Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

I FINALLY posted the final questions regarding the March Monthly Group Read discussion of Station Eleven. Whew! I guess ‘better late than never’ might apply… I found it to be quite a thought-provoking read... And then I posted some initial questions for the Floating Hotel discussion. I feel very “adult” about all of that!! LOL I am really enjoying Floating Hotel and plan to finish it today.

Speaking of today... The temperature today is to get to 87° F and our A/C is not working properly. I had them come out last week and they determined there must be a leak and filled the coolant, and sure enough it wasn’t pumping out truly “cold” air over the weekend, so I had them back yesterday and a coil must be replaced. And, of course, the two systems (indoor/outdoor) are “different” and they were uncertain about finding a replacement coil due to the age of the equipment, etc. (For once, it was not MY age, nor my husband’s, but that of the equipment that was in question! LOL 😁👍) The good news is that they did locate a coil and have ordered it. The kinda bad news is that it won’t arrive until early next week. So in the meantime, the next two evenings it will be pretty warm in the house. However, at least we know help is on the way for far less cost than replacing the whole system! So that’s good!

I am having trouble believing this is May AND we are almost halfway through the month! Time certainly does seem to fly, especially in “old age”! LOL

ADMIN STUFF:
THE JULY MONTHLY GROUP READ FINAL SELECTION POLL IS LIVE!
This book could be used to fulfill prompt #5 A book with a snake on the cover or in the title
World Snake Day is July 16, 2025 (I had no idea there was one of these!!)
Only 17 members have voted thus far and there is currently a three-way tie! Interesting…

There are five books from which to select:
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Hunger Games #0) by Suzanne Collins
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
Sunrise on the Reaping (Hunger Games #0.5) by Suzanne Collins

VOTE HERE!

*** This poll will run through May 20th. ***

THE JUNE MONTHLY GROUP READ IS West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge!
This book could be used to fulfill prompt #12 A book about a road trip. Take a Road Trip Day is June 20, 2025!
West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
Who is the "tricky traveler" willing to facilitate this discussion? Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!
I adore this book! And such an unknown bit of history. Unbelievable what was attempted…

THE MAY MONTHLY GROUP READ IS Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis This book could be used to fulfill prompt #3 A book about space tourism. National Space Day is May 2, 2025! https://www.calendarr.com/united-stat... Surely we have a "fearless facilitator" out there to lead May's discussion! Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer! The discussion is on!! Come join us, if you dare! LOL

THE LISTING OF 2025 MONTHLY GROUP READ TOPICS IS HERE!
***

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Speaking of snakes—the July Monthly Group Read poll and prompt #5 A book with a snake on the cover or in the title. Do you suffer from ophidiophobia/ophiophocia, a fear of snakes? (Derived from the Greek words “ophis” meaning snake and “phobia” meaning fear.) Not to be confused with herpetophobia, the fear of all reptiles.
Though there isn’t much that scares me, I fully admit to an aversion to all snakes. Though I do remember petting a huge python once as a 13-year-old when in a pet shop and someone had brought it in with them. It was wrapped around his neck and hanging down on both sides of the boy’s body. But that’s it. Seeing them in the wild scares the bejeezus out of me! I’ve encountered snakes 5-6 times throughout my lifetime and really, I could do without any more of those incidents before I leave this physical world!!

My middle son once asked me if he could get a snake…I paused, looked up, and then looked him in the eye and said, "Sure! Let’s see...you’re 13 now, so in only 5 more years you will turn 18 and can live on your own. Once that happens, you can have just as many snakes as you want! Until then? NO!! We have fish, cats, dogs, and bunnies, but snakes are a no-go!" LOL He was quite obviously not impressed with my sarcasm. 😯😋

2025 READING CHALLENGES:
Popsugar: 39/50
Around the Year (AtY): 51/52
AtY 2025 Anniversary List: 10/10 FINISHED
Read Harder: 16/24
52 Book Club: 42/52

2024 Popsugar: 47/50

FINISHED:
*Stay True by Hua Hsu ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was extremely well-written, IMO! Of the 7 book club members at the meeting, everyone enjoyed reading it. (The one member not in attendance was the only one who had trouble getting into it and will probably DNF it.) So only one out of seven is a good rating overall! I would definitely read more of Hsu’s writing. His writing style was “slice of life,” IMO, and I loved the way he would weave in bits and pieces of historical data. Of particular interest was the way in which his life didn’t seem to fit with the typical Asian American immigrant stereotype, and he distinguished between the various Asian cultures carrying over into U.S. immigrants. Well plotted, character-driven, and heartfelt. An overall poignant and intriguing read! A Pulitzer-Prize-winner I heartily endorse! He had been writing this for over 20 years! So well-deserved praise!
POPSUGAR: #6, #8, #20, #25, #28, #31, #40
ATY: #2, #5, #13, #16, #23, #34, #37, #41, #43, #48
RHC: #5, #8, #12, #24
52 Book Club: #2, #13, #22, #37, #43

*Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for the Monthly Group Read was much more open-ended than I expected it to be. It also required much more attention to detail than I expected. I have my own interpretation of Nina and Carl’s ultimate decision, but seriously wonder if anyone else came to the same conclusions! Hopefully I’ll find out in the Monthly Group Read discussion! I agree with many Goodreads reviewers who didn’t feel this was truly a “cozy” read, but I definitely found it thought-provoking and complex.
POPSUGAR: NEW #3, #6, #14, #20, #31
ATY: #2, #5, #11, #13, #14, #15, #23, #32, #37, #41, #44
RHC: #6, #9, #11, #16, #21, #24
52 Book Club: #2, #10, #22, #33, #38, #43, #51

CONTINUING:
*The Double Life of Benson Yu by Kevin Chong for an IRL book club meeting
*The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty
*The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis
*Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power by RebeccaSolnit

PLANNED:
*Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict
*The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley
*The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
*The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict

May Library TBR: 2/7
May Purchased TBR: 0/4

Who even knows? I feel so out of control. I start a book and then I start another book without finishing the first book, repeat. I really need to pare and focus.

Finished: Homelessness Is a Housing Problem: How Structural Factors Explain U.S. Patterns This is a very good book that focuses on explanations for why homelessness varies so drastically from city to city instead of explanations for why it happens to specific people. I took a lot of notes for the first 2/3. However, I feel like I need to re-read the last third because I didn't fully process it.

Started: The Gifts of Imperfection This was an impulse purchase and one I really didn't need to get. The best thing about it so far is that it suggests doing Maria Popova's strategy of creating an "alternate index" where you write down subjects and page numbers and then provides you blank pages in the back of the book to do so.

"They Just Need to Get a Job": 15 Myths on Homelessness This one focuses on the history of homelessness in NYC and is not nearly as good.

Another World Is Possible: Lessons for America from Around the Globe I've been waiting for several months to get this one from hold.

QotW: No, I'm not particularly scared of snakes. I've held a snake in 2nd grade. I also nearly stepped on a rattle snake in a dry creek bed, but it just slithered off without doing anything to me.

Happy Thursday!!

We had a break in the rain for Mothers Day weekend, and the weather was perfect, I even got a little sunburn, but then it rained the rest of the week, and darn it I only got the front yard mowed before the rain came back.   The back yard is LUSH.  Wish me luck, I'm heading out there now to mow - it's still really damp outside but it hasn't rained in a day and that's probably as good as it's going to get.  

There are baby bunnies nesting under my old picnic table, which is very annoying because my dog Sophie found it and wants to PLAY with them, but of course her version of "play" would likely  be fatal for them, so now we have to take her out on a leash every time she needs to go out.  None of us are happy about this.   The bunnies were pretty small when she found them, so it might be several weeks before we can set her loose again.   I don't really know how to tell, since there's no movement at all from the nest, but it's Schrödinger's bunny nest, they could be alive and staying still, or they could be dead, or they could be gone. I won't know until I go poke the nest.



