Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Happy Thursday!  It's been another long week of confusing weather.  Warm, cold, sun, snow.  Yesterday looked like a mild sunny winter day, but it was cold, and the wind chill was nearly astronomical!  My face was numb by the time we got back to the house after walking the dog.  


Admin stuff
February's group read of Lucky Leap Day is happening here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


The Final Poll is closed for the April group read.  The winner for April is:   The Mystery Guest
(note that this is book 2 in a series, and I haven't read it yet but I think you'll probably need to have read book 1 first.)

The nomination poll is open for May (queer memoir):   
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...
This poll will remain open for two weeks.  Write in your favorite!

We still need discussion leaders for March & April & May - let us know if you'd like to volunteer.



This week I finished 3 books & DNF'ed 1, 3 for this Challenge.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - I loved this one!  It was very entertaining, I love a bad boy romance, especially when it's forbidden, and I have the sequel on hold now.  I'm hopeful the wait won't be long, looks like about two people waiting per copy.  I checked off "involving dragons" with this (I think it would also work for "enemies to lovers"), and I checked off "wings on the cover" in AtY.

Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies to Keep Any House Under Control by Dana K. White - this was my book from a genre I usually avoid: self-help!  This is 100 quick tips on organizing and cleaning the house, and the author was funny so that made it mostly painless, and it was a fairly quick read, so I'm glad I chose this book.

All Shot Up by Chester Himes - this is one of the more violent Harlem Cycle books I've read - wow!  It would make one hell of a bloody action movie.  I checked off "someone dies in the first chapter" (and quite a few more people die after that!)


And I DNFed:   
The Conductors by Nicole Glover - this is such a clever premise and I was looking forward to reading it, but I found myself having to re-read paragraphs over and over and my brain was feeling fuzzy and I kept getting confused and losing my place. Then I looked at reviews and I found another review that described exactly the same experience, so it wasn't just me being tired.  The writing style is just odd.  She dumps you in the middle of the action so you don't understand any character motivations.  I made it through 40 pages and just didn't want to keep reading.  There are other NaNoWriMo books I can read instead.


Popsugar 32% 16 /50
Must Reads 50% 5 /10
AtY 33% 17 /52



Question of the Week
If you were to publish a book (if you haven't already) would you use your real name or a pseudonym? If you were going to use a pseudonym, what one would you make up for yourself?

This week's question was suggested by Jennifer.

I'm not sure what I would do!  When I was younger, for sure I would have chosen a pen  name, it seems like the romantic choice.  But now, I think I might kind of like that recognition under my real name.  I guess it depends on what kind of book I wrote.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

This has been a spectacularly unproductive week so far. I’ve had really good intentions when it comes to getting things accomplished, but I just haven’t felt like doing much more than reading and sleeping. It is a bit of a problem, since I’ve got a ton of stuff I need to do around the house, but it is what it is. We’re all entitled to an “off” week every once in a while…

I am going in to the eye doctor again this morning to pick up my new lenses, so I will be starting the process of transitioning to bifocals in just a few hours. It’s going to be a bit of an adjustment, but I’m looking forward to having an easier time when it comes to reading.

Speaking of reading…

I have managed to get a tremendous amount of reading done this week. I am currently focusing on romance novels through the end of the week, specifically my remaining Highland Romance ebooks. I’ve also had a chance to read some comic books, and I’m still keeping on top of all of the classics that I’m currently reading.

Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…

Goodreads Challenge: 68/400 (17.0% complete)
Mount TBR Challenge: 49/150 (32.6% complete)

📚Physical TBR: 33/402
📱Ebook TBR: 16/233
🎧Audiobook TBR: 0/0
TBR Checklist Total: 49/635 (7.7% complete)
Total Progress Toward 50% TBR List Completion: 49/318 (15.4% complete)

I did not purchase any new books this week!


I’m currently two titles away from being completely caught up on my “New” Books list. I don’t know if I will manage to have both titles finished before my next anticipated new releases come out, but it’s going to be very close. I’m planning to wait until I’ve finished all the new books I currently own before buying those new releases, however. I really don’t want to get behind.

“New” Books Bought in 2024: 20
“New” Books Read in 2024: 18/20 (90.0% complete)

Here are the books I finished this week…

Finished Reading (Fiction):
~Doctor No — This is the sixth book in the James Bond series, and I walked away from this one with mixed feelings. While the story was exciting and full of adventure, this book is very much a product of the time period in which it was written, and that comes across very strongly. I had a major problem with the attitudes expressed by a large number of characters, including Bond. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book contains rampant racism, as well as misogyny. It also includes references to rape, torture, and human experimentation. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️
~No Country for Old Gnomes — This is the second book in the Tales of Pell trilogy. It was an absolutely hilarious book. There were so many laugh-out-loud moments, and even some spoofs of The Lord of the Rings and other well-known stories. The characters were great as well. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does deal with issues of racism, prejudice, and war; and includes references to rape and torture. There are also a few descriptions that will probably make you go “eww.” (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Princess Beard — This is the third book in the Tales of Pell trilogy. I thought this was a fun read, but I did not have nearly as many laugh-out-loud moments as I did with the previous book. I did enjoy the authors’ references to The Princess Bride, Star Trek, Harry Potter, and Titanic. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book includes misogyny and gaslighting, as well as references to cannibalism. The main characters are also focused on stopping a company that is using very inhumane methods of killing animals for food. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Katherine of Aragon, the True Queen — This is the first book in the Six Tudor Queens series. I was really impressed with this book, and I’m already looking forward to reading the next book in the series! Alison Weir did a great job of making history come alive, and did so in a way that made this book extremely hard to put down. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include frequent references to grief, specifically the grief of losing children. It also includes references to infidelity and divorce, as well as capital punishment. Finally, the novel does include some anti-Semitic remarks, made by a prejudiced individual. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Scarlet — This is a fantasy/paranormal re-imagining of The Scarlet Pimpernel, by the same author as the Invisible Library series that I enjoyed so much. I really liked this story, and thought the main character was great. It was fun to follow a member of the servant class rather than one of the aristocratic members of the League. I’m really looking forward to reading the second book when it is released later this year! Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does focus on the French Revolution, so there are frequent references to capital punishment (via the guillotine). (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Claimed by a Highlander — I have to be honest and say that I wasn’t overly impressed with this book. While the writing was decent (barring some typos), and the book was a fairly quick read, I just didn’t love the story or main characters. I’m not a fan of the miscommunication trope, especially when it involves building a relationship based on lies and/or lies of omission. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book includes references to rape, torture, suicide, and war. The main male character is also a complete jerk and basically slut-shames his wife after discovering that she was not a virgin when they wed. (hide spoiler)] 📱: ⭐️⭐️
~Highland Stone — I really had a hard time getting into this book, and a lot of my issues with it came down to the author’s writing style. While I don’t have a problem with time-travel in romance novels, the way this was accomplished in this book just didn’t work for me. I also didn’t care for either of the main characters, so their relationship was not of interest to me. I did consider DNFing this book, but ultimately decided to finish it. I won’t be reading any more of this author’s work in the future though. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book contains several references to rape, as well as an attempted rape. There is also a scene of abuse at the beginning of the novel, and several references to war. (hide spoiler)] 📱: ⭐️

Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
None

Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
~Venomnibus, Vol. 2 — This was a great collection of Venom comic books! I really enjoyed the majority of the stories, and the artwork was fantastic! Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This collection does include a significant amount of violence, which includes torture, human and symbiote experimentation, and cannibalism. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None

DNFed:
None

Currently Reading:
~The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights, Volume 1 — I’m currently just past the halfway point in this book, and feeling really good about what I’ve managed to accomplish so far this year. 📚
~The Complete Works of William Shakespeare — This week I finished reading a couple of plays, including Love’s Labour’s Lost, and The Merchant of Venice. I also read the following poems: “The Passionate Pilgrim,” “Sonnets to Sundry Notes of Music,” and “The Phoenix and the Turtle.” So I have officially finished all of the poems in this book! I am continuing to read only one act per day, and this pace has been much easier to maintain.📚
~The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood — I’m currently 56% of the way through this book, and it continues to be a fun read. 📚
~Venomnibus, Vol. 3 — I spent most of February 14th reading this collection of comic books, and I’ve really been enjoying the stories. I’m currently about 55% of the way through this one, and should finish it over the weekend. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This collection does include a significant amount of violence. There are also references to grief, cancer, and suicide. (hide spoiler)] 📚

~The Highlander's Hope — This book is actually a contemporary romance, which is set in the Highlands…something I did not know when I originally bought it. I’m currently only five chapters in, but I’m enjoying it so far. 📱

QOTW:
I would either use my real name, or my initials.

Happy Thursday!

Over the last week or so the PopSugar Facebook group was being inundated with disturbing posts and videos, and the admin's solution was to require admin approval for all posts. All well and good... except that they haven't approved any posts since Monday. So unless the admins decide to come back and do something, the group is now dead.

Not gonna lie, I'm disappointed. I enjoyed the FB group and the people there, and I almost would have rather just scrolled past the spam than lose the group entirely.

Hopefully the admin find a better solution... or at least get a more active admin.

Books read this week:

Mutant Message Down Under -- for “book set in a travel destination on your bucket list.” I read this to also cover a prompt for another challenge, “a book that’s been revealed to be a literary forgery or hoax.” Not only is this book not true (it was originally published as a true story but has since been debunked), it’s downright disrespectful towards Indigenous Australians.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches -- for “enemies-to-lovers romance.” Might be stretching the prompt a bit, but they DO start off not liking each other. And while a little predictable, it was surprisingly sweet and fun.

The Deep Sky -- for “book set in space.” The premise is a little outlandish, but the plot is good and the mystery kept me invested.

Dying with Her Cheer Pants On -- for “a book about women’s sports and/or by a woman athlete.” Seanan McGuire somehow makes a collection of stories about cheerleaders saving the world not just entertaining, but really freaking good.

PopSugar Challenge -- 25/45
PopSugar Advanced Challenge -- 2/5

Robot Librarian Challenge -- 13/32
Robot Librarian Advanced Challenge -- 5/10
Robot Librarian Non-Fiction Challenge -- 1/10

Extreme Book Nerd Challenge -- 17/50
Extreme Book Nerd Advanced Challenge -- 3/10
Extreme Book Nerd Non-Fiction Challenge -- 1/10

DNF:

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife -- for “book set in the future.” Too much r*pe and casual misogyny for me at the moment. Plus pandemic books hit a lot differently nowadays, and not in a good way. Might try again another time.

Currently reading:

Cursed Cocktails -- for “cozy fantasy”
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi -- for “book about pirates”
Pride and Prejudice -- for “second-chance romance”
Once Upon a Royal Summer -- not for PopSugar

QOTW:

I already use a pseudonym online -- Kenya isn't my real name, what a shocker -- including for my fanfiction writing. So I think it might be more shocking for me to write under my real name than to use a pseudonym, haha...

Kenya wrote: "Dying with Her Cheer Pants On -- for “a book about women’s sports and/or by a woman athlete.” Seanan McGuire somehow makes a collection of stories about cheerleaders saving the world not just entertaining, but really freaking good.."

So glad to see this review as it is one of my planned Kindle books to read on my trip to Scotland. [Not taking physical books for that 6 weeks.]

Nadine in NY wrote: "Yesterday looked like a mild sunny winter day, but it was cold, and the wind chill was nearly astronomical!"

I just told a friend yesterday that, although it was sunny and sunny to me meant warm, it was cold! Temp in the 30s. Winter sun is so deceptive!

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

This has been a spectacularly unproductive week so far. I’ve had really good intentions when it comes to getting things accomplished, but I just haven’t felt like doing much more than reading and sleeping. It is a bit of a problem, since I’ve got a ton of stuff I need to do around the house, but it is what it is. We’re all entitled to an “off” week every once in a while…"

Oh, so me lately!

The kids got Tuesday off of school as a snow day. I was hoping we would actually get some real snow, but it ended up being mostly rain and a light dusting of snow, so they will have to wait a while longer to build another snowman.

Finished:

The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway by Una McCormack (4/5, a book set in the future, a book set in space)

The author does hit on some of the high points of the Voyager series, but the best section is the first half with Janeway's childhood and Academy days. If I could add one more thing to the book, I would want to see some reflection on the decision to willfully get assimilated by the Borg at the end of Season Six.

Old Wounds: Spirit Walk Book One by Christie Golden (3/5)

I am enjoying this more than the Homecoming duology. Old and new characters are written well, and the antagonists are suitably daunting for the heroes.

Question of the Week:

I would use my real name.

Happy Thursday!

Not much of a week as usual. Just focused on random things.

Weather-wise things are starting to heat up. Next week we're going to have our first temp in the 80s unfortunately. Total drag. I'm missing the cold already.

*****

In terms of books I've gotten like 5 graphic novels and a couple of books.

Graphic Novels

Blue Book Volume 1: 1961- Discovered this one the other day and given my love for all things UFOs, it was a must get.

Going Remote: A Teacher's Journey- A random discovery, but so far it's good and interesting

I Don't Want to Be a Mom- Given that I don't have kids and have never wanted them, this one I gravitated towards immediately.

In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years after the 9/11 Attacks - I've been following a history teacher on social media. He mainly teaches his classes using comics and graphic novels. He has a website and on it was this specific book about 9/11.

Stamped from the Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America- Now this one I've been dying to get my hands out. I kept wanting to get it when it was released last year, but kept putting it off. This time I finally just caved.

