Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Happy Thursday!!

It's snowed more than it's sunshined here this week. Today is cold but forecast to be a rare sunshine day, so I'm washing my towels today. My ex has not had a chance to open up the dryer to try to repair it, so our laundry days are dependent on the weather.

I spy the smallest specks of yellow pushing up, so next week I will have my early daffodils! Spring was late this year AND it seems to be moving slowly, so my snowdrops are over but nothing else has popped up to replace them yet.



Admin stuff
March's group read is Station Eleven. Lynn has stepped up to lead the group! You can join the discussion here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


The April group read, for healing fiction, will be: Before the Coffee Gets Cold Let us know if you'd like to lead the discussion. Less than a week before April starts, and we have no leader!!


The final poll for May's group read, which could fill "space tourism" is complete and the May book will be: Floating Hotel!!


The nomination poll for June's group read (which could fill "road trip") is open - go vote for or write in your favorite:
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...





This week I finished 1 book. I picked this intentionally to read for "POC experiencing joy not trauma" and it did fit that (and I did end up checking off that box) but it also PERFECTLY fit "two or more books on the cover" (and the book he is handing her is even the book the character wrote in the story! great work, art team, on capturing the details!!!), so I'm torn. I have good books picked out that would fit either of these categories so it's not like one would be "easier." For now, I've got "POC joy" checked, but if I read another book that fills that first, then I'll move this book to "books on cover."

The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest - this was about a man who wrote a book when he was in college, and is now surprised with a GREAT book/ movie deal for it thanks to his agent/bestie, and a woman who works as an editing assistant at a big publisher. It was really cute and I enjoyed spending time with all the characters, I even enjoyed all the supporting characters, the author is quite gifted in creating people who feel real. But I got a little annoyed with some of the plot choices and overall structure of the novel, so I ended up giving it three stars. As I said, I checked off "POC experiencing joy" since both leads (and almost all the supporting characters) are Black.



Popsugar 46% 23 /50
Must Reads 20% 2 /10
AtY 44% 23 /52
AtY bonus 0% 0 /10
2025 pub 22% 11 /50
Net Galley ratio 77% because I'm getting approved faster than I can read this month.



Question of the Week
Since it's week 13 ... Do you ever superstitiously try to skip the #13?



I do not. But I wondered idly about it as I typed in this week's header, and I don't have any other good questions to ask right now, sooo ... how about it? Who's afraid of 13? Have you stayed in a hotel that skipped the 13th floor?

Happy Thursday!

Spring break this week! And I've spent it doing squat with my free time. Hey, at least I'm enjoying the break from classes...

Books read this week:

Lolita -- for “a book you have avoided reading.” How the heck do you review a novel like this? All I can say is that it’s definitely disturbing reading.

Armageddon Summer -- for “a book about a non-traditional education.” A disturbing but well-done YA novel about two kids trapped in a doomsday cult.

Zombie Apocalypse Running Club -- for “a book about a run club.” Campy but entertaining.

Not Good for Maidens -- for “a book about fantasy creatures that aren’t dragons.” Entertaining queer retelling of the poem “Goblin Market.”

DNF:

Citadel -- the writing style was an immediate turn-off. Shame, because I was looking forward to an autistic lead in a sci-fi novel.

Currently reading:

The Stolen Child -- for “a book you got for free”
When the Moon Hits Your Eye -- for “a highly anticipated read of 2025”
That Quail, Robert -- for “a book that includes a non-verbal character”
Life As We Knew It -- for “a book where nature is the antagonist”

QOTW: I admit, I will avoid the number 13 at times. I don't consider myself superstitious, but it's more of a little game than anything else.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

This has definitely been a very reading-heavy week!

We’re only a handful of days away from the end of March Mystery Madness, which has been a lot of fun. I’ve had a chance to read a lot of good mysteries this month, and even managed to finish two series. I am hoping to finish a third before the end of the readathon, but it’s really going to depend on how much reading time I have over the weekend.

Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…

Goodreads Challenge: 119/250
Mount TBR Challenge: 092/150

📚Physical TBR: 78/731
📱Ebook TBR: 9/218
🎧Audiobook TBR: 5/12
TBR Checklist Total: 92/961

TBR Books DNFed in 2025: 3

The only book I’d planned to buy this week was When the Moon Hits Your Eye, by John Scalzi. However, I imagine it won’t surprise anyone to hear that I also picked up another book at Barnes & Noble this week, which was A Language of Dragons, by S.F. Williamson.

I really need to stop going to the bookstore unsupervised.

“New” Books Bought in 2024: 68
“New” Books Read in 2024: 27
“New” Books DNFed in 2024: 0

Here are the books I finished this week…

Finished Reading (Fiction):
~Charms and Chocolate Chips — This is the third book in the Magical Bakery Mystery series. I really enjoyed this story, and liked the new character who was introduced. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Some Enchanted Éclair — This is the fourth book in the Magical Bakery Mystery series. I thought this was a fun mystery, and really liked that it involved a movie production. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Magic and Macaroons — This is the fifth book in the Magical Bakery Mystery series. I thought this was a really interesting mystery. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Spells and Scones — This is the sixth book in the Magical Bakery Mystery series. I thought this was a good story, especially because the victim had made so many enemies. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Potions and Pastries — This is the seventh book in the Magical Bakery Mystery series. This was an interesting mystery, set around Easter. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Cookies and Clairvoyance — This is the eighth book in the Magical Bakery Mystery series. I thought this was a pretty good story, and really liked having the opportunity to get to know the main character’s father better. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Witches and Wedding Cake — This is the ninth book in the Magical Bakery Mystery series. I really enjoyed this mystery. It was fun to see the main character working to solve a murder at the same time that she was preparing for her wedding. I also enjoyed seeing her interactions with her new in-laws. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Spirits and Sourdough — This is the tenth (and most recent) book in the Magical Bakery Mystery series. I thought this was a really good story, and was happy to get another mystery that took place during Halloween. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Homicide at the Haunted House — This is the first book in the Nightmare, Indiana mystery series. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and loved the characters. I’ll definitely be continuing this series in the future! 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~A Beach House To Die For — This is the first book in the Mariposa Beach Cozy Mystery series. I thought this was a good story, and had fun reading a mystery set in Costa Rica. I currently do not have any plans to continue this series, but liked the first book enough that I might at some point in the future. 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone — This is the first book in the Harry Potter series. While this book was a re-read for me, this was my first time listening to my copy of the audiobook, as well as my first time reading the British edition. I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook before bed each night, and thought that Stephen Fry was a good narrator. 🎧: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Murder's a Witch — This is the first book in the Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery series. I thought this was a pretty good mystery, and liked the main character and her roommates. 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Golden Ghouls — This is the first book in the Monsters of Jellyfish Beach mystery series. I thought this was a fun story, and really liked the main character. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Death by Dark Roast — This is the first book in the Charleton House Mystery series. I thought this was a really good mystery, and liked the characters. There is a prequel to this book, which I do wish I had read first, but I was able to get into the story without any problems. I currently do not have the rest of the books in the series, but would like to continue reading it in the future. 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Pumpkin Spice Scare — This is the fourth book in the Cupcake Crime series. Even though I haven’t had a chance to read the other books in this series, I did not feel like I had missed out on any significant plot points. I thought this was a good Halloween mystery. 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Up in Fangs: Grissel Wells Paranormal Cozy Mystery Book 1 — This is the first book in the Grissel Wells Paranormal Cozy Mystery series. I really enjoyed this story, and thought the characters were great. I’m definitely interested in continuing this series at some point in the future. 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
None