This week I finished 3 books and DNFed one.  None of these were for a Popsugar category.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore - this started out GREAT but gradually the pace became uneven and the ending was a flop.  I had such high expectations in the beginning!   Checked off "set primarily in nature" in AtY.

Audition by Katie Kitamura- each book I read by Kitamura is worse than the one before, imo.  Maybe I should stop reading her stuff.  This one left me with a very "WTF just happened" feeling, but not in a good way.  If you like that feeling, read this book.

It's a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan - one of my NetGalley books (I'm trying SO HARD to knock my NG list down to zero, but I foolishly keep requesting new books ...) - I LOVED the middle of this book, but I was not a fan of the beginning or ending, and I disliked the heroine.

 And I DNFed
A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay - I thought this would be darker, like You or My Sister, the Serial Killer or Tampa, but instead it felt like a light and fluffy version of season 3 of the You TV show.  Not what I wanted.  I DNFed immediately.  (So there's the possibility that it gets better, but I'll never know.)


Popsugar 66% 33 /50
Must Reads 20% 2 /10
AtY 69% 36 /52
AtY bonus 10% 1 /10
2025 pub 42% 21 /50
NetGalley ratio 82%




QotW

LOL I've been wondering about that too!!  

Personally, no, I love seeing snakes.  Sure I have a healthy fear of venomous snakes, cobras especially freak me out because they can stand up so tall.   But the odds of encountering a venomous snake where Ilive are almost 0, and there are definitely no cobras here!  Every now and then I spot a little garter snake in my yard and I get so excited!!   

One year a garter  snake made her home here and I would see her sunning herself in the crack between my driveway and the garage foundation.  She never came back, but I still look for her and it's been years.  Unfortunately that little spot she chose was RIGHT where my mower has to cross to get it in and out of the garage - last time I saw her, she was slithering into my garage to get away from me one day when I was putting the mower away.  (No I have no idea if the snake was a he or a she - I just decided she was a she.)

Happy Thursday! It's been quite cool lately with highs in the upper 60s and lower 70s. As far as I'm concerned it can stay this way as long as it wants.

2025 Reading Challenges:

52 Book Club: 40/52 (May Mini-Challenge: 4/7)
ATY: 33/52 (ATY Anniversary Challenge: 7/10, ATY Spring Challenge: 29/30)
The Book Girls’ Guide: 31/74
Booklist Queen: 39/52
Popsugar: 30/50

My Ever-Growing TBR: 55/267 – 20.6% (My goal is 33.3%.)

Recently Completed:

Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter (Popsugar #6 – 2015 prompt: antonyms in the title) ★★★★

Poor Richard's Women: Ben Franklin in Love: Goodreads Giveaway. ★★★

By Any Other Name (52 Books #39 – has an epigraph/BGG Book Lovers #5 – about writers and editors) ★★★★★

Rabbit Moon (52 Books #47 – “I think it was blue”) ★★★

We Are Okay (52 Books May Mini-Challenge #2 – a slower-paced story) ★★★★

Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father's Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success ★★★★

Love & Gelato (52 Books May Mini-Challenge #6 – set in Italy) ★★★★

Upon a Starlit Tide: Mashup of Cinderella and The Little Mermaid set in 1700s France. (52 Books #20 – a fairy tale retelling) ★★★★

The Idea of You: I liked the movie more than the book. (BGG ICYMI Backlist #5 – published in 2017) ★★★

The Unworthy (52 Books May Mini-Challenge #4 – an author from a country you’ve never visited: Argentina/ATY Anniversary #1 – originally written in a language other than English) ★★★

The Woman with the Cure (52 Books #50 – set in the 1940s/BGG Decades #5 – set in the 1940s) ★★★

Retreat ★★★★

Woman of Interest: A Memoir: Reasonable Doubt Book Club. ★★★

Worlds Apart (52 Books May Mini-Challenge #7 – set in New Zealand) ★★★★




Currently Reading:

Epic Solitude: A Story of Survival and a Quest for Meaning in the Far North (52 Books May Mini-Challenge #5 – set in Alaska)
Count My Lies
The Sunlit Man (ATY Spring Challenge #3 – SUN SHINING: Sunlit/Booklist Queen #42 – an author you love)
Olive, Again (Popsugar #47 – interconnected short stories)
Just Like Heaven
Long Bright River (ATY #32 – mystery or true crime/BGG Read Around the USA #5 – set in the Northeast)
Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor: Jane Austen Book Club.
Jurassic Park: Reasonable Doubt Book Club. (52 Books May Mini-Challenge #3 – a buddy read)
The Infinity Particle: A Graphic Novel
Finding Tess: Highland Legacy Romance: Goodreads Giveaway.
The Kiss Countdown



QOTW: Nope. Snakes don't scare me at all. I've held some smaller nonvenomous snakes and a larger python. When I was a child, we lived in Oklahoma which has a great variety of venomous snakes: cottonmouths, copperheads, and five different kinds of rattlesnakes. I encountered all of them, but we all knew to give them space. They're really not aggressive... just protective of their territory.

Happy Thursday!

Finished:
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry - 3.5 stars - for a favorite prompt from the 2015 PS Reading Challenge: female author. I didn't like this as much as I have other Emily Henry books, but it was still enjoyable. I felt like too much time was spent on the life of the woman they were interviewing, and I figured out what was happening before the ending reveal. Still decent, just not where I'd start with Emily Henry.

Comics & manga:
The King's Beast, Vol. 15

I am currently at 24/50 for Popsugar (21/40 and 3/10).

Currently reading:
A Letter from the Lonesome Shore by Sylvie Cathrall - I tentatively have this slotted for the unlikely friendship prompt, since there's the friendships from the first book between the male and female lead, as well as their siblings.

Upcoming/Planned:
Overgrowth by Mira Grant - for an author who is neurodivergent

Before We Forget Kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - for an activity on your bucket list (more accurately, a location I'd love to visit)

The Incandescent by Emily Tesh - I have this tentatively down for nontraditional education, since it takes place at a magic school.

QOTW:
I don't think I'm particularly afraid of snakes, although I don't especially like them, either. I've never really encountered any in the wild; my only exposure to them has been through videos or at the reptile house in the zoo.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Crazy that we're down to another week. Not this Saturday, but the following (the 24th) I've already got plans to do my June TBR. I like to do them a week in advance so I can stare at them and enjoy them before I actually get started.

I'm doing better from my fall a couple of weeks ago. Still in some pain, but it's easing up. The docs said the cuts and scrapes would take about a week to heal and the bruising and bumps about 2 weeks. Sure enough that's how long it's taken. I do have one cut that was deep (though not stitches deep) that's taking a while. I still need the bandaid on it. Then a few bumps and bruises but overall healing nicely.

Weather wise- we've had dust storms like crazy. I am so over them. They were fun at the beginning but now we're way past what meteorologists consider normal.

I'm still doing my volunteer work at the bookstore. It's been pretty fun. Couldn't go last week because of my injuries so I was a bit bummed about that but I've been pretty consistent so that's cool.

*****

Book News:

Even though we've still got 2 weeks to go, it's looking like I'll finish the month with 12 books. My average this year for each month has been around 11 or 12 so that's perfectly fine.

Finished:

Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism - 4 star. I had heard of the term 'fascism' but never understood it. I think we need books like this to help us stay educated and understand the world.

Bibliotherapy in the Bronx - 5 stars. This book was amazing! I especially loved the reflections at the end of each chapter.

*****

Currently Reading:

The Book: A Cover-to-Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of Our Time - So far a 5 star read. I'm fascinated with how our most precious item came to be.

