Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Just 4 more days!! And we will have a brand spankin’ new Popsugar challenge to celebrate!! Nadine and I have prepared the placeholders and are waiting with bated breath! 😉
EDITED TO ADD: Here is the link! https://www.popsugar.com/books/popsug...

Here in the United States today has been designated “Native American Heritage Day” by me, though it is “officially” Thanksgiving. I am concentrated on the fact that try as hard as they might, the “conquerors” did not manage to completely annihilate the indigenous people who had lived here for many many years… I celebrate those who managed to escape the genocide and mourn those who did not. I purposefully use this day for pure relaxation on my part, doing whatever I wish, then I cook and serve the “traditional” Thanksgiving meal tomorrow or maybe even on Saturday. (I’m such a rebel, aren’t I? LOL) If not for my husband I would forego the turkey. It just isn’t a favorite for me. I would much rather have chicken, but I will relent to his traditional desires! 😊

ADMIN STUFF:
THE NOVEMBER MONTHLY GROUP READ IS One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
This book could be used to fulfill Prompt #39 A fiction book written by a trans or nonbinary author
And who is the "vivacious volunteer" willing to lead this discussion? Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!! Wow! Loved this! Just realized I've not yet posted final questions/comments. Will be sure to do that today!

THE DECEMBER MONTHLY GROUP READ IS The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde!
This book could be used to fulfill Prompt #36 A Book Written By an Incarcerated Or Formerly Incarcerated Person
National Mudd Day is December 20! What is National Mudd Day, you may ask? It references a fascinating bit of history I doubt many of us know. Dr. Samuel Mudd was a doctor who helped John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirator David Herold immediately following Lincoln’s assassination on the night of April 14, 1865. Mudd performed surgery on Booth and allowed them to spend the night. He didn’t report the men’s visit for another 24 hours, though it was assumed he would have heard of the assassination well before that time. Mudd was arrested 12 days later and eventually convicted to a life sentence by a military commission for the crime of aiding and conspiring in a murder, missing the death penalty by only one vote!
I know virtually nothing about this book, so I will probably join in the monthly read discussion! Dubhease is the "End-of-Year Innovator" who has graciously volunteered to lead this discussion! YAY Dubhease! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 And I had no idea that this book can be classified as "horror" to some degree. I already have a copy, so I'll definitely at least start reading it. I just hope I won't have to DNF it! I MOVED THIS TO THE CURRENT MONTHLY GROUP READ folder!

The comprehensive listing of 2024 Monthly Group Reads resides HERE for your perusal and reference throughout 2024!
***

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
For what or whom are you the most thankful?
Since it is officially “Thanksgiving” in the U.S.!

Ah, GRATITUDE! I have been concentrating on this concept and the objects of my gratitude quite strongly these past few weeks. First, it is a positive emotion that helps alleviate some of the stress and fear I have been feeling. Secondly, it is always a good thing to concentrate on the positive!

People and felines for the win! Whether they be fellow gym club members, friends from other facets of my life, family, or neighbors. People. Community. The one way I can fight back against autocracy, prejudice, and discrimination…

And my online community here is especially gratifying for me. It provides me community at the same time that it also helps me fulfill my one overarching love of reading! YAY!!

2024 READING CHALLENGES:
Popsugar: 41/50
Around the Year (AtY): 52/52 DONE!
Read Harder: 19/24
52 Book Club: 46/52

FINISHED:
*Year of the Elephant: A Moroccan Woman's Journey Toward Independence by Leila Abouzeid, translated by Barbara Parmenter ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was a rather bleak collection overall. Though I was gratified to recognize some of the historical facts from my reading of African Icons: Ten People Who Shaped History last week! This is set in Morocco in the 1980s. It is awful just how cheaply and easily a male in this society could obtain a divorce with no reason and how that leaves the woman at the mercy of society and/or her relatives, if she is so lucky… Ugh.
POPSUGAR: #17
ATY: #3-A book set in a different hemisphere than where you live, #9-541 ratings, #10-Historical Fiction, #14, #15, #17, #21, #22, #25, #30-Morocco, #33, #41, #48, #49
RHC: #8, #10, #24-2015: prompt #8 A book written by an author from Africa-Morocco
52 Book Club: #4, #9, #10, #14, #18, #29-1989, #40-Ramadan, #43, #46

*Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone (Ernest Cunningham #1) by Benjamin Stevenson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was a very different “mystery” and yet, the same! LOL Stevenson’s writing style includes many author self-inserts, most of which I found quite humorous. I had not actually planned to read this now, but one of my IRL book clubs selected the third book in this series, Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret, for the December meeting, so I purchased a used copy cheaply and read it to experience Stevenson’s writing style. I’m rather glad I did. I liked it well enough to order a cheap copy of the second one to read! 😊
POPSUGAR: #4, #17-Australia, #20, #27, NEW #28, #31
ATY: #3-A book related to We Didn’t Start the Fire, #7, #8-Australia, #15, #17, #19-coffee, #21, #25, #27, #29, #33, #37, #41, #48, #49
RHC: #16, #23, #24-2020: prompt #10 A book set in a rural setting
52 Book Club: #3, #6, #14, #20, #24, #30, #32, #43, #47

*Brace for Impact: A Memoir by Gabe Montesanti ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ absolutely blew me away! I had no idea about much of roller derby other than it was played by people on roller skates on a (seemingly to me) very small wooden track. But that is kinda just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Gabe’s life… I could certainly relate to her mother’s overbearing totally controlling personality and meanness. My mother was much the same. I’m grateful she was finally able to make a break from her to live her authentic life.
POPSUGAR: #2, NEW #7, #14, #41
ATY: #1, #3-A book that features a hobby, #9-623 ratings, #17, #24-Orange and Green, #31, #33, #36, #45, #48
RHC: #24-2015: prompt #5 A book written by or about someone who identifies as LGBTQ
52 Book Club: #6, #24, #30, #31, #39, #43, #44, #51

