Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2024 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 21: 5/16 - 5/23
Nadine in NY wrote: "Sometimes Norton is worse than an actual virus, with all the pop-ups and upgrade offers I get spammed with from them...."One of the first things I do when I get a new computer is remove whatever anti-virus software they've pre-loaded it with. There is nothing wrong with the built in Windows security for the average user these days. I have not had a single virus or malware since I started doing this, and it hasn't tried to get in the way of me actually using my computer.
Went to a chilli and cheese festival at the weekend and it was super chilled out. We took the dog and she made loads of friends (lots of ex-Labrador owners about), and the live music was great.It's Paws and Portals release day today! If you were one of the 28 people who pre-ordered it, thank you! I understand that's quite good numbers for a first time self-published book. Hopefully now it's out in the world I can direct my brain capacity at actually getting caught up on challenges.
Because once again I have only finished one book: The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields for cozy fantasy and ATY (botanical cover). It wasn't totally cozy but I'm not being fussy here. The curse had a massive flaw to it and I couldn't work out if it was meant to be historical fantasy or secondary world. It really felt like a first draft with potential rather than a finished novel.
Currently reading The Ministry of Time and one day I will actually make time to sit and listen to the last few hours of A Power Unbound.
QOTW:
I am totally a FOMO reader. I want to know what the fuss is about but I also want to read my TBR. What do I do?! Read something that is neither buzzy nor on my TBR probably. 🤣
Happy Thursday everyone! Crazy that now there's really only one more week left until the end of May. That went by extremely quick.Since there's only a week left, I'm trying to put together my June TBR. While I'm a mood reader, I also like planning TBR's as a backup. I've only got 2 books on my list so far, but I want others.
While I haven't finished any books this week yet, I've got 2 that I'll most likely finish this week.
*****
Currently Reading:
Under the Bridge - I've got 205 pages left of this book so it's going to go by quick (If I read at a descent pace). I have absolutely been loving this book. I find myself conflicted because I feel bad for what happened to Reena Virk and yet there's another side of the story that makes this book very interesting to dive into.
There's no comparison between the book and the tv series at this point, I don't think. I can't decide which I like more because they are both so unique and that's kind of a rare thing sometimes.
Fighting for Our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women's Relationships - Starting ch. 3 of this book soon. I don't know what kind of answers I'm hoping to find, but it caught my interest because of the friendships I lost.
*****
QOTW:
What kind of Summer Reader are you?
I guess by that list, I would go with the "Lifelong Learner Reader". I normally don't set up full summer reading plans. Just monthly TBR's. Given though that in any given year I read more than 75% nonfiction, I'm always loving to learn.
Since I'm still trying to figure out my summer reads I'm unsure about my book choices at the moment. Currently I've got 3 different sub-genres: Fiction, memoir, essays.
I'll see what other stuff I decide to add to my list.
Happy Thursday.I am in a reading SLUMP lately. I only finished one book this week, DNFed two, haven't made much progress on the others, and in general am just not feeling like reading lately. I've been distracted writing fanfic and just being lazy after this last semester of school, I guess...
Books read this week:
So Let Them Burn -- I really wanted to like this one. It had dragons in it, what wasn’t there to love? It just felt rather scattered to me, and I couldn’t bring myself to care about the characters.
PopSugar Challenge -- FINISHED
Robot Librarian Challenge -- 32/32
Robot Librarian Advanced Challenge -- 10/10
Robot Librarian Non-Fiction Challenge -- 7/10
Extreme Book Nerd Challenge -- 38/50
Extreme Book Nerd Advanced Challenge -- 10/10
Extreme Book Nerd Non-Fiction Challenge -- 8/10
DNF:
The Celestial Steam Locomotive -- I forgot how weird ‘80s sci-fi could get… and this one doesn’t even explain anything before dumping you into the weirdness. I usually enjoy weirdness, but this one wasn’t holding my attention.
Dear Child -- just not feeling it for whatever reason. Might try again another time.
Currently reading:
The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction: Sixtieth Anniversary Anthology
Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide
The Outlaws of Sherwood
What Have We Here?: Portraits of a Life
QOTW:
I'm pretty much the same kind of reader in summer that I am the rest of the year -- I just read in my spare time and during my breakfast and lunch breaks, haha...
Happy Thursday, everyone!I decided to re-watch Bridgerton from the very beginning prior to the premier of the first half of season three, and I had such a great time getting back into that world! Of course, now that I’ve finished the new episodes, I am having some serious Bridgerton withdrawals. I know June 13th is right around the corner, but it is going to be so hard to wait!
In other news, I’ve been on my new medication since Monday, and things are going smoothly. I’ve had a few side effects, but they’ve been pretty minor. I’m not noticing any positive effects from the medication yet, but I’ve been told that it could take a few weeks (to a few months) before I start noticing any difference.
In the meantime, I’ve been trying to motivate myself to get some more work done around the house. It’s been difficult to get myself engaged in housework, but I’m counting any progress as a win, no matter how small.
