Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2025 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 26: 6/20 - 6/26
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Could not believe my eyes seeing this in the wee hours of Thurs morn, Lynn! Thought I missed a day, too addled by the heat! NYC broke historic records this week, with it over 100F yesterday. But the humidity has wtayedlow, oddly. Nadine upstate has been having it worse than we have, oddly.I never handled heat well, and it is impossible now. I hide from it.
PS 35/62. ATY 49/60
Finished:
Vanishing Edge
Little Tiny Teeth - prompt character experiencing menopause
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Currently reading:
Come, Tell Me How You Live by Agatha Christie Mallowan - memoir of time in Syria on husband's archeological digs in mid-1930s. Delightful.
Dead Dead Girls - Harlem in mid-1920s
Bleak House
QOTW: my IRL has one person, the primary organizer, who I don't think has actually finished one of the selections since some time in 2023. However she does not insist we avoid spoilers as it is on her for not finishing. Whatreally was irritating in past was that most of the books were ones she wantedto read and pushed on us then she wasn't finishing them and we all suffered throughthem mostly finding them mediocre. This year, 2 of us took a stand, the selection was handled differently and it has worked far better - more enjoyable reading. If someone can't finish the book for some reason, she doesn't come.
It is definitely not fair on the rest of us to have limits on discussion because one person can't be bothered to finish the book. Last month it was a Murderbot of less than 200 pages, and has been on the schedule since January for June and she still had not finished it. At least she doesn't limiit the discussion.
I finished The Slow Road to Tehran: A Revelatory Bike Ride through Europe and the Middle East about a road trip.i read Blitzcat as a category from 2015, book with nonhuman character.
I've started Caribbean by James A. Michener as book that takes place around water. I thought maybe I had read it years ago, as I love Michener, but it doesn't seem familiar at all.
QOTW: I'm not in a book club, but that sounds ridiculous. You're there to discuss the book. Why is the person even there without having read the book. An impromptu discussion? Absolutely, no spoilers is reasonable. A book club whose sole purpose is to discuss the book, don't go if you don't want to hear the ending.
Happy Thursday, y’all.Weather: Our weather here in SC has been in mid to high 90s all week with lows in the 70s. Humidity has remained mostly in the 80% range. Hot and muggy. Definitely an inside reading week.
Exercise/Health: Struggles this week. Just didn’t feel well on Monday but got through it all. Class full yesterday so off to do it today.
Garden: Same old, same old. Yellow tomatoes, banana peppers, cherry tomatoes, blueberries. Oh, and I have dug some potatoes.
Reading: Hibernating in my home and reading. Had a good week with my books. Now trying to finish up some for June.
Finished:
The Warsaw Anagrams – PAS. 4*. I found this book interesting from several points. First, it is about the Warsaw ghetto and life within. Second, it is a mystery. Third, it is a moving account by a dead person of his life and struggles…kinda like a memoir…yet fiction.
Waypoints: My Scottish Journey – ATY #23 (acting). 4*. I did not recognize the author as I am not a person who pays much attention to actors. I found this memoir of his life of acting along with his account of walking a trail for 96 miles in the Scottish Highlands full of his humanity and inspiring.
Beautiful Ugly – Audiobook. PS #48 (married couple living separately). 4*. Wow! This turned out to be an unreliable narrator in a big way. I didn’t see that coming.
Currently Reading:
Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All - ATY #30 (monster), PAS, PS #44 (book I have avoided). 34%
Small Miracles for the Jewish Heart: Extraordinary Coincidences from Yesterday and Today – 23%
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West – ATY #11 (fictional location). 60%
Navigating the Bible: The 5-Minute Guide to Understanding God's Word – I am using this book as a brief overview of whatever Bible book I am reading. Currently it is Romans.
Smith Wigglesworth on Prayer, Power, and Miracles – I am reading one essay a day. 16%
Running with Sherman – PS #17 (run club). 17%
A Curious Beginning – ATY seasonal, PAS. 50%
Just Starting:
The Power of Myth – PAS. 1%
On Deck: (library)
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead – ATY #5 (intriguing/weird title), PAS (due 7/6 with renewal)
In the Clearing – PS #7(cult) (due 7/6 with renewal)
The Little French Bistro – PAS (due 7/5 with renewal)
The Woman in Cabin 10 – ATY #25 (waves on cover), PAS (due 7/5 with renewal)
Wicked Charms – PAS (due 7/5 with renewal)
Murder in the Dressing Room – GR bookmark June (due 7/7 with renewal)
Sister Snake – PS #5 (snake on cover) (due 7/14 with renewal)
PS 22/50
ATY 26/52, Anniversary 9/10, Summer 3200/5000 points
GR 99/200
QotW: If you are participating in an IRL book club discussion and other members attend who have not read the book, do you find it annoying for them to require you not to discuss spoilers?
Yes.
Good morning all. I hope you are each doing well. Things have been crazy around here from me getting sick (long story) so I've been holed up away from people for a couple of weeks until I get better. Upside is that it leaves me plenty of reading time.
The weather here these past few days has been amazing. And I am certainly loving the rains. Though I think it's supposed to heat up soon so we'll see.
*****
Book News:
Wow, I can't believe we're at the end of the month! June just flew by like all the others and now here we are, midway through the year.
I finished all the books I had planned for June so I've gotten a head start on some of my July reads which I know I won't finish within the next few days so that's why I'm counting them toward July.
*****
For June I finished off with 12 books. That seems to be my monthly average so that's cool. I have read 75 books so far this year which is a lot for me especially this early in the year so that has me excited.
I'm typically a mood reader, but this year I decided to try something different and it's been working for me.
*****
Currently Reading:
Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are - This marks my 12th science book. I rarely read science so it's a huge shift for me this year. I am currently on chapter 5 of this book and it is a beautiful blend of science and philosophy to the point it's poetic.
*****
Off the Spectrum: Why the Science of Autism Has Failed Women and Girls - Currently on chapter 4. It's a good book but I wish there was more focus on US studies. I get why it's not, the author is from the UK, but still. There is a lot of information I am liking and some I can relate to so that's good.
*****
They Had Names: Tracing the History of the North American Indigenous People - Currently on chapter 4. It's an okay book so far, but nothing that's captivated me like I had hoped.