*****

Books I Purchased:

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America- I read the YA edition last year and really enjoyed it. I've been too intimidated to read the original edition, but now having gotten the GN, I really want to.

Unlearning Shame: How We Can Reject Self-Blame Culture and Reclaim Our Power- Someone on social media informed me about this book. When I discovered it was by Dr. Price, it was an immediate must-get. I devoured his previous book, 'Unmasking Autism' last year, a book that made me feel seen and validated. Though I don't know much about 'Unlearning Shame', I look forward to learning about it.

*****

QOTW:

If you were to publish a book (if you haven't already) would you use your real name or a pseudonym? If you were going to use a pseudonym, what one would you make up for yourself?

I have self-published 3 books already and I am currently writing my 4th. That said, I've used my real name on them.

Happy Thursday!

I’ve been out all week with a cough. Just a cough. Hack up a lung type of cough. It’s most likely the 100 day cough aka whooping cough aka pertussis. I was vaccinated as a kid but I guess you need a booster. So I didn’t get the cold part (maybe I did but didn’t realize I was sick) just the nasty cough.

If I didn’t sound so horrible, I would probably be at work. Not even cough syrup helps much.

My colleague got the director job. Yay! And I wouldn’t have minded the other person either.

On a fun note, I discovered a cool show on Tubi. It’s called Detective Anna. It’s a Russian show about a young lady that can see spirits. It takes place in the 1880s. She has a thing for the new cop in town.

What drives me insane about it is he never believes her and they keep touching the evidence with their bare hands. I know it’s like the 1800s but Argh! I want to jump into the tv and show them the proper way of collecting forensic evidence. They did mention fingerprints as the future of evidence and the m.e. poo-pooed it.

I’m also indulging in Babylon 5. I wish they had the other spinoff series too.

Goodreads 83/400

QOTW:

I have some very small ficlets published under my internet handle in Tree of Life: audiomachine, Beyond the Binding: Composers for Relief Companion Collection, Of Mist and Magic: Really Slow Motion

If I were to publish a book then I would use my name.

Happy Thursday! We’ve had some beautiful weather lately. We even took the kids to the park last weekend. But now they’re calling for snow, and I’m really, really done with winter.

Adventure of the Week: Seth and I went back to the movies on Tuesday to see “Argylle.” Unfortunately, the sound worked, the picture worked, and we sat through one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. Somehow, I had expected a slick, clever spoof/parody of spy novels. Instead, what started out with an intriguing premise devolved into slapstick with terrible CGI. Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell are much better actors than this movie shows. And how in the world did they make Henry Cavill look so awful???

2024 Reading Challenges: I’ve read 63 books so far this year with an average length of 316 pages.
52 Book Club: 18/52 (February Mini-Challenge: 0/3)
ATY: 13/52 (Winter Challenge – HELLO NEW BEGINNINGS: 12/18)
Booklist Queen: 13/52
Diverse Baseline: 4/36
Popsugar: 17/50
Robot Librarian: 19/52
ICYMI Backlist: 1/12

Recently Completed:

Hey, Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing (52 Books #30 – picked without reading the blurb/ATY – HELLO NEW BEGINNINGS: Emily Lynn Paulson/Robot Librarian #28 – title contains the word true, truth(s), lie(s), liar, or lying) ★★★★

Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning: I disagree with Liz Cheney on almost every political position, but I admire her backbone and unwillingness to back down on her stance concerning January 6. I've read a lot about the insurrection, and it's nice to read one from "the other side of the aisle." It's too bad that the people who really need to read this book won't. (ATY – HELLO NEW BEGINNINGS: Liz Cheney) ★★★★★

The Boleyn King: It’s fine if you just consider it a historical romance, but it falls far short as alternate history. I wish I’d chosen something else for this prompt. (ATY – HELLO NEW BEGINNINGS: Laura Andersen/Robot Librarian Advanced #5 – a historical fantasy/alternate history book) ★★

Eagle Drums: Middle grade magical realism and a 2023 NPR Books We Love selection. (ATY – HELLO NEW BEGINNINGS: Nasugraq Rainey Hopson/Robot Librarian #8 – a Newbery Award winner) ★★★★

Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party: Yes, yes, I know. I read too much about Trump and MAGA. (Booklist Queen #9 – has an epilogue) ★★★★

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb: Historical fiction. I was a little bored. ★★★

The Frozen River: What a great book! This is historical fiction at its best. I not only learned about a bit of history I was unfamiliar with, but I was also fully immersed in the storytelling. (Booklist Queen #16 – a historical mystery/Popsugar #27 – someone dies in the first chapter) ★★★★★

The Fisherman: Literary horror that (quite successfully) borrows from Moby Dick and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and yet is wholly unlike anything I ever read before. (ATY #47 – two-word title starting with The/Popsugar #15 – recommended by a librarian) ★★★★

Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart: And Other Stories: Well, I suppose I was spoiled by Thistlefoot, but I just didn’t enjoy this one. There were a few good stories, but not enough to make me happy. (52 Books #24 – a cover without any people on it/ATY – HELLO NEW BEGINNINGS: GennaRose Nethercott) ★★★

ASAP: Read to fulfill a prompt… (Popsugar #5 – about K-pop) ★★★



Currently Reading:

Zora Books Her Happy Ever After (ATY #15 – author’s name contains J, Q, X, or Z: Taj McCoy)
Goodbye Earl (52 Books #20 – a revenge story)
The House of Eve (Booklist Queen #6 – set in the 1950s/Diverse Baseline #5 – historical fiction by a BIPOC author)
Burial Rites (ATY #41 – a chilling atmosphere/ICYMI #2 – published in 2013)
Shards of Honour (ATY #35 – a science or science fiction book/book club selection)
Valentine (52 Books February Mini-Challenge #2 - Be Mine, Valentine/ATY #24 – HELLO NEW BEGINNINGS: Elizabeth Wetmore)
Forward: A Memoir (52 Books February Mini-Challenge #3 – author born in a leap year)
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine (52 Books “Read It, Watch It #1 – a hybrid genre: nonfiction financial thriller)
Smile

QOTW: I’d probably use my real name. My middle initial (from my maiden name) is Z, and I think that makes my name distinctive enough to stand out. But this reminds me of the old name game to determine your romance writer name: your middle name + the street you live on. At the time that would have made me Elizabeth Westmoreland which I thought sounded very romantic. Very Barbara Cartland specializing in Tudor era romances.

PS: 33/50
RL: 27/52

Read: Be a Revolution: How Everyday People Are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World--And How You Can, Too This book is intended to be optimistic, but it deals with a lot of difficult issues. It is also mainly focused on projects in Seattle, since that is where Ijeoma is based.