As I mentioned in last week’s update, I did have a chance to participate in Bout of Books. I had a good time, but I have to confess that I was a little disappointed by how few books I was able to complete during the readathon. I managed to read half the number of books that I completed during the Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon back in April, which was a little frustrating. I know it was a busy week, but I’d really hoped to make more progress on my TBR and “New” Books lists during the readathon.
Oh well. Three out of the four books I finished during the readathon were five-star reads, so I can’t complain too much… Plus, I’ve had a chance to read several more great books since Bout of Books ended.
Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…
Goodreads Challenge: 202/200 (Challenge Complete!)
Mount TBR Challenge: 86/150
📚Physical TBR: 52
📱Ebook TBR: 34
🎧Audiobook TBR: 0
TBR Checklist Total: 86
I did go a little overboard on the book buying this week. I picked up several complete manga series, including: Neon Genesis Evangelion, by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto; Princess Jellyfish, by Akiko Higashimura; Rosario+Vampire and Rosario+Vampire II, by Akihisa Ikeda; Godchild, by Kaori Yuki; Miracle Girls, by Nami Akimoto; and The Ghost in the Shell: Fully Compiled (Complete Hardcover Collection), by Shirow Masamune.
I also picked up a copy ofCompulsory, which is a Murderbot Diaries short story, by Martha Wells.
“New” Books Bought in 2024: 190
“New” Books Read in 2024: 107
Finished Reading (Fiction):
~The Galaxy, and the Ground Within — This is the fourth (and final) book in the Wayfarer series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and the series as a whole. If you are a fan of the science fiction genre, then I highly recommend reading the entire series. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Compulsory — This short story takes place before the events of All Systems Red. It’s only 8 pages long, but I really enjoyed it. 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Convenience Store Woman — I borrowed this book from the library last week, and finally had a chance to sit down and read it. I had the entire book read in just a couple of hours, and really enjoyed it! It’s a fast-paced read that really makes you think. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Misadventures of Miss Adelaide — I chose to read this book because I was starting to have Bridgerton withdrawals. It turned out to be a cute regency romance. I liked the characters and story, and ended up reading it very quickly. 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
~The Stranger Beside Me: The Shocking Inside Story of Serial Killer Ted Bundy —This true crime book is about Ted Bundy. This was my second time reading this book (the first time was in 2019), and the first time reading my own copy. I found this book just as interesting as I did the first time I read it. Content Alert: (view spoiler) 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
The eighth Garfield collection finally arrived in the mail, so this week I was planning to continue reading the series. Unfortunately, the copy I ordered arrived in horrible condition, with severe water damage and what appears to be food crumbs stuck to the pages. I have ordered another, hopefully nicer, copy of the book. It should arrive on Friday, and I’m looking forward to being able to continue the series then.
Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None
DNFed:
~The Complete Works of William Shakespeare — I did consider setting this book aside for another extended break, but ultimately came to the realization that I’m done with Shakespeare for this year. I will be keeping my bookmark in place, and will probably keep it listed as “Currently Reading” on Goodreads, because this is only a temporary DNF. I will probably return to reading Shakespeare in 2025. 📚
Currently Reading:
~The Ghost in the Shell: Fully Compiled (Complete Hardcover Collection) — I’m currently about a quarter of the way through this manga collection, and really enjoying it so far. 📚
~Ride Hard — This is the first book in the Savage Saints Motorcycle Club series. I’m currently about halfway through the story, but I have to confess that I’m not overly invested in the plot or the characters. I already own the rest of the series (because it was an ebook box set), but I don’t know if I have any interest in continuing it. We’ll just have to see how the second half of the book goes. 📱
QOTW:
I don’t really read any differently during the summer than I do during the rest of the year, so none of the “summer reader” categories really work for me. I will continue to be a Mood Reader this summer.
Happy Thursday!Was anyone else shocked that Monday is Memorial Day? Like, I forgot such a thing even existed. My daughter texted a few days ago and mentioned she's off on Monday. I asked her why. I blame it on work, which has been insanely busy the last few weeks. I finally have time to breathe a little, and post here.
Finished:
Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect
Slay for video games. I was having a hard time finding a book I was interested in that I hadn't already read about video games. Thank you to whoever suggested this. It was an easy read and I enjoyed it. This was my first YA of the year. I guess I don't read a lot of YA. So it gives my an idea for genre I usually avoid.
Currrently reading:
Kolyma Stories
Watership Down
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
QOTW:
I have always read lighter books in the summer. So I guess a comination of Summer Lovin and Very Literal Summer. But also thrillers and mysteries. I use the summer to catch up on mystery series.
Mod
Brave!! I had troubles with viruses long ago, and I'm not tech-savvy enough to know what's what with today's software.
I can't believe it's been another week already! I'm still waiting to hear back from the job interview I had last week, so at times it seems like the week is going by very slowly. On the other hand I've been able to get quite a bit of progress made on my to-do list and around the house now that my school year's over, which has made it seem like the week has gone by quickly. It was a good week for reading.
Completed
Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII
The New Kid on the Block - I used this one for the poems prompt.
Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond
The Maid
Outside In
Playing for Freedom: The Journey of a Young Afghan Girl
The Sinister Signpost
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Only one of those was for PS, but almost all of them were for one challenge or another.
