the occasion, but also just finishing the novel would be momentous in its own right.

Finished This Week:
Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak by Charlie Jane Anders. Second book in the Unstoppable trilogy, and suffers for being the middle book. It resolves the plot of this story, but Big Things Happen at the end that are setting up the final book, due out next spring. I enjoyed it, and am looking forward to finding out how things turn out. Not for PS prompt.

Pop by Curt Pires. Comic book my library had about how the pop culture celebrities (mostly singers, it seems) are actually grown in a lab as part of a big conspiracy. And then one escapes. Lots of drug use, sex and violence. Not my thing at all. At least it was short. Using for PS #43, Palimdromic Title.

One Good Reason: A Memoir of Addiction and Recovery, Music and Love by Séan McCann. I had pinpointed this book as my choice for a book about a band or musical group (PS #21), as Sean was a founding member of one of my favorite bands, Great Big Sea. This is not a fun romp about being Newfoundland's official party band, but a memoir about how Sean was abused and tried to forget everything with alcohol for 20 years. It's told in tandem with his wife, and it's very enlightening to see the perspective of the person married to the alcoholic. I bought my copy directly from Sean when it was released, and it's signed by him and his wife. Very tough read, which is what I suspected it would be when I bought it. And I immediately bought all of Sean's solo albums (that I didn't already have) once I finished the book.

January Fifteenth by Rachel Swirsky. Novella about how society would be different (but also, not at all different) if the US adopted a Universal Basic Income policy. Told in four points of view of four different women across the country, with all of the novella taking place on the day the UBI checks go out, starting in the morning in New England and ending in the evening in Utah. There's no effort to connect the four women, which I found disappointing. It was okay, but not what I was expecting. Not for PS prompt.

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert's Story by Debbie Tung. A graphic memoir I had thought to read back in 2020 when it was a Read Harder prompt, but didn't because it was unavailable at the library. Finally read it, and I thought it leaned too much into being an introvert while not using the actual word until like 80% into the book. I think it would have had more weight for someone who hadn't read Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain, or taken the Myers-Briggs test themselves. Not for PS prompt.

PS: 46/50 RH: 15/24 ATY: 49/52 GR: 154/100

Currently Reading:
Misrule by Heather Walter. I returned it to the library because I realized I didn't care, but the ebook hadn't been deleted from my Kindle yet, and I found myself reading it on Monday when my internet decided it didn't want to download my current library book. I'm about halfway through, and now have to see just how bad this is going to get. Not for PS prompt, but could be part 2 of a duology.

One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews. Graphic Audio recording of the third Innkeeper book. I'm about halfway, and may need to actually buy all of these. They're really good.

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. Only in chapter three, so just started. Intrigued where this will go. Not for PS prompt.

QotW: If you could meet any author face-to-face and have a discussion with them, who would you select? What might you ask them?
I went to a book signing for Ilona Andrews back when the last Kate Daniels book came out, and had my picture taken with Ilona and Gordon. I'm also an avid follower of their blog (and almost certainly a member of their BDH), so I was thinking I don't need to ask them about when there will be more Julie or Arabella stories, as I already know the answer. But now that I've typed this, I remembered the story of them selling the first Kate book included Ilona healing undead Strat, and they've often given writing and publishing advice on the blog. So it might be neat to have a conversation with them as people about video games and writing and non-natives living in Texas.

Dubhease wrote: "... I know there are some people who think that once you assign a prompt to a book, it shouldn't be moved...."


Pffft - that ways lies insanity. Nothing is set in stone in my plan, until the day I say I'm finished. ALL of my ideas are subject to change, and books can get moved around.

Kenya wrote: "Carter & Lovecraft -- a detective story involving the cosmic horror of Lovecraft. Not the best but still entertaining."

I remember jumping on this one with a group of friends after we'd finished his Johannes Cabal series - it wasn't at all what we were hoping for and I think we all either DNF'd or were highly disappointed with C&L. Good luck, Kenya!

I finished no prompts this week, just knocked some romances off my kindle while on a plane.

no prompts

Quarterback by Tal Bauer. Contemporary romance. Age gap. Very slow burn. Enjoyed it.

You & I: Rewritten by Chip Pons. Contemporary romance. Billed as enemies to lovers but it's really not. Also, I enjoyed it but I feel like the romance was almost secondary.