Will document this later...
*The Conjure-Man Dies: A Mystery Tale of Dark Harlem by Rudolph Fisher (#16)
POPSUGAR:
ATY:
RHC:
52 Book Club:

CONTINUING:
*Shift (Wool #2) by Hugh Howey (#46)
*Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley (#28)
*Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
*The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
*Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking has me thinking so very much that I have delayed reviewing it until I can finalize my thoughts…
*The Birthing House by Kathy Taylor
*...And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer

PLANNED:
*Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel (#30)
*XOXO by Axie Oh (#5)
*The Trees by Percival Everett (#40)
*Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (#42)
*Persuasion by Jane Austen (#43)
*The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (#36)
*21st Birthday (Women’s Murder Club #21) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
*22 Seconds (Women’s Murder Club #22) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
*23rd Midnight (Women’s Murder Club #23) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
*23 1/2 Lies (Women’s Murder Club #23.5) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
*The 24th Hour (Women’s Murder Club #24) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
*Fear No Evil (Alex Cross #29) by James Patterson
*Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
*The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

Happy Thanksgiving!

Finished:The Shape of Thunder This book was pretty good, but I didn't like it as well as Simon Sort of Says which also deals with the subject of school shootings.

Started: Too many!

The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, Vol. 1
The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex
Philosophers Take On the World
The Conspiracy to End America: Five Ways My Old Party Is Driving Our Democracy to Autocracy
Darkly

QotW: Honestly, one of the things I'm grateful for is this QotW! I look forward to it every week and it makes my Thursdays happier. Another thing I'm grateful for is enduring relationships.

Happy Thursday, all!

Today I choose to celebrate, not a holiday to commemorate when colonists invaded the Americas, but my connections with friends and family as well as what I'm grateful for. And despite November being a rough month for many reasons, I do find I have a lot to be thankful for.

Currently at my sister's house for Thanksgiving, and awaiting the arrival of the rest of the family. We're actually not having the traditional Thanksgiving foods today -- instead of turkey and potatoes, we're having pizza. My sister decided that instead of spending hours making a meal that will be enjoyed by few people in the family (which includes quite a few people on the neurodivergent spectrum, which means very picky dietary preferences), why not make something that everyone likes? (We're still having pie, of course -- we're not complete barbarians...)

Also today I discovered that schools in Tennessee are banning certain manga from school libraries, including culturally important works like Akira and Fist of the North Star. Tennessee, why are you like this...

Books read this week:

You Deserve Good Gelato -- I know books written by social media influencers get a bad rap, but this one was actually uplifting to me… and made me want to travel to Italy more than ever.

A Horse Named Sky -- aimed at middle-grade readers but still an epic adventure about a wild horse trying to reunite with his band.

The Cabinet -- a Korean novel that feels like it started life as a short story collection and the author had to write extra bits to “glue” the stories together into a coherent whole. Some good ideas but otherwise disjointed.

Currently reading:

Airwoman
After the Forest
City of Bones

QOTW:

Right now I'm thankful for my family, as cliche as it sounds. They've been by my side through some rough times and continually support and advocate for me, and I appreciate it so much. I'm also thankful for my friends and for the technology that allows me to stay in touch with them even when many of them live very far away.

Happy Thursday! Crazy busy at work. Every year it seems the world is gonna end on January 1, so much has to be done before the new year starts.

FNL: 39/40
PS: 20/40
Total: 64/52
DNF: 1

Finished
The Story of Russia by Orlando Figes⭐⭐⭐⭐
Figes is a great storyteller. Excellent introduction on Russia, its history and its myths.

Zeitenwende by Carmen Korn⭐⭐⭐
Nice end of the series. Nothing special, just a pleasant read.

Currently reading
Bloedlijn by Simone van der Vlugt

QOTW
My health (sort of, but it can be much worse), my boyfriend, friends and family.

Happy Thursday, and happy Turkey Day to those who celebrate!

Lynn, I love your reinterpretation of the day!

I am so exhausted. Still not doing well. That Disney trip last Friday/Saturday was exactly what I needed, but it lasted as long as it took to get home. I am now desperately waiting for the next one, which is only 13 days away but feels like years. I know it sounds dramatic, but it's really how it feels. Everything is bleak and bluegh and it's my only escape. I dread what's to come after this trip, because no new one is planned for after, haha!

I did go to the cinema this week! Went to see Red One (fun, but not one I'd go out of my way to see again) and Moana 2 (really good and stunning, but I really missed Lin-Manuel's music. it's not as good as the first movie, but sequels hardly ever are. Would watch this again!).

Still not reading; been playing the new Dreamlight Valley DLC (finished the storyline earlier today) and been working on an important benefits application, and slightly less importantly on bingos for my readathon and prep for my fandom challenge bingo for next year. Even though tumblr still hasn't gotten back to me and my blog is still gone.

Also hit 500 followers on Instagram! I'm aware this is peanuts for many, but for someone who only recently found a way to manage posting daily, I'm in awe, haha! Have to admit that likes and follows keep the motivation to post more alive, but I still have days/moments where I'm like *flops* no. I could never be an influencer xD

QOTW
I am so grateful for my pets, and how well they're doing. Even Mickey, who seems to hit snag after snag but always rallies. His birthday is in a few weeks and (assuming he makes it) I'm pretty sure it'll be his last one so I'm gonna make it extra special for him, even if he has no idea haha!

I am also grateful for my dad, who is always there for me, and accepts me even when my list of diagnoses gets longer and longer. Honestly would have hit a proper breakdown without him long ago.

And, I am insanely grateful I am able to go to Disney as often as I do. I know it's a luxury and out of the realm of possibilities for many. I know I'm lucky in this regard, and I will never take it for granted. I know that one day I'll, too, be priced out, so until then I'll make the most of it.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the USA. We have Thanksgiving the second Monday in October. I have no idea if other countries have a day of Thanksgiving or not. If there are any non-Americans or non-Canadians, I'd love to hear what your country does?

I am on a pre-Christmas get things done break. Except today was mostly recovering from being stupidly busy this week.