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

Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None

DNFed:
~Vampires and Villains - This is the second book in the Magical Mystery Book Club series. I got this book for free on one of last year’s Stuff Your Kindle days, but did not care for the writing and just couldn’t get into the story. 📱

Currently Reading:
~The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights, Volume 2 — I have not made any additional progress on this book during the past week. 📚
~The Princess Bride: An Illustrated Edition of S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure — This is the second time that I have attempted to read this particular book. I first picked it up as a teenager, but DNFed it in the first chapter because I just couldn’t get into it. A few decades have passed since then, and when I found a copy of the illustrated edition at my local bookstore, I decided to give it a second chance. I’m currently two-thirds of the way through, and I’ve been enjoying it so far. 📚
~Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets — This is the second book in the Harry Potter series. While this book is a re-read for me, this is the first chance I’ve had to listen to my copy of the audiobook, as well as my first time enjoying the British edition of the series. I’m having a great time listening to this book before bed each night, and while working on household projects. 🎧
~Baking Bad — This is the first book in the Beaufort Scales mystery series. I’ve only read a couple of chapters so far, but I think it’s going to be a good read. 📱

QOTW:
I prefer even numbers and multiples of 5, but the number 13 doesn’t really bother me.

Wow can't believe another week flew by and our next weekly post will be in April (since the 31st is on a Tuesday). Crazy at how time is just flying by.

It's been easy-going for me. Waiting on school information but that's about it at the moment. Helping my parents babysit my nephew. It's exhausting. Makes me glad I don't have kids of my own.

****

Book News:

Since it's the end of March pretty much, I finished off the month reading 12 books so that was cool. My top 3 genres for the month of March was: History, Science, and Nature.

My favorite March book was Is Earth Exceptional?: The Quest for Cosmic Life .

It asks a lot of questions and has a lot of theoretical elements but that was one of the draws for me. The authors do an excellent job at explaining the science in ways that are easy for non-science people to understand. After I finished the book it made me think of a quote from the 2002 Steven Spielberg miniseries 'Taken' about how life is all about asking questions and not knowing answers.

Finished:

Sunrise on the Reaping - 5 stars. This book was awesome! I won't say much because of spoilers, but I will say I loved it and it's by far my favorite Hunger Games book. I so needed Haymitch's story to be canon rather than fan fiction and fan speculation.

The release party was fun. I won some Hunger Games stickers which are pretty cool.

*****

Even though we still have a week left of March (give or take), I've started on my April reads. I have some great books lined up. 4 priority reads and 7 from my TBR cart.


*****

Currently Reading:

Unmasking for Life: The Autistic Person's Guide to Connecting, Loving, and Living Authentically - I read Price's previous book, Unmasking Autism and that book changed my life. I'm excited for his new one!

UFO: The Inside Story of the U.S. Government's Search for Alien Life Here―and Out There - This is a re-read. I may not agree with Graff's conclusions about UFO's, but I love his work. I can't wait for his new release in August about the atomic bomb and the paperback version of his book on D-Day.

*****

I also have a list of April releases that I'm excited for.

April New Releases:

Why We Love (and Hate) Twilight: The Highs and Lows of the Twilight Saga

The Autistic's Guide to Self-Discovery: Flourishing as a Neurodivergent Adult

Bibliotherapy in the Bronx

The Book: A Cover-to-Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of Our Time

Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading


*****

Question of the Week

Since it's week 13 ... Do you ever superstitiously try to skip the #13?

Fun question.

I have a love/hate relationship with the #13. It was my first soccer number when I played as a kid before I switched numbers once I started playing on an all-girls team. I consider 13 to be a lucky number as a result rather than an unlucky one. I even made MVP one season on an all-boys team when I was like 10 years old) and I had the number 13 that year.

PS: 47/50 94% Almost there, guys!
March Library TBR: 6/18 33%
March Purchased TBR: 2/5 40%

Finished: The Pushcart War read for about a food cart. I enjoyed this. There were times when I LOL'ed.

The Tyranny of Experts: Economists, Dictators, and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor Didn't get as much out of this as I was hoping.

Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist Third time reading this. Such a good book!

Gliff I was really looking forward to this. Ali Smith has a way of smushing together two totally contradictory ideas, but making it understandable. This fell in the middle for me between books of hers I loved and books I DNF.

Started: Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own I started reading this for prompt happily single female protagonist. It was okay, but I decided to switch over to Figuring instead, a 500 page book, but one that I intended to re-read anyway.

The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear for prompt overlooked woman. Wow! This is really compelling so far.

The Unicorn Project I randomly picked this up because it was on display at the library. It's really weird. It's a novel all about a developer who has to deal with a bunch of bureaucracy in order to accomplish anything at work. I'm about 2/3 of the way through, but I'm not sure I'll finish it.

QotW: I don't really avoid the number 13, but I HAVE stayed in hotels where they skip the 13th floor.

It was a rough week last week. I completely forgot (as I often do) to update on Thursday, had a really long hard day at work Friday, and when I realized on Saturday that I hadn't updated yet was still too worn out from Friday to care.

This week has been somewhat better. I applied to two jobs in the past 24 hours (I'd say at least one of them I stand a shot at), so while the job search has been met with nothing but frustration and rejection so far that is, I guess, somewhat positive. And so, although I should go to the gym or take a nice walk, I am instead going to treat myself to lunch, try not to dwell too much on the job applications, and then move on with my to-do list for the day.

Completed
We Solve Murders
Oedipus the King
You Were There Too
The Children's Hour

PS Challenge: 27/50

Currently Reading
The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
The Last Murder at the End of the World
The Mistletoe Secret

QOTW
No, I have no aversion to the number 13.

Happy Thursday! We just had three days of temps over 70, and it was glorious! Last evening was so pleasant that we ate outdoors, grilling burgers and listening to music. We're going to have to ask the neighbor boys to come mow our lawn soon. The weather will be cooler again now - temps in the low to mid-60s - but I'm glad it's not getting too hot too soon.

2025 Reading Challenges:

52 Book Club: 29/52 (March Mini-Challenge: 3/3)
ATY: 22/52 (ATY Anniversary Challenge: 4/10, ATY Spring Challenge: 19/30)
The Book Girls’ Guide: 19/74
Booklist Queen: 32/52
Cover Lovers: 22/50
Popsugar: 24/50

My Ever-Growing TBR: 35/238 – 14.7% (My goal is 33.3%.)