As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom through Radical Resistance read for prompt non-fiction about Indigenous. This was interesting because it was based on Canadian indigenous which I had assumed had a similar history to those in the United States, but I had never read anything about them before this book.

Love Letters: Heartfelt Quotes from Famous Romantics Quotes extracted from letters exchange. Quick read.

Started: The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times for a book club. This is so good, you guys! Very uplifting. Jane Goodall seems like such an enlightened person and Abrams does a good job of interviewing her.

QotW: Like Kenya, I already use my pen name online and I have published under it.

Laura wrote: "But this reminds me of the old name game to determine your romance writer name: your middle name + the street you live on. ..."



LOL that could go well or that could sound ridiculous. In various years I've lived on roads named Wood, Chestnut, Linda, Sycamore, Balch, Seneca, Bowdoin, Escondido, Hopkins, and Alfred.

And now that I've listed them all like that, it's not many. I don't like to move much LOL

Hi all,

Also having weird weather here. Sunny, was false spring for a while now back to cold. today is snow, with winter weather advisory but it'll be 37 this afternoon. Will be in the 40's next week. Hopefully will melt, we have a concert downtown tomorrow night!

Slowly coming out of reading slump.

Finished:
Fugitive Telemetry - had to take a break with another murderbot.

Heir of Uncertain Magic - Still was trying to pull out of a slump, so aimed to tick off the cozy fantasy. Book two of the Wimbrell house series. I didn't like AS much as Keeper of Enchanted Rooms, but it was still pretty good. Still looking forward to the next one, which I think came out today, maybe?

A Thousand Ships - this was good, just a tough read. Pretty much none of the women had happy stories, but that doesn't mean it's not important they get told. I really like her writing. This is part of my book club's TBR challenge, and was chosen for my by a librarian friend. So it ticks off recommended by a librarian.

Currently reading:

Starter Villain - just started this, so no real opinions yet. but i love Scalzi so looking forward to it.

The Leftover Woman - still plugging away at audio book. I liked the other two books I read by Jean Kwok a lot, so I grabbed this when I saw it was available and needed an audio book. But I'm struggling a bit through this one. I like Jasmine's side of the story. But every time the perspective switches to Rebecca, I end up getting irritated and stop listening. Sometimes takes me a day or two to pick it back up.

QOTW:

I would probably use my real name and my maiden name. My husband dabbles in writing as well, and just in case he ever published I would want my work distinct from his. We both tend to write in kind of a sci fi or fantasy space.

Happy Thursday!

Woke up this morning to a light dusting of snow and now it's pouring down rain. Make up your mind, weather!

Finished:
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson - 5 stars - for a bildungsroman. Just some beautiful poems about the poet's early life and growing up.

ASAP by Axie Oh - 4 stars- for a book about K-pop. I needed some cute fluff and this delivered.

Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton et al. - 3 stars - for a book that takes place over the course of 24 hours. More cute fluff. I guess for Valentine's Day I was just in the mood for easy, fluffy reading. This is a YA anthology written by 6 Black YA authors telling interconnected Black love stories that all happen during one blackout in New York City. Some were a little too instalove but overall I enjoyed it.

Call Us What We Carry: Poems by Amanda Gorman - 3 stars - for a collection of at least 24 poems. Some of the poems were hard to follow on audio, but I found some of them very powerful, especially towards the end. I might read it again when I can get my hands on a digital print copy.

Comics & manga:
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 8
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 9

I am currently at 15/50 prompts filled for PopSugar (13/45 and 2/5).

Currently reading:
Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton et al. - for a book set in the snow. Take the same authors and concept as Blackout that I described above, but move it to Atlanta, Georgia, and set it instead during a snowstorm that shuts down the city.

Upcoming/Planned:
What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher- for a book from a genre you typically avoid

This Day Changes Everything by Edward  Underhill for a fiction book by a trans or nonbinary author (this could also work for 24 letters or takes place over 24 hours)

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei - for a book written by an incarcerated or formerly incarcerated person

QOTW:
I think I would probably use a pseudonym, just because my full name is one of the most common first names and one of the most common last names in the US. Just a quick search on GR yields at least five authors with some variation on my name with different middle names or initials just on page 1 of search results.

I remember that middle name + street thing. Mine was Jean Britton. That actually does sound like someone who'd write historical romance. :D

Good morning from a mostly mild Columbus! This last week has been really nice, I’ve been taking my cat out for walks in his stroller when I take my son to the park. I feel absolutely unhinged when I do that but he enjoys getting to sniff new places and all the attention he gets. He has his first grooming appointment today, I’m excited to see him all fresh and brushed out. We had to postpone Valentine's weekend from last weekend to this one, every single year we’ve been together something absurd happens that ruins our plans. If Saturday falls through I will be very unhappy lol.

Finished:
The Snow Child for a book set in the snow. I’ve had this book on my tbr list for what feels like forever. I loved the scenery and the overall themes of the book; building a new life to deal with trauma, the forces of nature, love and longing, etc. I just didn’t feel particularly attached to any of the characters. I though Garrett was kind of a creep, I don’t feel like the book really showed any endearing personality for Faina, it felt like she had no real personality and you didn’t get to see much bonding between them. Idk. I wanted more from this but I’ll settle for the lovely writing and the gorgeous Alaskan descriptions.

Tales from the Café not for the challenge. I really liked the first book, Before the Coffee Gets Cold. It’s a part of Japanese series about a cafe where you can travel in time. But with a lot of conditions, and you can’t change the present no matter what you go back in the past to do. The books are in sections each about a person who wants to try the cafe’s abilities. The stories are bittersweet and really show just how complex and messy life can be. I’ll most definitely be checking out more from this series when I get the chance.

Now We Are Six not for a challenge, another bedtime-with-my-son audible listen finished. Very cute and silly poems.

Little Thieves not for a challenge but the sequel came through on my Libby holds so I wanted to give it a quick reread to refresh my memory. This feels like it fits the bill for your standard YA with princesses, evil lords, a bit of magic, and a poor but crafty girl who manages to save the day. Despite seeing some basic similarities with other YA books, this still felt unique and had some fun twists that make it stand out.

Painted Devils I guess not for a challenge? I thought for sure I had put it on one of my prompts but I guess not. Oh well, this is the follow up to Little Thieves (which funny enough wasn’t for a prompt either when I first read so I’m not really sure how I came about this series). This wasn’t *as* fun as the first but still a throughly enjoyable book.

Currently Reading:
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible
Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories
It’s not on goodreads but Rescued, a Lent devotional from Blessed is She

QOTW:
I’d most definitely use a pseudonym. I’m so incredibly sensitive that I could not handle pouring my heart and soul into a book, getting it published, just to not only have it flop but people being able to know it was me who published such dumb book lol. I’m also really socially avoidant and much like Elena Ferrante, I’d just want to be left alone.