I am working on two books. I finally got Sometimes I Lie. I requested it from Libby in April or May. I'm enjoying it

I finished my kids book. I think it's written for 10-12 year olds but I was laughing out loud at parts. (I'm not sure what that says about my sense of humour.) I also found out that they turned Diary of a Wimpy Kid into a musical. Who knew? So, I accidentally got another PS prompt ticked off. (I love when I accidentally get a prompt.)

Finished:
The Last Straw
ATY prompt:A book that is part of a series
Popsugar prompt: A book that was turned into a musical

Series - 11/12
Nobel laureates - 5/5
Mysteries/Thrillers - 12/13

ATY - 48/45 - finished!
PS - 32/30 - finished!
Summer - 12/12 - Finished!

Currently reading:
Gravel Heart - 80%
Sometimes I Lie - 45%

Buddy Reads:
none at present

Happy Thanksgiving to those of us who celebrate! Happy Thursday to the rest of you :-)


I'm at the beach visiting my mom. The beach in November is so peaceful. Today started out warm & rainy but now the sun is coming out.

I'm thrilled that I got my car fixed on Tuesday so the drive down yesterday was stress-free (as stress-free as a six hour drive with three people and two dogs in a VW sedan can be).


This week I finished 3 books

Pick-Up by Nora Dahlia - a NetGalley read, and I LOVED this book!!! There have been SO MANY great rom-coms lately!!! I'm adding Dahlia to my list of favorite rom-com authors. She's in good company with Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, & Annabel Monaghan*. I can't wait to see what she writes next.

What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena - This was fantastic, it's exactly what I wanted an audiobook thriller to be!! I will definitely read (listen to) more from this author. I've been meaning to read a book by LaPena and I saw this one recommended on reddit so I just put it on hold without really looking into it, and unfortunately this turned out to be a subject that's very upsetting for me (murder of a teen girl), so I need to be more careful when I pick books by LaPena! The pace was fast and the descriptions were not excessively lurid so I managed okay. I saw a few reviews criticizing her "sparse" writing LOL - that's exactly what I WANT in a thriller!!! Keep the plot moving right along, please, don't waste my time on extra words.

An Honest Living by Dwyer Murphy - I loved this debut neo-noir! I think this is a "love it and/or hate it" situation. I loved the writing style, and I hated the ending, so I only gave it three stars. His second book was so much better than this one - I look forward to this third book next year.




* any other great rom-com authors I should check out??? This is becoming one of my favorite sub genres, and I never read much of it before.




Popsugar 100% 50 /50
Must Reads 80% 8 /10
AtY 100% 52 /52
2024 pub 122% 61 /50
NetGalley ratio 81%


I've still got six NetGalley books waiting to be read. The only thing I brought with me to read at my mom's is my kindle library (haha the "only" thing as if that's not hundreds of books) so I should make good progress on a NG book or two while I'm here.

I've got four NG books still waiting to be approved or declined, and one of them has been there so long that it's now archived. I've been really curious to see what will happen after its archive date (which was Monday I think) - it's still there on my list. I thought it might automatically go into the declined shelf. There's another title that will archive on Dec 17th, I'm wondering if it will fall into the same crack. Am I supposed to withdraw my request for these, to get them off my shelf?




QotW

Haha I usually hate these questions, but I'm in a good & thankful mood this week since my car was just repaired!

Currently I'm thankful that my furnace is still working, that my ex is skilled enough to install a new one for free (whenever he gets around to that LOL!), that I can afford to buy a new one. I'm thankful that my car has been fixed, and that I could afford to rent a car if I needed one (but I don't! yay!!). I'm thankful that I can hire my neighbor to plow my driveway each winter so I don't have to shovel. I'm thankful that I have enough savings that I've been able to just fumble around and figure out what I want to do next since I got laid off last year.

I'm thankful that I have access to excellent libraries so I can read All the Books for free (and I'm thankful for all of you so I have someone to talk to about All the Books).

I'm thankful that my dog's chronic skin condition (which may or may not be pemphigus) is being controlled by small daily doses of prednisone, and she has no bad side effects (other than being hungry all the time LOL!), and both of my dogs are otherwise healthy.

And I'm thankful that my aunt and uncle are EXCELLENT cooks, all of their food is always exquisite, and I get invited to their house every year for Thanksgiving.

And above all, I'm thankful that my children have both grown up to be wonderful human beings, and I feel so fortunate that they enjoy my company, because there is no one on this planet I would rather spend time with!

Happy Thursday!

2024 Reading Challenges: I’ve read 439 books and completed 37.1% of my ever-growing TBR.

52 Book Club: 52/52 – Yay!!! (November Mini-Challenge: 4/4 – Yay!!!)
ATY: 51/52 (Fall Challenge 45/45 – Yay!!!)
Booklist Queen: 52/52 – Yay!!!
Diverse Baseline: 33/36
Popsugar: 50/50 – Yay!!!
Robot Librarian: 52/52 – Yay!!!
ICYMI Backlist: 11/12

Recently Completed:

To the Hilt: Tightly plotted and enjoyable. Reasonable Doubt Book Club. ★★★★

You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince ★★★

Love and Other Flight Delays: Fun collection of romance novellas. 2023 NPR Books We Love. ★★★★

My Calamity Jane: I’m really enjoying this series of books! ★★★★

Bright Lights, Big Christmas ★★★

The Great White Bard: How to Love Shakespeare While Talking About Race: 2023 NPR Books We Love. ★★★

American Born Chinese (Diverse Baseline #33 – a graphic novel or comic book by a BIPOC author: Gene Luen Yang) ★★★★

The Wildes: A Novel in Five Acts ★★★★

Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong ★★★★★



Currently Reading:

Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight-Loss Drugs
A December to Remember
Three Holidays and a Wedding
Society of Lies
Christmas Eve Love Story
Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America (Diverse Baseline #34 – book about intersectional feminism by a BIPOC author)
Lady Macbeth
Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens
This Disaster Loves You
Our Infinite Fates: Goodreads Giveaway.