*****
America, América: A New History of the New World - Currently on chapter 2. Grandin does not hold back so it's very intense (and that was just on the chapter 1 part). I'm curious as to what direction he's taking.
*****
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 - This is a re-read for me, but it's the first book that got me into Graff's work. I read anything by him at this point.
*****
- In terms of the QOTW I can't relate since I don't do book clubs but I would probably be 'quietly' annoyed if I couldn't discuss spoilers because a person or several in my group haven't read it.
As it is no one in my life really reads and on the off chance that they do they don't read the same books I'm into so it makes conversations one way. I get excited, but it's not the same as discussing a book back and forth with someone.
Happy Thursday all!Not a lot going on in my life. It kind of feels like, after months of prepping for my Italy trip, everything afterwards kind of feels like a letdown...
Books read this week:
The Mountain Meadows Massacre -- a brutal recounting of one of the worst massacres of the Westward expansion. A little outdated, as new information has come to light since it was published, but that just means I have more reading to do…
Daughter of Mythos -- cliche fantasy. Maybe I need to stop reading my Kindle freebies…
Wildoak -- beautiful middle-grade read about a girl with a stutter and the friendship she develops with a snow leopard.
Currently reading:
The Best of Catherynne M. Valente, Volume One
A Little Less Broken: How an Autism Diagnosis Finally Made Me Whole
Handbook for the Criminally Insane
Knights vs. Dinosaurs
Gone South
QOTW:
It's been YEARS since I've attended a book club... and I confess, I showed up once or twice admitting that, while I started the book in question, I wasn't able to finish it. I still feel like I was able to contribute a little something to the conversation -- namely, what bothered me about the book enough that I couldn't finish it.
Happy Thursday, everyone! I don’t know about you all, but I am so ready for this heat wave to end. Ohio is just not meant to have multiple days of 90+ degree weather in a row. I’ve spent most of the week indoors to avoid the heat.
This has been a great reading week though! I’ve had a chance to finish quite a few books from both my TBR and “New Books” lists, and I’ve made pretty good progress on the reading I’m doing for the SciFi Summer Readathon, as well as the summer reading programs I’m participating in through my local libraries.
Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…
Goodreads Challenge: 218/250 (87% complete)
Mount TBR Challenge: 123/150 (82% complete)
📚Physical TBR: 100/731
📱Ebook TBR: 12/218
🎧Audiobook TBR: 11/12
TBR Checklist Total: 123/961 (12% complete)
TBR Books DNFed in 2025: 3
This week I bought copies of Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite, vol. 1-3, by Julietta Suzuki; and A Tarnished Canvas, by Anna Lee Huber.
“New” Books Bought in 2025: 112
“New” Books Read in 2025: 92
“New” Books DNFed in 2025: 0
”New” Books Checklist Total: 82% complete
Here are the books I finished this week…
Finished Reading (Fiction):
~Who Fears Death — This is the first book in the She Who Knows trilogy. I thought this was a fantastic story, and was (as always) really impressed with Okorafor’s world building and character development. I’ll definitely be reading the rest of this trilogy as soon as I can, but unfortunately it will be a while until the final two books are released in paperback (the third doesn’t even come out in hardback until next year). It’s going to be hard to wait. (Edit on 6/27: I was actually wrong in saying that this book was the first in the She Who Knows trilogy. It actually takes place between the first book of the She Who Knows trilogy and books two and three. I will still be reading the rest of the books, however, because I was really impressed with this one.) Content Alert: (view spoiler) 📚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
~Heretical Fishing — This is the first book in the Heretical Fishing series. I bought this book on impulse after seeing a blurb by Matt Dinniman (the author of Dungeon Crawler Carl) on the front cover, and I’m glad I did. I thought this book was a fun read, and really liked the characters. I am planning to continue reading this series at some point. 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Pride and Prejudice in Space — I thoroughly enjoyed this SciFi reimagining of Jane Austen’s original novel! The author did a great job of adapting the novel to a futuristic setting, while staying faithful to the spirit of the original. The inclusion of diary entries, communication logs, brochures, and illustrations really added to the reading experience…and I loved that they were printed in full color. Whether you’re a fan of Pride and Prejudice, or you’re looking for a good SciFi romance, I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book! 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Time Machine — This is definitely not my favorite H.G. Wells novel. I had a difficult time getting into the story, and honestly found it rather boring…mostly because of the way in which it was told. I don’t say this often, but I actually prefer the movie adaptation (from 1960). 📚: ⭐️⭐️
I also had a chance to listen to the audiobook editions of the first three books in The Murderbot Diaries series. This is one of my all-time favorite series, and I have read (and listened to) it quite a few times. With the television adaptation gradually being released on Apple TV+, I was in the mood for another re-read. The books I listened to this week include:
~All Systems Red — This is the first book in The Murderbot Diaries series. 🎧: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Artificial Condition — This is the second book in The Murderbot Diaries series. 🎧: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Rogue Protocol — This is the third book in The Murderbot Diaries series. 🎧: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
None
Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
This week I read the first three volumes of Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite. I think this is a really cute series, with fun characters and great art. I’m already looking forward to the next volume, which is being released at the beginning of next month. The volumes I read this week include:
~Otaku Vampire's Love Bite, Vol. 1 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Otaku Vampire's Love Bite, Vol. 2 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Otaku Vampire's Love Bite, Vol. 3 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None
DNFed:
None
Currently Reading:
~The House of the Seven Gables — I bought a copy of this book because I am going to be visiting Salem later this year, and hope to visit the house that inspired the book’s setting. I'm finding this book interesting, and plan to finish it today. 📚
~It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror — This collection of essays has been really interesting so far. 📚
~Exit Strategy — This is the fourth book in The Murderbot Diaries series. I'm really enjoying listening to this one before bed each night. 🎧: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Island of Doctor Moreau — While I am already somewhat familiar with this story, this is my first time reading the original novel. I’m having a really hard time putting this book down, and I definitely think it’s better written than The Time Machine. However, I’m also finding it pretty disturbing. Content Alert: (view spoiler) 📚
QOTW:
I’ve certainly been in book clubs where people couldn’t be bothered to read the book, but I haven’t had an experience where they then asked people to avoid spoilers during the discussion. Of course, most of the book clubs I’ve gone to (and since stopped attending) have been more interested in having social time than actually talking about books.
I would find that request for no spoilers annoying, however.