Recently Completed:

Lady in the Lake (52 Books #16 – author has won an Edgar/ATY #38 – two books with a connection from different genres/Booklist Queen #12 – fiction and nonfiction by the same author: Laura Lippman) ★★★

The Last Bookstore on Earth (ATY Spring #4 – BABY ANIMALS: Lily Braun-Arnold/Booklist Queen #18 – a debut novel) ★★★

Winning Fixes Everything: How Baseball's Brightest Minds Created Sports' Biggest Mess: 2023 NPR Books We Love. (ATY Spring #14 – EARTH DAY: Evan Drellich/Cover Lovers #13 – sports equipment) ★★★★

My Life as a Villainess (ATY #39 – two books with a connection from different genres/Booklist Queen #13 – fiction and nonfiction by the same author: Laura Lippman) ★★★★

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride: 2023 NPR Books We Love. (52 Books March Mini-Challenge #3 – book on TBR with the prettiest cover/ATY Spring #12 – RAINCOAT: Roshani Chokshi/Booklist Queen #3 – a romantasy) ★★★

Julia: A retelling of “1984” from Julia’s POV. (ATY Spring #7 – JELLYBEANS: Julia) ★★★★

The Girl with the Louding Voice (ATY Spring #13 – GREEN: Girl/BGG Book Voyage #3 – Africa/Booklist Queen #17 – author from Africa) ★★★★

Hollow Kingdom (52 Books #18 – a character who can fly/ATY Anniversary #3 – an author’s debut) ★★★

I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness ★★★★

Rainbow Black (ATY Spring #8 – RAINSTORM: Maggie Thrash/Popsugar #35 – centered on LGBTQ+ but not about coming out) ★★★

The Return of Wolves: An Iconic Predator’s Struggle to Survive in the American West ★★★★



Currently Reading:

More: A Memoir of Open Marriage (Cover Lovers #39 – one of the four seasons: Molly Roden Winter)
The Dream Hotel (ATY Anniversary #6 – related to the NATO Phonetic Alphabet: Hotel/Booklist Queen #45 – 2025 new release)
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls (ATY #10 – witches, goddesses, or nuns)
Junie (ATY #43 – title contains 10 or fewer letters/Cover Lovers #35 – sunrise or sunset)
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home (52 Books #49 – set in a country with an active volcano)
Into the Bright Open
With Love from London (BGG Lifetime of Reading #4 – 30-somethings)
You Shouldn't Be Here (ATY Spring #6 – TULIPS: Lauren Thoman)
Broken Country (52 Books #52 – published in 2025/Booklist Queen #28 – makes you cry)
Lore Olympus: Volume Seven (ATY #4 – set underground, undersea, or in an underworld)
The Duchess War (Popsugar #45 – a left-handed character)



QOTW: I'm not superstitious and have no aversion to the number 13 (or any other number). It's funny that hotels skip the 13th floor... giving in to a silly superstition. Do hotels in China skip the 4th floor?

It's been a hectic week at work to get a very important project out the door, but I now have a four day weekend to recover.

Not much read but on the bright side, a character in a current read has just been told they're starting menopause so that's a small win. No one in the real world would understand!

Finished:
Oathbound by Tracy Deonn. I picked this up thinking it would be a fast paced read based on my experience with the previous books, but it was so slow and overlong. It's like the first 300 pages she was working out where the story was going and didn't go back to edit out the loose ends. Several chapters are told from minor characters POV without doing much to further the plot. The trilogy has been extended so it's not even the final book... I feel a bit cheated. I did enjoy the second half though.
PS: 19 A highly anticipated read of 2025
BR: 1. Read a 2025 release by a BIPOC author

QOTW:
No, I might make a joke but I wouldn't avoid it. I wonder if superstitions can have a sort of negative placebo affect. You expect something bad to happen, so it happens, or you're just hyper-aware of the bad stuff.

Happy Sunny Thursday!

I had hoped to go for a walk today, but my left foot's toes have decided to go all tingly every and now then when I walk, and I have to assume it's from overexertion, so I'm giving biking a go tomorrow!

What a week it's been! Annual pass party until 2am on Friday, up at 7am to go home for the Snollebollekes concert on Saturday night. I had a blast! I thought I'd recovered, but my foot sounds like it wants to be a dealbreaker so xD

Having said that, I am now 40% into the first Hobbit challenge, and THIS close to 30% into the Scotland challenge!

I also wanted to buy a dress at Disney if it fit, but sadly it didn't so I spent the saved money on a next trip to Disney. Girl math!

Speaking of Disney trips, the current situation has me quite scared of our upcoming WDW trip. Just the question of 'should I undye my hair?' alone. I've had purple hair for almost 10 years, I don't feel me without it but. UGH.

In other news, I binged Sex Education, am now done, and no longer know what to do with my life, hahah!

Read
Crier's War
Popsugar: queer characters not about coming out
Server: new author in one of fave genres

Finished just now! It's a bit of a stretch for me for the Popsugar prompt, because my brain just be like that. It happens to be sapphic, and I've decided it counts. Might use the sequel for 'MC is a politician' for another stretch. She's not technically a politician, but might as well be xD

I surprisingly enjoyed this. Only a few times did it fall into the typical YA traps (and the end seemed to have some continuation issues?), and I am ready to continue with the sequel!

Currently Reading
Iron Heart
I have just over a week left on my Libby hold so best to just dive right into the sequel. Hopefully I'll enjoy it as much as the first book!

QOTW
Not at all. I looked it up because Laura Z raised a good point and apparently they do! And not just the 4th floor, also 14th/24th etc!

Happy Thursday!

It's been a slow work week, so I've had a bit of extra reading time.

Finished:
Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite - 4 stars - not for a prompt. Some really interesting world-building in this sci-fi mystery about a spaceship on a long-term voyage. Would love to read more set in this world.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen - 5 stars (reread) - for a book with a great last line. It's no secret, I love this book so much.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The last line(s), for those curious: (view spoiler)[ "So I will tell you: My name is Vanja. And this is the story of how I am caught." (hide spoiler)]

I am currently at 17/50 for Popsugar (15/40 and 2/10).

Currently reading:
Painted Devils by Margaret Owen - for a book about a cult.

Upcoming/Planned:
Holy Terrors by Margaret Owen - for my highly anticipated read of 2025.

To Steal from Thieves by M.K. Lobb - not sure about a prompt yet.

QOTW:
No, I'm not really superstitious about the number 13. Sometimes I make jokes like, "ooh, it's Friday the thirteenth" when I even notice, but of the time it's just another number.

Happy Thursday! Hoping to go away for the weekend, but just got a snowstorm warning for tomorrow, so fingers crossed!