Volcanic: Vesuvius in the Age of Revolutions - So far so good.

******

Upcoming Reads in the next 2 Weeks:

Force of Chaos (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Book 1): A Novel - The first ever YA Power Rangers novel! Seriously, why have there never been any before?!

Morphenomenal: How the Power Rangers Conquered the World - A first ever Power Rangers book that's an actual book and not a coffee table read. This is my most anticipated read of 2025 out of all the new releases this year (it's coming out next week!)


*****

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Speaking of snakes—the July Monthly Group Read poll and prompt #5 A book with a snake on the cover or in the title. Do you suffer from ophidiophobia/ophiophocia, a fear of snakes? (Derived from the Greek words “ophis” meaning snake and “phobia” meaning fear.) Not to be confused with herpetophobia, the fear of all reptiles.

Not really. If I know the kind of snake it is then they're no big deal. We have a lot of rattlesnakes though in the regions I visit so I would get nightmares about one entering the house.

When I was a kid my dad had 2 snakes (a python and I can't remember the other), but they were cool. We even got to care for one for a while during the time school was out. I don't remember what happened to them since it was a long time ago but they were pretty cool to have around.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

It has been an insanely busy week, but it’s also been a very productive one!

My dad came over a couple of days this week to help my put together the new furniture for my game room, and I am pleased to announce that with the exception of some artwork that still needs to be hung on the walls, the game room is done! I’m really pleased with the way things turned out, and I’m looking forward to hosting my first game night as soon as possible.

I also had plumbers come out on two separate days this week. On Monday I had a free consultation about some work that needed to be done here at the house. Then on Wednesday, I had two different appointments; one to scope an outside drain with a camera to determine where repairs need to be made, and the other to replace some bathroom faucets. I’m really glad to have the new faucets, and I’m looking forward to the completion of the drainage project next week.

Although I was very busy, this was still a pretty good week for reading. Having a four hour arrival window each day for the plumbing work gave me a significant amount of down time during the mornings, and I definitely took advantage of it. I tried to split my time evenly between TBR books and new releases, so I was able to check off a decent number of titles from both my TBR and “New Books” lists this week.

Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…

Goodreads Challenge: 183/250
Mount TBR Challenge: 110/150

📚Physical TBR: 91/731
📱Ebook TBR: 11/218
🎧Audiobook TBR: 8/12
TBR Checklist Total: 110/961

TBR Books DNFed in 2025: 3

I did get a few new releases this week, including: The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin, by Alison Goodman; The Unworthy, by Augustina Bazterrica; The Eye of the Bedlam Bride, by Matt Dinniman; and Dungeons & Dragons's Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd, by Delilah S. Dawson.

“New” Books Bought in 2025: 84
“New” Books Read in 2025: 73
“New” Books DNFed in 2025: 0

Here are the books I finished this week…

Finished Reading (Fiction):
This week I finished the last two books in the How to Train Your Dragon series! They were fun, easy reads, and I really liked the characters and stories. Now that I’ve finished the books, I will be watching the animated movies for the first time, and I’m already looking forward to seeing the live-action adaptation when it is released later this year. The books I read this week include:
~How to Betray a Dragon's Hero — 📚: ⭐⭐⭐
~How to Fight a Dragon’s Fury — 📚: ⭐⭐⭐

I also read…
~Barbarian's Hope — This is the tenth book in the Ice Planet Barbarians series. It’s a very emotional story, but I really enjoyed it. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book includes frequent references to the loss of a child. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
~Starship Troopers — I bought this book thinking that it was going to be a fast-paced, action-packed read, and I was extremely disappointed to find out that that was not the case. (view spoiler)[ Most of the book is focused on the main character’s training (both at boot camp and O.C.S.), and there is very little attention paid to the actual war that he and his platoon are supposedly fighting. While I did enjoy some sections of the book, I felt like the action was frequently overshadowed by the author’s rhetoric about government and responsible citizenship. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐⭐

Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
None

Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
~Lore Olympus: Volume Eight — I thought this was a great continuation of the series, and I’m already looking forward to the next volume. 📚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None

DNFed:
~The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights, Volume 2 — After a lot of thought, I have decided to soft DNF this book. It’s been several months since I had any desire to pick this one up and read it, so it’s going back on the bookshelf until I’m interested in it again. I will not be counting this book toward my “TBR Books DNFed in 2025” total just yet, however, since I may decide to resume reading it before the end of the year. 📚

Currently Reading:
~Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix — This is the fifth book in the Harry Potter series. I’m currently a little over 7 hours into this audiobook, and I’m enjoying listening to it before bed and while working on household projects. 🎧
~Dragons of Autumn Twilight — This has been a pretty good story so far, and I like the characters. I hope to finish this book before next week's update. 📚
~The Kill Bill Diary: The Making of a Tarantino Classic as Seen Through the Eyes of a Screen Legend — I’m currently about a third of the way through this book, and it has been an interesting read so far. 📱
~Falling — I just started this book last night, and I’ve been enjoying it so far. I think it's going to be a very exciting read, but it's probably not going to help me with my fear of flying. 📚

QOTW:
I have a healthy respect for snakes, but I’m not afraid of them.

Ha ha I just ordered a 2nd copy of the new Power Rangers book, Force of Chaos (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Book 1): A Novel .

This is the first-ever Power Rangers YA novel and I don't want to mess up my copy with annotations in it. This is definitely going on my display shelf! I'll just simply get a second copy to annotate.

The semester is over but I have a work conference I'm presenting in Pittsburgh next week (I'm from Pitt originally so it's less of a vacation than my conferences usually are)

I managed some reading, for the challenge even.

I read Trouble the Water by Wendy Vogel (PS 7. a book about a cult) It was engaging but it needs content warnings before I saw go read it. They are religious cult, religious trauma, child abuse, rape/murder of disabled children, religious homophobia, domestic violence (also justified by religion)

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik was my choice for PS 36. A book with silver on the cover or in the title. It has both silver coins and the word on the cover. I should have loved this one. I didn't. It's not bad but it's much slower than I expected. I think it's the wrong time for me to be reading fiction where women are chattel.

QOTW I've had pet snakes so the answer is no, not afraid. I like snakes and know they're very misunderstood. That said, I'm respectful of the ones whose venom will ruin my day

Happy Thursday all!

I have had a very slow reading week it feels like. Mostly because I have been home with the kiddo... since he managed to turn his head cold into bronchitis! The doctor had to go and write a note that he couldn't go back to school until at least Friday!! He was in school last week and was doing okay. From about Wed. he would just come home and lay in bed watching tv all afternoon. Of course we should have known he was worse than he was saying because he was doing that. With his ADHD, he is not a lay around kind of kid. We thought the cough was his asthma, esp. since the volcano keeps going off. And the weather is kind of all over the place. It is nice then rainy, then overcast, then sunny, then it's pouring. Most days it has just been passing showers so it's also hard to spend time outside, so he and I have been kind of hibernating inside all week. And he and the dog have been too much for me so I have had to put the dog out during the day. She's not happy about it and when she is inside she has been pooping on my carpet instead of telling me she has to go outside.

I did a little more baking this week and have been doing some cooking from the cookbooks I have borrowed. The kiddo and I made a loaf of bread the other day cause he has been wanting to make bread for a while. Since he is sick and home it was good to have something to do with him. He is actually missing his school testing this week and will have to do it next week instead. So I was like this will be a science lesson for you, LOL!

This week has reminded me that summer is coming up fast (end of the month) and I do not know how I am going to handle having him home every day!!! And I need to get this puppy in order so she is better behaved too!

Anyway on to the books...

