L Y N N’s Comments (group member since Nov 10, 2018)

L Y N N’s comments from the Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge group.

Kate wrote: "It's been a long year. It's been a long 3 years actually but this is the first time I haven't finished the challenge. I've been reading, I just haven't been working from the list so I've read what ..."
I can relate and I do both sympathize and empathize. I'm fairly certain I will end up finishing this year, but I definitely look forward to beginning anew with 2026! I have abandoned several other year-long challenges for 2026 and intend to concentrate mostly on reading books I already own for 2026!

I think the important thing to remember is that you had fun reading whatever you read in 2025 and look forward to enjoying books in 2026!! No regrets! Live for the day...each day! 😋

Been sick this weekend, so missed an IRL book club meeting this afternoon, but wanted to post before the weekend ends!

I actually took an evening off from the gym to attend an author event at Butler University on Monday. I met Sigrid Nunez!! I have now read 5 of her books and each of those is personally inscribed and signed by her. Her work is ‘literary fiction’ and each book is quite different, though each one contains well-delineated characters as well as a very intimate and personal writing style. Interestingly, the person just ahead of me iterated these exact same sentiments to her, and he was definitely no older than 21! I think it says a lot when an author’s writing can touch such differently aged readers in much the same way. She stated that this personal and intimate writing style is exactly her goal. I assume she will be granted a Nobel prize at some point in the future. We’ll see if I am correct in that prediction! I mentioned Naked Sleeper: A Novel as one of my favorite books, and she shook her head, stating that it “had not done well.” I nodded, stating I realized that, but that didn’t prevent me from appreciating what I felt was an amazing plot, especially within the last 11 pages! She admitted she liked it as well…

Don’t know if any of you get Shelf Awareness emails or not, but our two local used bookstores send them out. https://secondflightbooks.shelf-aware...
I find them to be interesting and informative!

ADMIN STUFF:
THE JANUARY 2026 MONTHLY GROUP READ NOMINATION POLL IS HERE!
I recreated the poll so it would work properly! 😊 Sorry about the error!

***
I had to make a last-minute change to the listing of 2026 Monthly Group Read List of Categories and Books. Long story, but suffice it to say that as I lay my head on my pillow that night/early the next morning, I realized I had the month of February all wrong…so that led to my adjusting four months. 😊

Here is the FINAL list! (I purposefully tried to avoid obvious holidays, etc.) I think July is my favorite! LOL
JANUARY Prompt #24 A book about postpartum
Celebration of Life Day is January 22

FEBRUARY Prompt #22 A book about a book club
International Book Giving Day is February 14
https://nationaltoday.com/internation...

MARCH Prompt #34 A book with a trans or nonbinary protagonist
Trans Day of Visibility March 31
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interna...

APRIL Prompt #1 A book where gardening or a garden is central to the plot
National Gardening Day is April 14
https://www.calendarr.com/united-stat...

MAY Prompt #45 A book that features birding
World Migratory Bird Day is May 9
https://www.migratorybirdday.org/

JUNE Prompt #25 A book that explores influencer culture
World Social Media Day is June 30
https://nationaltoday.com/social-medi...

JULY Prompt #7 A book about a granny hobby
National Gorgeous Grandma Day is July 23
https://nationaltoday.com/national-go...

AUGUST Prompt #50 A book about Afrofuturism
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is August 23
https://www.unesco.org/en/days/slave-...

SEPTEMBER Prompt #47 A book told entirely through letters
World Letter Writing Day is September 1
https://nationaltoday.com/world-lette...

OCTOBER Prompt #6 A book with an overweight main character whose story isn't about losing weight
National Plus Size Appreciation Day is October 6
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/na...

NOVEMBER Prompt #28 A book about debt
Buy Nothing Day is November 27
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buy_Not...

DECEMBER Prompt #10 A book about a horse or with a horse on the cover
National Horse Day is December 13
https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/n...
***
THE DECEMBER MONTHLY GROUP READ FINAL SELECTION IS Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng!
This book could be used to fulfill Prompt #25 A book where the main character is an immigrant or refugee
International Migrants Day is December 18, 2025
We are searching for a "year-end yeoman" to lead this discussion! Message either Nadine or me to volunteer!