Finished
Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I'd Known About Menopause Read for the menopause prompt. An easy read. I'm not quite there in my life, but many of my friends are discussing perimenopause symptoms. I think maybe it would be more meaningful if I were older - but at least I know I can return to it. Definitely found it more chatty/anecdata-y than rigorously scientific, but points for just being willing to discuss it. It's maybe unfortunate - I was picking what book to bring somewhere public and thought I didn't want it to be this, but then questioned why I would be ashamed to be reading it.

Harlem Shuffle Really enjoyed this group of connected stories (unfortunately already have that prompt) about Ray Carney, a Harlem furniture store owner trying to keep his upstanding and criminal worlds apart. It worked for me even though it was slow and sometimes confusing - the narrative took a bit of unpacking. Loved some of the side characters, will read the next book about Carney.

The Island of Sea Women I thought this was excellently written and really informative about a subject I knew nothing about (haenyeo - Korean female sea divers), but somehow it didn't completely hit for me. I think it's the opposite of Harlem Shuffle - I never got that engaged by the characters, even though they went through some heart-wrenching experiences. I don't think I'm going to use it for PS - it sort of fits a few prompts (adult friendships, overlooked woman in history, but I have nitpicks about why it doesn't actually work for each, so I think I'm not going to count it).

In Progress
Dataclysm: Who We Are
The Mercy of Gods

QotW
Generally, no. I find it amusing when hotels / buildings don't do a 13th floor - isn't the 14th floor then just a disguised 13th? But the one odd place I care about it is on my library dashboard! I just don't like having 13 books listed as checked out. So for instance, I had to bring Island of the Sea Women back today because it was a few days overdue, but I had nothing else ready to go back, which would bring me down to 13 checked out. (Although in a counterpoint to my hotels point, it actually isn't because I have an unlisted interlibrary loan book too. But my account shows 13.)

At most times, I actually would take another book out so my listed number sits at 14, but I'm really trying to cut down on the library books out. So I just left it, but when I logged in to check my library status, it made me unhappy!

It's been a longer than usual week for me, mostly due to having a program on Monday, and a colder than expected one, too. There was even some snow flurries last night! Today, though chilly, is bright and sunny, so hopefully we'll see some actual Spring weather soon.

Finished:
Hope in the Valley - A decent story about family and change, but there were a few things that annoyed me, the main being that a fair bit of the plot involves the main character being in a production of The Sound of Music, but the author never acknowledges (which means she probably wasn't aware) that the movie and musical are pretty different. Also, some of the other plot points end up being glossed over, and I would have liked if some things (her on the rocks friendship, etc.) were delved into a little more.
Aniana del Mar Jumps In - I liked how the author played with different poem forms to tell the story. Beyond that, my feelings for this one are complicated.
The Wild Robot - I reread this for my Monday program (watching the movie and then discussing the differences between it and the book), and enjoyed it as much as I did the first time. I listened to the audiobook this time around, and it was interesting in that it had music and sound effects for the first and last handful of chapters.
A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall - Was not a fan of the way this story was told, but it was a decent mystery otherwise.

Currently reading:
To & Fro
The Sound of Music Story: How A Beguiling Young Novice, A Handsome Austrian Captain, and Ten Singing von Trapp Children Inspired the Most Beloved Film of All Time
Return to Sender: A Novel
A Soft Place to Land
The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science

QOTW: Like others, I'm not superstitious about it, but I do dislike my checkouts being 13, and I try to avoid it when I'm turning the volume up or down in my car. Other than that, I don't think about it too much.

Hi all! Happy Opening Day of baseball season!!

Worked again today. I'm beat. Though not feeling quite as bad as last week, as I didn't climb flights of stairs 50 times today- like last week (may be a slight exaggeration).

It has been a very wonky week for me. Feel free to breeze past if you don't care, I just post cause I find it weird/amusing!

My fridge almost died, but what really happened was the freezer tried to run the defrost cycle. When that didn't work (I think it was too full, but it's been that full for days, soo??), the whole thing *shut down*. What kind of "feature" is that??? I'd rather have frost on everything!
Then my boyfriend's mom had an appointment that I agreed to take her to, when we got there, she was told that the appointment was cancelled because the provider does not do the procedure she was referred for. Why did the referring doctor refer her someplace that doesn't do what she needs done? And more importantly, why did the doctor's office even schedule an appointment for a procedure they don't do?? Well, we laughed about it the whole way home, but I hope she made some calls and gave some people hell!

As for reading, I'm about 3/4 of the way through King: A Life. I really like it, there's lots of info I either didn't know or didn't know as deeply. I would like to finish it by next check in, but that might be a stretch.

Got back into Lavender House, it's a good murder mystery, and I don't have guesses as to whodunnit.

Also read a few more chapters in Hanging Mary.

QOTW: So I don't have any real aversion to 13. When I was in kindergarten, I remember a tornado warning (in NY) on a spring Friday the 13th and we had to huddle in the hallway. I said I would never go back to school on Friday the 13th (obviously I did).

I'm still working on Silver by Andrew Motion as my book with silver in the title. Should be done by tomorrow. I'd say this book is the epitome of "it's OK."

QOTW: No. But, I rub my forehead every time 666 comes up. Jsut did it.

Jennifer W wrote: "QOTW: So I don't have any real aversion to 13. When I was in kindergarten, I remember a tornado warning (in NY) on a spring Friday the 13th and we had to huddle in the hallway. I said I would never go back to school on Friday the 13th (obviously I did)"

Sometimes I think way too much about stupid things. There are 1 to 3 Friday the 13ths in any given year. Some would be during the summer. Probably wouldn't have ended up missing that much school.

Greetings! Spring is starting to pop up - the trees are slightly fuzzy. Even though it was really a pretty mild winter, it was colder than in the past several years and spring is arriving later. My FB fee conveniently popped up today an image of daffodils in full bloom in Central Park from a year ago this day. Today the green shoots have just started to appear.

ATY - 27/60
PS - 20/52

Finished:
Murder at the Mena House - PS prompt luxury resort; ATY - author uses 3 names.
Scrublands - PS Nature antagonist - drought and heat, ATY - Blood Moon mentioned multiple times - prompt is the moon name one.

Currently:
A Treacherous Curse
Flying Too High
Killing Trail
Three Act Tragedy

QOTW: I consider the number 13 as a very lucky number. Good and important things happen to me on Friday the 13th. I think it is absurd to avoid floors numbered 13 - and living in NYC where so many buildings are far taller than a mere 13 floors it's extremely irritating to have the floor numbers skip from 12 to 14. I'll let you in on a secret: That's just for show. All plans and filings with the Department of Buildings show the number 13, including on the certificates of occupancy. Thus, whenever you are filing anything or checking anything filed with the Department of Buildings for a floor above 12, you have to reduce the number by 1 - i.e 14 is 13, 31 is 30. It's a PITA. The 'public' numbering in elevators, directories, number of suites is not 'true' but done to appease the superstitious.

Nor do I credit the superstition of 13 at table -- which literally just came up in the Agatha Christie I'm currently reading - where the MC secretary is joining the dinner to avoid the 'bad luck' of 13 at table!