PS Progress: 48/50
I'm waiting for my next PS book, for the 24th book of an author prompt, to come in at the library.
Currently Reading
The Turn of the Screw
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
Hi all! Woke up with a wicked headache, so gonna post and then go lie down. As expected, long term dis asked for another extension. They should get back to us on Tuesday and at least let us know if they're going to make me an offer or send us to trial. My lawyer thinks they'll make an offer so they don't have to pay their lawyers and possible court fees. I think they'll drag it out just to spite me! lol
I finally finished Night over Water. The ending bumped it up to 3 stars from 2, but definitely my least favorite Follett book I've read. Used it for multiple POV.
SO CLOSE to being done with Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama: The Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution, under 5 hours left. I have to finish it by the end of the weekend because I'm not renewing my audible subscription for full price and it's a freebie on there.
Read a few more chapters in The Woman in the White Kimono, still really enjoying it.
QOTW: Haha, I like it! I actually do a bit of Minimalist Packer AND Deep-Focus! lol I don't get to vacation in the summer, but I do like to read outside, so I need something physically light to take out with me. I also feel like summer is a great time to meander through a long book, on the days when I'm stuck indoors. But mostly I'm a Life-long Learner, always can dig into some interesting nonfiction.
I helped my mom at a garage sale this weekend. Really cute story from the sale. An older gentleman was looking through my books and reading all of the summaries. He said he only comes to garage sales to find romance and mystery books for his wife. I had already sold all of my books in those genres so he went to other sales in the neighborhood. About an hour later, he walks back past us with a few books tucked under his arm and looking so happy. My heart about melted.Finished
Shades of Milk and Honey. This was a pretty good historical romance. It was a nice, light read for a busy weekend. I think the ending was perfect so I might not read the sequel.
Reading
The Club
Murder and the First Lady
QOTW
Nothing in my life changes over the summer so I’m the same kind of reader this season that I am in all the others. I hate hot weather, crowds, and sunburns (which I will get if I don’t reapply SPF 50 every 30 minutes) so I tend to stay inside and wait for autumn.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Ellie wrote: "One of the first things I do when I get a new computer is remove whatever anti-virus software they've pre-loaded it with. There is nothing wrong with the built in Windows security for..."As someone who works in tech, I will second what Ellie said. If you feel safer with antivirus above and beyond Microsoft Defender, I have had zero problems (and no annoying popups) with ESET NOD32, and have been using it on my home computers for years.
Happy Thursday!Finished:
The Apothecary Diaries (Light Novel): Volume 1 by Natsu Hyuuga - 4 stars - not for a prompt. The first season of the anime covers what's in this first light novel, so it's nothing new to me, but Maomao makes everything enjoyable.
The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean - 4 stars - not for a prompt. This was a short, twisty little thriller. I wish the main detective had been a little more fleshed out but still really enjoyed it.
Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki - 4 stars - not for a prompt (could work as PopSugar's fiction book by a trans or nonbinary author). I enjoyed it, but this was a weird little genre-bender of a book.
I am currently at 36/50 prompts for PopSugar (32/45 and 4/5).
Currently reading:
Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher - 24th book of an author for PopSugar - I love her fairy tale retellings anyway, and I hadn't read this one yet, so this is a win-win for me.
Upcoming/Planned:
The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali - for PopSugar's book set 24 years before I was born. The blurb specifically mentions the exact year I needed, so even if it's only partially set in that time, I'm going for it in good faith.
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett - for PopSugar's cozy fantasy prompt and Robot Librarian's author with a color in their name.
QOTW:
There's not a category for "my reading habits don't change in summer" but that's me.
Jen wrote: "As someone who works in tech, I will second what Ellie said. If you feel safer with antivirus above and beyond Microsoft Defender, I have had zero problems (and no annoying popups) with ESET NOD32, and have been using it on my home computers for years...."Yeah, when I'm working, I'm working in tech. I think all my colleagues hated the corporate antivirus too. It was always moaning at my automated tests like I was trying to do something nefarious! I don't think Microsoft have done a great job at advertising that Windows comes with antivirus as standard.
Mod
That is so exciting!! I'm so impressed with you.
Mod
I've started looking ahead to find books to read for Pride Month. I can't find any that fill open challenge categories, so I'm telling myself I'll just read one or two (lol famous last words)
Ultimate Reading Challenge: 18/25Finished: Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out This book was really fun. Any bibliophile would enjoy it!
The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin for UR prompt ask someone in your family for a recommend that made a big impact on them. My husband recommended this as a way to get into the conservative mind. The beginning was interesting, but I thought the rest was just so-so. It did open up a can of worms for me though, in that I wanted to read other books about the same topic.
The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading This was a light read. My friend absolutely loved this. I just thought it was so-so.
Started: The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row for a book club. When I read the foreward, I thought the book was written by the lawyer who got the guy off death row, which I thought was a little like cashing in. But it turns out, it's written by the guy who was on death row, which made it immensely more interesting to me.
We Should Have Seen It Coming: From Reagan to Trump--A Front-Row Seat to a Political Revolution inspired by the Reactionary Mind. Not far enough into it yet to know how it compares.