QOTW: I am grateful for my family. I love our crowded, crazy, multi-generational home and the opportunity it's given me to enjoy my grandchildren. We're spending the day together eating appetizers (no big meal for us), watching football (Go Lions!), and playing games. I don't know of a better way to spend my time.

Just a normal day here but wishing all that celebrate a lovely day with friends, family and food.

Finished:
Well, That Was Unexpected by Jesse Sutanto for ATY (Edgar winning author). This was a cute, fake-dating rom-com, but her “Asian aunties” seem to be the same in all her books. Not really in the spirit of this prompt but she did win an Edgar for another book this year.

Every Exquisite Thing by Laura Steven for ATY (character in education). A reimagining of Doran Grey in a prestigious drama school. Dealing with body image and eating disorders, the was quite dark but pretty good YA horror.

Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation by Jim O’Heir. Jerry was the perfect person to take us down memory lane talking about the making of Parks and Rec. Probably nothing new if you're a mega fan but I liked that they got cast and crew to do the audiobook narration.

PS: 37/40 | ATY: 51/52 | GR: 85/100

QOTW:
Thankful not to be job hunting still! Haha, and that my new place of work seems a supportive place. And they give us cake every Friday.

Nadine in NY wrote: "There's another title that will archive on Dec 17th, I'm wondering if it will fall into the same crack. Am I supposed to withdraw my request for these, to get them off my shelf?..."

I usually forget about requests shortly after requesting... but I have heard of people getting approved for an archived title and not being able to access it. They might have fixed that by now, but no harm in withdrawing your request if it'll let you.

Let's do QOTW first. THankful that my parents said you don't have to come home for the holiday this year, no pressure because they knew how much I did NOT want to. Thankful for my friends who helped in the last 4 years where I have had very little to be thankful for.

Not much read and my record is now gone because somehow today my flashdrive disappeared between here and going to a friend's church to help provide holiday meals for our university's students who couldn't go home (because the school does) I was taking it with me to go to my office to do a few things. Sigh.

I read the graphic novel Ghostlore Vol. 1 by Cullen Bunn which is intriguing horror comic so far and the netgalley arc of She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke which had an annoying protagonist and errors that someone should have caught (like you don't breathe thru your esophagus)

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate, and happy Thursday to those who don't! Our Thanksgiving is small and quiet this year. We're staying home, so just three of us: me, my partner, and his mother.

Finished:
I Am the Dark That Answers When You Call by Jamison Shea - 3.5 stars - no prompt. Still good, but I think I liked the first book better. This one expands the lore behind the mysterious power the MC found in the first book, which was fun.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain - 3.5 stars - for Robot Librarian's Nonfiction: The 100s. It was mostly interesting and I found a lot of good stuff in here, but it also dragged in places where I had trouble focusing.

Comics/manga:
Don't Call It Mystery (Omnibus) Vol. 1-2
Chihayafuru, Vol. 14
A Man and His Cat, Vol. 12
Daytime Shooting Star, Vol. 7

Currently reading:
My final two prompts for my 2024 challenges:

Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes - for Robot Librarian's Nonfiction: The 200s.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by Alexander Freed - for Robot Librarian's novelization of a film

Upcoming/Planned:
Nothing right now...

QOTW:
I am most thankful right now to be in relatively good health, for the people who love and support me, and for my online communities, including this one.

Dubhease wrote: "I have no idea if other countries have a day of Thanksgiving or not. If there are any non-Americans or non-Canadians, I'd love to hear what your country does?"

I can only speak for the Netherlands, where we have no such thing. Given its origin, I'd be surprised if it was.

Even if we take away the origin, harvest festivals aren't really a thing here either.

And since we don't have the history, it'd be pretty random for us to have a national day of thanks ;)

Happy Thanksgiving! I am STUFFED! Great meal with friends in PA whose son actually was visiting - haven't seen him in so long ... decades. Lovely visit so far.

Still at PS 49/50 - getting closer with that poetry book...

Finished:
Throne of Jade
Soulless: The Manga, Vol. 2
Soulless: The Manga, Vol. 3
The Wide Window
2 more read by Tim Curry: The Vile Village and The Carnivorous Carnival

Currently Reading:
Embassytown

I'm getting a tad tired of the steampunk reading - but that challenge ends as of Midnight Dec. 1 and my team is doing well so I'll forge on. There will be more of those Tim Curry Lemony Snickets listended to as he's really great. And I dislike audiobooks!

QOTW: I am most grateful this year that a friend who was in and out of the hospital numerous times for the last 2 years has finally stabilized and is doing extremely well, able to resume most of her normal activities. I am also very grateful to live in NYS and especially NYC during these times. Always grateful for family and friends, not just at this time of year.

Hello from Columbus and happy happy Thanksgiving to the American group members! I was up very late last night finishing the dishes I was bringing to my mom’s dinner. We have a pretty large crowd so we all try to chip in, but I really take on too much and end up trying to efficiently coordinate prepping six dishes lol. I’m exhausted and can’t wait to go to bed

Finished:
Heart Berries for a nonfiction about indigenous people. This was more of a poetic memoir, I always feel bad when I hate a book by a minority author especially since I so rarely have negative feelings about books. But wow I really did not like this. I think from just the introduction I knew this was going to get under my skin and I most definitely clocked that. Empathy is something I always try to cultivate, but I struggle with that when it comes to people dragging their kids into their nonsense and people clinging to a terrible relationship, and this author did a lot of both in this book. I honestly couldn’t find anything redeeming about this book so thankfully it was very short.

Silver Nitrate for a book that went under the radar in 2024. Maybe this just went under my radar. I’ve liked the books of hers I’ve read before so I was confident I would have fun with this one. Bonus points because one of my all time favorite niche topics is “cursed media”. Lost media, supernatural media, cult media, just anything where there’s some level of sinister mystery surrounding movies or books. I’d most definitely recommend checking this one out

The Death of Ivan Ilych for my classics challenge. I’m surprised I hadn’t read this (to my knowledge), since I love Tolstoy and this is a very short read. What a humane look at someone processing their own mortality and looming death.