Happy Thursday! I've been battling a sinus infection. Yay allergies. The only downside of spring!

Finished 12/50

How to Age Disgracefully for "book with a character going through menopause". This was so freaking cute. Not a deep read but a fun one.

Currently Reading

Tending the Garden of Our Hearts: Daily Lenten Meditations for Families for "book you got for free". Halfway through!

First Fruits of Prayer: A Forty-Day Journey Through the Canon of St. Andrew (not for challenge): I'm still enjoying this the second time through!

A Swiftly Tilting Planet for "book mentioned in another book". As in, the back of the previous book has an ad for the next book. Which is this one. Maybe that's cheating. XD

QotW

Nah.

Ellie wrote: "Not much read but on the bright side, a character in a current read has just been told they're starting menopause so that's a small win. No one in the real world would understand! ..."



LOL so true. I try to tell my kids these things, and they silently look at me like: "mom. I'm trying to be polite here but I could not possibly care less about your challenge categories."

Laura Z wrote: "QOTW: I'm not superstitious and have no aversion to the number 13 (or any other number). It's funny that hotels skip the 13th floor... giving in to a silly superstition. Do hotels in China skip the 4th floor?

reply | delete | flag

..."


Yes I think they do, I think they might be more superstitious about 4 than we are about 13, as a society, in general.


That reminds me of lyrics from the fantastic defunct band Morphine, in their song Slow Numbers:

The number four means nothing to me but the number four means death to Chinese.
Number seven is lucky in Japan. Here we don′t give a damn.

But on the elevator, no thirteenth floor.
On the elevator, no thirteenth floor.
Thirteenth going up. Going up... Going up...

(It's probably not fair to say no one here cares about 7 - but it was a good rhyme so they went with it.)

Laura Z wrote: "... The Dream Hotel (ATY Anniversary #6 – related to the NATO Phonetic Alphabet: Hotel ..."



Brilliant!! I read that book and liked it a lot (it works for dystopian with a happy ending, and married couple living apart.) I've been ignoring the "bonus" AtY categories, figuring I'd go back later and see if anything fit, but I'm checking that one off NOW, because I remember having a hard time with that category in the past.

Happy Thursday! Got the chance to hang out with a bunch of friends this last week, which was really nice- saw a couple shows with some, first shows of the year. And then went wine tasting with another- which was funny, since neither of us are big drinkers. But it was a nice place to hang out and catch up and very slowly sip on our wines.

Finished:
Lu and Ren's Guide to Geozoology- a cute graphic novel about two young teens searching for a missing grandma, and studying fantastical creatures along the way
-no prompt

The Family Recipe-this was fine, but a little bit of a let down. There were so many POVs that we never really got to dive deep into the characters mindset. I think this could have been really interesting, but I wanted more
-no prompt

Leslie F*cking Jones- I love Leslie Jones as a comedian and she's had an interesting life, but this memoir wasn't my favorite
-no prompt

At Last She Stood: How Joey Guerrero Spied, Survived, and Fought for Freedom- a really interesting middle grade nonfiction book about Joey Guerrero, a Filipino woman who lived an amazing life.
-32 A book about an overlooked woman in history

Currently reading:
The Last Graduate- I"m so annoyed with myself on this one, I somehow lost track of when my libby loan was up and decided to finish my other linger books first, and the loan ran out... I should be able to get a physical copy from the library soon tho
Slow Noodles: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes- it's good, but upsetting so I'm reading slowly
Time Loops & Meet Cutes-just started, so far very fun!

QotW:
Not really superstitious about 13- I do have a lot of other superstitions though

A quick update for me this week! I finished two books and slated one into an open prompt (though I will probably swap it out for another title if I read something that fits). I'm at 7/40 and 0/10 for this challenge, and 17/85 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge.

Finished:
* The New Menopause: Navigating Your Path Through Hormonal Change with Purpose, Power, and Facts by Mary Claire Haver, which I jammed into the "book that features a character going through menopause" because, well, the title of the book says it all; and,
* A Rising Man written by Abir Mukherjee and narrated by Malk Williams, which one of my book clubs will discuss next month -- I really enjoyed the narrator and couldn't wait to hear how it turned out. I definitely want to read more in the series based on this introduction to Sam Wyndham and the supporting cast of characters.

Currently Reading:
* The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries edited by Michael Sims;
* Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour; and,
* My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry written by Fredrik Backman and translated by Henning Koch, which I should finish up over the weekend. Even though I didn't finish it in time for last weekend's book club meeting, it was a good discussion.

QotW:
Since it's week 13 ... Do you ever superstitiously try to skip the #13? Nope! One of my grandfathers said his lucky number was 13, so I grew up thinking there was nothing to fear about that number.

read nothing this week It's been rough. Mom's in the hospital (doing okay l uckily)

qotw
I don't avoid 13s. It's a lucky number for me. I've even finished the #13 prompt for this year's popsugar even though I thought it was hot garbage of a prompt (why read something with less than 3 stars when there are so many good books out there. I filled that by accident on a barely rated indie pub)

Theresa wrote: "Thus, whenever you are filing anything or checking anything filed with the Department of Buildings for a floor above 12, you have to reduce the number by 1 - i.e 14 is 13, 31 is 30. It's a PITA. ..."

I learned something today. I always thought missing 13th floors were a made up thing in films and books! I don't know if it's not much of a thing in the UK or I'm just never in tall enough buildings to notice.

Life update: We are getting a new head of department from 1 April, and my colleague and I had a meeting with him this week to discuss how we can support his plans going forward. I thought it went pretty well, but my colleague was disappointed that he wasn't more forthcoming. Hopefully that will change as the working relationship develops.

Health-wise, I've found myself getting upset at times this week because of the lack of improvement. I've set aside some time on Monday to try to speak to my doctor about whether there are any more options we could try.

Reading update: I finished 5 books this week, although two of them were short - a novella and a short story (but I'm counting it as a book because it's sold as a standalone audio).

I've learned that I prefer shorter audiobooks. I get frustrated if it takes me more than 10 days or so to finish one - that'll be the ADHD - and since I typically listen for about 30 mins a day, that means they ideally have to be 5 hours or less. Sometimes I can listen on 1.2x speed, which allows me to extend it a little, but it depends very much on the narrator and the style of the book. Most of the books I want to read for my current challenges are longer than that, so most of my audiobooks going forward will be outside the challenges.

I did have the idea of using audiobooks to listen to scripture, where I might be less focused on completing the book and more able just to listen for its own sake, but I gave up that idea after trying two audio versions of the Mahabharata and DNFing them both. I didn't like the choices that were made by the abridgers in either case, and in one case I also didn't get along with the narration style.