QotW: What a fun question! Out of these choices, I'm probably either a Deep Focus Reader or a Life-Long Learner Reader. :) But I'm also a read-outdoors-as-much-as-possible-before-it-gets-too-hot reader!
We had a preview of summer this week, with temps in the 80s and plenty sun, though there were thunderstorms this morning. Thankfully they all moved on and the rest of the weekend should be decent, though not as warm.
Things are getting into place at my library for this year's summer reading program, including preparing to "genrefy" the juvenile fiction section. I'm in charge of making the initial pull lists, and it has been interesting figuring out which books fit which genres (for instance, the head of childrens and I spent a good chunk of time yesterday debating what exactly counts as historical fiction, and how far back a good has to go to be included).
Finished:
Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 3 and Vol. 4 - I'm continuing to enjoy this series.
The Color of Earth - (RH Read a comic that has been banned) This comic had a certain charm, but I got tired of every character talking in metaphors all the time.
Confidence - (RH A book that went under the radar in 2023) I was riveted for the first half of the book, but it got kind of bogged down in everything around the 60% mark. I still enjoyed it, but would have rated it higher if it could have kept up the energy of the earlier chapters.
DNF'd
Orbital - The writing style is kinda dry, and I just have no desire to keep going with it.
Currently reading:
Ribbon Dance
Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City
He Must Go Walk the Woods So Wild
Chaotic Apéritifs
Dear God. Dear Bones. Dear Yellow.
QOTW: I guess the closest for me is the very literal summer reader, since I tend to want to read books (and watch movies/tv shows) about mermaids in the summer. But other than that, I don't read any differently in the summer than any other time of the year. I've also taken part in Camp TOB the past few summers, so the FOMO reader could fit, too.
Short for me this week, as I did a very late check in last week.Finished
The Measure Pretty engaging and easily readable, although I didn't enjoy to what degree everyone was connected. Like I think it could have been a bit more interesting if the people it followed were broader in scope. But fun as a thought exercise (I would totally check my string, if only for financial planning, as boring as that reason may be), and I cried a few times.
Currently Reading
Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife: Pride and Prejudice Continues
Fury
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
QotW
I don't know that my reading patterns change that much over the summer, I think I read in a variety of ways throughout the year. Maybe I tend to go a little bit lighter in overall, but not enough that I feel I match that category, or any of those listed.
Happy Thursday! I went to a congress today and it felt like it was made for me. I so needed this peptalk right now. My War On Snails II: every night I put about 150 snails 'out of order'. Tonight I only found 30. It feels like a victory, but The Snail Club ate 40 out 50 new plants. It's a real plague because of the wet soil.
On to books! Still making progress on challenge 1 (FNL), not making progress on Popsugar.
PS: 12/50
FNL: 21/40
Total: 28/52
Finished
Zwischen Welten by Juli Zeh⭐⭐⭐⭐
Another fiction book on current affairs by Juli Zeh. This one is about polarization, influencers and the social group you're in. Journalist Stephan is mailing and texting with farmer Theresa. You can figure out in which 'social bubble' they are.
Currently reading
Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks
QOTW
I'm a Deep-Focus Reader. I love to pick up a long book on vacation.
Nadine wrote: I've started looking ahead to find books to read for Pride Month. I can't find any that fill open challenge categories, so I'm telling myself I'll just read one or two (lol famous last words)That's right, almost forgot about Pride month. Thanks for the reminder. Then I've got some books that will work for it.
Harmke wrote: Currently readingDreamland by Nicholas Sparks
What do you think of this one so far? That's going to be my next Sparks book I read after I finish 'The Wish.'
Mod
I never heard of that, I'm completely out of the loop when it comes to this stuff. MS is already telling me that my computer is too old for updated Windows and they are no longer supporting Windows 10 (which I have) so I'm guessing that means I'll need to buy a computer in a year or two ... and when I do that, hopefully I'll remember this.
Happy Thursday!It’s been in the high 60s and low 70s this week. It will come back up into the 80s next Monday. The wind has been blowing this week, which is lovely despite it being strong.
We’re getting new hours at the library. We are opening an hour earlier and closing an hour later, but my hours don’t change. I’m still 8-5. The others two will be 9-6.
My mom decided to pull a rib muscle. So she's being understandably cranky. She's going to the doctor today and hopefully she can get something done about it. It's probably going to be rest and recoop.
Not much else is going on except I already wish it was winter again. I hate bugs. Mosquitoes have eaten me in three places. Plus, I've already had one in my hair the other night and two dive bombing my face. One was a bee today as I walked to get a coffee. There were perfectly good real flowers that it could land on and play with (county beautification project they do each year with the kids.) but NOOOO. I'm better than a flower! Winter can't get here fast enough.
Popsugar:17/50
Finished: none
Reading: none
Aty: 15/52
I shifted Heartless Hunter to ATY 8 because I found out they were Canadian. And I saw that Song of Six Realms had butterflies on it. They were more silhouettes than detail but they still had wings.