Happy Thursday! It's been a very quiet week. Hot, sure, but the trees in the backyard cool things at least 10 degrees. We've gotten into a habit of taking the kids outside after dinner until it's time to get ready for bed. And even though it's hot during the day, the nights are still cool. We've been having highs in the 90s and lows in the upper 50s.2025 Reading Challenges:
52 Book Club: 43/52 (Connections Challenge: 7/21)
ATY: 38/52 (ATY Anniversary Challenge: 8/10, ATY Summer Challenge: 21/25)
The Book Girls’ Guide: 36/74
Booklist Queen: 44/52
Popsugar: 36/50
My Ever-Growing TBR: 77/274 – 28.1% (My goal is 33.3%.)
Recently Completed: I’ve stalled out on almost all my reading challenges. I’m going to have to be more strategic about my book choices.
Murder the Truth: Fear, the First Amendment, and a Secret Campaign to Protect the Powerful (ATY Summer #2c – author’s initials in ROOTBEER SODA) ★★★★
Family & Other Calamities ★★★
Hum ★★★★
Great Big Beautiful Life (52 Books Connections #4 – published the same year as the previous book/ATY Summer #3c – by a favorite author/BGG Lifetime of Reading #6 – intergenerational) ★★★★
Prayer for the Living ★★★
Home of the American Circus (52 Books Connections #5 - ±30 pages compared to the previous book/ATY Summer #1d – a new-to-you author/BGG Book Lovers #6 – favorite audiobook narrators) ★★★★★
The Last One at the Wedding (52 Books Connections #6 – similar title font compared to the previous book/ATY Summer #4b – features a wedding) ★★★★
Astonish Me (52 Books Connections #7 – an author who shares a name with a character in the previous book) ★★★
Slayers, Every One of Us: How One Girl in All the World Showed Us How to Hold On ★★★★
The Witch of New York: The Trials of Polly Bodine and the Cursed Birth of Tabloid Justice ★★★
Why We Love Football: A History in 100 Moments ★★★★
King Cheer: YA graphic novel adaptation of King Lear... with cheerleaders. And a happy ending. ★★
Currently Reading:
Fieldwork: A Forager's Memoir (ATY Summer #1d – author’s initials in FRUIT PUNCH)
Consider Yourself Kissed
Fun for the Whole Family
The Stand (52 Books #29 – shares a universe with another book/ATY Summer #53 – 500+ pages/Popsugar #41 – oldest author on TBR)
Ambition Monster: A Memoir
Mother of All Secrets (52 Books #8 – shares a cover item with the previous book)
A Certain Hunger (Booklist Queen #22 – a villain as the protagonist)
A Night Like This
Coven: A Graphic Novel
PS: I Hate You
The Capture: My elder son (Rhys) loved these books, so now I’m reading them with my grandson Eli.
QOTW: No spoilers is a ridiculous request! If you've chosen to attend a book club meeting, you should expect the book to be discussed. It's okay to attend if you haven't finished the book... Maybe you'll be inspired to finish. Or maybe you can contribute your reasons for not finishing.
Happy Thursday!It's been a little warmer here, but thankfully not like the heatwave I've been hearing about in the east. I hope everyone stays safe in the hot weather!
Finished:
VenCo by Cherie Dimaline - 3.5 stars - for a book about a road trip. I liked it but didn't love it. There were a few things about it I wish had been done differently but overall I enjoyed the story.
Comics & manga:
Persona 5, Vol. 13
Oshi No Ko , Vol. 10
I am currently at 35/50 for Popsugar (29/40 and 6/10).
Currently reading:
The Floating World by Axie Oh - not currently for a prompt.
Upcoming/Planned:
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust - for Popsugar's book with a snake on the cover or in the title.
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar - not currently for a prompt.
QOTW:
I don't belong to any in-person book clubs at the moment, but I think asking for no spoilers for the book being discussed is selfish. If you haven't read the book yet, either skip that meeting or, if you want to come anyway to socialize, expect to be spoiled. IMO, most books can't be discussed in any meaningful way without some degree of spoilers.
Mod
I thought I'd have a lot of books finished this week, but I only finished two books. But both of them were for challenge categories!! I am now 40/50. Now is when I need to start getting really intentional in choosing my books, to get those last ten categories closed out!
Ecstasy by Ivy Pochoda- this was a NetGalley book but it was so slow and boring that I didn't finish it until after its pub date, so it's available now! Go read it if you're curious! I had been REALLY looking forward to it, since I love Greek myth retellings and I always loved the stories of the Maenads and I loved the other book I read by Pochoda (Sing Her Down). And oh boy was I ever disappointed!!! Read this book if: you are a Pochoda completist, you love "fever dream" style books and stream of consciousness combined with endless sentence fragments, or you just love reading books about unlikeable people doing obviously stupid things. I had planned to use this for "snake on the cover" but it turned out to be about a cult, and that's a more difficult category for me, so I checked off "cult" with this one.
The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire by Jack Weatherford- this was not what I thought it would be at all. Based on the title, I thought it would be about Mongol Queens who saved the Mongolian Empire. Reasonable, right? So I chose this book to read about a woman forgotten in history. BUT it turned out to be about how Genghis Khan's daughters were brutally tortured and killed after his death. NOT what I wanted at all. The amount of detail was vile. ALL the trigger warnings!! So in the endI feel like this book didn't fit, but since I read it in good faith, I'm still checking off the "woman in history" category.
Popsugar 80% 40 /50
Must Reads 20% 2 /10
AtY 79% 41 /52
AtY bonus 10% 1 /10
2025 pub 58% 29 /50
NetGalley ratio 83%
QotW
Back when I was in a book club, it was a free for all, we did not protect anyone from spoilers if they hadn't finished yet, that's weird. Why would they come to the meeting if they don't want to hear spoilers?
Hi all! It's been hot here in NY! We've been above 90 for 3 days, but today we're back around 70. Kiddo had half days of school this week, and we spent time in the afternoons in her kiddie pool and slip and slide. It was fun, but even that was hot. Today is the first day of her summer vacation and we're being lazy. This morning I finished reading It Ended Badly: Thirteen of the Worst Breakups in History. It was fun, but probably won't stick with me.