Bitter Sweet Heart by H. Hunting. Contemporary romance. Age gap. Age gap is generally not my thing and I don't know how I happened upon two in a row. This was too long…it dragged way too much. I did love how consent was handled in this though.

QOTW:
Mary Shelley…I have questions.

K.L. wrote: "Happy Thursday, everyone!

My Halloween Horror Movie-thon continued this week with a mixture of movies and television series. I ended up watching several episodes of the old Addams Family televisio..."



Oh I didn't mention our Spooktober viewing!! mostly because nothing is new ... we are continuing to re-watch Dark (dang this show is twisty - I can tell already that I'm going to have to watch it a third time) and watch Happiness. Both shows are great.

I cant' remember when we tried All Of Us Our Dead, maybe that was last week? I wasn't crazy about that show, too confusing and not interesting.

For movies, we watched Vamps (I think that was last week?) and The Craft. Hot damn that movie is like Mean Girls but with MEANER girls!! I thought I'd seen it before, but apparently not!

Hey everyone,

Haven't been posting in a few weeks. Just kind of got distracted with other things.

So far so good where I'm at. We had rain for a full week so that was awsome.

Other than that I'm getting ready for school to start next week. I'm taking 3 English literature classes which I'm excited for: British Lit., American Lit., and Forms of Lit.

I'm waiting on two of my classes to get the books which I'm anxious for, but I do have all the ones I need for my British lit. class. I'm looking forward to the material. One of our books is The Picture of Dorian Gray which I'm excited for, especially since I've been wanting to read this classic for a long time now.

This month I have been in a reading slump. Haven't done any lately but at least I'll get a couple out of the way with my assignments that I can end up adding to my reading list.

Also been on book binges lately so I've been in overkill mode when it comes to buying. LOL have to stop.

*****

QOTW: If you could meet any author face-to-face and have a discussion with them, who would you select? What might you ask them?

This is a tricky question. I think Joy Harjo or Louise Erdrich would be neat authors to have conversations with. I love Joy's poetry and while I have Erdrich's books, I still need to find them but meeting her would still be pretty cool. ATM I can't think of what I would ask but I'll try to think of some later.

And then there were two — prompts left, that is! I finished four books in the last week, one of which fit the PS challenge.

* Who Moved My Goat Cheese? by Lynn Cahoon — an okay read, editing could have been better. Would fit #23, book with a recipe.

* The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith — Good audiobook narrator. I listened to this one free on YouTube. Have not seen the movie. Could be used for #22 (ACE), #25 (secret) or #46 (double life).

* Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness — I am using this for PS #16, a book about witches. I think it would also fit #9, found family. Now 48/50 and feeling more like I’ll actually finish this year. Only two more prompts to go!

* The All Souls Real-Time Reading Companion by Deborah Harkness — A freebie I picked up a year or two ago. This is a collection of photos of real people and places featured in the first two books (stuff I could have looked up on my own and did), as well as links to music Harkness listened to while writing. I would have appreciated a bit of a chapter synopsis along with the images, especially for book one, since it has been more than a year since I read it and I had some difficulty remembering sequence of events.

Chilly here today, but at least no chance of tornadoes as happened in southeastern Wisconsin yesterday around midday. Thankfully not in my area, and no injuries that I’ve heard of, but there was a lot of damage in communities closer to Milwaukee. Only about two-percent of our tornados since 1950 have happened in October, so very rare. Most of ours are in June.


QOTW: If you could meet any author face-to-face and have a discussion with them, who would you select? What might you ask them?

I’ve met a few dozen authors over the years (only a couple of whom disappointed), and while it would be nice to meet up with/talk to some again, I don’t think there’s anyone I’d really like to meet right now.


Seasonal Viewing:
I finished season one of Angel and started season two. The problem with watching this series after Buffy instead of concurrently as viewers would have when they originally ran is having story lines that originated on Buffy resolved in Angel, such as the whole Faith thing.

Have also watched the second and third Harry Potter movies for who knows how many times now.

Challenge Progress: 47/50

Completed:
The Marriage Portrait ★★★★
American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America's Jack the Ripper ★★★★
The Butcher and the Wren ★★★★
House of Hunger ★★★★
The Change ★★★★★
The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice (PS 28: A book set during a holiday - Halloween) ★★



Currently Reading:
Fairy Tale
Other Birds
Spells for Forgetting
Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals
Take My Hand
Drunk on Love
Twice a Quinceañera

QOTW: I have no idea. Neither who I'd like to meet or what I would ask. I'm not really good at composing questions... interviewing is a real skill. One that I don't have. And sometimes I find the reality of people disappointing.