The Slippery Slope not for the challenge, just making my way through the series. Nothing to add here. The Tim Curry narration is delightful as always, I wonder if we’ll finish this series before the end of the year.

Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway for the women in rock prompt. I’ve always loved Joan Jett and The Runaways, I really loved the 2010 (wow that was so long ago!) movie. It was a very interesting read, obviously pretty heavy but if you’re at all familiar with her story you’d know that going in. I love getting audiobook memoirs where the author does the narration. But she’s a little dramatic in some parts and the fake almost-crying talk made me cringe. Other than that, I’m glad I gave this a read.

Currently Reading:
Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return
House of Leaves
The Shadow of the Wind
The Grim Grotto
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible

Challenges:
Popsugar - 42/45; 3/5
Read Harder - 21/24
Classics - 11/12
European Tour - 11/10
12 Friends - 12/12
Yearly Goal - 147/150

QOTW:
There’s just so much for me to be thankful I could ramble on all day! First and foremost, I’m grateful for God, church, and the all the grace I’ve experienced. I’m thankful my kids are happy and healthy. Im thankful for stability, a job I love, a boyfriend who still gives me butterflies after 5 years, my two beautiful and sweet cats, a great support system, my creativity, and being able to find joy in small things.

Happy check-in and turkey day to those celebrating! I just finished my Goodreads reading challenge 275 books and I finished Popsugar earlier this week. 🥳

Finished Reading:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Doomsday Deck ⭐⭐⭐ (published in 2000)
Pretty average.

Perfect World, Vol. 2 - 8 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This series is cute and making me think about some things that never would have occurred to me.

The Woman in Me ⭐⭐
I feel bad rating it two stars but it's not well written. I'm really glad she got to say what she wanted to.

Klee Wyck ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
When Emily Carr became bed ridden in old age she started writing about her memories of travelling to Indigenous communities to paint. The book over the years had been censored before being published so it was good to read the original.

A Spark Within the Forge ⭐⭐⭐
An Ember In The Ashes prequel story. The artwork is great but this is a dark series.

Black Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sequel to The Door Of No Return. Great historical fiction middle grade poetry.

PS 50/50
ATY 52/52 Summer 36/36 Rejects 10/11
DBC 31/36
Goodreads 275/275

QOTW:
Family and friends of course. My library and reading challenge groups like this one.

Hi all! Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate! We hosted, and I am pooped! (and stuffed!) We're planning to take my kiddo to the movies tomorrow with her cousins up from out of town to see Moana 2. The girls are super excited to see it.

I finished a book, from a genre I don't read. Introverted Mom: Your Guide to More Calm, Less Guilt, and Quiet Joy. I'm finding myself feeling overwhelmed, so I was hoping for some tips. I was not expecting to get a Christian self help perspective, so doubly not a genre I read. I actually would have returned it unread as soon as I realized it was a religious perspective, but I requested it from out of my library system and it was short, so I put up with it. I did like some parts, the chapter on books and reading and her references to introverted female authors, I just wish she had kept the religion out of it, or that I had known that going in. Oh well, reading a book I wouldn't have otherwise read isn't going to kill me.

I've got about 100 pages left in The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism and need to return it on Tuesday, so I think I can do it.

QOTW: I have much to be thankful for, and I try to keep a gratitude mindset. My family firstly, they are so supportive and provide so much joy in my life. That I am able to take my life slowly at this stage of things and that is good for my physical and mental health. That I am able to afford extras that bring me physical and mental comfort. And of course, books, and great people to discuss them with! :D

Happy Thanksgiving/Happy Thursday! Just got back from the day with the family- a small group of us, so it was more relaxing than normal. The drive home, not so relaxing- either a lot of tipsy drivers or just bad drivers. But I got home in one piece, so it's all good!

I'm down to 4 prompts for the challenge!

Finished:
The Author's Guide to Murderit took me a while to get into this book. I think if I hadn't read and liked books from this trio before I might have dnf'd- but then about halfway through it really picked up. I wound up liking it- still like their other books more, but pretty fun
-11 A book from a genre you typically avoid (it was marked as cozy mystery)

Hear Me- a middle grade book about a girl dealing with hearing loss and a disagreement with her parents about how to move forward dealing with the loss. I thought this was really good, would recommend
-9 A book by a Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing author

Currently reading:
Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up- a romcom to fit the 24 letters prompt, so far I like it

First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers- I'm very slowly listening to this. It's very well written, but it's a very intense subject. This will be for the written in 2000 prompt

QotW:
Friends and family who are there for each other. All the great musical acts that come through my area, and the chance to see a wide range of shows. This group that makes my week more fun, and gives me tons of books to add to my tbr!

Didn't have time to get on and post yesterday so doing this now. Thanksgiving went well yesterday. It was my nephew's 1st Thanksgiving, our first Thanksgiving with a new family member so that was cute. I so can't wait for his 1st Christmas. My sister really wants to make it special. He won't remember it, but we will.

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Doing a couple of gift exchanges this year. A couple of them are book gift exchanges so I'm excited for that. I love when I get to give books to people.

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Book News:

Well with November pretty much over I know I won't finish any more books. In all I read 13 books this month. Not bad. The books I read weren't part of my original plan. After the election, I lost interest in my heavy topic reading. I had to find books that wouldn't get me angry. I didn't read anything that impressed me much, they were just okay. 3 and 4 star reads but nothing that really stood out.

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Going to the bookstore today. I know it's going to be crazy because of Black Friday, but I'm kind of looking forward to that actually, especially when it comes to the bookstore.

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QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
For what or whom are you the most thankful?

I am grateful to my mom who has been a big supporter of my mental health journey. This year she took me to get tested for Autism (which my therapist brought up last August). So back in January I got my official Autism diagnosis and it changed everything. I don't like getting my mental health diagnoses, but this one was different. It finally answered burning questions I've had since I was 12. My life now makes sense in a way it never did before. (as a kid teachers, and people around me, just made the assumption that I was shy and didn't like to talk. They didn't know that my struggle with communication was an Autism thing). This past year due to this diagnosis I've seen a lot of growth and progress in myself and how I understand who I am. I finally get it now.