Listened to a little more of Hanging Mary, but listening to it conflicts with baseball watching, so I am trying to get caught up on baseball games, which means less listening. First world book problems... ;)
QOTW: I've never belonged to an IRL book club, but I think that's obnoxious. It's on the reader to finish the book on time, and if they don't or can't, then either come and expect spoilers, or don't come at all.
Happy Thursday! I'm on vacation next week, so trying to get everything that I need to done this week!Finished
The Midnight Club Random pick up from the library, doesn't fit any PS prompt (though I did use it as my ATY mystery), so probably wasn't worth it, but the blurb was enticing - former college friends reconvene 20+ years after the death of a friend to try to determine what happened with the help of a drug that allows them to re-enter their memories. It kind of fell short on execution, I expected somewhat more mystical happenings.
Death of the Author This on the other hand, I quite enjoyed, and did manage to use for PS - an unlikely friendship for the relationship between Ankara and Ijele. I liked both Zelu's story and the Rusted Robots one, although sometimes Zelu's reaction (or lack of) to certain things frustrated me.
Currently Reading
The Book of Delights: Essays
Arabian Nights 1914: A Novel About Kaiser Wilhelm II
Someone You Can Build a Nest In
QotW
Like most people here, it seems, my books clubs have a 'spoilers happen' policy. Getting spoiled is the cost of not finishing the book in time! I've been victim to it a time or two, so yes, it would annoy me if people were going to protest.
City Challenge: Complete!County Challenge: Complete!
Powells Challenge 1/25
3 month Library TBR: 16/30
3 month Purchased TBR: 11/27
Jeez, I haven't finished nor started any books this week! I've been plugging away at The Democracy Sourcebook which is 530 pages, designed to be a textbook for an undergraduate class, so probably hardly anyone reads the whole thing all the way through.
QotW: I've never had people who haven't finished the book demand for no spoilers. In last month's book club, we were reading a book I really didn't like, but I pushed through it because I thought it would be better to be able to say, "I didn't like this book," and why than to say, "I didn't read this book." But then the conversation was really strained which isn't usually the case. So now I don't have as much incentive to read this month's book selection. It's one I was initially excited by (Water for Elephants, which was recently banned in high schools throughout our state), but now I'm trying so hard to finish this textbook, I don't know how much time I'll have left to devote to fiction.
Went to see 28 Years Later last night, and it has a lot more layers than I expected. Though I wonder if a lot of the references will go over non-British heads. Gory, sad, and a bit weird!Pretty sure I'm not going to be finishing Popsugar this year. Both these books only fit ATY prompts.
Finished:
The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis. I didn't like this one as much as Dreadful. The main character annoyed me a bit, even though her realising she's putting certain things ahead of her child is kind of the point, but meh.
ATY: Group with 4 or more people
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry. I think Margaret's story was heavily inspired by the Hearst family so that part felt very familiar (based on books I've read rather than me knowing that much about that media dynasty!). I always enjoy an Emily Henry though.
ATY: second book with opposites in title
QOTW:
Back when I went to a book club, if I hadn't finished the book and I didn't want to know what happened I'd skip the meeting. Mostly when I had a DNF it was good to find out the ending without having to struggle through! I definitely wouldn't except a no spoilers policy. How else are you meant to discuss the book?
Mod
I did not know this was becoming a series!! I LOVED Who Fears Death, it's one of my favorite books, so haunting. It was the first book I ever read by Okorafor, and I thought I had found a new favorite author, but ... I've strongly disliked every other book I've read by her since. So I just stopped reading her books. Buuuut ... if she can write another book like "WFD" then I'm interested.
The GR listing for this "series" is very confusing. Phoenix is Book 0, WFD is last on the list, but also labelled Book 1, there are two novellas without a number, and then three novels without numbers, listed above Book 1 but from the blurb it sounds like they come after Book 1??? I tried Wikipedia next but it had no info on a series. nnedi.com is confusing.
Is Najeeba in She Who Knows the daughter of Onyesonwu in Who Fears Death, which would make SWK come AFTER WFD? The Book of Phoenix is clearly labeled a prequel to WFD, so it's book 0, okay. And that leaves the question of where Remote Control fits in the series.
Mod
The sad downside of a great vacation is adjusting to real life again after. :-(
Happy Thursday! I see storm clouds outside. Just rain and put an end to our misery! I can't stand the heat!! This is why I moved up north from Florida in the first place!Finished 24/50
Love me more than anything in the world: Stories about belonging for "book about a refugee/immigrant". This was such a powerful read. I'm so upset about how Hollywood treated this fantastic actress who lived through so much pain in her home country. Everyone should read this.
The Long Night of Centauri Prime for "book whose main character is a politician". I'm a huge Babylon 5 fan and the main character in this is Londo Mollari which, if you know anything about the series, you know he embodies politics. This is a great book for anyone who's seen the show as it picks up where it left off (you can stream it on Prime!).
Currently Reading
My Beautiful Sisters: A Memoir of Courage, Hope, and the Afghan Women's Soccer Team for "book about soccer". This is gut-wrenching. Like. A world where you can be ostracized, harassed, and killed just for being a woman who likes sport. Once again, I'm ashamed of my country (USA) that has left these young girls to burn (sometimes literally) by abandoning Afghanistan to the Taliban. This should absolutely be required reading.
QotW
Depends! If it's a one-time thing and if they're planning on catching up next session, I could let it slide. But if it's habitual, no. I mean, what's the point of being in the book club if you can't discuss in depth what you're reading!
Happy ThursdayThe year is almost half over. I am ahead on my Goodreads ticker. Ahead in my ATY reading. And ahead in my PopSugar reading. I thought I'd do 40 prompts this year and I'm already at 24.
I finished Broken and it made my laugh so much in places that I had tears in my eyes. Other chapters broke my heart, especially the one about arguing with her health insurance. (I'm a Canadian so having for--profit health care is weird to me and I'm angry for people who have to battle for health care.)
Finished:
Broken
Popsugar prompt: A book written by an author who is neurodivergent
ATY prompt: A book with a main character who is a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, or a criminal
Anniversary prompt:
Summer prompt: A humorous book - 100 points
Series - 5/10
Reading Across Canada - 5/10
Nobel laureates - 2/5
PS - 24/40
Regular ATY - 22/40
Anniversary ATY - 6/10
Summer Challenge - 1100/5000 - 22%
Currently reading:
Interior Castle - 25%
The Tin Flute - 55%
Buddy Reads:
none at present
QOTW: The book club I was in only read non-fiction books and we only read a chapter a week. So, spoiling wasn't possible. And we encouraged people to come even if they didn't read the chapter.