Finished:
Song of the Six Realms aty 6
Heartless Hunter aty 8
Reading: none
Goodreads Challenge 340/400
Finished:
Story Hour:
My Tooth Is LOST!
Manga:
Maiden of the Needle Vol. 3
Light Novel:
Safe & Sound in the Arms of an Elite Knight: Volume 1
Safe & Sound in the Arms of an Elite Knight: Volume 2
Safe & Sound in the Arms of an Elite Knight: Volume 3
Romance:
Ruthless Heir
Texting My Dad's Best Man
Reading:
Lost in the Wild
The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain (Light Novel) Vol. 2
QOTW:
I’m with K.L. None fit my reading habits. None say read whatever I want when I want. Mine would be Hermit Crab: Stay in my shell and out of the sun reading while ignoring the outside as much as possible.
Mod
Was anyone else shocked that Monday is Memorial Day? Like, I forgot such a thing even existed. My daughter texted a few days ago and mentioned she's off on Monday. I asked her why. ..."
YES I'm feeling very confused about the passage of time and I have no good excuse. Yesterday felt like Thursday, today feels like Friday. I'm a mess.
Mod
I am in a reading SLUMP lately. I only finished one book this week, DNFed two, haven't made much progress on the others, and in general am just not feeling like reading lately. I'v..."
You've read a lot already this year!! Sometimes I feel like I'm in a slump just because I'm not liking anything I'm currently reading - hope you find something good!
Mod
As expected, long term dis asked for another extension. They should get back to us on Tuesday and at least let us know i..."
I am just so shocked that it's taking so long!!! Back in the 90s, a friend of mine got disability because she was unable to work due to mental illness (no physical ailments). I didn't think anything of it. Now that I'm reading about the hoops they are making you leap, I'm wondering how she managed it so quickly!!
Mandy wrote: "Mine would be Hermit Crab: Stay in my shell and out of the sun reading while ignoring the outside as much as possible."I love this so much!
Nadine in NY wrote: "YES I'm feeling very confused about the passage of time and I have no good excuse. Yesterday felt like Thursday, today feels like Friday. I'm a mess."I'm having the same problem. For some reason, I spent all of yesterday thinking that it was the 23rd, when it was actually the 22nd. I looked at my calendar this morning and was like "Wait...what?"
I'm in the same boat. The way time is passing right now is weird. I mean seriously, how are we nearing the end of May already?!And given that I don't work right now, all of my day's just kind of blend together so I lose track of the days anyway.
Mod
My War On Snails II: every night I put about 150 snails 'out of order'. Tonight ..."
OOF that's A LOT of snails!!!
Happy Thursday! We added a new family member yesterday – we adopted a dog! She’s a 4-year-old cattle dog/lab mix, black with speckled black and white forepaws and a white chest. She has adorable floppy ears. I tried to imbed her picture into this update, but I just can’t figure out how to do it. Her name is Starlight.2024 Reading Challenges: I’ve read 191 books so far this year with an average length of 331 pages and an average rating of 3.76.
52 Book Club: 44/52 (May Mini-Challenge: 1/3)
ATY: 34/52 (Spring Challenge: 11/12 + Bonus 5/5)
Booklist Queen: 39/52
Diverse Baseline: 15/36
Popsugar: 35/50
Robot Librarian: 39/52
ICYMI Backlist: 5/12
Recently Completed:
On Stranger Tides (Popsugar #6 – about pirates) ★★★
Lily and the Octopus (ICYMI Backlist – published in 2016/Popsugar #28 – main character is 42 years old) ★★★
The Princess Stakes ★★★
What Is Love? (52 Books May Mini-Challenge #3 – interrogative word in title) ★★★
None of This Is True (Robot Librarian #28 - true, truth(s), lie(s), liar, or lying in the title) ★★★★
Sociopath: If everyone’s not talking about this book, they should be. Absolutely fascinating memoir of a sociopath and her quest to understand herself and her relationships. (Booklist Queen #50 – a book everyone’s talking about) ★★★★★
The Finishing School (52 Books #34 – set in a landlocked country: Switzerland) ★★★
The Best Way to Bury Your Husband: Women murder abusive husbands during the pandemic lockdown and have to dispose of the bodies. Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly as interesting as the cover suggested. (52 Books #30 – picked without reading the blurb/ATY #9 – fewer than 2024 ratings on Goodreads) ★★★
Currently Reading:
Come and Get It (ATY Spring Challenge – a green cover)
A Game of Lies (52 Books #52 – published in 2024)
The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard (ATY #8 – author from Canada, Australia, or New Zealand)
L. Ron Hubbard Presents: Writers of the Future, Vol. 40: Adventures Underground Book Club.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess (Popsugar #47 – 24 letters in the title)
The Miracle of Dunkirk (Booklist Queen #40 – about a historical event/Popsugar #16 – set 24 years before you were born)
Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution: Reasonable Doubt Book Club. (52 Books May Mini-Challenge #1 – author’s last name starts with M)
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (52 Books May Mini-Challenge #2 – related to alpha)
Dirty Dancing at Devil's Leap (Popsugar #1 - leap in the title)
The Fox Maidens
Witchland: The Graphic Novel
QOTW: My reading habits really don't change during the summer, so none of these really apply to me. I'll just keep reading every moment I have a chance.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Hi all! Woke up with a wicked headache, so gonna post and then go lie down. As expected, long term dis asked for another extension. They should get back to us on Tuesday and at ..."