I'm also grateful to my new nephew. He's 8 months, gonna be 9 months in December. I'm not a baby person. I don't have kids, don't want them, but I've come to like my nephew (not enough to want kids of my own though). I still don't see myself as a baby person but I've grown in terms of how I act now that there's a baby in our lives which has changed things so much. At the end of the day, I can always give him back (LOL!).

Grateful for the rest of my family.

Grateful for the online book community I've developed. It's so fun talking about books with people even if we have different tastes in reading material. People in my life aren't readers, so it's nice to have a community, even if it's online.

Happy Friday, y’all.

I had every plan to write and post my weekly report on Thanksgiving. And, no, it wasn’t because I was engaged for the holiday with family, food, and festive stuff.

Nope, I was very much alone with the dog I am sitting. Watched a movie, lots of TV, read, and took both a walk and a nap with said dog. So, I just plain forgot.

The good news is that I am one book away from finishing GR challenge and that I actually got a walk completed. (Even if that walk was a bit frustrating as Buddy wants to lead and pulls like a little engine!)

Tonight, temps are supposed to plummet into 20s and 30s (lows for the next week), and my trailer is still not winterized! So, I am off to Walmart later to get the anti-freeze (Ugh! Shopping on Black Friday)…and then will need to figure out how to do this chore. [Last winter I did not do it and simply kept the space heater running for a couple of months. I forgot I had it on. Electricity bills were sky high the following months!]

My newest gift to myself is a new Kindle. Ugh! I really dislike having to figure out the changes, but I have managed to read two books so far on it. Now I am awaiting delivery of the protective cover, which I really need.

In the past few weeks, I have rediscovered going out to the movies. The only hiccup is that the theater takes cash only, and I seldom have it on hand. Still, I would like to see Wicked and Moana 2.

Finished: [Found a battery, got it opened and changed, and now not sure how to put it back together! At least no more beeping.]

Rivers of London – ALCM, PAS. 4*. I knew it had paranormal aspects and that it was a mystery. What I didn't know was that I would like its quirkiness as much as I did.

The Once and Future King – PAS. 3*. A bit of a slog at times, but I am glad that I finally got it read. Small print (mass paperback size) and lots (639) of pages.

Touch & Go – PAS. 4*. A well-to-do family is kidnapped. And all the law related institutions get involved from a hired investigator, county and city police, and the FBI. I liked both Tessa and DD and were rooting for both of them to solve and save the family over the other legal groups.

Winter Cottage – ALCM. Kindle. 4*. This book was about finding family. Lucy's mother has died and she is on her own. She does not know who her father is nor anything about her mother's past. So, when she inherits a house in her mother's hometown, she heads there. The story is told in a dual timeline.

The Crushers – ATY #47, ALCM. Kindle. A last minute substitution for this prompt. After reading The Night Trilogy by Elie Wiesel, I just could not get myself to start The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal. 3.5* It was an interesting story but a bit choppy at times. Set in the Blue Mountains of Australia.

Currently Reading:

Wynnona Earp: Tales from Purgatory – Audiobook. 21%

The American Agent – ALCM. 60%. This one will finish my GR challenge.

Just Starting:
The Nun's Tale – ATY #48. 3%
The Devil Amongst the Lawyers – ATY, PAS. 6%
The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies – ALCM, PS #28. 1%

On Deck:
Kate: The Journal of A Confederate Nurse – PAS.
Palindrome – PAS
The Pony Wife – PAS


PS 38/50 (12 to go…5 on hand. Still not sure I will finish.)
ATY 47/52 (5 to go…and 4 I own. This one is right on track.)
GR 199/200

QotW: For what or whom are you the most thankful?

I am thankful that I wake up each morning with a new daily gift of life. I am thankful that I am in good health. I am thankful for libraries and books in all forms. And, I am thankful for my home and yard, as challenging as both are at times.

I am also thankful for friends, for this group, for my penpal, and for the connection (albeit distant) with my brother and sister. Although I am mostly an introvert, I do need people in my life. I am very grateful for those that are there.

Finally, I am thankful for my faith. It sustains me through thick and thin.

@L Y N N: I had a turkey sandwich. No cooking at all!

Happy Thanksgiving (a day late)! This year was just myself and mom. I thought I would be working (remotely) yesterday and today, so we didn't make travel plans with the rest of the family. Work plans changed last minute, thankfully, so I’m free to enjoy the long weekend with family and friends.

I'm so excited for the new challenge list Monday! Every time think about picking up a new book, I wonder if I should save it just in case it fits a difficult prompt.

Finished
Hell Is Empty. I remember the Longmire episode based off this book. They’re both good, but the book is a little better.

Exile. The second book in the SG1 Apocalypse series. This book does a good job of continuing to tie the “present” and future timelines together without answering every question, which makes me eager to read the final book.

Reading
The Yellow Wall-Paper, Herland, and Selected Writings

Ghost Radio

QOTW
This has been a mentally and emotionally rough month. I’m thankful for the friends who’ve listened kindly, and who have shared their fears and grief with me too. I’m thankful for this group too. I’m not always the most active in our check in threads, but I love reading everyone’s updates.

Well, I attempted Barnes & Noble today on Black Friday. I had some points saved up ($20) so I figured I'd use them. Technically one of the books I got was free so that was cool (even though they spread out the amount on the final total).

Every year our B&N chooses a local charity to donate books to so bought a couple of kid's books that were on sale (buy one, get one 50% off). I've been doing it for the past 18 years. Thought about not doing it this year, but that felt off so I'm glad I did. Also got my nephew a couple of books for Christmas as well.