Nadine— You made some awesome progress in PS this week. Way to go! Congrats also for rounding out your AtY challenge. You can do it! 😀

Dubhease— As Nadine said, nothing is set in stone. I move books around in this and other challenges all the time and frequently swap out an intended book for another. Sometimes a random read will end up fitting a prompt perfectly. If it means worrying about one less prompt for the challenge . . . yeah, I’m going to go with it, especially if it means having a better chance to finish. I also review all of my challenges every month or two to see if books recently read will cross off more prompts.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Dubhease wrote: "... I know there are some people who think that once you assign a prompt to a book, it shouldn't be moved...."


Pffft - that ways lies insanity. Nothing is set in stone in my plan..."

I had to do a AYT reshuffle earlier this year because I joined a book club at church. I suddenly had this extra book that I had not pre-planned at the same time that I had been sick for a week and was a book behind.

My planning for 2023 is a lot looser to take in account book club books, and give myself options for each prompt.

I admire people who read prompts in order or who make a plan in the fall and never deviate from it.

I went out again after 14 days of covid quarantine. And the world has changed clothes: it’s autumn! So weird that it looks completely different outdoors. Like I’ve been abroad or something. First thing I did when I could go out: to the city library for new books!

Finished a lot of books this week! And since they are all Dutch and not translated I’ll only write the titles and stars.

PS: 18/40
Total 2022: 50

Finished
De laatste winter by Femke Roobol ⭐⭐⭐
Not for PS

De Nieuwe mens by Auke van der Woud⭐⭐⭐
Not for PS

Zoeklicht op het gazon by Auke Hulst⭐⭐
Not for PS

Currently reading
Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu

QOTW
Great question! But hard to answer. Now I’m thinking of all the authors I’d like to meet. And what I would ask… I’ve been to events where authors talk about their books. I usually am so impressed of meeting them and listening to the interview, that I simply don’t think of anything to ask. Questions only pop up afterwards.
Having said that, I would also like to hear what it meant to be a female writer in her days. And successful. And I wonder what great Russian writers think of Russia now?

Ashley Marie wrote: "Kenya wrote: "Carter & Lovecraft -- a detective story involving the cosmic horror of Lovecraft. Not the best but still entertaining."

I remember jumping on this one with a group of friends after w..."

Yeah, it wasn't quite what I was hoping. The Sherlock Holmes novels that incorporate Lovecraftian elements did "detective stories with eldritch horror" theme better...

A couple I see regularly on walks has just got a new Labrador puppy. He's so small and cute!

My allergies are bad right now too. I looked it up the other day and apparently a lot of spores that have been in the soil all summer are released in autumn rain so it can actually be worse than summer allergies.

Finished:
Stone Blind: Medusa's Story by Natalie Haynes for ATY (third continent as turns out most of this takes place in North Africa). Really recommend the audiobook read by the author, entertaining and sad.

The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke for ATY (glass). Slow start and I didn't find it all that convincing in the way everything was explained.

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline for ATY (100 best YA) but it also fits found family so I'll pencil it in for Popsugar too. This was a bit depressing in places, sadly believable if you take away the dreaming part. Might pick up the sequel next year.

QOTW:
Maybe Seanan McGuire so I could geek out about her My Little Pony collection? I'm not really bothered about meeting authors to talk about their writing. A lot of the authors I like are on social media so it's not like they're mysterious any more. Some I'd like to hang out with as people.

Heather L wrote: "Seasonal Viewing:
I finished season one of Angel and started season two. The problem with watching this series after Buffy instead of concurrently as viewers would have when they originally ran is having story lines that originated on Buffy resolved in Angel, such as the whole Faith thing. ..."



A few years back, I set up a whole spreadsheet of which episodes to watch after which, we jumped back and forth between BtVS s4 & AtS s1. I am a big Bangel shipper so AtS s1 episode 8 "I Will Remember You" is peak viewing for me. That episode just kills me. Right through the heart.

Ellie wrote: "A couple I see regularly on walks has just got a new Labrador puppy. He's so small and cute! ..."


OH M Y HEART! Few things are cuter than a brand new Labrador puppy.



The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline for ATY (100 best YA) but it also fits found family so I'll pencil it in for Popsugar too. This was a bit depressing in places, sadly believable if you take away the dreaming part. Might pick up the sequel next year.