THE NOVEMBER MONTHLY GROUP READ IS A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot #1) by Becky Chambers!
This book could be used to fulfill Prompt #29 A book about a food truck
National Fast Food Day is November 16, 2025
https://www.calendarr.com/united-stat...
I will be finishing this one today and posting additional questions HERE!

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

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Have your reading preferences and/or tastes changed over time?
Definitely! As a child I adored Dr. Seuss books. The rhyming! That was my absolute favorite. Then I went through various reading stages: mysteries, westerns, horse books. Once I hit 12-13 I began reading some truly desolate literature—Aleksander Solzenitzyn, for example. I also began delving into some classic literature at the point in time. Then once I married and became pregnant (not necessarily in that order!! LOL) I concentrated on psychology, sociology, etc., trying to prepare to raise decent adults from these babies! Then I re-entered college and read textbooks, but also some children’s literature for an excellent Children’s Lit class!

Once I regained enough time for ‘leisure reading’ I returned to mysteries, but also nonfiction (psychology, sociology, anthropology, biographies), classics, and began reading Science Fiction. I can remember working at Borders and kinda dreading shelving “romance” books since I had no interest in them whatsoever. As a result of working in a bookstore I discovered Young Adult and read some of those. I also read all the books Borders declared “make” books and read specific selections as a “Fiction Expert” at my store. (I later learned all of these titles were marketed because publishers had paid Borders to push them. 😉) But I enjoyed almost all of them!

What has really pushed me beyond some previously established boundaries with regard to reading is the advent of the internet and being online. Especially once I discovered Goodreads! I now have some romance authors I will read and have enjoyed some romance books. (Unbelievable! LOL) I have also discovered Fantasy and SFF! Genres I still avoid are horror and erotica – the former because it results in nightmares and I literally cannot get it out of my head, and the latter because it just doesn’t work for me. I’m amazed at how much more open I am to many different types of books now. And it makes me happy to evolve and develop!

2025 READING CHALLENGES:
Popsugar: 42/50
52 Book Club: 47/52

2024 Popsugar: 47/50

*All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation by Elizabeth Gilbert ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for an IRL book club meeting Tuesday. This prompted much discussion! This book was not what I expected at all… Though I’ve never read Eat, Pray, Love, only City of Girls, which I loved! I will read more of Gilbert’s writing. We ended with quite a discussion of memoir writing vs. “creative nonfiction.” I was comparing this book with A Feather on the Breath of God by Sigrid Nunez which I had recently read. We all found it interesting that Gilbert chose not to write about her ex-husband or family/parents and childhood in any detail. And we respected her decisions to omit that information. This was a tough read, especially, IMO, with regard to addiction and illegal/’street’ drug use…
POPSUGAR: #2, #6, #20, #24, #25, #28, #35, #40
52 Book Club: #10, #18, #22, #25, #32, #33, #36, #37, #43, #46, #51-400 pages, #52

CONTINUING:
*A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot #1) by Becky Chambers
*Salvation City by Sigrid Nunez is rather fascinating. I keep wondering exactly where/how this will end…
*Hope on the Inside by Marie Bostwick is not what I was expecting! Bostwick is so savvy at connecting titles…
*The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
*Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power by RebeccaSolnit
*East of Eden by John Steinbeck
*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

PLANNED:
*The Last of Her Kind by Sigrid Nunez
*What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez
*For Rouenna by Sigrid Nunez
*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

This discussion thread is to mark your completion of the May challenge to fulfill prompt #45 A book that features birding
World Migratory Bird Day is May 9
https://www.migratorybirdday.org/

Please include the following information about this book:

Title:
Author:
Would you recommend this book?

This discussion thread is to mark your completion of the April challenge to fulfill prompt #1 A book where gardening or a garden is central to the plot
National Gardening Day is April 14!
https://www.calendarr.com/united-stat...

Please include the following information about this book:

Title:
Author:
Would you recommend this book?com/united-states/national-gardening-day/

This is the April Monthly Group Read discussion of [TBA]. This book can be used to fulfill prompt #1 A book where gardening or a garden is central to the plot
National Gardening Day is April 14!
https://www.calendarr.com/united-stat...