Finished:
The New Moon's Arms for a character going through menopause - this was excellent
Come Tumbling Down for a non-traditional education
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts for the GR Her Story bookmark
Distant Shores: A Tenth-Anniversary Celebration for the Star Trek Series Challenge
Drive: An Expanse Short Story as an audiobook

DNF:
Gods on Earth: A vivid retelling of Mahabharata
The Mahābhārata

Stats:
Finished for the PopSugar Challenge: 2 this week, 18/50 total
Finished for the Star Trek Series Challenge: 1 this week, 6/18 total
Finished for the GR Bookmarks Challenge: 1 this week, 5/6 total
Finished outside the challenges: 1 this week, 4 total
All books finished this year: 5 this week, 28 total
DNF or paused: 2 this week, 7 total

Currently reading:
Uhura's Song for the Star Trek Series Challenge and a book where music is important to the plot. I am really enjoying this one.
My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future for the GR Essential Reader bookmark and an activity on my bucket list
The Valmiki Ramayana Vol. 2 for bedtime spiritual reading and a classic I've never read
Was tun, wenn jemand stirbt: Handbuch für den Trauerfall to be prepared in case my mother's health deteriorates
The Vital Abyss as an audiobook

QOTW: I don't avoid the number 13, but I used to travel a lot for work and often stayed in hotels that had no 13th floor. I'm also a MotoGP fan, and I've noticed that some teams will avoid mentioning the number 13 in any of their comms, to the extent of saying "12 + 1" instead. I was discussing this with a Romanian friend, and we think it may be more common as a superstition in Western Europe than in Eastern Europe.

Speaking of other superstitions: black cats!

The movie Flow (yes hello I will literally never shut up about it) has caused adoption of black cats to rise!!

Don't ever underestimate the power of art <33

Carmen wrote: "Speaking of other superstitions: black cats!

The movie Flow (yes hello I will literally never shut up about it) has caused adoption of black cats to rise!!

Don't ever underestimate the power of ..."

My favorite "superstition" ever: Black cats! When I lived in the UK, I met lots of people who believed that black cats brought prosperity. I just know they bring love. And head bumps and nose rubs.
I have always shared my life with at least one - often 2 or more - but always at least one black cat.
The mini-panther who shares my life at present is so clever and loving that I wonder how people without cats get through life.

Alex wrote: "Happy Thursday! I've been battling a sinus infection. Yay allergies. The only downside of spring!

..."



For real! (or, to mimic the young people: "be so for real now!" lol)
Now that I'm older, I have pretty bad spring allergies, so I can't really go outside for long, and I can't have the windows open at all. So, I look forward to the leaves and flowers and bird song and longer daylight hours, and flip flops ... but I have to huddle in the house for the first few months, until all the trees are done spewing their pollen.

Jennifer W wrote: "When that didn't work (I think it was too full, but it's been that full for days, soo??), the whole thing *shut down*. What kind of "feature" is that??? I'd rather have frost on everything!..."




LOL!! When I run into these things, I like to imagine all the meetings and arguments that must have happened between marketing and management and engineering! Some marketeer got this idea in his head that a particular feature would be a key selling point, and INSISTED on it, despite engineering warning that it had not been sufficiently tested and might lead to other problems, management demanded that the product be launched per the schedule and so they sent it out despite engineering's misgivings.

Theresa wrote: "I think it is absurd to avoid floors numbered 13 - and living in NYC where so many buildings are far taller than a mere 13 floors it's extremely irritating to have the floor numbers skip from 12 to 14. ..."



It would make more sense to have the 13th floor be the machine room and facilities, like laundry and house cleaning storage. But maybe that would be too loud to have in the middle of the building? They could have cooling towers in there and vent to the outside. Any building with more than 13 floors is easily big enough to have chillers providing the comfort cooling, but I guess they'd be in the basement, or everyone would complain about noise.

Cornerofmadness wrote: "read nothing this week It's been rough. Mom's in the hospital (doing okay l uckily)

..."



I'm so sorry. I hope she recovers quickly.

Lilith wrote: "The mini-panther who shares my life at present is so clever and loving that I wonder how people without cats get through life...."



LOL well some of us have dogs instead, and they are also clever and loving!! :-)


Black dogs are also not adopted at the same rate as other dogs. I don't understand it, I've always thought black dogs are very handsome. The two dogs I have now are fawn-colored, but it's just a coincidence. The fawn color is the most common color for a potcake (although they do come in all colors including black), so it's just what was available for adoption when I was ready to adopt.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "When that didn't work (I think it was too full, but it's been that full for days, soo??), the whole thing *shut down*. What kind of "feature" is that??? I'd rather have frost on ..."

Yeah, that sounds about right. They could have at least compromised on having an alarm like a cartoon "awooogah" when it happens. I only noticed because my daughter wanted her evening ice cream and it was soft. We had to pull the fridge out from the wall to unplug it and restart it and I emptied out half the freezer (which wasn't the worst thing, except...) all after 8 at night! I stayed up until 11 babysitting the thing and I wasn't entirely sure that it was working when I went to bed!

I’m at 26/50 for the challenge, which means it’s time to put some thought into what I’m going to read for some of the more specific or harder prompts. My plan is to try and tackle “a book about soccer” and “a book with a run club” as audiobooks while I’m at the gym. Maybe I’ll be more interested in these two prompts I couldn’t care less about that way.

I watched an Instagram reel about “what the music you listen to at the gym says about you.” They mentioned several music genres, and no music at all, but didn’t mention audiobooks. Is it weird or rare to listen to audiobooks at the gym? I think it’s motivating, like the equivalent of “just one more chapter” before bed. I think I’d be bored to tears just listening to music.

Finished
Beautiful Ugly (a book rated less than 3 stars on goodreads). This book was rated less than 3 stars on goodreads ... by me. I don’t like this prompt, and I didn’t like this book. I’m taking a break from thrillers because of this book.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. I finished my re-read and still love it just as much as I remember. When I read this the first time, I only gave it 4 stars. I was stingy back in 2020, apparently. It’s a 5 star read for me.

Reading

I Was Anastasia

Floating Hotel

QOTW
No, I'm not really superstitious.

I’m not really a cat person, but I gush over black cats. I love them so much.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Theresa wrote: "I think it is absurd to avoid floors numbered 13 - and living in NYC where so many buildings are far taller than a mere 13 floors it's extremely irritating to have the floor numbers..."

Cooling towers are on the roofs of tall buildings -- did a contract for one for a 17 (really 16) story building during the pandemic lock down -- cooling tower installation on roofs requires street closures and temporarily vacating the top 2 floors of the building while old is lifted down and new lifted into position by a crane from the street. Also all buildings in NYC over 6 stories (I think that's the number) have water towers on their roofs as the water from the mains needs no pump to get it to the 6th floor as the water pressure is so strong, but does to go higher and that involves a water tower/tank on the roof.

Boilers, compactors, fuel tanks, etc. are all in the basements. There are a ton of fire and building codes that apply. Plus noise and vibration issues so they should be installed in a location and manner where there is little impact to adjacent areas.

Mechanical floors do exist - in those Needle Towers for example that are sprouting up along 57th Street, and the towers downtown. I don't actually know above what number of floors a mechanical floor is required but there are still basement and roof installations. Mechanical floors can be spotted easily, at night, as they are the only floors in the towers that remain fully lit. Some architects make a facade design element of the mechanical floor that you can easily spot.