I thought the sequel was so good, maybe even better than The Marrow Thieves! She's become one of my favorite authors. I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Nadine in NY wrote: "A few years back, I set up a whole spreadsheet of which episodes to watch after which, we jumped back and forth between BtVS s4 & AtS s1. I am a big Bangel shipper so AtS s1 episode 8 "I Will Remember You" is peak viewing for me. That episode just kills me. Right through the heart..."

Your spreadsheet would definitely come in handy, LOL, and that was a good episode, especially as no one else is cognizant of the decision Angel made.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Heather L wrote: "Seasonal Viewing:
I finished season one of Angel and started season two. The problem with watching this series after Buffy instead of concurrently as viewers would have when they ...

A few years back, I set up a whole spreadsheet of which episodes to watch after which, we jumped back and forth between BtVS s4 & AtS s1. I am a big Bangel shipper so AtS s1 episode 8 "I Will Remember You" is peak viewing for me. That episode just kills me. Right through the heart"
Oh. My. God. You always make me laugh, Nadine, but I swear it was all I could do not to roll on the floor laughing at this! OF COURSE YOU HAVE A SPREADSHEET for that! LOL What don't you have a spreadsheet for, m'dear? ;) I love it!

Lynn wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Heather L wrote: "Seasonal Viewing:
I finished season one of Angel and started season two. The problem with watching this series after Buffy instead of concurrently as viewers ..."




There is a spreadsheet for everything.

I would offer to share, but it was on my old computer and I might have lost it

Heather L wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "A few years back, I set up a whole spreadsheet of which episodes to watch after which, we jumped back and forth between BtVS s4 & AtS s1. I am a big Bangel shipper so AtS s1 ep..."



I found it :-) I copied it into a Google Sheet, but I think you'll have only Viewing access. You should be able to copy it into your own sheets ...
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...


AtS s5 has no overlap, of course, so it's not listed.

I've been definitely enjoying the cooler weather around here. And it's hockey season, so yay!

The closest I've gotten to Spooktober seasonal viewing is that I've been watching the new Interview with the Vampire series on AMC. It's been years since I read it, but I used to be obsessed in my "vampire phase" in the 90s/00s. I think it's pretty good so far. I actually like some of the changes they made from the book; it allows them to explore some timely issues in addition to the original plotline.

Finished:
An Enchantment of Ravens - 3 stars - I didn't like this as much as the author's later books. I wished the worldbuilding was more solid and less confusing, but it was still fun and I'd read more in this universe if she chose to write more.

Into the Light - 4.5 stars - This was an ARC I received from NetGalley. I enjoyed it a lot. It kept me engrossed from the first page.

The Ex Hex - 3 stars - I wished the author spent more time with the worldbuilding, but overall I liked it but didn't love it. I'd be willing to read the next in the series.

I Choose Darkness - 4 stars - A short essay by Jenny Lawson (The Blogess) which is currently an Amazon Prime freebie. Amusing anecdotes about her childhood Halloweens and how it became her favorite holiday.

Comics and manga:
Something's Wrong With Us, Vol. 9
Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 21
Love in Focus, Vol. 1
Love in Focus, Vol. 2

Currently reading:
Winter's Orbit - It's a bit slow-paced, with a heavy focus on characters/relationships and political maneuvering, but I tend to like that kind of stuff, and I'm intrigued to see where it's going.

Planned/upcoming:
You Only Live Once, David Bravo
Over the Woodward Wall
A Deadly Education

QOTW: This is a hard question for me to answer. I love reading the work of a lot of authors, but I feel hopeless when it comes to having a conversation with them. I've met authors at book signings before, and had positive experiences. (In relation to my Interview with the Vampire note above, Anne Rice once complemented me on my wolf t-shirt after I waited in line all day to see her. Made my day as an awkward teen.)

I guess I'd say either Seanan McGuire, Ursula Vernon, or Margaret Owen, just because from their social media presence, I think they'd be fun to hang out with and just chat.

Thanks for the link to your doc, Nadine!

Well, I told myself I would never read Agatha Christie and now I have to. I'm taking a British literature class and one of her short stories is one of the reading assignments.

I'm thinking about not doing two of the topics: cutlery on the cover/title and romance novel by a bipoc author.

I've really been struggling with those.

For the romance one, I have a nonfiction love story but I don't think it would count.