This has been such a weird week for me -- while I'd planned to be home today for an appointment that I'd scheduled back at the beginning of May, I ended up being home all day Monday and part of the day Tuesday and Wednesday waiting for a contractor to take care of some home repairs. At least I got a bunch of bonus reading time in while I was home. Thankfully, everything's done now and I will have a normal full day of work tomorrow. Just in time for the weekend 🙃Despite all of the extra reading time, I only finished one book (but made lots of progress on another one). It didn't seem to work for any of my open prompts, so no movement there. I'm at 12/40 and 0/10 for this challenge, and 33/85 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge. Well, I think 33 is correct...GR is doing something wonky with marking NetGalley titles twice when I finish them in my Kindle. I deleted the version with no title, author, etc., so I think 33 is accurate. This is the second time this has happened since the app got updated. Sigh.
Finished:
* All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan, which was a NetGalley title I received from the author/publisher as part of their Super Reader program.
Currently Reading:
* The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries edited by Michael Sims;
* The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis, which is one my book clubs' picks for July;
* A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Best Investment Guide That Money Can Buy by Burton G. Malkiel, which was recommended to me by my financial coach. I made great progress on it while I was home this week;
* How to Solve Your Own Murder written by Kristen Perrin and narrated by Alexandra Dowling and Jaye Jacobs, which is my other book clubs' pick for July; and,
* The Simple Path to Wealth: Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free Life by J.L. Collins, which is the other book my financial coach recommended. My Libby hold came in, so I went ahead and checked it out/started it.
QotW:
If you are participating in an IRL book club discussion and other members attend who have not read the book, do you find it annoying for them to require you not to discuss spoilers? If they demanded that the rest of us not discuss spoilers, I probably would find it annoying...more because I don't like being told what to do and would be ticked that one person was trying to overrule the majority. In reality, when one of my book clubs has someone who hasn't finished the book, the rest of us either talk around anything spoiler-y or the person who didn't finish the book tells us it's totally fine with them if we discuss the whole book, spoilers and all. Often, the person who didn't finish the book is never going to finish it, so it's not a big deal if the others discuss spoilers. If we think they're going to read/finish later on, we'll likely talk around things, even if they say we don't have to.
Happy check-in! I didn't complete much this week but everything I did was really enjoyable.Finished Reading:
Shield of Sparrows ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY monster)
A great start to a new romantasy series.
Murder by Memory ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So I needed the Pride month bookmark from goodreads and I couldn't finish Atmosphere before the library took it back, this was really short and on the applicable books list. A sci-fi cozy mystery that's just over a 100 pages. It's the start of a series that I'll be continuing. It's very Altered Carbon but not so depressing.
PS 35/50
ATY 41/52 Anniversary 5/10 Summer 16/25
Goodreads 160/250
QOTW:
While I'm not in any irl book clubs, it would be very obnoxious for someone to expect others to avoid spoilers.
Hello and happy early Friday from a sweltering Columbus. This heat has me suffering dramatically. Sunday we had my son’s birthday party at a glow putt putt place. And Wednesday I finally had my long overdue hair appointment and went back to my usual pink (and orange) from the minty green I had leftover from this winter’s dark green. I probably would have read more because I had quite a bit of downtime but unfortunately my head has been killing me lately. Finished:
We'll Prescribe You a Cat for a read harder prompt. There’s something about Japanese and Korean cozy fiction that’s just so delightful. This is five short stories, all about individuals getting prescribed a cat from a clinic they heard about from a friend of a friend of a cousins neighbors friend. I was especially charmed by the cat named Tangerine, who was describe as the same color and breed as my cat (a seal point ragdoll). If any cat is going to solve a crisis in your life, it’ll probably be a ragdoll lol.
Great Big Beautiful Life I guess this wasn’t for a prompt but I’m not surprised I placed a hold on Emily Henry’s latest. What will summer be without one her romances? I can’t even imagine at this point. I love how funny she is and how amusing the dialogue she writes is. She always makes me so sad, so happy, and laugh out loud several times. I don’t even mind the mild amount of spice she includes, although I still skim it.
Currently Reading:
Saltwater
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible
Challenges:
Popsugar - 18/40; 0/4; 0/3; 2/3
Read Harder - 10/24
Classics - 5/12
European Tour - 4/10
12 Friends - 5/12
Yearly Goal - 52/180
QOTW:
It would never occur to me to avoid spoilers in this case, but it’s my book club, my rules 😅
This heat is sapping my will to do anything but lie here and sweat.I didn't much reading done, just one book. Dark Entry by John B. Kachuba for PS 8. A book under 250 page it was something I got at the Loveland Frogman festival. It's horror but it's also nothing new in the genre. It wasn't bad but it's not one I'll remember long.
QOTW
I don't do IRL groups (can't find a genre one) but yes I think that would annoy me
Life update: This week has been difficult. There's some office politics going on, which I always hate, but is particularly frustrating because I saw it coming back in January and warned my line manager, to no avail. It's also stressing out my younger colleague, and I feel bad for not being able to protect her from it. It's probably not too surprising that I had a really bad migraine on Wednesday, so bad that I had trouble understanding my husband when he spoke to me, and am still recovering.Reading update: I did make some reading progress, mostly over the weekend before the stress hit. I finished two books:
Der letzte Satz (The Last Movement). This tells the life story of the composer Gustav Mahler through his musings as he returns to Europe by ocean liner for the final time, knowing that he's dying. It's quietly moving, and I was touched by the kindness that the ship personnel show to him. I used it to tick off Readers of the Wild Moor: brooding atmopshere and PS: chronic pain. Mahler suffered throughout his life from complications of a childhood bout of rheumatic fever, eventually leading to a heart defect that contributed to his death. At least in this telling, the pain and weakness caused by his illness play a part in his marriage troubles.
The Masculine Woman in Weimar Germany for Pride Season Reading Challenge: non-fiction about genderqueer/nonbinary.
I also DNF'd August Blue after listening to the free sample. The premise wasn't quite what I had expected, and I didn't feel I was going to like the MC.