I have written and still write a lot of construction contracts for the buildings I represent, and I've reviewed a lot of new construction residential high rise offering plans where all these construction details are summarized. It has influenced how I visually see high rise buildings -- I automatically look for the mechanical floor, if the water or cooling towers on the roofs are visible or hidden behind designed features (the AT&T building at 550 Madison has a decorative top floor and mimicking the decorative work on top of wardrobes - here's a picture - at time built there were quite a few interviews with the architect about it. The building has been dubbed 'the Chippendale' building. Behind that top floor and that decorative feature are mechanicals, bulkheads, water and cooling towers.

Happy Friday!

I am still on the exercise track. Currently my walking has exceeded the original plan of 5 miles per week, averaging around 7 or 8 miles. Maybe I need to up my goal to 10 miles per week. Thinking about it.

Now that I have completed the 6 small group exercise classes, I have made the decision to continue them when I return from my vacation in May. In the meantime, I will try out the yoga and pool exercise classes. I did one wall yoga class Wednesday. I liked it but was very sore in my shoulder and knee joints on Thursday.

I finally attempted to use my Canon camera exercise and found that my battery was low. I haven’t located the charger, but I did change out the battery in the meantime.

Time to start pulling together my plans for my Japan trip, like making arrangements for the shuttle to the Atlanta airport, getting yen from my bank, finalizing what clothing and what travel bags I will be taking, etc.

Oh, my garden is growing! Mesclun is coming up from seed as are the radishes. And my potato eyes are sprouting. Three of the four lettuce plants are thriving, too. I finally got the bed ready to transplant the cucumbers, which I will do today. And, then will start on the third bed to prepare it for tomatoes and peppers in a couple of weeks. This coming week I will starting bean seeds, too.

Finished:
Erasure – no prompt. Library Movie/Discussion group. 3*. I found the movie very different in several places from the book. Interesting story with much more depth than I was able to pick up on my own. I found the professor’s insight very helpful.

Scraps of Paper – PAS. Kindle. 4*. Loved this story. I will be looking for more books by this author.

The Palace of Lost Memories – PAS. Kindle. 4*. An intriguing story that stopped too soon. Definitely will be looking for the next book in the series.

Vengeance in Death – PAS. Audiobook. 4*. I have avoided the continuation of this series due to the violence. However, this time I listened to the story and found that I enjoyed stepping back into this future world (even though it continues with severe violence).

Currently Reading:
The Beginner's Photography Guide: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Manual for Getting the Most from Your Digital Camera – 27%. It’s a very small step, but I have attempted my first exercise.

A People's History of the American Revolution: How Common People Shaped the Fight for Independence - Kindle. 13%.

How to Age Disgracefully – PS #9 (menopause). Finished today, but I will save it for next week's report.

After Alice Fell – PAS. 14%

Just Starting:
My Father's Notebook – PAS. 1%

On Deck: (owned)
Kate: The Journal of A Confederate Nurse – PAS.
The Pony Wife – PAS
The Brass Verdict – PAS
Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All - ATY #30 (monster), PAS, PS #44 (book I have avoided)

PS 15/50
ATY 11/52, Anniversary 7/10, Winter 11/15
GR 58/200

QotW: Do you ever superstitiously try to skip the #13
Never! I was born on the 13th!

Heather wrote: "Is it weird or rare to listen to audiobooks at the gym? I think it’s motivating, like the equivalent of “just one more chapter” before bed. I think I’d be bored to tears just listening to music."

I don't think it's weird at all. I listen to fiction podcasts, which are close enough to audiobooks. I try to pick a series where the episodes are about the right size I can listen to a whole one during my workout.

Bea wrote: "Finished:
Erasure – no prompt...."




I think I mentioned this before but can't remember .... I plan to use Erasure for "mentioned in another book" if that helps you. (It was mentioned in The Sentence).


You stay so busy, and your Japan trip sounds very exciting, and your garden sounds wonderful!!! Maybe I should plant some little lettuces in a container this year.


And how fun to have a birthday on the 13th!!

I wish I could say 'happy Friday' but it's not. If anything I've just been distracting myself all day. Got some bad news yesterday. Got kicked out of the program I was in to get my education certificate. I failed a class and if you have this particular grade they automatically drop you. I could appeal it, but there's really no point since it's my own fault.

I knew I was failing the class and rather than do anything to fix it, I got in my black hole that I get in sometimes and didn't ask for help until it was too late.

Guess me becoming a teacher just wasn't in the cards. Now I need a new plan as to what to do with my life. I'm back where I was 18 years ago with no direction or idea. This would have been my second degree as nothing came of my first one.

In the mean time I'm trying to take my sister's advice. She said that she and my parents don't beat me up in the literal sense (or physical fyi) so why should I do that to myself? Guess she kind of has a point so I'm trying not to get to my dark place.

******

Thankfully the weekend is coming up so I'm just going to focus on some reading. I'm planning at least 3 books for tomorrow since they're short books that can be done in a day or two.

Even though March technically isn't over, I'll be counting these books for my April reads since we're pretty much there.

These are the day/weekend books I've got in mind:

The Vanished - Haven't read 'Roswell High' in a long time so I'm excited to get back to it.

Into the Wild - Another re-read but it came up on my wrapped TBR and it's one of my favorite books of all time.

A Son of the Forest: The Experience of William Apes - Got this book for Christmas last year. Have no idea what it's about but it's a short read so I figure I'll go for it.

******

Then of course I have my general current reads as well:

Unmasking for Life: The Autistic Person's Guide to Connecting, Loving, and Living Authentically - I read Devon's book, 'Unmasking Autism' a couple of years ago and it was a life changer! This follow up is what to do once you embrace your autistic self and how to live a life unmasked and on your own terms.

UFO: The Inside Story of the U.S. Government's Search for Alien Life Here―and Out There - A re-read. Not my favorite book on UFOs because I do not agree with Garrett's conclusions, however I love his work so I don't mind reading this again.

He has a book on D-Day that I want to read (the paperback is being released in the summer) and then in August he's got a book on the A-Bomb that's coming out which should be quite fascinating.

Ron, I'm sorry for your disappointment. I had planned on being a teacher myself, and had a wrinkle in my education that screwed it up for me, too. I managed, you will, too! Feel free to message me if you want to chat about it.

ETA: There's a TON of things you can do with kids without being a teacher. I ended up working a few years in outdoor education (summer camp, but year round). There's tutoring, subbing, libraries, and loads of "at risk" kids that need help. Mental health facilities (which nowadays are hiring "peers"- people who also have lived experience with mental health struggles... sound like anyone we know??), after school programs, community centers. The list goes on and on.

Ron wrote: "I wish I could say 'happy Friday' but it's not. If anything I've just been distracting myself all day. Got some bad news yesterday. Got kicked out of the program I was in to get my education certif..."