And for the cutlery I haven't come across a book I care for or a theme with said object that I like.

Challenge Progress: 41/50

Finished:

The Black Pages (no prompt) 2 stars. Amazon short story. A djinn accidentally released from a book. Maybe it was because it was a short story but it ends very abruptly and a little confusingly.

Avengers: Disassembled (no prompt) 4 stars. It's always fascinating how the characters in the comics get changed for the movies. Hawkeye actually has a real character in the comics. But comic or movie, I have never cared for Wanda Maxinoff.

The Ex Hex (PS book about witches) 3 stars. It was a cute story. I always love supernatural stuff but most romance novels always seem the same to me.

Currently Reading:

Cemetery Boys (PS book with 2 languages)

The Guncle (no prompt)

The Paris Apartment (PS sister city #1)

QOTW:
I have never been someone who enjoyed meeting new people. When it comes to someone who's writing I admire, I feel like I would end being disappointed with them in real life.

Good afternoon! Happy Thursday!

I'm actually hoping for cold weather. I've had to deal with two wasp nests in the last week. I want a cold front. This sunny, warm weather is making me depressed.

At work, I've been doing story hour in-house for the first time in 2 years. I completely forgot I had to count my kids for statistics. So for the past sessions (since Sept. 13), I did not count. I finally remembered this last session. Ugh!

Other than bloody good weather, it's been pretty good. I've been doing a bit of Halloween watching. Watched Addam's Family 1 & 2 on the weekend. Watched Werewolf by Night last night on Disney. Random Marvel 55 minute movie. Black and White. It was interesting.

Finished:

Shadow Life
Click, Clack, Boo!: A Tricky Treat story hour. made cows.
The Abandoned Empress, Vol. 3 manhwa from Korea. Full color. Like it a lot.
Bossy Beard (Mail Order Mountain, #3) Oops! I didn't tell my kindle not to count it.

Reading:

The War of the Worlds (PS Social horror) still. i'm picking at it. slowly.
Girl Giant and the Monkey King (ATY same word 1) almost done. didn't know there was a second book. now i have to buy for the library cuz i absolutely hate incomplete series.
Ranma 1/2 (2-in-1 Edition), Vol. 1: Includes Volumes 1 & 2 (PS sister 2, ATY inclement weather)

Planning:

the rest of the book challenge prompts I haven't finished yet.

PS: Sapphic, Anisfield, witches, season, secret, quote, constellation, palindrome.

ATY: Earth Day, Jewish, same 2, flora & fauna, rural, game, gothic

QOTW:

That's funny cuz I would end up sounding like a blithering idiot and blank completely out. I tend to do that when i'm super nervous. If it was through a medium like this where I have anonymity then i could speak and sound somewhat like an intelligent person.

I would really like to meet Julia Quinn because all her interviews sound like "let's drink copious amounts of coffee/tea and gossip like no tomorrow", which makes me think she's just that kind of person.

Happy Thursday! I'm starting to feel the end-of-year panic. Holidays, birthdays, and an anniversary bash all in the works currently! The leaves are just starting to turn, and I love it.

Finished 36/50

If I cross my fingers and hope, I *might* be able to finish this challenge this year.

WORDS FOR OUR TIME: The Spiritual Words of Matthew the Poor for "duology (1)". SO SO GOOD. I'm glad there's another one, because this man's words are so sweet and uplifting.

Surprised by Christ: My Journey from Judaism to Orthodox Christianity for "book with a quote from your favourite author on the cover". And, I see why! Amazing book, so informative! Really, really good for people curious about Orthodoxy. I learned a TON.

The Stepford Wives for "social horror". UGH. I'd seen the movie so I knew what was coming but still. Every woman's nightmare, eesh. Definitely perfect for spooky season.

Currently Reading

Words for Our Lives: The Spiritual Words of Matthew the Poor for "duology (2)". Enjoying this one just as much as the first.

The Shadow Rising for "book set in a matriarchal society". Oh I can't wait to snuggle back into Wheel of Time. <3 Need me a good comfort read after sludging through The Red Horse.

QotW

Wow what a hard question. I, too, have a list! Living author? Brandon Sanderson. Dead author? C. S. Lewis

But it's really very, very hard to choose....

Mandy wrote: I've had to deal with two wasp nests in the last week.

Ugh, no! We get them quite frequently out here. It's so nerve wreaking and terrifying going outside because we never know if there will be a nest right near the front door.