Stats:
Finished for PopSugar Challenge: 1 this week, 45/50 total
Finished for Star Trek Series Challenge: 0 this week, 16/18 total
Finished for Readers of the Wild Moor: 1 this week, 17/30 total
Finished for Pride Season Challenge: 1 this week, 5/15 total
Finished for Queer Reads Bracket Challenge: 0 this week, 1/6 total
Finished for Cosmere Challenge: 0 this week, 2/48 total
Finished outside the challenges: 0 this week, 18 total
All books finished this year: 2 this week, 87 total
DNF or paused: 1 this week, 17 total
Challenges completed this year:
GR Community Favorites
GR Seasonal Bookmarks
Currently Reading:
Ecstasy for PS: luxury resort
Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community for Pride Season Reading Challenge: non-fiction about lesbian history
The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, vol. 2, for my current audiobook
The Valmiki Ramayana Vol. 3 for spiritual bedtime reading
QOTW: I've never experienced this, but it would definitely annoy me. My most recent book club had a clear rule that you're welcome to attend if you haven't finished the book, but you have to accept that there will be spoilers. I guess in order for that rule to exist, someone in the group must have had experience of this causing problems in the past, but at least when I attended, there was a clear consensus that we agreed with the rule. We also had a rule that book selections had to be 400 pages or less, to give everyone a fair chance to finish.
Last week I had my beachside mini-vacation that was my Mother';s Day gift. This week I read a lot because I got a very rare sunburn and it was too painful to do much else. I only used one book for a prompt though:Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return (found family)
non prompt finishes:
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
100 Cats Who Changed Civilization: History's Most Influential Felines
Why Cats Are Assholes
Three Apples Fell from the Sky
We Need New Names
The Berry Pickers (I may use this for character with chronic pain )
Currently reading:
War and Peace
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
Hitch 22: A Memoir
Fabric: The Hidden History of the Material World
QOTW:
No one in my 4 current book clubs cares if there are spoilers. The majority of the time they read the books and if they didn't they either don't come or are ok with spoilers because they don't intend to finish anyway. At all of them it is policy that spoilers are allowed.
Nadine in NY wrote: "I did not know this was becoming a series!! I LOVED Who Fears Death, it's one of my favorite books, so haunting."The whole series order is really confusing, and Goodreads really hasn't helped to clear things up. But I totally got it wrong when I said that Who Fears Death was the first book in the She Who Knows trilogy. Technically, One Way Witch and The Daughter Who Remains ARE sequels to it in the sense that they take place after the events of the novel, but they're really the direct sequels to She Who Knows, and focus on Onyesonwu's mother (Najeeba).
I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but She Who Knows is supposed to focus on Onyesonwu's mother when she was a teenager, and then books two and three of the "trilogy" take place after the events of Who Fears Death, while still focusing on Najeeba.
So I believe the reading order should actually be She Who Knows, Who Fears Death, One Way Witch, and The Daughter Who Remains.
It also looks like The Book of Phoenix takes place before any of the other books, though I have no idea how it's connected to the rest of the books.
I can't figure out where Remote Control is meant to be in the series order either. Maybe it just takes place in the same universe?
I'd really like to figure it out, because I am super impressed with Okorafor's writing. I think Binti: The Complete Trilogy is my favorite of the books she's written, but I really want to continue the story that she started in Who Fears Death. I just need to know what happens next!
Mod
The whole series order is really confusing, and Goodreads rea..."
Ohhh I thought Najeeba was Onyesonwu's daughter, I had tht backwards. So maybe it goes like this:
1. The Book of Phoenix
2. Remote Control
3. She Who Knows
4. Who Fears Death
5. One Way Witch
6. The Daughter Who Remains
I wish Okorafor's blog spelled this out for us.
L Y N N wrote: "... Although I was obsessed with comic books as a kid, I am not overly-enthusiastic about graphic novels today. Strange…..."I am the opposite. I just didn't like comic books and now I read a bunch of graphic novels. But I do find them to be a little bit different. Because I still will not read an actual comic book (like a Marvel one). The only exception being the Calvin and Hobbes book I have.
Happy Friday everyone! Just got back from visiting Tennessee and Kentucky, so was not able to post yesterday. I thought being close to the mountains would help alleviate some of the extreme weather, but it was just as humid and hot as the Gulf Coast! Got to see the Smokey Mountains, but sadly no bears. Also toured Mammoth Cave and the city of Nashville. With all that driving, I was able to finish several audiobooks. I'm continuing to prioritize LBGTQ+ books and authors this month, and I completed 4 this past week.2025 Reading Challenges
Popsugar- 46/50
ATY- 52/52; Anniversary- 9/10; Summer- 4100/5000
52 Book Club- _____; Connections- 4/21
Buzzword- 6/12; Cover- 6/12
1001 Books- 7/10
Finished
The Sirens of Titan- I'm not really into space sci-fi, but I was able to read this one rather quickly. ☆☆☆
PS #3- a book about space tourism
ATY Summer #5B- a book by an author with 10 or more books
The Emperor of Gladness- I really liked the found family in this. ☆☆☆☆
ATY Summer #1C- a book published in 2024 or 2025
The Slip- Discovered this through Goodreads' Summer Releases article, saw it was LGBTQ so I decided to check it out. What a surprise this was! It certainly has a unique plot, a cast of intriguing characters, strong themes of identity, reinvention, and belonging, all centered around a boxing gym in Austin. Loved this! ☆☆☆☆☆
ATY Summer #5A- a book with more than one point-of-view
Authority: Essays- I know the author won a Pulitzer in Criticism for her piece on Hanya Yanagihara, so I wanted to check out her essays. I think I most enjoyed reading her thoughts on TV shows and authors I have read from. Her other essays were a little too philosophical for me and didn't grab me like the others. ☆☆☆
ATY Summer #1D- a book by a new to you author
Currently Reading
Problematic Summer Romance
A Room of One's Own & The Voyage Out
QOTW
I haven't had a real life book club, but I would find it counter-intuitive to have a discussion without spoilers. Book discussions shouldn't be restrictive, and the endings often give a lot of room for thought. I agree with others, if you didn't finish the book, don't attend the meeting.
Nadine in NY wrote: "I wish Okorafor's blog spelled this out for us."Yeah, that would be really helpful. Looking at the publication dates doesn't help much either.