I am a high school teacher and you should totally appeal.
I've seen other posts where you were excited to teach, and kids really respect when you have an overcoming adversity story. They love it when you can say "I messed up once and failed a teacher training class but I asked for help and recovered and here I am, and you can get through this too". It makes them feel understood and more likely to do well in your classes. And this is the exact thing you should say in the appeal. I would think that the mental health struggles you've been open about would also help in the appeal

IDK if you have to be "friends" to message people but feel free to try messaging if you'd like also

I read one book this week, Walden. I didn't use it for a prompt but since I've finished 12 prompts I'm ok wth that.

Currently reading:
How to Age Disgracefully
Wandering Stars
War and Peace
Tehrangeles
Reasons to Stay Alive
Five Winters

QOTW:

I am not suspicious about the number 13, but due to an obsession my friends and I had over the Hitchhikers Trilogy in high school i have a love/hate relationship with the number 42.

And I have black cats so no problem with them either

Ron, I agree completely with Denise. This getting yourself in a hole and not asking for help is so related to autism (one of my grandsons is the same), so I'd really encourage you to do as Denise suggests. If you don't ask, you don't get.

I'm always pleased to see a post of yours here - you put things over so well, so I am sure you would be a great communicator in the classroom.

Anyway, whatever you decide, I'm sorry you have had this disappointment, but you do have a lot to offer in life. Best of luck.

Jen W. wrote: "Heather wrote: "Is it weird or rare to listen to audiobooks at the gym? I think it’s motivating, like the equivalent of “just one more chapter” before bed. I think I’d be bored to tears just listen..."

I have several podcasts I only listen to while exercising as a "treat". Find books/podcast distract me a bit more than music. However....when I was doing half marathons there reached a time around mile 9/10 that I needed to mix it up and switch to music to jam out to, energize and motivate me through to the end

Theresa wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Theresa wrote: "I think it is absurd to avoid floors numbered 13 - and living in NYC where so many buildings are far taller than a mere 13 floors it's extremely irritating to h..."

Fascinating Theresa. Interesting all the facts you learn in your job even aside from the "core" reason of your job. My daughter graduated from law school last May and started her job in August with a firm she had interned with. She wanted to be in the bankruptcy group but they only had an opening in the construction group. She said construction law is hard as there are so many people involved in the lawsuits from vendors to installers to contractors and subcontractors and all the research to find out all the deep details about the reasons for the suit. She was very happy to learn they have an opening in bankruptcy and she officially transferred to that group last week....although her grandpa (my dad) who is a contractor thought it was great she was in construction law - I think she has a new appreciation for all he does.

Heather wrote: "I watched an Instagram reel about “what the music you listen to at the gym says about you.” They mentioned several music genres, and no music at all, but didn’t mention audiobooks. Is it weird or rare to listen to audiobooks at the gym? I think it’s motivating, like the equivalent of “just one more chapter” before bed. I think I’d be bored to tears just listening to music."

I prefer to listen to audiobooks or podcasts when I work out. As much as I enjoy listening to music, I like the feeling of accomplishing two things at once even more.

I recently saw a comedian on Instagram, who suggested the need for gym for those of us who are 30+. He said that instead of music, they should play true crime podcasts because they would provide more motivation than music could.

Internet outage on Thursday, so I'm posting today.

We are supposed to get a major snow storm and/or freezing rain this weekend, so a great weekend to stay home and read.

I finished no books, and started 2 new ones.

I was getting burned out with how hard a read "Interior Castle" was as a lent book. It's probably because I'm reading James Joyce and 2 hard books at the same time was too much. I am getting more out of reading the sequel to the Yada Yada Prayer Group - hey, it's still about prayer.

I had no idea how long Ulysses was when I started reading it. It was supposed to be my Irish book for March, but it is obviously getting dragged into April.

I made great strides on my Saskatchewan book (my reading across Canada book of the month). And I finally started my March series book.

I seem so far behind on my March reading, but April has two 3 day weekends for me, plus Easter which is a 4 day weekend here. So, I should have more days off to catch up on reading in April.

Series - 1/10
Reading Across Canada - 2/10
Nobel laureates - 1/5

PS - 10/40
Regular ATY - 8/40
Anniversary ATY - 4/10

Currently reading:
Ulysses -35%
Who Has Seen the Wind - 75%
An Acceptable Time - 30%

Lent:
Interior Castle - 10%
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Down -55%

Buddy Reads:
none at present

QOTW: Absolutely not. My birthday and wedding anniversary are both on the 13th day of different months. I always thought 13 was my lucky number

Nadine in NY wrote: "Lilith wrote: "LOL well some of us have dogs instead, and they are also clever and loving!! :-)

Black dogs are also not adopted at the same rate as other dogs. I don't understand it, I've always thought black dogs are very handsome. The two dogs I have now are fawn-colored, but it's just a coincidence. The fawn color is the most common color for a potcake (although they do come in all colors including black), so it's just what was available for adoption when I was ready to adopt."

Dogs have the 'luck' that if they're a specific breed that is black, they'll still get adopted because people love the breed. But this superstition also affects bunbuns! Black bunbuns rarely get adopted. My first bunbun (when I was old enough to actually care for one) was black, and I fell in love with him on the spot. I've had several black ones since, including one now. It breaks my heart that superstition can have this effect on innocent animals.

I saw someone say recently their mother hated black cats because she couldn't see their expressions, and I'm like. Did she pay attention? Our black cats might be the most expressive!

Lilith wrote: "The mini-panther who shares my life at present is so clever and loving that I wonder how people without cats get through life."

Agreed! Due to many many traumas as a kid with dogs, I no longer like dogs, and from what I see in our house with the dogs, and the people around us, I just don't see the same kind of connection. A connection for sure, but last night Crowley and Otis were on/against my lap for HOURS, perfectly calm, deeply asleep, while I was reading, and when I was about to go to bed Otis started slobbering all over Crowley's head and face, and I just sat there looking at them like 'you guys are so independent, you don't NEED me around all the time, yet you CHOOSE to, and you trust me implicitly.' Crowley's fur goes dull and choppy if I'm away too long. Zira has discovered she can jump onto my shoulders to navigate a 'Crowley zone' safely. She trusts me. She drools when cuddling with me. Thor asks me, and me only, to be picked up at least once a day, and spends most of his day curled up against me.

I don't mind people not liking cats, I don't like dogs, it's fine, but to say cats don't form bonds, aren't loyal, don't feel love? I live in the proof of the opposite every single day, and I genuinely don't know how I'd cope without it. I wish people could experience a cat's love just once, it's just so special!

(not downplaying a dog's love, by the way! for me personally a cat's is better, but objectively both are amazing, they're just different!)

K.L. wrote: "I recently saw a comedian on Instagram, who suggested the need for gym for those of us who are 30+. He said that instead of music, they should play true crime podcasts because they would provide more motivation than music could."

What an interesting comment! Maybe I need to check out podcasts for my walking.