Challenges:
Popsugar - 2/45; 1/5
Read Harder - 9/24
Classics - 1/12
European Tour - 4/10
12 Friends - 3/12
Yearly Goal - 36/150

Nadine in NY wrote: "LOL that could go well or that could sound ridiculous. In various years I've lived on roads named Wood, Chestnut, Linda, Sycamore, Balch, Seneca, Bowdoin, Escondido, Hopkins, and Alfred. "

Right? It certainly wouldn't have worked when I lived on South 7th Street.

Laura wrote: "Right? It certainly wouldn't have worked when I lived on South 7th Street...."



LOL!! That might work for a sci fi author ... "Laura Seventh"


For me, the worst of the bunch are Wood, Balch and Alfred. "Nadine Balch" sounds like an illness. "Nadine Wood" sounds like I'm trying to be Natalie Wood.

Oh, I forgot, it's supposed to be middle names... whatever, same difference!

Yes, it is much colder out than it looks like it should be. And I am loving it! There are very few days so far when it has felt like a true winter.

Finished:
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone for set in the snow. Set at a ski resort in Australia, which I feel like is a pretty unusual setting. Wish the book had lived up to the setting.
True Biz for book by a deaf or hard of hearing author.
Five Little Indians

Currently reading:
Throne of Jade
David Copperfield
The Complete Essays of Michel de Montaigne
Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light: Fifty Poems for Fifty Years
The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession on audio

QOTW:
I am the least creative person in the world, so this is extremely unlikely to happen. But if it did, I would use my real name. This way all the other Milenas would have one more book option when inevitably the prompt "Read a book by an author with the same name as you" comes up in a reading challenge.

Jen wrote: "I remember that middle name + street thing. Mine was Jean Britton. That actually does sound like someone who'd write historical romance. :D..."



YES!! I would absolutely want to read something written by "Jean Britton"!!!

Ann Sunset sounds more like a romance writer than a sci-fi/fantasy writer.

ASAP is a book that tricked me. It was not until I got it from the library that I found out that it focused on a different main character than XOXO. I know that some romance series do this, but all I had heard was that ASAP was a sequel to the first book. It is technically true, but I am not interested in seeing a new romance in the same universe with what were supporting characters in the first book.

I am chiming in a second time because I saw someone else was reading the same book as I am currently: Throne of Jade. I'm only a chapter into it. The writing is of the same quality as in the first book, even though our characters are not in a great situation. I hope we both enjoy it, Milena!

Also, Fourth Wing hold watch: Spot #31

Brandon wrote: "ASAP is a book that tricked me. It was not until I got it from the library that I found out that it focused on a different main character than XOXO. I know that som..."

Thanks, Brandon. I also only just started.

Need to run some errands before my late afternoon conference calls - but while my hair finishes air-drying, I will update here!

PS 14/50 - some progress!
ATY 23/52 - starting to think I will finish in record time!

Finished:
The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters - ATY characcter in education - one of sisters is a school principal.
The Red Threads of Fortune - PS Nonbinary author, ATY involves some magic
All the Sinners Bleed - 5 stars! Brilliant! PS neurodivergent character ATY pronoun in title. Would also fit 5 books list pick thrillers
Trade Me - PS self-published ATY prompt not on list bilingual character - if anyone has a challenge set in college this worls.

Currently reading:
Shutter - so good

QOTW: If I were an author, I would definitely use a pseudonym. Once upon a time it would have been just making my first name more masculine - using a family nickname but spelled as men spell it - 'Terry'. Now I would change my last name to separate completely from my professional identity and writings, quotes, etc. as a lawyer. I have a unique last name but it is prounced very differently than it is spelled. So if you ever see any book published by 'Terry Rock', that will be me.

Howdy! Looks like I forgot last week existed. I was quite distracted by the concerts in Japan, especially the one that was broadcast live there. This consisted of both being awesome and me internally screaming at the director for missing good stuff because of trying to get too many close-ups. It's SUCH a cool show, I was just like, I know he's pretty so can you just show the giant eyeball PLEASE???

I still still read some books! Go me!


Finished:
The Smartest Kid in the Universe - Beware which jelly beans you eat

The Stranger Diaries - Book 3 in the series

Bleeding Heart Yard Book 4

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession - This was good. That dude was so full of himself he thought he could get away with some insane things. He mostly did, too. Crazy.


Currently Reading:
The Cat Who Saved Books - Practically done and won't know what I think of it until I am

The Kamogawa Food Detectives - This sounds like it will be like Before the Coffee Gets Cold but for recipies!



I might have to run off quickly. If this looks incomplete that's why!


If you were to publish a book (if you haven't already) would you use your real name or a pseudonym? If you were going to use a pseudonym, what one would you make up for yourself?

poshpenny is a BOOKSELLER wrote: "Howdy! Looks like I forgot last week existed. I was quite distracted by the concerts in Japan, especially the one that was broadcast live there. This consisted of both being awesome and me internal..."

I just started The Art Thief. Good to see you liked it.

Forgot it was Thursday, got distracted by all the Hugo's drama (I signed up for bluesky yesterday and it is all my limited feed is talking about).

Finished:
Lore Olympus: Volume Three by Rachel Smythe. I haven't checked if this fits any challenges yet but I picked it up as I'm doing the ATY team readathon and I felt bad that my other reads were taking me so long.

Jumpnauts by Hao Jingfang for ATY (less than 1000 ratings). This had too much infodumping and philosophy, not enough space dragons. I should have DNFed it really, but trying to keep my NetGalley ratio above 80%.

QOTW:
I am publishing Paws and Portals with my real name, well the diminutive version of my first name I use everywhere. I don't really have an issue with people knowing it's my book.

Nadine in NY wrote: "The Conductors by Nicole Glover - this is such a clever premise and I was looking forward to reading it, but I found myself having to re-read paragraphs over and over and my brain was feeling fuzzy and I kept getting confused and losing my place. Then I looked at reviews and I found another review that described exactly the same experience, so it wasn't just me being tired. The writing style is just odd. She dumps you in the middle of the action so you don't understand any character motivations. I made it through 40 pages and just didn't want to keep reading. There are other NaNoWriMo books I can read instead."

I remember DNFing this when I tried it a few years ago, and I was super bummed because I wanted to love it too! I loved the premise.

Happy Thursday! I'm getting to this in the midst of tidying the house; it's chilly and wet here today. Later: Husband has friends over, which NEVER happens, so it's a little strange but nice. I always tell him he needs more people to talk to. I have to remember to cancel the cats' vet appointment when I get up tomorrow, turns out they don't need their shots for another few months.