2025 Challenges:
Popsugar: 32/50
ATY: 35/52 & 7/10
A to Z (Kindle edition): 2/26

Goodreads: 60/150
GR WTR: 4/433

Physical TBR: 6/114
Kindle TBR: 0/127
TBR Goal: 6/241

Book Clubs:
PS Monthly: 27/66
Reese: 35/111
Oprah: 14/110
Jenna: 10/78
OSS: 7/39


Finished:
5 finished, 3 Completed Popsugar

Poems of Parenting: A Witty and Touching Compilation of Parenting Poems, The Perfect Gift for New Parents

Ghost
PS#17, ATY#46

Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist
PS# 32

All the Broken Pieces
PS#11

BAKE: My Best Ever Recipes for the Classics
When I saw this at the library, and since it is Paul Hollywood, I had to get it. I did like it, but I don’t think I would even make anything from the last section, desserts. I do think I want to get this book anyway though. There are a lot of other recipes that I want to try that I think it may be worth it.

-------
Currently Reading
While We Were Dating
Encanto: Nightmares and Sueños
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
Ripples & Waves: A Queer Retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid
The Language of Dogs
The Glass Castle
Every Drop Is a Man's Nightmare

On the Backburner
Libby

Physical Library Rentals
The New Girl
Pride and Prejudice in Space
Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country
American Poison: A Deadly Invention and the Woman Who Battled for Environmental Justice
Aspca Complete Dog Training Manual
Puppy Brain: How Our Dogs Learn, Think, and Love
Rebellion 1776
My Passion for Design
May I Come In?: Discovering the World in Other People's Houses
Old Brand New: Colorful Homes for Maximal Living
Heirloom Rooms: Soulful Stories of Home
A Map to the Sun
Thief of the Heights: A Graphic Novel
The Rebel Diet: Feed Your Appetite and Lose Weight with 100 Defiantly Delicious Recipes

Library Holds

Magazines: (9/149)
Read since last check-in: 2

Question of the Week:
Yes. I do NOT like snakes. I once went to a snake "show" at the reptile museum in Rapid City and got stuck in the front row. I am surprised I made it thru it but then at the end, the guy said that people could walk up and pet the snake if they wanted. I was like 'Nope, I'm out!' Thank gosh I was right by the door too.

Also we do not have snakes here and they are illegal and are not allowed as pets either. Any time someone finds one it makes the news.

Did you all see the video of the helicopter landing on the highway to take the CBP dog to the vet after being bitten by a snake?

Cornerofmadness wrote: "Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik was my choice for PS 36. A book with silver on the cover or in the title. It has both silver coins and the word on the cover. I should have loved this one. I didn't. It's not bad but it's much slower than I expected. I think it's the wrong time for me to be reading fiction where women are chattel."

I am having a really rough time with it too! Listening on audio and I can't speed it up too much so it genuinely feels like it's taking forever. I think I'd've liked it better in print, but alas, this was my only option.

Happy Thursday!

I am in full recovery mode from my dad and I's Disney trip this past Sunday & Monday, which was amazing. We got lucky on so many counts (which sadly ran out on Monday for our second annual pass meet, though it gave us better interactions than on the Sunday so it was still a bit lucky!). Being able to wait in a tshirt and summer pants without being cold is SUCH a joy, hahah! When hell broke loose weather wise we were having dinner and completely missed it xD

I managed to finish my first Hobbit challenge on Saturday, and my medal should be coming in tomorrow! I'm so excited!

Now to decide which one to do next. They just released three amazing ones to help endangered species, but I can't afford them right now so my choices are 'Giant's Causeway' in Ireland (80km) or 'Niagara Falls' (113km). Until I decide (and until I am able to exercise again properly) everything is going onto Scotland. I join for dog walks 2-3 times a day now instead of once and am absolutely exhausted by the end of the day, haha! #chronicallyilllife

In other news, we paid off our WDW trip, and got our Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets today! I am super excited, only 129 days to go! I paid my Party ticket with books I read (I save €1 per read book (€2 if book is over 800pages) and €1 per 50k words of fanfic) so that was pretty cool :D

(My best friend sent me a random message about a tourist being detained, but I can't find anything about it so I am focusing on the THOUSANDS of people getting into the country safely. I am aware of The Situation, and boy do I wish I didn't have to worry about it at all, but I can't let myself work up to a full panic about it. So yeah, that kinda put a damper on my excitement; not what I need right now!)

Because of all of the above however, reading has been slow. Add that to the fact that I'm struggling with both my reads and *sighs*.

Read
Absolutely nothing

Currently Reading
Spinning Silver
As mentioned above, I am having a rough time with this. I think audio was the wrong choice here for me, because a slow moving book with a ton of different POVs in a format that is generally slower than physical reading, with a narrator I can't speed up much? Bad combo. I feel like I've been listening for years and I am still over 2 hours away from finishing. I don't hate it, I don't think its bad, I just. Don't know. So much hype and I'm just lost with it.

The Invisible Library
Where I'm struggling with Spinning Silver, I at least want to continue it. This one I don't want to pick up. As soon as the male MC was described in the worst 2008 YA fashion I kinda feared where it was going. So far it hasn't improved, but I'll admit I'm not overly far in either. Hopefully soon I can give it a proper go, where I can read more than one or two chapters, and if I still can't get through it, it'll be my first DNF in a long time.

QOTW
I am not phobic of snakes, I don't mind seeing them at zoos or on TV etc, whereas with anything on land/in sky with more than 4 legs I don't do so well, to put it mildly. I don't really have options to see them In The Wild, as all we have are adders (vipers I believe), and they are quite rare. They're also not deadly, so while I'd get a fright seeing one, I probably wouldn't freak out. Going to Florida this year, however, might put my fear to the test if I come across one!

Greetings! It's been a very wet and windy week here in the Big Apple. I managed to find a break in the rain but not the wind to run some errands today. It's mostly not been heavy rain but it's wet. cool even cold, windy. We do have clear weather coming this weekend, and one day where instead of being in the 60s, it will be 82 - but only for one day. Frankly, it can stay like this forever --- because summers here are brutal otherwise.

PS 30/60 - half way!
ATY - 43/52 - I am beginning to feel as if I should just concentrate on reading whatever I have left to read and finish.

Finished:
City of Lies - prompt - unconventional education - as a grifter and also suffragist
Killing Trail - prompt - POC experiencing joy not trauma - this is K-9 crime fiction and there are dead bodies and drug trafficking but .... MC - woman and dog - are 'brown' and love their jobs. That fits in my book.

Currently reading - very very slowly - busy work week:
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
Sylvia's Lovers - really need to get back to this.

QOTW: I have a strong aversion to snakes. Absolutely no desire to be anywhere close to them, look at them, etc. Yes there is some fear but I also grew up on a farm and snakes were just there -- mostly all harmless. I can deal I just don't seek them out or want to touch them. I do not understand any reason why a snake should be a pet.

Happy Thursday! It's been rainy but today was really nice.

Finished 17/50

In the House of My Pilgrimage: Violence, Noetic Healing, and Personhood for "book with less than 3 stars on GR" Only now it has 4 stars because I was the first reviewer and I liked it a lot! It's really deep. Definitely a higher reading level though.

Currently Reading

The Brothers Karamazov for "book recommended by AI" I'm SO CLOSE to being done. It's so good. I love Dostoyevsky so much.

QotW

Not only am I not afraid of snakes, I own four pet snakes! Three ball pythons and one Western hognose. They are actually official emotional support pets that are known to help regulate anxiety for people with PTSD (like me) and autism. They are so freaking sweet, not at all dangerous, and they really do help lower anxiety! I cuddle them every day, and they're SO easy to care for. Even easier than fish. They eat once a week, so they only poop once a week, they can be left while you're on vacation (as long as they have heat and water) and they won't care. No smells, no mess, no noise, and they don't bite (and even if they did, papercuts hurt worse, and my snakes aren't venomous at all). I even let my seven year old play with them; they're so docile. And ball pythons and hognoses have the sweetest faces too. Look them up. They're extremely derpy and not at all scary. I love them a ton!