I just ran a Google search, and I'm seeing several websites that are calling Remote Control a prequel to The Book of Phoenix. I don't know if that's accurate though, because a lot of people seem to be asking the same questions we are. At least we're not the only ones who are confused! ^_^
Hello everyone!It was an interesting week for me. It was the week of Friends.
I had my high school friends funeral on Saturday, which I had to borrow another friends truck to go to, that was a whole thing, ugh! It was a nice funeral and my nephew decided he wanted to go with me! I asked him like 5 times if he was sure and overall he did really well and was pretty patient, exception being when it was time for another dose of his meds. He started complaining and saying he wanted to go home or have his mom pick him up but, we were to far away to just have her come get him. I gave him his pill and he toughed it out and even ended up helping clean-up and helping at the grave site. I was pretty surprised by him and also proud.
I got to get my truck back from the body shop Monday (it got keyed back in May) thankfully it was only a week but having to borrow other people's cars is never fun. Had to request the help from yet another friend to go with me and drive one of the vehicles home.
I spent Wed. in Oahu for a root canal. That involved flying there and back. But I took some time after my appointment to walk one of the malls over there (it was right across the street) before heading back to sit at the airport.
One more of my friends is home visiting and I got to see her and have lunch yesterday so that was nice.
As for books I had a pretty good week. I had planned on reading West With Giraffes at the airport but realized I had an audiobook I needed to finish. So not much progress there.
2025 Challenges:
Popsugar: 37/50
ATY: 41/52 & 8/10
A to Z (Kindle edition): 2/26
Library Summer Reading: 9/20
Goodreads: 92/150
GR WTR: 10/433
Physical TBR: 8/121
Kindle TBR: 0/127
TBR Goal: 8/248
Book Clubs:
PS Monthly: 27/66
Reese: 35/111
Oprah: 14/110
Jenna: 10/78
OSS: 7/39
Finished:
7 finished, 0 Completed Popsugar
Timid
ATY#57 (Annv)
Every Drop Is a Man's Nightmare
ATY#39
The Rebel Diet: Feed Your Appetite and Lose Weight with 100 Defiantly Delicious Recipes
This was alright and had some ok ideas and I totally get the concept but I find it hard with many cookbooks to find things I would actually eat.
NewsPrints
Rx
Bedhead Ted
The Anti-Ableist Manifesto: Smashing Stereotypes, Forging Change, and Building a Disability-Inclusive World
This was an interesting read and gets you to think of some things. It also makes you realize that this struggle could many of us or rather any one of us’s struggle at any time and most likely will be as we age.
Some of it was kind of confusing though, because she’s all like try to help and advocate and be an ally but also like, don’t help someone unless they ask for it. But I think the hardest thing to implement from this, just might be the change in language she recommends. Like not using “Handi-cap parking” but…oh crap, I can’t remember what she said to use instead. See hard! Trying to remembering all of what it was she recommends is hard! Because now I can’t even remember if she said using Disabled was okay or not.
-------
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
A Snake Falls to Earth
West With Giraffes
Old Brand New: Colorful Homes for Maximal Living
On the Backburner
Libby
Blackmail and Bibingka
Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country
Physical Library Rentals
The New Girl
American Poison: A Deadly Invention and the Woman Who Battled for Environmental Justice
Rebellion 1776
Heirloom Rooms: Soulful Stories of Home
The Milk Street Cookbook: The Definitive Guide to the New Home Cooking, with Every Recipe from Every Episode of the TV Show, 2017-2024
Love Is for All of Us: Poems of Tenderness and Belonging from the LGBTQ+ Community and Friends
Beautiful Ugly
Stars in Their Eyes: A Graphic Novel
Why Fathers Cry at Night: A Memoir in Love Poems, Letters, Recipes, and Remembrances
Turning Twelve
Tales of a Seventh-Grade Lizard Boy
Kiss Number 8
Once Upon a Chef: Weeknight/Weekend: 70 Quick-Fix Weeknight Dinners + 30 Luscious Weekend Recipes: A Cookbook
Magazines: (10/149)
Read since last check-in: 0
Question of the Week:
I do not participate in any IRL book clubs but, I would have to agree that you either don't come or expect to hear spoilers.
Today is my birthday, and I'm on vacation!! I still don't have definite plans for next week, but I'll find things to do. I'm hoping for a lot of reading time too.Finished
The Nine Billion Names of God (a book you want to read based on the last sentence). I don't think I've read anything by Arthur C. Clarke before. I read this for the final line, but there were so many incredible lines throughout the story.
Tess of the D’Urbervilles (a classic you’ve never read). I didn’t like this book. I can appreciate it in its historical context, but it didn’t speak to me.
Reading
A Deadly Affair (two books with the same title - #1)
A Deadly Affair (two books with the same title - #2)
Yellow Jessamine (a book that begins with the letter y)
Crime and Punishment
QOTW
I’m not part of any IRL book club, but I would expect anyone participating to have read the book.
It is HOT here in Charlotte (and I'm guessing everywhere in the US) - hah! Trying to stay cool by staying indoors. The boyfriend moved in last weekend and so far so good. It's hard to try to get it all my bookish things, but surprisingly I can read my books again!!! I'm finding when he picks something on tv that I'm not interested in, I can read (which is delightful to me). 27/75 GoodReads Challenge
23/50 PopSugar Challenge
Finished:
1.) The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak (No PS Prompt) ⭐⭐⭐: This was interesting enough to keep me reading, but a little too much thrown in to believe it. Annoyed that there was no point to the spiders, IYKYK.
Currently Reading:
1.) The Inmate (#15-AI)
2.) Sunrise on the Reaping (#5-Snake)
QoTW: If IRL book club members attend who have not read the book, do you find it annoying for them to require you not to discuss spoilers?
I'm not participating in a real life book club at the moment, but yes absolutely - if you haven't read the book that's on you, and spoilers should be fair game in the book club.
Heather wrote: "Today is my birthday, and I'm on vacation!! I still don't have definite plans for next week, but I'll find things to do. I'm hoping for a lot of reading time too.Finished
[book:The Nine Billion N..."
happy birthday
Heather wrote: "Today is my birthday, and I'm on vacation!! I still don't have definite plans for next week, but I'll find things to do. I'm hoping for a lot of reading time too.Finished
[book:The Nine Billion N..."