The thing that kills me is this is my LTD that I PAID for through work!! They approved me for a year and then cut me off saying I wasn't disabled anymore. Nothing has improved, in fact, I have NEW diagnoses since they cut me off!!
My Social Security claim is moving at the snails' pace (sorry, Harmke!) they all do. I used to help my clients get SS for their mental health issues and it usually took 1-3 years for them.
Happy check-in! Finished Reading:
Battle Angel Alita Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐
I saw the movie first so I thought I should give the original a shot. The action sequences and plot were good but the artwork wasn't worth the 'classic' label to me. I liked it unlike Sandman and The Watchmen.
The Paradise Problem ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY botanical)
New Christina Lauren came in so other books had to be paused. This was quite samey to The Unhoneymooners but that's okay. There was a clever Barbie movie scene.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY Benny & Jerry's)
I really enjoyed the idea but because this was a couple of short stories put together there was a bit of repetition in explaining the time travel.
Five Broken Blades ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (PS 24 year old character)
Rebecca Roanhorse's review put this on my radar. One of the characters says she's 24 right at the beginning so good enough. Antiheros unite to for an assassination, a lot of lying ensues.
PS 35/50
ATY 37/52
Goodreads 128/200
Currently Reading:
The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King
QOTW:
None of these reading types fit, who would just read about summer camp? Does anyone else miss the summer article they did with their staff three picks for summer reading? Did Goodreads fire all the humans and the summer reading articles are all a.i.? I liked knowing what people were actually wanting to read not what Goodreads wants to sell.
Good evening from a brutally hot and humid Columbus! I’m finished up a short shift at the pet supply store and then I’m off for almost two weeks! We’re leaving Hilton Head first thing tomorrow morning. This time next week I’ll be updating from the beach 😎Finished:
Troubled Blood not for the challenge I’m just reworking my way through the series before I check out the latest addition. These are some of my favorite books, I’m just so attached to the characters and I love the investigation storylines AND I love a good will-they-won’t-they plot. And with my bad memory, even if I remember who did it and other details I generally forget the why or how. So rereading it is still shocking lol
Rebel Angels again not for a challenge I’m just rereading a YA series I really liked back in the day. A fun kinda cheesy Victorian era fantasy novel. Magic and fancy balls, what more could you want?
Currently Reading:
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible
The Miserable Mill
Anne of Green Gables
QOTW:
I’m a little bit of all the types but I most just go by what’s available at the library
Challenges:
Popsugar - 12/45; 1/5
Read Harder - 11/24
Classics - 4/12
European Tour - 5/10
12 Friends - 12/12
Yearly Goal - 74/150
Good afternoon from surprisingly cold SoCal. We always have May Grey and June Gloom but its usually still warmI finished two more books as I was in mini-read-a-thon:
Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes:
PS: Neurodivergent main character
ATY: Involving intelligence
52: N/A
Robot Librarian: neurodivergent character
If Cats Disappeared From the World by Genki Kawamura:
PS: Magical realism
ATY: Raining cats and dogs
52: N/A
RL: Novella
currently reading:
London
Dear California
The Annotated Arabian Nights
The Chaos Machine
The Mists of Avalon
The History of Language
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
In Search of Lost Time
K-Pop Confidential
Up next:
The Great Alone
QOTW:
I'm a teacher so I get part of summer off (about 7 weeks) so I'm definitely Deep Focus....This year will be To Paradise and hopefully ploughing through The Mists of Avalon. But I'm also a little Life Long Learner too as I always take on 2-3 nonfiction as well, usually to seek things I can use in my classes
Happy Thursday.It's hot here too and we had to turn the air conditioning on.
I didn't finish a book this week. Instead I started 2 more. I hope to get one wrapped up this weekend.
Series - 3/12
Nobel laureates - 3/5
Mysteries/Thrillers - 5/13
ATY - 17/45
PS - 11/30
Currently reading:
The Darkest Road- 75% done
Brisingr - 11% done
The Murder on the Links - 25% done
Buddy Reads:
Legends & Lattes - 40% done
This Present Darkness - 60% done
Hollow City - 20% done
QOTW: I actually don't read differently in the summer than I do the rest of the year. For 2024, I'm trying to read one series book a month and one mystery book a month. The summer is no exception.
Happy Thursday! My "cold/flu" last week was in fact covid... I was so sad! My test turned positive so fast, it was almost funny. As of yesterday I was still testing positive, but my 10 days of being contagious should be up tomorrow. I've been going stir crazy, very grateful I can work from home though. I've been very unmotivated to read or watch shows or anything, just sleeping a lot.Finished:
The Lady's Deception- this was a sweet historical romance, with a great dress on the cover
-no prompt
Currently reading:
Not making much progress on anything, but I"m in the middle of Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder and Counterweight
QotW:
Probably the FOMO reader- I think when it's colder out I'm more likely to pick up something bigger, but right now I just want to read everything that's new out on Libby
Erin wrote: "Happy Thursday! My "cold/flu" last week was in fact covid... I was so sad! My test turned positive so fast, it was almost funny. As of yesterday I was still testing positive, but my 10 days of bein..."Ugh, hope you get feeling better soon!