These were the books I picked up:

Sincerely, Your Autistic Child

The Future of Humanity: Terraforming Mars, Interstellar Travel, Immortality and Our Destiny Beyond Earth

The Last Stand of the Raven Clan: A Story of Imperial Ambition, Native Resistance and How the Tlingit-Russian War Shaped a Continent

*****

Really excited for the PS 2025 Challenge that is going to be released come next week. So curious as to the prompts and whether or not I'll be able to fit nonfiction books for them since I struggled with that this year.

******

Also found a 2025 Reading Tracker Journal off Amazon that had a lot of what I was looking for. Noticed it on a TikTok video and it was perfect.

QOTW first:

I know everyone says it, but I am thankful for my family. My house has four generations living in it. Even though she drives me nuts, I'm glad my mom lives here so i can make sure she's ok every day...none of us is getting younger.

Also for my cats...they bring so much joy when I'm stressed

I'm thankful my eyes and brain still work so I can read.

I finished the ATY challenge this week. I'm still far from finishing PS with a month to go...

Read:
Say You're One of Them:
PS: complete sentence title
ATY: African country
52: 4 POVs
Robot librarian: set in Africa

Hamlet:
PS: 24th book of an author
ATY: n/a
52: n/a
Robot librarian: n/a

The Christmas Dogsitter's: no prompts

Under the Maui Sky:
PS: self-published author

Dubhease wrote: "Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the USA. We have Thanksgiving the second Monday in October. I have no idea if other countries have a day of Thanksgiving or not. If there are any non-Americans or ..."

In the Netherlands, the Protestant church has a 'Day of Thanksgiving for Crops and Labor' on the first Wednesday of November. In Catholic regions, there are fairs in September and October, originally also harvest festivals. Some cities have a cow market or horse market, also celebrating the end of harvest season and one last festival before winter is coming. Since almost no one works in agriculture anymore, no one knows why these fairs and festivals are in September and October. But this is why.

November flew by for me in a whirlwind! I'm thankful it's over to be honest.

Recent reads:

The Devil's Novice: Brother Cadfael delivers again

James: Amazing; absolutely deserving of all the accolades

The Avant-Guards: Down to the Wire: Kind of a mediocre end to the series

Sad Cypress: a solid mystery but the characters didn't really grab me

Swan Dive: The Making of a Rogue Ballerina: this was great, recommend the audio

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me: this has been sitting on my tbr forever and I'm glad I finally read it, but it didn't live up to the praise I'd seen from others

Hope everyone's having a relaxing weekend!

Where does the time go?? I had a friend in town this week to celebrate Thanksgiving with me - we baked ziti and quiche and had a whole day of relaxation and games. It was utterly delightful, now to try to mentally prepare for the work week Monday (and more importantly the new PS list!!!!!!!!!!!)

Challenges:
78/75 GoodReads Challenge
43/50 PopSugar Challenge

Finished:
1.) The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey (#39-NB Author) ⭐⭐⭐⭐: I really enjoyed the premise of this book - a scientist clones his wife and then marries the clone. It was smart and witty.

2.) Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett (#38- Cozy Fantasy) ⭐⭐⭐: I wanted to love this so much more than I actually did.



Currently Reading:
1.) Fable
2.) If I Had Your Face



QoTW: For what or whom are you the most thankful?
Friends that have become family to me, the whole week off work, best friends, my pup, the universe for putting my life together in such a broken, beautiful way that makes me appreciate even the toughest situations.

Ron wrote: "Well, I attempted Barnes & Noble today on Black Friday. I had some points saved up ($20) so I figured I'd use them. Technically one of the books I got was free so that was cool (even though they sp..."

Glad you went ahead and did the charity thing. (not to mention getting stuff for you and your nephews)

Harmke wrote: "In the Netherlands, the Protestant church has a 'Day of Thanksgiving for Crops and Labor' on the first Wednesday of November. In Catholic regions, there are fairs in September and October, originally also harvest festivals. Some cities have a cow market or horse market, also celebrating the end of harvest season and one last festival before winter is coming.."

I have never heard of any of these, how cool! I love learning new things!

Cornerofmadness:

Me too. Doing it 18 years now, I always feel good about it. Given my own love of reading, it brings warm feelings to spread that kind of joy to others.

The 2025 Popsugar Challenge is out!
https://www.popsugar.com/books/popsug...

L Y N N wrote: "The 2025 Popsugar Challenge is out!
https://www.popsugar.com/books/popsug..."

Time: 10:12 AM:

OMG yes! Checking it out now....

*****

Time: 10:16 AM

Okay not bad, there are some that are a bit tricky, but overall I think I'll be able to get some great nonfiction books this time around.

In 2024 it was hard to fit nonfiction into many of the prompts, but so far with 2025 it seems like I'll have an easier time with that which is excellent since 80% of what I read on a yearly basis is nonfiction.

I was a bit worried that the prompts would be more geared toward fiction again, but I'm glad that there's a great mix. I'll certainly get in some fiction, I'm just really glad there's more leeway this time around.

A lot of the prompts look fun and I'm excited to see what books fit where.

Bring on 2025!

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Prompts I'm excited for:

About space tourism

A book you got for free

Nontraditional education

Highly anticipated read of 2025

Music plays an integral part of the storyline

Overlooked woman in history

Author who is neurodivergent

Nature is the antagonist

And how exciting is it for Nadine and Lynn to have this group tagged in the intro!

I see the list as being a far easier one for someone like me who doesn't pre-plan and fills prompts from books I just happen to be reading - I read a book then look at the list to see where it fits. Eventually I know the list so well that I can spot things while reading the book and note what prompt. Example - the left-handed character.

Also for any sports one - just check the GR Sports shelf list -- there is a ton of sports smut there. 🤣 I promise you there will be a soccer one and probably one featuring a runners club or run club or whatever they are calling it (was that a typo?)

The only one I dislike is the prompt for a book where the last sentence causes you to read it. Too often that would ruin the book for me -- example - much crime fiction or espionage or suspense, and books like Circe. What I will do is a book that after I read it has a great ending sentence, I will use it.