Just curious but will anyone be participating in Nonfiction November this year?

Ron wrote: "Mandy wrote: I've had to deal with two wasp nests in the last week.

Ugh, no! We get them quite frequently out here. It's so nerve wreaking and terrifying going outside because we never know if the..."

the sad part is this phobic girl is the only one that can spray the nests cuz every one else is allergic. they just loooove to fly in my face.

Happy check-in! This past weekend was Thanksgiving here and we were finally able to have a normal one. It felt normal because we had multiple tables to squeeze in family. We were all pretty much thankful for making it through a couple of tough years.

Finished Reading:

215 ⭐⭐⭐
A poetry/song collection. This was clearly about residential schools but there was no introduction, author's note, titles of work or even a description on the back. I only know these were songs because there was a quote on the back referring to them as songs.

The Golden Enclaves ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I was happy with this series ending. It was really tough for me to stay on task and read this, so I ended up scrambling to finish it before overdrive clawed it back.

PS 2022 47/50
PS 2015 48/50
Goodreads 217/250

Currently Reading:

Queen of the Conquered
The River of Silver: Tales from the Daevabad Trilogy
Fruits Basket Ultimate Edition, Vol. 5

QOTW:
I don't really have any interest in meeting author of books I like.

"Ashley Marie wrote: "...and now I find out tonight's performance is canceled because one of our principal actors has Covid. Ugh. (And someone left me off the email chain to boot, so I had to go annoy others to get some answers.) We'll rehearse this evening with our emergency understudy and see how it goes, but... yikes."

That's sad. Hope the understudy does well. What play/musical are you currently doing?"

Ron wrote: "Just curious but will anyone be participating in Nonfiction November this year?"
I may if I haven't yet finished The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family!! :)

Are you participating in the Goodreads group? I haven't visited there in forever.

The weather is so beautiful that it makes me want to cry and then laugh in delight. And the forecast for the next 7 days is more of the same. I love this time of year. It does my soul good!

My mom and I are watching the 1980s/original "MacGyver" series, which I was obsessed with at the time (RDA is so gorgeous!). It is hard to find things to watch with my mother outside of Hallmark movies, which I usually don't love. But now she's obsessed. She was just now disappointed that I was going to do Goodreads stuff instead of watch an episode. I've created a monster!

Finished

All of my books were picked to honor National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo - 4 stars; PS #7 onomatopoeia in title
I listened to the audiobook by the author (first time reading her) and another woman for the two POVs. A very touching story of two teens, one in New York and the other in the Dominican Republic, and the way their lives intertwine.

She Persisted: Sonia Sotomayor by Meg Medina - 4 stars
A middle grade biography of the USA's first Latina Supreme Court Justice, one of a series on important women. It focused more on her childhood, and it was a fascinating story of how someone comes from nothing to rise to the heights. She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 7, and while her mother was at work, she figured out how to do her own insulin shots because her diabetic father wouldn't. And this was back in the days when you had to boil the needle and use the old-fashioned syringes. Brave girl. Brave woman.

Mi Familia Calaca / My Skeleton Family by Cynthia Weill - 5 stars
As I've mentioned before, I've been learning Spanish every day for about half an hour, around 240 days straight now. I thought it was time to try to read a simple children's book. This had both English and Spanish translations, so I covered up the English and understood almost every word (just had to peek a time or two). It was a very basic story of introducing family members, who adorably are all skeletons (very timely). It's a start!

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez - 4 stars
This book spoke to me. It described me as a teenager in ways that took my breath away. Her relationship with her mother, feeling born to the wrong family, expectations of being a wife and mother while wanting something different, etc. Big feelings and big emotions that she didn't understand. My white middle class suburban life was quite different to her first-generation American life with undocumented Mexican immigrant parents struggling to survive in New York. And while my reactions to our circumstances were different (she acted out, while I strove to be perfect), the feelings were so similar. Yeah, I loved this one. Also read for National Hispanic History month.

Goodreads: 68/90
Popsugar: 28/40, 8/10

QOTW:
I've only been to a few author readings/events before, and I tend to get stupidly shy (I admire authors too much, I guess). But if I could get a grip, I'll love to talk to Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie. And Fredrik Backman and Liane Moriarty and John Grisham and Taylor Jenkins Reid, just because they are my current Must-Read authors.

Shannon Hale will be doing an event at my local library next week. I would consider going, although I've only read a couple of her books, but my body currently will not allow it.