Finished this week:
Escaping Mr. Rochester - 3.5 stars. I was glad for this retelling that made Rochester the villain (I wasn't a fan of the original *shock* *horror*) and the sapphic pairing was a bonus! Came out in a year that ends with '24

What Feasts at Night - 4.5 stars. A wonderfully chilling story that pulls from folklore and a solid continuation of Alex Easton's story. Not a retelling as What Moves the Dead was, but I was more than okay with that. Originally published under a pen name

PS 9/50
ATY 9/52
Mount TBR 4/48

Currently:
The Water Outlaws
The Phoenix Crown

QOTW: If you were to publish a book (if you haven't already) would you use your real name or a pseudonym? If you were going to use a pseudonym, what one would you make up for yourself?
I still like the idea of a pseudonym, but I've warmed to the idea of using my real name. We'll cross that bridge if and when we get to it!

Happy Thursday! Had a bit of a panic yesterday when a last minute company wide meeting/announcement was scheduled by the CEO- which is what happened with my last job right before half the company got let go. Luckily, it was actually a good meeting, but wow- I am not over getting burnt by my last two jobs!

It's been a good reading week! Besides one bad dnf, the rest of the books were a fun time! I'm at 13/50

Finished:
Lucky Leap Day- this was a silly, fun romcom, that would make a great netflix movie
-1 A book with the word "leap" in the title

Ten Planets: Stories- I really liked this short story collection translated from Spanish. The stories are really short, speculative fiction. Really good, very interesting concepts
-no prompt

Counterfeit-this was so entertaining! Such a quick read, with the protagonist telling the story to a police detective. This is another one that would make a great movie
-33 A book with an unreliable narrator

Bride- another super entertaining quick read. I stress read this yesterday while panicking about having to send out resumes again- lol. It was really funny, reminded me of a really good fanfic. And I mean that as a compliment!
-32 A book with an enemies to lovers plot

DNF;
The Breakup Tour- this is straight up Taylor Swift fanfic, and really really bad TS fanfic at that. Normally I don't keep track of dnf's, but I picked this up on a rec, got halfway though and realized it was never getting better. If you're a swift fan, you won't like this. If you're not a swift fan, you still won't like this. I would recommend the 1-2 star reviews on goodreads though- they were the most entertaining part of this experience


Currently reading:
Please Don't Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes: Essays- halfway through this essay collection, and I'm liking it so far!

QotW:
100% would use a fake name! No question. I like keeping all the parts of my life separate, so this would just be an extreme version of that

I got a snow day this Tuesday, which normally I would be happy about, but of course that was the day I was scheduled to renew my drivers license. In the end, I just renewed it online, but I prefer going in person. Ah well.

Finished:
The Fox & Little Tanuki, Volume 5 - I liked this volume better than the last one, as it shed some light on what I found confusing in that one.
The Tale of Despereaux - I reread this for a library program I'm running next month, where we watch a movie based on a book and then discuss the differences (plus do an activity or two), so I also watched the movie this weekend. The movie takes a lot of the bite out of the characters, IMO, but it does have a more climactic ending.
Brainwyrms - (A book from a genre you typically avoid) First off, this book is definitely not for me, for a number of reasons. Even so, the summary of the book gave me a false impression of the plot, so I might have enjoyed it (slightly) more if I hadn't thought it was going to go in a direction it really did not. Also, this week's episode of Dungeon Meshi/Delicious in Dungeon hits different after reading this book.

Currently reading:
Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths (I am getting close to finishing this one!)
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store (also very close to finishing this one)
American Mermaid
Blank
Hakumei & Mikochi: Tiny Little Life in the Woods, Vol. 1
The Lost Journals of Sacajewea

QOTW: I'd probably use a pseudonym, but I haven't really thought of what name that would be.

Happy Thursday!!

I sadly don't have the energy to read through everyone's comments (which I hate cuz I love reading everyone's comments) but it's either not reading them or not checking in, so here I am!

It has been ... A Week. Again? Yes, again. Had to deal with the fact that my sister might just not be a good person on Saturday. Just the things she's been saying about her friends and me to her ex (yes, the manipulative emotional abusive one)... this whole thing with that ex has been going on for over a year now, if not longer, and this was the first time I felt like crying. At first I didn't want to, because she doesn't deserve my tears, but then I thought: I deserve my tears, I deserve to feel this loss. So I thought that was very mature of me, haha! Dad'll be confronting her soon, and I can't wait, because it has been rough for me.

On top of that: the cats are hard work! It seems to be paying off, though, at the very least on Zira's end. Today she slept downstairs for HOURS, completely relaxed, even when Crowley woke up for a snack. I am so proud of her, and of Crowley, for ignoring her being very close to him on the cat tree several times.

Our cat shelves came in, too! They're super expensive, but super pretty and especially Otis loves them very much so far. (Cosy & Dozy for those who want to check them out) No regrets in getting them!

On Friday I finished the game It Takes Two with a friend of mine, and that brings me to 4 finished games this year so far! I also watched the miniseries All the Light We Cannot See while my parents were out for carnaval. Didn't want to read the book after until someone mentioned the book's ending. Now I'm interested xD Hoping to start Shameless tonight.

OH (sorry for the long post) today is the anniversary of me getting my 40.320 puzzle! This Saturday will be the one year anniversary of me starting to work on it, so I am really hoping to finish my current segment that day so I can tell people I've now put down 28.224 (7/10 segments) of those pieces! If I don't finish it in time I can't give an exact number and that would make me sad :P

Not gonna lie, I had hoped to finish the entire thing within a year, and I easily could have made it if it weren't for the months where my brain said no. But that's okay! Hourwise I am still WAY ahead of schedule and most importantly: I'm having fun with it!

Read / Currently Reading
Sadly nothing. I did start The Color Purple, as planned, but I'm only 52 pages in. Guess when I stopped reading? Yeah. Saturday. My brain's just not been able to read. Hopefully soon I can pick it back up!

QOTW
My first instinct was 'my real name!' but then anxiety hit and maybe not jasdhkadg. I love that middle name + street thing, but that is definitely something that works best with English, I guess. If I translate it though I could go by either 'Elisabeth Blackberry' or 'Christa Blackberry'.

..I have decided if I ever write my Middle Grade Cats as Pirates books, Elisabeth Blackberry is an awesome name for it, hahah!

...the admin of the Facebook group for the challenge have started approving posts now. I feel like an idiot for declaring the FB group dead now...

Happy Thursday.

We had a brief respite from winter. It was 10 last weekend, but we're having a snow advisory this weekend. Fortunately, I have zero plans and have a quiet three day weekend.

I finished another book. I quite liked it. I love that Madeline L'Engle's books are all slightly different. In keeping with my year of mysteries/thrillers, it was a mystery.

Finished:
Dragons in the Waters
ATY prompt: A book involving travel
Popsugar prompt: N/A

Series - 1/12
Nobel laureates - 0/5
Mysteries/Thrillers - 2/13

ATY - 4/45
PS - 3/30

Currently reading:
The Fisher Maiden - 75% done
The End of Her - 80% done
First Among Sequels - 25% done

Buddy Reads:
Mere Christianity - Reading for Lent
This Present Darkness - 40% done

QOTW: If I ever get any of my writing published, it's definitely going to be under my real name.