Salve! (Hello!)

This will be my last checkin for May -- I leave for Italy next week and won't be checking in for the next two Thursdays. Will be taking my Kindle, however, so you might get a sizable update in June. Or not, if I end up being too busy on the trip to read...

Books read this week:

Vermilion: The Adventures of Lou Merriwether, Psychopomp -- great premise, great representation, but it fell apart, especially towards the end. And I get the feeling that it was supposed to be part of a series that never materialized.

The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche and Other Odd Acquaintances -- collection of stories and essays by one of my favorite authors, Peter S Beagle.

Eagle Drums -- a retelling of a Native American myth. Beautiful and fascinating.

DNF:

The River Has Roots -- I loved This Is How You Lose the Time War… so this one failing to hold my interest despite the beautiful language was a disappointment.

Currently reading:

The Fae Keeper
The Dark Is Rising

QOTW: I actually like snakes. But my stepsister has a pretty bad phobia of them, to the point that she has to look away from the screen if we watch anything where a snake shows up.

Kenya wrote: "Salve! (Hello!)

This will be my last checkin for May -- I leave for Italy next week and won't be checking in for the next two Thursdays. Will be taking my Kindle, however, so you might get a sizab..."

Have fun in Italyyyyy!!!

I'm still working on The Shining as my book about someone who changes careers. It's long and I didn't get a lot of read time last week, because my car didn't pass inspection and I had to buy a new one and I found it very stressful.

QOTW: I don't think so. I never mind when I see the harmless ones slithering in front of me. The only poisonous ones areound here we have are rattlesnakes and I imagne I would be afraid if I came face to face with one of those, but is that a phobia, or just good sense. But, because I'm a weirdo I do have ornithophobia.

Happy Thursday!

I decided a couple of years ago to read Agatha Christie's books in order. The first few were fairly lackluster, but I finished what is considered to be one of her greatest books and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

In Ulysses news, I finished chapter 16 and am half way through 17. Will I be able to finish it this week? Definitely before the end of May.

Finished:

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Popsugar prompt: A book where the main character is an immigrant or refugee
ATY prompt: A book connected in some way to any collective noun for animals
Anniversary prompt:

Series - 3/10
Reading Across Canada - 4/10
Nobel laureates - 2/5

PS - 17/40
Regular ATY - 15/40
Anniversary ATY - 6/10

Currently reading:
Interior Castle - 25%
Ulysses - 90%
Vampires of Ottawa - 65%
Mooncakes - Just started

Buddy Reads:
none at present

QOTW: Depends on the snake and the location. In the wild - I'd give them a healthy amount of space as I'm not sure what is poisonous and what isn't.

Once at university, I was doing a project with a girl in the biology building. They took the lid off a snake cage to clean it and she froze. So we stared at the cleaners, as she could not work until that lid was back on. They asked if we were interested. Once they told me that it was a boa constrictor and not poisonous, I let them drape it around me while they worked. My classmate was horrified.

Carmen wrote: "Cornerofmadness wrote: "Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik was my choice for PS 36. A book with silver on the cover or in the title. It has both silver coins and the word on the cover. I should have lo..."

That's unfortunate. I usually can do 60 pages an hour. it took 2 weeks to get 140 pages in. It's slow so slow

Hi all. I'm a zombie. After weeks of phone calls, I was finally able to get my stimulant filled, and yet I'm just as (maybe more??) sluggish than ever. I was supposed to work tomorrow, but I already called in because I don't think I ought to be behind the wheel of a car (let alone responsible for middle grade school children!). My hearing for my Social Security case is Tuesday, and if this doesn't convince them, I don't know what will. Wish me luck, please!!

Otherwise, things are going well. Like Jessica, I'm trying to figure out what to do with summer vacation coming up, but I've got a little over a month to figure it out.

I finally finished reading Incendiary: The Psychiatrist, the Mad Bomber, and the Invention of Criminal Profiling. I found it fascinating! At least in part because I had never heard of the criminal or the psychiatrist, even though they were both widely known names in their day. (any NYC people know of this case?) Towards the end, when it got into who got to decide who is legally insane and people's conflict about if it was a viable legal defense was especially interesting. Not sure if it fits a prompt- though the bomber used to work for Con Ed and then became a serial bomber... is that a "career change"??

Trying to get into How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater as it's due soon. It's not bad... it's just not calling to me.
I also want to get back into Chasing Fireflies because it's been a few weeks since I read that.

QOTW: No, I'm not afraid of snakes, though they will startle me if I find them outside unexpectedly. If I know they're there, I'm content to sit and watch them. I pet-sat some snakes many years ago. Fun fact: Maine has no poisonous snakes, and I believe they are the only state in the lower 48 where that is true.

Now spiders... Spiders Are Scary (hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com) ;)

I missed check in last week because I was sick. I'm finally feeling better, but now allergies are trying to do me in.

Audible offered me a 3 month subscription for 99 cents a month, so I guess they've got me back for 3 months. I had planned to just use my credits to pick 3 classics that I can listen to with no time limit because the holds in Libby for audiobooks of classics are crazy, but I guess we can stream audiobooks in Audible now too? That's interesting. I'm making a list of all the audiobooks I want to listen to that my library doesn't have.

Finished
Where They Last Saw Her (a book with a run club). I have mixed feelings about this one. Most of the story was really good. But the main character made wildly reckless decisions, and she actively withheld evidence and information from the police on a regular basis. I'm not sure if the character or author forgot which details were withheld, but it really undermined the message about ineffective or corrupt police. You can't withhold the location of a criminal from the police, then declare the police are corrupt because they haven't arrested him yet and expect to be taken seriously.

Reading
The Cut

Silence for the Dead

Tess of the D’Urbervilles (a classic you’ve never read)

QOTW
No, I’m not afraid of snakes. I’ve come across a few in the wild, and I showed a healthy amount of caution. I don’t think any of them were venomous, so I kept my distance and watched them slither away. I’m kind of fascinated by them.

A quick check-in for me since I'm thinking about it now and likely won't have time over the weekend. I finished two books and used one for an open prompt. I'm at 9/40 and 0/10 for this challenge and 25/85 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge.

Finished:
* No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack, which was a NetGalley title (and came out this week);
* How to Menopause: Take Charge of Your Health, Reclaim Your Life, and Feel Even Better than Before by Tamsen Fadal, which I used for "a book you got for free" since I received a free hard cover copy as part of the book launch.

Currently Reading:
* The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries edited by Michael Sims 🕵🏼‍♀️;
* The Women of Chateau Lafayette written by Stephanie Dray and narrated by Tavia Gilbert, Emma Bering, and Rachel L. Jacobs. This is one of my book clubs' picks for May. We'll likely be discussing it both this month and next since it's longer than we normally read in a month. The audiobook is almost 24 hours long!! I'm making pretty good progress but don't think I'll be able to finish it before next weekend 🤓; and,
* The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel, which is my other book clubs' pick for this month/June. It's not gripping me as much as I thought it would but has been a fast read so far 🤷🏼‍♀️; and,
* First Lie Wins written by Ashley Elston and narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. I don't normally listen to two audiobooks simultaneously due to the time commitment but my hold came in on Libby. It was recommended by a friend who's not a big reader a couple of months ago, so I've been wanting to check it out 🤩

QotW:
Speaking of snakes—the July Monthly Group Read poll and prompt #5 A book with a snake on the cover or in the title. Do you suffer from ophidiophobia/ophiophocia, a fear of snakes? (Derived from the Greek words “ophis” meaning snake and “phobia” meaning fear.) Not to be confused with herpetophobia, the fear of all reptiles. No fear of snakes, though I'd probably try to avoid a snake if one crossed my path while walking around my neighborhood. Mice, rats, and bats are another story - eek!! 😱

Heather wrote: "Audible offered me a 3 month subscription for 99 cents a month, so I guess they've got me back for 3 months..."