I finally finished World Without End. While I liked the story, I couldn't stand most of the characters. I have started Master and Commander. Can't say that I'm loving it.
QOTW: I guess if I have to pick, Outdoors-y. I'm not really a seasonal reader, though.
K.L. wrote: "Mandy wrote: "Mine would be Hermit Crab: Stay in my shell and out of the sun reading while ignoring the outside as much as possible."I love this so much!"
Thank you. I’m a house mouse on most days. My socializing battery is for work. After work I don’t want to people. My people meter is out of commission after 5 pm.
TGIF! Yes, I'm late to post, but yesterday was a DAY! I had to be in Brooklyn Supreme Court on two unrelated cases. I'm not a litigator, so that was historic (I am a transactions attorney and general corporate counsel - we send others to court). Have to go back on one of them this afternoon. I can't wait for the end of the day. So glad it's a 3 day weekend as well. PS - 35/50
ATY - 50/52
Finished:
The A.B.C. Murders - no prompt.
Currently Reading - not that much got read this week
The Forgotten Garden
Murder Uncorked
QOTW: My reading is much the same in summer than rest of year. I do tend to pick up some fat classic or some such to read -- though not as often since I started doing reading challenges. I have less time to read in teh summer, at least it was when I was still handling residential transactions - people buy/sell homes in the summer so they can move in good weather (I've moved in winter - it's not pretty when a blizzard comes your way on moving day) and between school years and when kids are away at camp.
I do get a surge of Christmas Spirit just as the temps and humidity in NYC creep over 90F and stay -- starting in July usually - so I have a tradition of reading Christmas in July - I love Christmas set mysteries and romances, and have a large TBR of them.
But that's it.
Mandy wrote: "Thank you. I’m a house mouse on most days. My socializing battery is for work. After work I don’t want to people. My people meter is out of commission after 5 pm."I totally get that. I just got back from the grocery store, and I am 100% done with people for the day.
Mod
LOL they should have included that on the list!!!!
Mod
Congratulations on your new baby!!!!! She sounds adorable.
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (52 Books May Mini-Challenge #2 – related to alpha)
How is this? I just saw the movie (excellent) and I can tell there were a lot of details they wanted to include but did not have room for, so they just suggested stuff (like the ID badges all the scientists wore - they clearly meant something, but it was never explained)
Mod
Ugh. Rest! Sleep!
Mod
well that sounds energizing! Are you there as an expert witness?
Happy Friday! My sister and parents are coming into town this weekend for my son's baptism so that's exciting. I gave my dog a bath so he would be extra fluffy for visitors and he was less than excited about it haha. Sadly I think we're in for a rainy cold weekend. Finished
Vanishing Fleece: Adventures in American Wool: I loved learning more about wool and yarn but the book ended kind of abruptly
Wave Woman: The Life and Struggles of a Surfing Pioneer: Full Color Softcover Edition: bio of an interesting woman and the early days of competitive surfing
Even Though I Knew the End: this took me a bit to get into; there's a lot of world-building very quickly but I did end up liking it
Ladies of the Canyons: A League of Extraordinary Women and Their Adventures in the American Southwest: history about some of the women who were early settlers of the American southwest.
All Systems Red: Fine but didn't really hit me. Disappointing after all the hype
Currently Reading
Maiden Voyages: Magnificent Ocean Liners and the Women Who Traveled and Worked Aboard Them: listening on audio and enjoying it
QOTW: I think I'm a little too chaotic for the categories lol. I go in for a bit of everything.
Mod
As expected, long term dis asked for another extension. They should get back to ..."
Having worked as a mental health advocate, I can tell you that IF disability/SSI is approved more quickly than 1-2 years, you are VERY lucky. It is unbelievable how many times the system forces applicants to reapply, provide further documentation, etc. I always hope I am never put in that position. My patience runs thin with such bureaucratic nonsense!
Just a short check-in for me, as I've only finished one book since the last check-in. It didn't fit any open prompts (at least, I don't think so). I'm at 12/45 and 2/5 for this challenge, and am at 43/100 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge. Finished:
* Perfectly Impossible by Elizabeth Topp, which was an Amazon FirstReads monthly pick I decided to take a chance on. Meh. It was fine but I skimmed a lot to finish and thought about DNFing it a couple of times.
Currently Reading:
* The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries edited by Michael Sims; and,
* Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine written by Olivia Campbell and narrated by Jean Ann Douglass, which is one of my book clubs' picks for June.