I finished My Gun Is Quick. I did not like it. I have one more of these books because I have a 3 in 1. Not a fan, though.

I'm now reading Moonraker's bride. It's a little corny but not too bad.

QOTW: Depends on how bad I think it is, LOL.

Ashley Marie wrote: "I remember DNFing this when I tried it a few years ago, and I was super bummed because I wanted to love it too! I loved the premise...."


it always feels good to know it's not just me!

Kenya wrote: "...the admin of the Facebook group for the challenge have started approving posts now. I feel like an idiot for declaring the FB group dead now..."



dont' feel like an idiot, that group has had some ups and downs and the admin is not always present. Popsugar is not really supporting the group the way FBers wish. Maybe one person was assigned the task and she was out sick a few days this week?

Ashley Marie wrote: "ESCAPING MR ROCHESTER by LL McKinney - 3.5 stars. I was glad for this retelling that made Rochester the villain (I wasn't a fan of the original *shock* *horror*) and the sapphic pairing was a bonus!..."


Oh that's interesting!!! I never liked Mr Rochester, either, and I love the idea of Jane and Bertha together.

But I wasn't crazy about A Blade So Black so I wrote off McKinney as a writer I'm interested in. what to do what to do ...


(ETA: I just went back and re-read my review of ABSB and ... yeah, I'm not reading anything else by McKinney. I REALLY did not like that book. I'd forgotten how annoyed I was with it.)

Erin wrote: "Happy Thursday! Had a bit of a panic yesterday when a last minute company wide meeting/announcement was scheduled by the CEO- which is what happened with my last job right before half the company g..."



oh FOR SURE. Managers need to be more cognizant of this!! You get laid off once, you are dealing with that mild PTSD the rest of your career!! EVERY time my boss would call me unexpectedly, I'd panic. (Of course I eventually ended up laid off again, so ... my fears were real??)

Hi all! I did 4 Door Dashes today and I'm pretty whooped. Had a quiet week, which is not going to be the case next week. This weekend we have 2 girl scout activities with the kiddo. Next week she's off school for winter break. I've got her grandma watching her for 2 afternoons, but otherwise, I don't know what we're going to do.

Been doing a decent amount of reading (for me). I finished 1919 for a collection of poems. They're all about a race riot in Chicago in 1919 (that I didn't previously know about). Some were really good, some were a little vague.

I've also been reading
Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism, should be done for next week's check in.
Schindler’s List, so much evil done against other people... and so much more to go in the book....
Burying Water a quarter of the way in and I don't have any pieces put together and I'm still really enjoying it!
The Brothers Karamazov so. much. philosophizing....

QOTW: My response is the opposite of Nadine's! When I was younger, I totally would have wanted my real name out there. Now, especially with social media and everyone able to find out so much about a person, keep me anonymous! My last name is very uncommon (though my dad had 8 siblings, due to marriages, divorces and deaths, the only people I know with my last name are my brother, my dad and my step-mom!). Maybe I would keep my first name (cause I would totally screw up being called something else!), but have a different last name.

Hey there. In a bit of a funk this week. Trying to pull myself out of it but it is what it is. At least it is pretty outside.

Read:24
PS:14/50
ATY:15/52

Currently Reading


Next


Finished
⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐

DNF's


Question of the Week
Pen name for sure.

Happy Thursday, y’all.

Beautiful sun, but deceptive in the early morning! Our days lately have started in the 30s and risen to the 60s over the morning. So hard to know how to dress.

Still pulling together my trip plans. I discovered today that I had missed planning lodging for one night...and that was a bugger as I needed parking and for only Sat night! Most places that had onsite parking were booked. BUT I did get one spot that met all criteria and was in a location I wanted to be! Yay, me!


Finished
Tea with Hezbollah: Sitting at the Enemies' Table Our Journey Through the Middle East – PAS. This turned out to be rather different than I expected. Two men decided to pursue whether or not the parable of the Samaritan had relevance in today's world, so they set out to interview influential people in the middle east. This journey would not have been possible by a woman...and even at that, it was very dangerous. And disappointing. Still it reported the words of various leaders...and made each seem so more human to me...albeit all representing sides that may never find peace. I am glad that I read it. 4*

Indian Givers: How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World – PS #42. Another non-fiction. This author traced all the many ways that natives have added to our current world in their knowledge. Often not given credit and most often exploited...still their impact on our world is impressive! 3*

The Wife Between Us – ATY #7 (pronoun in title), PAS, RWS. I really did not expect to like this book...nor did I expect the twists at the end. It all goes to show that life cannot be predicted! 4*

Currently Reading:
Blood Cries – PAS. 56%. I thought this was non-fiction but it is fiction.

Ragman and Other Cries of Faith – PAS. 37%. Again, my expectation that this was short stories and Jewish have been turned on its head. Christian meditation/essays.

Born in Shame – 74%. PAS. Will complete this tomorrow. Another Nora Roberts trilogy finished!

The Lightkeeper's Daughters – PAS, ATY #8 (Canadian author). 2%

On Deck:
The Book of Cold Cases – ALCM, PAS.
The Last Chance Olive Ranch – ALCM, ATY #9

On Back Burner for now
The Beginner's Photography Guide: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Manual for Getting the Most from Your Digital Camera – 27%.
Dreams and Shadows –Kindle. 14%.

PS 5/50
ATY 7/52
GR 30/200

QotW: If you were to publish a book (if you haven't already) would you use your real name or a pseudonym? If you were going to use a pseudonym, what one would you make up for yourself?

I would probably use my own name or some variation of it.

I posted a couple of weeks ago about how I’ve maxed out my Libby holds and how most of the books will be available in “several months” Well, no. They were mostly available this week. Ugh! I hate when all my holds come in at the same time! I delayed the delivery of most of the books. It was pretty funny to see that I was first in line, delayed the delivery for a week, and was suddenly 14th in line. I felt a real kinship with the other people in the hold queue LOL.

Finished
The Body in the Library (a book where someone dies in the first chapter). Another fantastic Miss Marple book.

Where the Drowned Girls Go (a book from a genre you typically avoid). Still love this series!

Lost in the Moment and Found (a book with magic realism). I enjoyed this book a lot, but it’s not one of my favorites in the series. I’m looking forward to reading the next book for sure.

Wrong Place Wrong Time (a book with a main character who is 42-years-old). The narrator is briefly 42-years-old and 24-years-old in the book. I loved the book. It has two amazing twists that I could only almost see coming.

Homeworlds (a book that centers on video games). These were such fun stories. I could feel the authors' love for Stargate coming through.

Reading
The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights (a book set in the snow).