HERE is a listing of potential discussion questions. These are meant to not only help those who volunteer to facilitate these monthly discussions but also to provide ideas for members participating in discussions!

Every person reads at a different pace, so please use spoiler tags if you are sharing any plot-related surprises. This allows others to decide whether this information might reveal surprising information they have not yet read. It can also be helpful to other readers if you post the location within the book noting your progress (chapter and/or page number). That way, if someone else has read that far they can go ahead and open the spoiler, but if not, they'll know to skip it for now and return later...

TO ADD SPOILER TAGS:
Use this for spoilers, just remove the spaces:
< spoiler > write your spoiler here and close with < / spoiler >

Posts here should only be contributions to discussion about this book. 😊

This discussion thread is to mark your completion of the March challenge to fulfill prompt #34 A book with a trans or nonbinary protagonist
Trans Day of Visibility is March 31!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interna...

Please include the following information about this book:

Title:
Author:
Would you recommend this book?

This is the March Monthly Group Read discussion of [TBA]. This book can be used to fulfill prompt #34 A book with a trans or nonbinary protagonist
Trans Day of Visibility is March 31!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interna...

HERE is a listing of potential discussion questions. These are meant to not only help those who volunteer to facilitate these monthly discussions but also to provide ideas for members participating in discussions!

Every person reads at a different pace, so please use spoiler tags if you are sharing any plot-related surprises. This allows others to decide whether this information might reveal surprising information they have not yet read. It can also be helpful to other readers if you post the location within the book noting your progress (chapter and/or page number). That way, if someone else has read that far they can go ahead and open the spoiler, but if not, they'll know to skip it for now and return later...

TO ADD SPOILER TAGS:
Use this for spoilers, just remove the spaces:
< spoiler > write your spoiler here and close with < / spoiler >

Posts here should only be contributions to discussion about this book. 😊

This is the February Monthly Group Read discussion of [TBA]. This book can be used to fulfill prompt #22 A book about a book club
International Book Giving Day is February 14
https://nationaltoday.com/internation...

HERE is a listing of potential discussion questions. These are meant to not only help those who volunteer to facilitate these monthly discussions but also to provide ideas for members participating in discussions!

Every person reads at a different pace, so please use spoiler tags if you are sharing any plot-related surprises. This allows others to decide whether this information might reveal surprising information they have not yet read. It can also be helpful to other readers if you post the location within the book noting your progress (chapter and/or page number). That way, if someone else has read that far they can go ahead and open the spoiler, but if not, they'll know to skip it for now and return later...

TO ADD SPOILER TAGS:
Use this for spoilers, just remove the spaces:
< spoiler > write your spoiler here and close with < / spoiler >

Posts here should only be contributions to discussion about this book. 😊

9987 wrote: "I've read this book for A book about a road trip. Adored it and it's sequel. It was mainly the title that drew me, and the concept sounded interesting. I read mostly scifi, some fantasy, some regul..."
I would agree that these two books and the Wayfarer series are not all that similar in many ways, other than the characterization. I consider Chambers to be excellent at creating well-defined characters. And that is my favorite writing style!

Also, if you enjoyed The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, I could heartily recommend that you read the other books in the series, as well as To Be Taught, If Fortunate. Some characters recur in some of the Wayfarers series books, but by no means all of them, and I think you would find each to be quite unique among the others...

This discussion thread is to mark your completion of the February challenge to fulfill prompt #22 A book about a book club
International Book Giving Day is February 14
https://nationaltoday.com/internation...

Please include the following information about this book:

Title:
Author:
Would you recommend this book?

This is the January Monthly Group Read discussion of [TBA]. This book can be used to fulfill prompt #24 A book about postpartum
Celebration of Life Day is January 22!

HERE is a listing of potential discussion questions. These are meant to not only help those who volunteer to facilitate these monthly discussions but also to provide ideas for members participating in discussions!