I loved The Nine Billion Names of God! I read it as a teenager after finding my dad's stash of classic SF books, and 40 years later I can still remember how the last line hit. You know a piece of writing is good when it stays with you that long.
Hi all! Been feeling a little under the weather this week, so I'm going to make this quick, and probably go back to sleep. Last weekend went on a family trip, I was only able to go for 4 of the days because of work, but it was nice being around the nieces and everyone.Finished:
With Stars in Her Eyes- I love this author usually, this romcom though I didn't like the way one of the main characters acted towards the end, so not the 5 star I was hoping for
-no prompt
When We Rise: My Life in the Movement- I loved this memoir about Cleve Jone's time living in SF and working in the gay rights movement. I thought it was really good, I also live in the Bay area so it was kind of like reading the history of my home.
-44 A book you have always avoided reading (this has been on my bookshelves for years!)
Currently reading:
The Jasad Crown- one of my most anticipated fantasy books for the year
Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity- just a few stories to go
QotW:
Yeah, I think if you know the book is going to be discussed it's on you to either finish the book on time or not be pressed about hearing spoilers.
Heather wrote: "Today is my birthday, and I'm on vacation!! I still don't have definite plans for next week, but I'll find things to do. I'm hoping for a lot of reading time too."Happy Birthday Heather!! Hope it was a great one. :)
I thought today was Thursday and was looking for this week's check-in, LOL. Man, it's been a long week.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Jasad Crown (other topics)With Stars in Her Eyes (other topics)
When We Rise: My Life in the Movement (other topics)
Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity (other topics)
The Inmate (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jason Rekulak (other topics)Emily Henry (other topics)
Hank Phillippi Ryan (other topics)
Burton G. Malkiel (other topics)
Michael Sims (other topics)
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It has been in the 90s here and honestly, that is just too damn hot for me any more! I can remember being out working in our garden in a bikini, slathered in baby oil when it was 100+! Not any more. No to the bikini! No to the baby oil! And just no to being outside in 90+ degree weather! I’m definitely getting too old for this hot stuff!
I am taking my best friend to the doctor tomorrow morning, so stayed up after getting home from the gym Wednesday night to post this early Thursday morning!! Now to bed to get some sleep!
And I will have an answer for you from the QotW for Week 24, Nadine! That will be included in my review for Open Throat!
ADMIN STUFF:
THE AUGUST MONTHLY GROUP IS Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt!
This book could be used to fulfill Prompt #28 A book with an unlikely friendship!
World UFO Day is July 2, 2025!!
https://www.calendarr.com/united-stat...
I truly hope there is a “fun-filled friend” among you who would love to lead this discussion! Please contact either Nadine or myself to volunteer!
EDITED TO ADD: Vaish B is the "fun-filled friend" who has graciously volunteered to lead this discussion! Thank you so very much!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏
I absolutely adored this book and wouldn’t mind rereading it, if I can make the time to do so.
THE SEPTEMBER MONTHLY GROUP READ NOMINATION POLL IS LIVE!
This book could be used to fulfill prompt #32 A book about an overlooked woman in history
Emma M. Nutt Day is September 1, 2025
A fascinating story of the world’s very first woman/female telephone operator!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Nutt
Ten books have been nominated!
If you do not see the title you would like to nominate, please write it in. Please check the book's eligibility first! Only books that have NOT been discussed within the past two years (2023-present) are eligible. Remember to consult the listing of these books that are NOT eligible for this month HERE before nominating! :) There is an alphabetized listing by title as well as a chronological listing.
NOTE: This is the NOMINATION round, which is step one. We will select the top results from this round to create a new poll for a Final Vote to select ONE book for the September 2025 group read.
This poll will remain active through July 1st!
VOTE HERE!
THE JULY MONTHLY GROUP READ IS Sunrise on the Reaping (Hunger Games #0.5) by Suzanne Collins!
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!!)
Dubhease is the “sibilant superstar” who has volunteered to lead this discussion! Yay Dubhease! Thank you so much! 👏👏👏👏👏👏
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… I will try to catch up with this over the weekend.
THE LISTING OF 2025 MONTHLY GROUP READ TOPICS IS HERE!
***
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
If you are participating in an IRL book club discussion and other members attend who have not read the book, do you find it annoying for them to require you not to discuss spoilers?
Yes! Yes I do! I find it to be very very selfish and annoying!! This happened this past Sunday and I felt it put a huge damper on our discussion of The Celebrants by Steven Rowley! Grrrrrr… I have attended IRL book club meetings without having finished reading the book, but I ALWAYS have asked that they all do not hesitate to reveal and discuss spoilers! Most readers want to discuss whatever they wish! At least I do! 😊
LAST WEEK:
Do you read different formats (audio, e-book, paperback, hardcover, graphic novel adaptation, etc) than you used to read?
Not really. I’m old and stuck in my ways, I guess! I much prefer an actual book in my hands. Hardcover or paperback. Though I avoid mass market paperbacks whenever possible. (Not really certain why… LOL) I typically only listen to audiobooks or read e-books if there is no other option for a title. Although I was obsessed with comic books as a kid, I am not overly-enthusiastic about graphic novels today. Strange…
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: 44/52
2024 Popsugar: 47/50
FINISHED:
*The Tale of Applebeck Orchard (The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter #6) by Susan Wittig Albert ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was another quite enjoyable installment in this series. I doubt Albert could write anything that wouldn’t be totally enjoyable to me!! I could readily understand the wife’s villainy in this one! And some romance for Beatrix as well!!
POPSUGAR: #6, #16, #20, #40
ATY: #2, #5, #7, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #20, #23, #31, #32, #36, #37, #40, #45, #47, #48
RHC: #11, #16, #24
52 Book Club: #2, #7, #10, #16, #18, #22, #25, #28/#29, #38, #41, #43, #51-307 pages
I don’t have time to list them all, but will finish this over the weekend.
*Open Throat by Henry Hoke
POPSUGAR:
ATY:
RHC:
52 Book Club:
*The Tale of Applebeck Orchard (The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter #6) by Susan Wittig Albert
*The Guncle (The Guncle #1) by Steven Rowley
*The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
CONTINUING:
*The Tale of Oat Cake Crag (The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter #7) by Susan Wittig Albert
*The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
*The Double Life of Benson Yu by Kevin Chong for an IRL book club meeting
*The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty
*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