Teri wrote: "The weather is so beautiful that it makes me want to cry and then laugh in delight. And the forecast for the next 7 days is more of the same. I love this time of year. It does my soul good!

My mom..."

Congratulations on reading your first book in Spanish! 🥳

Hi all! Sick kid (AGAIN) this week. And I've got a little bit of a sore throat/cough. Leaves are turning, I wish I had the stamina to go apple or pumpkin picking. Her costume came in the mail this week, she wants to be Mrs. Claus! Or Santa without the beard and belly! lol She has talked about getting candy for Santa. I think she somehow thinks that if she gets lots of candy for Santa that will translate into more presents at Christmas? Couldn't hurt! ;)

I *finally* finished Silent Thunder: In the Presence of Elephants for a nonpatriarchal society. I really wanted to like it, the author lives (lived?) in Ithaca, I always wanted to be a wildlife biologist, but the book is not well written and was quite a slog.

Otherwise just a few pages of reading The Turn of the Screw and Pachinko.

QOTW: Yeah, I'm too shy to actually meet another human with no previous interactions and just start talking... If I weren't, I'd be happy with meeting any author I've read and liked. I'd want to know about their process, especially research.

Happy Thursday! This weekend I got to see Florence+the Machine, and it was such a great show! She's such an incredible singer. It was a really nice end to a pretty rough week. and now this week, we're finally getting fall weather! Such a nice change!

Finished:
Cemetery Boys- finally finished this, and I really really liked it! I love the characters, especially Yadriel and Julian. I'm really glad I finally got the push to read this- even if I technically didn't finish it in time for the group read.
Also I didn't realize the author was from my area, which makes me have even more of a soft spot for the book.
-39. An #OwnVoices SFF (science fiction and fantasy) book

Currently Reading:
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania- I have this on audio from the library, but also own a physical copy. So I'm slowly listening to this at work, and then rereading parts I think I missed when I get home. It's a pretty great read so far.

QotW:
My first thought was Harper Lee- I'd love to hear what she thinks about them publishing Go Tell the Watchman after she passed away. Everyone had such strong opinions about that decision, I'd really like to know how she'd feel.

And then also someone like Rebecca Solnit, who I think is fascinating and one of my favorite writers. But maybe I'd rather take a class by her, or go to a lecture she puts on. Pre-covid I used to go to a lot of book readings, and I loved hearing the authors talk about their books, but always felt awkward during the book signing part.

Ron wrote: "Well, I told myself I would never read Agatha Christie and now I have to. I'm taking a British literature class and one of her short stories is one of the reading assignments."

Did I hear you right? You never wanted to read the Dame? I'm not sure we can be friends now. haha

Hope the short story wins you over.

Ron wrote: "Just curious but will anyone be participating in Nonfiction November this year?"

I've been picking up more nonfiction the last few months, so I plan to keep it going for Nonfiction November. I have An Immense World on hold at the library - hopefully it's ready soon!

It's been a while since I popped in. Let's see what I've been reading.

Books: Pittsburgh Then and Now® by The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation an enjoyable historical look

American Goth by Cyn Mackley it was an okay amateur sleuth mystery

Six Feet Deep Dish by Mindy Quigley a fairly enjoyable amateur sleuth

The Eidlerland Incident by Geoffrey Mandragora a fun alt history/steampunk

A Lack of Temperance by Anna Loan-Wilsey an okay historical mystery

Graphic Novels -
Lore Olympus: Volume One by Rachel Smythe (and volume two. I like it well enough but not nearly as wowed as a lot of people)

Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven by Kami Garcia really enjoyed this one

The Ghost of Ohio by Andy Biersack by the Black Veil Bride's front man. it's a decent horror

QOTW THat's hard to answer since I've met so many authors at this point. Maybe C.S. Harris. I'm not sure what I'd ask

Ron wrote: "Just curious but will anyone be participating in Nonfiction November this year?"

Does this mean reading ONLY nonfiction for the month? No can do. But I plan to read two or three.

Nadine in NY wrote: "A few years back, I set up a whole spreadsheet of which episodes to watch after which, we jumped back and forth between BtVS s4 & AtS s1. I am a big Bangel shipper so AtS s1 episode 8 "I Will Remember You" is peak viewing for me. That episode just kills me. Right through the heart."

Your spreadsheet sounds awesome. I cried so much the first time I watched that episode. I've always been hesitant to rewatch it too.