They give me that offer 2 or 3 times a year! I keep using it and canceling. Sshhhh! ;)

Glad you're feeling better, too, sick is no fun!

Happy Thursday! I must not have slept well last night because I've felt half asleep all day. And work has been so, so busy so that hasn't exactly helped matters. Getting together with my family this weekend for a joint birthday celebration for my mom and brother. Looking forward to seeing my nieces!

Finished:
Elephant Herd- I found this book interesting, and I'm glad I read it, but I did not enjoy the reading experience. It follows a boy looking for his uncle hiding in the rain forest, and takes place during the communist insurgency/revolution in Malaysia. So many horrible things happen to the boy's family it makes it difficult to read.

On a trivial note, there's also a lot of talk about crocodiles in this book, and I used to have reoccurring nightmares about crocodiles, so I couldn't read this at night. I've gone several months without crocodile nightmares, and I'd like to keep the streak going.
-no prompt

Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories- a mix of memoir, exploration of how the act of creating can help get you through difficult times, and writing advice. I liked this, glad I picked it up
-no prompt


QotW:
I'm not really afraid of snakes. I grew up in an area where there were rattlesnakes all over- my grandma used to get them under her porch every summer- so I have a healthy respect for snakes, and wouldn't go up to one in the wild. They can live their life, I'll live mine, it's all good. Not like with spiders where if I see one I immediately panic.

Which is weird, since I just mentioned how I used to have regular nightmares about crocodiles, an animal I'll likely never see in real life. If I was going to be afraid of a reptile you'd think it'd be the one I might actually stumble across.

I finished no books this week but expect to have 3 done by next week. I’ve been busy prepping my students for the AP test they have tomorrow. I’m so stressed for them.
But it means it’s almost time for summer vacation and lots of reading time


QOTW: I’m terrified of snakes though I’ve never had a bad experience with one. I won’t even go into the reptile rooms at zoos and prefer to not be by them accept shops. I see them occasionally on the hiking trail.

Once I was hiking with my granddaughters and there was a snake on a little hill, far enough way to look at safely. I was torn because I wanted to get the heck out of there but also want her to experience nature/the world. I forced myself to stay and point it out to her and explain that we were in the snakes house and we need to respect her and keep away and such. Idk why I kept calling it “her”

Hello and happy Thursday from Columbus. I had a nice Mother’s Day weekend and I hope the weekend was gentle on those who needed that. My dad passed on Mother’s Day in 2011 and the day still holds a lot of sadness for me. I’m working a lot of extra hours the next week since we’re heading out of town soon, I’m exhausted but the money sure is nice lol

Finished:
Medusa's Sisters for a book with a snake on the cover. Unsurprisingly this book was kind of a downer, but Greek mythology be like that. I love all the different Medusa stories I’ve gotten to read over the years, nothing like some feminine rage to get you through a busy week.


Currently Reading:
Lady Macbeth
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible

Challenges:
Popsugar - 15/40; 0/4; 0/3; 2/3
Read Harder - 7/24
Classics - 4/12
European Tour - 4/10
12 Friends - 3/12
Yearly Goal - 39/180

QOTW:
Weirdly fitting question since that’s the one book I read this last week lol. I actually adore snakes, which is maybe funny considering I’m deathly afraid of spiders and do not like insects. But snakes and alligators fill me so much joy. My favorite part of vacationing in the south is seeing all the gators floating around. I actually desperately want a blue eyed leucistic ball python (solid white, blue eyes). I think they have the cutest lil faces, almost puppy like. I follow a lot of content creators who keep venomous snakes, if I were a braver person I’d love to have a blue insularis and a gaboon viper. (I tried to link to photos but goodreads yelled at me lol. If you like snakes but aren’t familiar with a blue insularis please look them up they’re so pretty!)
Cue my best Marge impression and pretend she’s holding a snake

Another 2 week check in for me. I do try for every week, but some how Tuesday will roll around and I still won't have posted and so I figure I may as well wait for Thursday.. In other news. I got to go to my honorary niece's 11th birthday party. I can't believe she's 11 and almost taller than me too.😶

Stats
GR: 90/250
PS: 21/50
ATY: 27/52
ATY Anniversary: 4/10
ATY Rejects: 9/28
ATY Rewind: 2/10
GR Choice: 12/30
TBR: 2/10

Finished

Great Big Beautiful Life ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
ATY: Digging up the past.
It didn't beat out Book Lovers or Beach Read, but I appreciate that this was her take on a Evelyn Hugo type story.

Burn For Me Dramatized Adaptation ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Listening to the adaptation drove home why this is my least favorite Ilona Andrews book.

Several People Are Typing ⭐⭐⭐⭐
ATY: Sunset vibes
I laughed my way through this.

Mr. Villain's Day Off 06 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
ATY: Comfort read

The Secret of NIMH ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was my favorite book as a kid (and favorite movie) and I read it sooooooooo many times, but it's been years since I read it last. I'm glad it still holds up, although there were several things I thought were in here that turned out to have been from the sequel.

Deep End ⭐⭐⭐
ATY Rejects: Cover features a single body part
This really dragged in the middle, but it redeemed itself with the ending.

Floating Hotel ⭐⭐⭐
PS: Space tourism
This ended up being the opposite of Deep End - I loved the middle, but the beginning dragged and the ending was disappointing.

Because of Miss Bridgerton ⭐⭐⭐⭐
ATY: Author has 10+ year career

Orbital ⭐⭐⭐
ATY: Tournament of Books book
I liked this, but some of the sections were little more than just lists of place names and it got boring fast.

In Progress
Frankenstein
On the Way to the Wedding
Bone Key

QotW
I find snakes repulsive, but not scary. Sorta like cockatoos or parrots (or most birds really). You want to keep them as pets, that's fine, but don't expect me to pet sit.

Life update: Not much to report this week. My daughter is slowly recovering from her injury, enough to ask me to babysit tonight while she goes on a date.

Reading update: I finished four books:
God's Phallus: And Other Problems for Men and Monotheism for snake on the cover. This was really interesting, but could have used some wider analysis of how the conflicts the author identifies within Jewish masculinity might or might not be paralleled in secular culture.
The Big Time for a dystopia with a happy ending. I would really recommend the audiobook version of this.
The Invisible Wild for a highly anticipated book of 2025 and the GR Heritage bookmark. Interesting premise, rather flat writing.
Timeboxing: The Power of Doing One Thing at a Time. Not for the challenges. I'm not sure the book adds much to the information that's available about this method online.

Stats
Finished for PopSugar Challenge: 3 this week, 42/50 total
Finished for Star Trek Series Challenge: 0 this week, 10/18 total
Finished outside the challenges: 1 this week, 13 total
GR Bookmarks: Community Favorites 6/6, Seasonal 4/7
All books finished this year: 4 this week, 63 total
DNF or paused: 0 this week, 14 total

Currently Reading:
Frankenstein: The 1818 Text for a book you've avoided. I'm finding it a bit of a slog because a lot of it is in epistolary format, which I don't typically enjoy. There are some bright spots, though, like the occasional turns of phrase that make me think Mary Wollstonecraft would be right at home on Tumblr if she were alive today.
Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell for the Cosmere Challenge. This feels a lot less unique than the previous book I read by Brandon Sanderson, but I'm enjoying it nonetheless.
Escape Route for the Star Trek Series Challenge. This is the first children's novel I've read in the Star Trek universe. The plot is a little simplistic, as you might expect, but it does have the feel of an episode of the show.
The Valmiki Ramayana Vol. 3 for spiritual bedtime reading

QOTW: No, I really love snakes. I've mentioned my ex's python here before, and I've also handled his sister's corn snakes. If I were younger, I'd consider getting a python of my own, but they're quite long-lived and I don't want to impose the responsibility on my kids of caring for it for what might be decades after we pass on. I think our dog would get insanely jealous, too!