Theresa wrote: "And how exciting is it for Nadine and Lynn to have this group tagged in the intro! ..."



oh my goodness I missed that! It used to be so overwhelming at the start of each list, thousands of new people would join our group! Then they opened the FB group and that took a lot of pressure off, which was nice!

Nadine in NY wrote: "Theresa wrote: "And how exciting is it for Nadine and Lynn to have this group tagged in the intro! ..."



oh my goodness I missed that! It used to be so overwhelming at the start of each list, tho..."

I missed it the first time through as well. It was only when I went back to look for the link to the printable list (which ended up not being what I wanted), that I saw it!

Theresa wrote: "The only one I dislike is the prompt for a book where the last sentence causes you to read it. Too often that would ruin the book for me -- example - much crime fiction or espionage or suspense, and books like Circe. What I will do is a book that after I read it has a great ending sentence, I will use it."

I'll definitely be doing the same thing! No way am I reading the final sentence first.

Alright, going through the list and damn, the way I'm grimacing at the AI chatbot.

I do *not* want to use any sort of AI like this. I refuse. Guess I'll just use a person for this one, haha!

As for many other prompts, given I'm so limited in my reading at the moment, I feel like a lot of these are impossible for me. But who knows, maybe next year will be better in terms of reading and I am ready to tackle them all!

It was so busy at work today I completely forgot the new list was going out! For the most part it seems ok- some might be a little tough like the food truck, menopause and running club.

I second the grimacing at the AI prompt! I don't do ai chatbots, so I'm just going to use the recommended/similar books on the goodreads page for a book. It's basically the same anyways!

Erin wrote: "It was so busy at work today I completely forgot the new list was going out! For the most part it seems ok- some might be a little tough like the food truck, menopause and running club.

I second ..."

That was my first thought about the ai too.

Can I just add on to my QOTW answer and say how grateful I am for this group? I love reading the discussions here, the suggestions and interpretations of each prompt, and all the inspiration for new books to read. I don't think I'd be nearly as successful in finishing this challenge if it weren't for this helpful community. <3

HELLOOOOOO!!

I popped in to check off some books I've read because I've not been great at that lately and POOF there is a new list! Should I try harder to do it next year... I still need to look through this year's prompts properly to see what I can mark off from my random reading.

I took a peek and I REFUSE to use an AI chatbot or get stuff from someone who did. WHY would anyone associated with the arts in any way suggest something this harmful? Just NO. I'm also not crazy about reading the last line - For some books that's the reveal!

I'm glad to see some books about joy in there and some look fun - others challenging

Let's see if I can get back into it this time!

The prompt with the AI chatbox- I didn't really think that one through. I removed it from my list. I know AI is a problem in creative circles, but initially I didn't think it was as bad as it seemed, I just figured it would be like a random generator type thing. It's probably better to get book recs from social media or groups like this, actual people rather than rely on tech. Having thought it out I can understand the issue now, I didn't quite get it before.

poshpenny is a BOOKSELLER wrote: "I took a peek and I REFUSE to use an AI chatbot or get stuff from someone who did. WHY would anyone associated with the arts in any way suggest something this harmful? Just NO. I'm also not crazy about reading the last line - For some books that's the reveal!"

I am so glad I'm not alone in this. I was a bit worried I'd get a bunch of 'ohmygod don't be so dramatic' replies, so it's been wonderful to see people share my view of AI!

I've had quite a busy couple of weeks. I finally saw the "Beauty and the Beast" musical with my mother, sister, and brother-in-law. I loved as much as I had hoped.

I went to a fun Friendsgiving with many of my favorite people. We did soups and breads instead of traditional Thanksgiving fare. I even tried a new soup recipe and made cornbread (I don't cook all that much usually).

I saw the movie "Wicked" with a couple of close friends and had a delightful evening with them.

And then Thanksgiving was a fun and chaotic event. We hadn't had the entire family (my siblings and their families) together since before the pandemic, and it was so much fun. We had 24 out of 30 of us there. I spent a lot of time with my favorite nieces and nephews (yes, I have favorites - not that I tell people that).

And now I've been ill most of the time since then, but it was all well worth it.

I am not going to finish the 2024 challenge as I've only read about half the books I normally read in a year. There are still a few books I want to read though, so I may do that and not start the new one right away. I've read through the new prompts but haven't started making plans yet.

The only book I read this week was Crying in H Mart, which was my IRL book club book. I ended up being too ill to actually go to the meeting, but I did get the book finished. I had a lot of uncomfortable moments with this book as I have a complicated relationship with my mother, and there were a lot of similarities. As horrible as it sounds, I am hoping my mother dies sooner rather than later as she has dementia that is slowly getting worse. We would rather she doesn't get to the stages some of her siblings did. Anyway, this book left me wondering how I will actually feel when my mother dies. And then there was soooo much food talk, which didn't interest me as I really dislike Asian food. 3 stars.

Goodreads: 46/50
Popsugar: 28/50

QOTW: As mentioned above, I am so grateful I was able to spend time with almost all of my favorite people recently. I am so lucky to have a good family and great friends. I'm grateful every day that, even though my health is poor, I have a roof over my head, food in the fridge, water in the tap, money in the bank, a car that still runs, good health insurance, and a really comfortable bed. And I am always and forever grateful for books.

Carmen wrote: "Theresa wrote: "The only one I dislike is the prompt for a book where the last sentence causes you to read it. Too often that would ruin the book for me -- example - much crime fiction or espionage..."

A friend gave me a great idea for this one - have someone reccommend a book they read which had a great last line. She had one for me which I will read - on our roadtrip to Yellowstone in October, she was listening to an audiobook and when she finished it she shouted 'that was not expected!' She has recommended it to me.

I personally recommend the beautiful Circe for this. Ut's last line is a stunner. My heart was so full, I cried. I will post this idea later to the recommendation thread for that prompt.

Just gonna say here that I do not have a clue what the AIChatbot reccommendation would look like or even where to find one. No need to explain here. I will look at wahs our dedicated admins have come up with to guide us and figure out how to do it 'my way'. Just as I did past prompts like NaNoMoWri or fanfic, or any number of such.