QotW:
What kind of Summer Reader are you? Like a few others, I don't really change my reading habits seasonally (#TeamMoodReader). TBH, none of the descriptions really described my reading habits in general. However, if I had to pick from that list, I'd likely be The Jet-Setting Reader. When I looked at the book titles listed under that category, I've read two of them (one while traveling...and I'd read the previous book in the series of the other one while traveling) and have three of the remaining six titles on my "To Read" shelf. So, I guess I have Jet-Setting Reader tendencies, even if I didn't realize it! 🛫🚁⛵️🛳🚂🚞🚙🚌🛵
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
A Marvellous Light (other topics)Loot (other topics)
Gobbelino London & A Contagion of Zombies (other topics)
The Red Scholar's Wake (other topics)
Living Memory (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jane Austen (other topics)Parini Shroff (other topics)
Liu Cixin (other topics)
Sandra Newman (other topics)
George Orwell (other topics)
More...
It's a hot week here in central NY!! I secretly love it. After a long cold winter I need to BAKE in the summer to recover. (Of course, this year our winter was very mild.) But I'd be singing a different tune if I didn't have air conditioning!! Yesterday was in the 90s (F). (My mom is down in Florida staying with a friend and she said it's 88 there - it was hotter up here in NY than in Florida!!) We had a big thunderstorm last night, and this morning it's 65 outside and going up to only 80, should be a beautiful day to mow the lawn.
Admin stuff
The Final Poll for the August group read (about dragons!) is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...
...
The poll will run for two weeks. As always, you are all invited to volunteer to lead a group read discussion.
I've been reading a lot, but this week my focus is more on AAPI reading and new publications rather than specifically Challenge reading.
I'm happy to be reading so many 2024 publications, but I'm missing that little thrill of checking off a completed challenge category, so I am thinking about how I can create a "new pub" challenge for myself, so I can read unlimited new books but also fill up some sort of list to satisfy my inner box checker. Probably the only practical way to pull this off is to just set a goal to read a certain number of books. For this year, I will set the ambitious (but achievable) goal of 50 books published in 2024.
I finished 4 books this week, none for any Challenge (although two are 2024 pubs). I loved everything I read this week!!
Silk, Vol. 1: Threats and Menaces written by Maurene Goo- I loved this! I can't believe I've never even heard of this superhero before. This was perfect for AAPI month, too, since it's an Asian superhero, an Asian villain, an Asian author, and an Asian artist. Quadfecta! I was a little hesitant, since often I find that novelists do NOT transition well to writing comics, but Goo hit it out of the park imo. No challenge categories.
Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier - I LOVE loved this!! After I finished i read some 1 and 2 star reviews, and yeah I guess I can't disagree with what they found fault with, but none of it bothered me. I'm so glad a past Challenge pushed me to find a PI author so that I could discover Lucier. No challenge categories, although this would work for "2024" or "dragons" since the titular "dragonfruit" is a dragon egg that has magical healing powers.
This Overflowing Light: Selected Poems by Rin Ishigaki - I loved this and I'm so glad I discovered her! I went to reddit and asked for recommendations for Asian poets, and someone suggested Ishigaki, whom I'd never heard of. I had to buy this collection since my library (with its woefully sparse poetry collection) did not have it, and I'm glad I did. These poems were just wonderful, quiet and thoughtful and beautiful. No challenge categories.
ASAP by Axie Oh- this silly sappy YA romance was totally not my kind of book and yet I loved every second of it. What's up with that? No challenge category (although this would work for "2024" or "travel bucket list" or "K-Pop.")
Popsugar 84% 42 /50
Must Reads 60% 6 /10
AtY 69% 36 /52
2024 pub 20% 10 /50
Question of the Week
What kind of Summer Reader are you?
From this Goodreads article:
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2...
The types of summer readers are:
* The Very Literal Summer Reader - I'm going to focus on books with "summer" in their titles.
* The Top-Bunk Reader - I'm looking for page-turners set at summer camp.
* The On-Point Theme Reader- I'd love nonfiction about summery activities and topics.
* The Movie Buff Reader - I'm an absolute book-to-screen fiend.
* The Minimalist Packer Reader - I need new paperbacks that won't weigh me down.
* The Jet-Setting Reader - I like reading novels where the characters travel (while I also travel).
* The Deep-Focus Reader - I finally have time to sink into a long book! Whaddya got for me?
* The FOMO Reader - I want to catch up on the buzzy recent books everyone's been talking about.
* The Busy Bee Reader - I've got a packed itinerary for summer, but I'll save time for short stories!
* The Summer Lovin' Reader - I'm always looking for a fling with a highly rated romance!
* The Southern Hemisphere Reader - It's not summer where I am. Can you show me some books set in cold climates?
* The Lifelong Learner Reader - I live for a super-niche nonfiction deep dive.
* The Gotta-Impress-My-Book-Club Reader - Show me some recent award-winning books, please.
* The Outdoorsy Reader - Inspire me to explore nature!
* The Desperate Parent Reader - PLEASE help me find some books to keep my middle schoolers reading over summer break.
I enjoy reading Goodreads articles about new books coming out, and this particular article made me laugh, because I am definitely the FOMO reader! We probably all fit into several of these categories, there were a few others that had me nodding my head, such as "summer in the title," "lifelong learner," and "summer lovin". I was surprised they didn't have a category for thrillers, because, along with romance and microhistories, I consider those the ultimate beach read.