@Kenya: Enjoy Italy!

@Katy: My friend, Sharon, also has ornithophobia. We do not sit on my back patio when she comes over, even though the bird feeders are across the yard.

Happy Thursday Friday, y’all. (I really did have this ready for posting yesterday and then didn’t!)

Another week of trying to decompress from my trip and get things done.

I have now survived 4 small group exercise sessions (2/wk) and am feeling like I am back in the groove. I have noticed some overall better health results from exercise so I am motivated to keep going. And, just today, I have decided how to add in yoga and the exercise plan that I created with the consult trainer before I went on vacation. So…my plan is Small Group Exercise MW, Yoga TTh, exercise independently F. This will start tomorrow (now, today).

Reading has been off a bit still. The books I am finishing or have finished are either mostly Kindle and GN.

Finished:
Sweet Bean Paste – ATY #37 (adult friendships). 5*. I adored this book! It could have fit several prompts, but I chose this one as it meant the most to me in the story and because it replaced a book I was not really wanting to read at this time! Hehehe.

Blue Lock, Vol. 1 – GN. No prompt. 4*. Interesting soccer story but ended too soon.

Wild Rose – Kindle. PAS. 4*. A nice story of a horrible family upbringing turning into a magical ending.

Dear Dad: Growing Up with a Parent in Prison—and How We Stayed Connected – GN. ATY #35 (NPR list). 4*. Liked this a lot. The graphics supported the story well. Easily understood.

White Tiger: A Hero's Compulsion – GN. ATY #39 (connection but different genres). 3*. I guess I am not a super Hero type of person. I had difficulty caring about the characters or their mission.

Currently Reading:
The Beginner's Photography Guide: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Manual for Getting the Most from Your Digital Camera – 27%.

A People's History of the American Revolution: How Common People Shaped the Fight for Independence - Kindle. 20%.

Kate: The Journal of A Confederate Nurse – PAS. 15%

This Life or the Next – PAS. Kindle. 50%.

Discover Your God-Given Gifts – No challenge. 55%

Gabriel's Angel – Audiobook. Favorite Author. 20%

Just Starting:
From a Far and Lovely Country – ATY #33 (author not read in a while). 5%

The Sojourn – PAS. 5%

On Deck: (owned)
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 19/50
ATY 15/52, Anniversary 7/10, Winter 11/15
GR 74/200

QotW: I have a cautious respect for snakes but no actual fear. My childhood home bordered a creek, and the yard boundary had low growing evergreen plants where the snakes lay to sun.

Updates,

As always, I kind of forget where I’ve left off.

Started: A Book Club Faraway for the prompt “chosen by last sentence”. It was a semi impulsive grab, but I did peruse a few from the library. I found that one grabbed me the most, and I made the selection. Not very far into it as it’s my current “purse/waiting room” book.

Made a lot of progress on Jungle (nature as antagonist). I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. I’m on page like 150, and nature has been the antagonist, but it’s a little anti climactic thus far.

Also made some progress on Daisy Jones & the Six (music).

All Fours (character going through menopause), ~25% but the audiobook is due back today so it will be on pause.

Finished

Margo’s Got Money Troubles (happily single protagonist). I really liked it. It was recommended for this prompt.

I don’t fear snakes, but I’m not about to get one nor am I particularly interested.

JessicaMHR wrote: "Also we do not have snakes here and they are illegal and are not allowed as pets either. Any time someone finds one it makes the news.


Wow I did not know that! I mean, I guess it makes sense, that would be a long ways for a snake to swim to get there, but I figure rat snakes would have stowed away onboard various ships over the centuries and then gotten on the island.



Did you all see the video of the helicopter landing on the highway to take the CBP dog to the vet after being bitten by a snake?..."

No, what was this?

Carmen wrote: "(My best friend sent me a random message about a tourist being detained, but I can't find anything about it so I am focusing on the THOUSANDS of people getting into the country safely. I am aware of The Situation, and boy do I wish I didn't have to worry about it at all, but I can't let myself work up to a full panic about it. So yeah, that kinda put a damper on my excitement; not what I need right now!)..."


What is going on? I have not been watching any news, I do not know what "The Situation" is.



whereas with anything on land/in sky with more than 4 legs I don't do so well, to put it mildly

What would be in the sky with more than 4 legs? do I even want to know??

Kenya wrote: "Salve! (Hello!)

This will be my last checkin for May -- I leave for Italy next week and won't be checking in for the next two Thursdays. Will be taking my Kindle, however, so you might get a sizab..."




Have a fantastic trip!!!

Denise wrote: " I forced myself to stay and point it out to her and explain that we were in the snakes house and we need to respect her and keep away and such. Idk why I kept calling it “her”..."


I did the same thing with my garage garter snake!! Do we all see snakes as female? why would that be???

Nadine in NY wrote: "JessicaMHR wrote: "Also we do not have snakes here and they are illegal and are not allowed as pets either. Any time someone finds one it makes the news.


Wow I did not know that! I mean, I guess it makes sense, that would be a long ways for a snake to swim to get there, but I figure rat snakes would have stowed away onboard various ships over the centuries and then gotten on the island.



Did you all see the video of the helicopter landing on the highway to take the CBP dog to the vet after being bitten by a snake?..."

No, what was this?."


Since you may not have IG... here's a youtube video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6T2O...

JessicaMHR wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "JessicaMHR wrote: "Also we do not have snakes here and they are illegal and are not allowed as pets either. Any time someone finds one it makes the news.


Wow I did not know t..."



oh my, Boo the dog is having quite the adventure! Interesting that he was wagging his tail - he seemed more focused on enjoying all the attention than on any pain he was experiencing.

Cornerofmadness wrote: "Carmen wrote: "Cornerofmadness wrote: "Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik was my choice for PS 36. A book with silver on the cover or in the title. It has both silver coins and the word on the cover. I..."

Yeah I'm normally a 50-60 pages per hour too (depending on how much text is on a page of course), but on audio I got to about 35 pages per hour. With it taking over 13 hours, it was rough. I finished it today, and I didn't hate the story but yeah. Too slow!

Nadine in NY wrote: "Carmen wrote: "(My best friend sent me a random message about a tourist being detained, but I can't find anything about it so I am focusing on the THOUSANDS of people getting into the country safel..."

There's been several tourists/legal green card holders etc who've been detained without explanation. The card holder was being pressured to give it up and go back to Germany. One Canadian woman (I believe) was detained for two weeks. There was also someone who was going to travel several places, who had her ESTA approved, had hotel bookings and plane tickets (including one back home) and she was detained and deported as well.

So yeah. I try to focus on the majority of people coming in without trouble, instead of the few insane cases. Still keeping an eye out of course in case it gets worse, but my best friend just randomly messaging such things just felt Not Great.

AND BUGS! I know technically they live on land but they fly and that makes them a thousand times to worse to me.

Hi all! It's been a busy week at work. We had a regulatory audit and I was tapped to be a technical expert for my area, so I spent a good portion of the week prepping materials, going over documents etc etc. And then the day of they decided they didn't need me after all; the auditor felt that they'd gone over my area well enough and didn't need to revisit the topic. That's probably a good sign that the audit went well and won't have any Findings (stuff we need to fix) but I felt illogically disappointed. I was joking with my supervisor that I'm like the kid who's mad when the teacher cancels the test. I studied, I'm ready, let me earn my A+!