None of This Is True (a book with an unreliable narrator). I think this book will fit the prompt, but we’ll see as I read more.

Braiding Sweetgrass (a nonfiction book about Indigenous people)

QOTW
I would probably choose a pseudonym. I’m a pretty private person. I like my anonymity.

Well hi everybody! I have some pretty good news: this week we brought home our baby! We are adopting and so after a lengthy stay out of state we are finally home. Everybody is healthy and happy, and most of all glad to be home.

Strangely enough, I got tons of reading done.

Finished
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: a reread but still a fave
Seoul Before Sunrise: love the art style, was underwhelmed by the story
Deaf Republic: the heck did I just read...
Crocodile on the Sandbank: delightful cozy mystery
Twisted: The Tangled History of Black Hair Culture: a mixed bag for me personally but still good
Ballad for Sophie: LOVED this graphic novel
Hollow: charming riff on the sleepy hollow legend

Currently Reading
Silk: A World History: surprisingly eurocentric so far. also I think I may have overestimated my interest in the silkworm species...
The Secret Life of Hidden Places: Concealed Rooms, Clandestine Passageways, and the Curious Minds That Made Them: this book was written for me personally, I'm pretty sure.

QOTW
Oh I'm team Pen Name, definitely. I would want to be one of those mysterious authors who has no author bio, does no interviews, has no events, etc. Partly because that would be cool, but mostly because I wouldn't want to do any of that. Not sure if I could get away with being that level of eccentric in today's world, what with the pressure on authors to do social media marketing.

Jackie wrote: "Well hi everybody! I have some pretty good news: this week we brought home our baby! We are adopting and so after a lengthy stay out of state we are finally home. Everybody is healthy and happy, an..."

Congrats!!

Deaf Republic: the heck did I just read...
Crud. I have that to read when I get a chance.

It was a bad reading week, truly bored by my selections and then there were deaths of friends around me so..

I had really hoped for a manga for the prompt the book about women's sports and/or by a woman athlete) because I couldn't work up a shred of interest (it's the sports thing) I settled for We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry 80s era witches in/around Salem Mass? Right. Up. My. Alley. I was so frakking bored with this. It was so weird, told at a distant voice over style narration, everyone is referred to by full name constantly and every description is done in triplicate. It's painfully overwritten. I was bitterly disappointed I didn't like it.

I hated the prompt A book with a main character who's 42 years old because that's the sort of thing that is NOT in blurbs (ditto the one that's 24) but The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman DID. I've been wanting to read it. I love historical mysteries. If you look at my bookshelves I've read nearly 200 historical books most are mysteries. This should have been great. Yeah, not so much. I didn't like Gus (the lead) and some of the stuff she does borders on TSTL

I also finished The Night Eaters, Vol. 2: Her Little Reapers by Marjorie M. Liu which could be used for BIPOC horror but I have something else I need to finish for that. Loved this so very much.

QOTW In fact I write under my real name AND a pseudonym. The former is for YA stuff and the latter for queer romance. Back when I started with the latter, it could keep you from publishing in the former, at the moment that's changed but I haven't merged them (and I keep both separate from this account

Yay! I actually finished books this week. It's been such a slow start to my reading year (and everything else, to be honest). Hoping for better days ahead.

Finished
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury - PS #2 (bildungsroman); 4 stars
My January book club read, but I was sick and couldn't go. Glad I finished the book finally. It was a lot of interesting short stories from Bradbury's childhood. Fun read.

Fellow Travelers by Thomas Mallon - PS #45 (LGBTQ+ romance); 3 stars
The miniseries is better than the book, but the miniseries is only very loosely based on the book. Glad I read it because of the historical parts, but it was a bit of a slog.

Goodreads: 5/100
Popsugar: 4/50

QOTW: If I could ever write and publish a book, my own name would be on it. I would be so proud of it that I wouldn't want any other name. Sadly, it will never happen. I don't have stories in my head.

Milena wrote: "Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone for set in the snow. Set at a ski resort in Australia, which I feel like is a pretty unusual setting. Wish the book had lived up to the setting...."

OMG thank you soo much! This made me realize I have a book for this prompt sitting on my bookshelf. The Sanatorium, also at a ski resort.

Hello everyone! Weather here has been dry again. Yesterday we had these super dark clouds in the sky but not a drop fell over my house. We had been getting some rain for about a week, not a lot but still it was rain, and now it has dried up again.

I've been getting a lot of reading done, just haven't finished much. I'm reading like 5 books right now...which is crazy to me. Part of that is b/c of the read-a-thon and part of it is b/c of due dates.

@Jackie Congratulations! Such a happy time.

2024 Challenges:
Popsugar: 11/50
ATY: 20/52
Robot Librarian: 18/52
A to Z: 12/26
Physical TBR: 0/92
Kindle TBR: 0/111

Goodreads: 23/50

Book Clubs:
PS Monthly: 20/50
Reese: 28/91
Oprah: 11/100
Jenna: 6/61
OSS: 6/39


Finished:
3 finished, 2 Completed Popsugar

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird
PS#46, ATY#32, RL#37 (color in author’s name)
This was so-so. It got a little better but, took a long time to get there.

Call Us What We Carry: Poems
ATY#7, RL#9 (NF800’s)
Glad I didn’t wait any longer to read this because it is pretty time/year specific.

Call Me By Your Name
PS#3, ATY#30, RL#26 (TV Show/series)
I know it was a movie but for now I’m gonna use it for Robot Librarian until I possibly read something else.
This was one of those books that I only kept reading because it fit the prompt. Half the time I couldn't tell if he was telling a dream/fantasy or an actual event that happened.
I actually went and looked up why this was even on my TBR in the first place, and it turned out it was because it was a banned book.
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Currently Reading
The Quarter Storm
Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones
Chain-Gang All-Stars
Kiss the Girl
The Women

On the Backburner
Physical Library Rentals
Hula
XOXO
The Ones Who Don't Say They Love You: Stories

Library Holds
My Name is Barbra
Family Lore
Braiding Sweetgrass

Magazines: (1/148)
Read since last check-in: 0

Question of the Week:
I have always thought that I’d use a pseudonym using two maiden names from my family put together.

Wow, you all are flying through this. I get here this morning and there are 32 new posts! I'll see which ones I can keep up with.

Yesterday was a pretty good day. Ran some errands which made it nice to get out of the house.

Then we went to the art museum here in town. It was great. One of the exhibits they had was a bit smaller than I had hoped, but it was still cool. Plus we walked around the rest of the museum as well which I had not done in a very long time.

Jackie wrote: "Well hi everybody! I have some pretty good news: this week we brought home our baby! We are adopting and so after a lengthy stay out of state we are finally home. Everybody is healthy and happy, an..."

Wow! Congratulations! How your life will change! Blessings on your family.