Recently finished:
You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington: nice pop history biography of ole George which was approachable and balanced

Ye: an ok graphic novel that I felt needed more filling out story-wise

Mabuhay!: just barely ok graphic novel that served it's purpose for the food truck prompt

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: a pleasant surprise for me since I hadn't read any Murakami before

QOTW: I'm fine with snakes as long as they stay in their habitat; I'd have a bit of a problem with one if it showed up in my house but that's how I feel about most 'critters' being in my house.

Happy check-in. It's been hot so I started cleaning and putting away the winter gear earlier this week. Now we're rainy and the snow word has been mentioned in forecasts. Haha

Finished Reading:

Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY fire)
Slow start but overall it was a good fantasy novella with dragons.

The Auschwitz Photographer: The powerful true story of Wilhelm Brasse prisoner number 3444 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY anniversary not written in English origionally)
Very upsetting read but well written. The author was consistent with respecting the victims but still informing the reader.

Happily Never After ⭐⭐⭐
It got bonus points for referencing Boaty McBoat Face.

Firefly: Brand New 'Verse ⭐⭐⭐
Great artwork and characters but did a plot thing I can't get behind. (view spoiler)[Magical all knowing being/universe character to fix the problems. This was always people and science in the future not aliens and fantasy. (hide spoiler)]

Nettle & Bone ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY witches, godesses, nuns)
I'm glad I revisitited this as an audiobook when the eBook did not work for me. The start is not so great but I stuck with it.

Fugitive Telemetry Dramatized Adaptation System Collapse Dramatized Adaptation ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I'm through all the murderbot graphic audios 😭. I need more murderbot! Still can't see Alexander Skarsgard as murderbot.

PS 28/50
ATY 37/52 Anniversary 4/10
Goodreads 129/250

QOTW:
I am afraid of snakes. I have been known to scream and leave the room when they appear on the tv unexpectedly. (It's okay if you laugh at me) Somehow I can still enjoy the Snakes on a Plane movie, but I do have to close my eyes at certain parts especially the real snake shots of the anaconda. I don't like the slithering. I have not accomplished this prompt in PS or ATY yet. 🤣

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope everyone is healthy and safe.

Busy week, but I feel a little less like I’m driving with the emergency brake on. In fact, I’m headed out soon to a protest, this time to Ipswich, and looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones. (((Lynn))), you would enjoy and be very welcomed! It is great to be with folks of like mind, great to be able to represent and give voice for others and ourselves.

Finished:
She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs I was in the mood to read a book “where music plays an integral part of the storyline”. I think I found this rec on Listopia, and you could definitely create and listen to a playlist of Dolly Parton’s songs, all mentioned in the book.
I learned so much more about Dolly Parton’s life and work, and I actually enjoyed the author’s addition of her own bits of a memoir, mixed in seamlessly. I wasn’t too familiar wish the Parton canon, but it was fascinating to read a feminist interpretation of her lyrics and her life. The reflections on the way poor rural women feel empowered and take action are mirrored in Dolly’s songs and actions, as a truth that so many can identify with, and as inspiration. Definitely a different perspective and I have mad respect for all Ms. Parton has done and is doing!

This was originally written as a seasonal series, 4 pieces over a year, and then rewritten as a book, so there is repetition, but I didn’t find it distracting.

Out of the Silence: After the Crash This may easily be the best book of the year for me. Nature is the antagonist for the survivors of the flight of the Uruguayan rugby team, and their friends and loved ones, which crashed in the Andes in 1972. As Eduardo Strauch Urioste writes, “Nature is not bad. It is not good. It simply is”. Best summary of how I feel about this prompt!

The survivors faced cold, starvation, and avalanches - some of Nature's antagonism, or simply being. They also coped with injuries, and fear doubt, and hopelessness – and the return of hope. And yet, it is a marvelously hopeful, beautiful book! It is remarkable as it focuses on how these very young men faced everything together, did everything together, as a brotherhood of survival and snow. All decisions were made together, with lots of room for differing ideas. They faced so much, leaning into their expressions of faith and their personal philosophies.

I loved that the author treated the details, which could have been salacious, with simple honesty and respect for the dead. I also loved that he was able to find a sense of awe and majesty in the mountain, the vast expanse of sky, and a sense of his place in this world, humbly, and even with gratitude and peace before the ageless mountain. To think that the cold could easily have killed him, and yet he found awe and peace.

I highly recommend the book to anyone at all. It’s beautifully written and translated. His reflections are both chronologically arranged, with the depth of his ideas and the perceptions and conversations of “survivors of the snow”, as they call themselves.

QOTW:
I have a healthy respect for snakes in their environment. That said, it helps to know I grew up with younger brothers, and among our many pet/ animal family members, they had non-venomous snakes as pets. They also had rats and mice – in different cages.

I met my first python when I was at university. I’ve forgotten his name, but he was a pet of a good friend, and pythons seek warmth, so I had to hold him carefully. I was surprised at how muscular he was, and non-slimy – and, yes, I definitely noticed his masculine qualities! He was very comfortable being draped all over me, and when he went “exploring”, my friend was available to redirect him lol.
All snakes are male, to me, henceforth, and I favor the constrictors, the ones that will hug me. Little non-venomous snakes don’t bother me at all, since they are potential friends of my brothers.
I love hognosed snakes – they have the cutest little piglet faces!
Still, I’m a little startled when I run across snakes in their habitats. But I can't say I fear them.

Jennifer W wrote: "They give me that offer 2 or 3 times a year! I keep using it and canceling. Sshhhh! ;)"

I hope they keep giving me this offer now that I've taken the bait once. My Wishlist keeps growing!

I take the offer every time it comes along! And then I cancel, and they give me the 50% off offer for three months, and then I take that, and then when that's up, I cancel for real until the 0.99 offer comes back around! I do it on two accounts, so I have twice the fun for less than a regular monthly subscription costs xD

I'll never feel bad about 'cheating' a huge corporation like this.

Carmen wrote: "I take the offer every time it comes along! And then I cancel, and they give me the 50% off offer for three months, and then I take that, and then when that's up, I cancel for real until the 0.99 o..."




Agreed. Do not feel bad. They make these offers because it makes them money. For every person like you who stays on top of it and cancels, there are twenty people like me who end up subscribed because they forget to cancel. (Which is why I never take these offers)

Gah we got so lucky last night. There was a fire nearby. Dry conditions, high temps, heavy winds, and in an area that is not maintained at all by whoever owns it (whether that's the city or a property owner, whoever), it's badly managed. What did they expect would happen with these types of conditions? The area was prime fire fuel.

It was only a matter of time for some sort of fire to break out in an area like this regardless if it was arson or some other cause. Luckily the fire crew put it out before it could spread to nearby businesses or homes.

I drove by it this morning to check it out and it was bad. You could still smell the smoke even with the car windows rolled up.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Agreed. Do not feel bad. They make these offers because it makes them money. For every person like you who stays on top of it and cancels, there are twenty people like me who end up subscribed because they forget to cancel. (Which is why I never take these offers)"

I used to be subscribed but I just found it very expensive compared to (at the time) Storytel. So I cancelled.

Also, the only way I can stay on top of it is because I set alarms in my 'financials' list and my calendar ajkdhadg otherwise our situations would be the exact same!

Airak wrote: ""

do you need help?

Nadine I think that's a bot

Jackie wrote: "Nadine I think that's a bot"



I think you're right. I just wanted to give them a chance before deleting them from our group ...