Every person reads at a different pace, so please use spoiler tags if you are sharing any plot-related surprises. This allows others to decide whether this information might reveal surprising information they have not yet read. It can also be helpful to other readers if you post the location within the book noting your progress (chapter and/or page number). That way, if someone else has read that far they can go ahead and open the spoiler, but if not, they'll know to skip it for now and return later...

TO ADD SPOILER TAGS:
Use this for spoilers, just remove the spaces:
< spoiler > write your spoiler here and close with < / spoiler >

Posts here should only be contributions to discussion about this book. 😊

This discussion thread is to mark your completion of the January challenge to fulfill prompt #24 A book about postpartum
Celebration of Life Day is January 22!

Please include the following information about this book:

Title:
Author:
Would you recommend this book?

This is the comprehensive listing of 2026 Monthly Group Read selections! I always get so excited about these every year!!

HERE is a listing of potential discussion questions. These are meant to not only help those who volunteer to facilitate these monthly discussions but also to provide ideas for members participating in discussions!

This will be updated as time progresses to include all books selected and discussion leaders for each month.

Many many thanks to those who will volunteer to lead monthly discussions throughout 2026!

JANUARY Prompt #24 A book about postpartum
Celebration of Life Day is January 22

FEBRUARY Prompt #22 A book about a book club
International Book Giving Day is February 14
https://nationaltoday.com/internation...

MARCH Prompt #34 A book with a trans or nonbinary protagonist
Trans Day of Visibility March 31
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interna...

APRIL Prompt #1 A book where gardening or a garden is central to the plot
National Gardening Day is April 14
https://www.calendarr.com/united-stat...

MAY Prompt #45 A book that features birding
World Migratory Bird Day is May 9
https://www.migratorybirdday.org/

JUNE Prompt #25 A book that explores influencer culture
World Social Media Day is June 30
https://nationaltoday.com/social-medi...

JULY Prompt #7 A book about a granny hobby
National Gorgeous Grandma Day is July 23
https://nationaltoday.com/national-go...

AUGUST Prompt #50 A book about Afrofuturism
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is August 23
https://www.unesco.org/en/days/slave-...

SEPTEMBER Prompt #47 A book told entirely through letters
World Letter Writing Day is September 1
https://nationaltoday.com/world-lette...

OCTOBER Prompt #6 A book with an overweight main character whose story isn't about losing weight
National Plus Size Appreciation Day is October 6
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/na...

NOVEMBER Prompt #28 A book about debt
Buy Nothing Day is November 27
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buy_Not...

DECEMBER Prompt #10 A book about a horse or with a horse on the cover
National Horse Day is December 13
https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/n...

SUGGESTED QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER FOR DISCUSSION

Please feel free to use any of these questions to prompt discussion of the Monthly Group Reads. Any or all of these can be used as inspiration to create your own unique questions. And, as always, just feel free to comment about the book as you read or once you finish. Many times such comments are excellent starting points for great discussions!

1) What, if any, expectations do you have for this book?

2) Was this book already on your TBR listing?

3) Are you reading this book for the express purpose of fulfilling this specific Popsugar prompt?

4) Do you find the title of this book to be particularly interesting?

5) What about the cover image? Does it motivate you to read this book?
Or does it make you hesitate to read it?

6) Do you typically read books in this genre/subgenre?
(e.g. Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Mystery…)

7) Is the overall theme of this book of particular interest to you?

8) Which character is your favorite character? Why?

9) Is there any one character with whom you can identify? Why?

10) Is there any one character you find to be particularly annoying? Why?

11) Is there a character you believe is “too good to be true”? Why?

12) Is there a character who seems to be purely evil or mean? Why?

13) Is there a character you would like to have as your best friend? Why?

14) Is there one character who reminds you of someone you know in real life? In a good way or in a bad way?

15) Is there one character you would go to great lengths to avoid? Why?

16) Did the plot work for you? Was it too slow-paced or too intense? Or just right?

17) Have you read any other books written by this same author? Did you enjoy it/them?

18) Would you read any other books written by this author in the future? Why or why not?

19) Do you find this author's writing style to be enjoyable or problematic? Why?

20) Do you know or have you heard anything specific about this author? Does that make you want to read this book more? Or less?

21) Would you like to see this book adapted into a movie or TV series? If so, are there any particular actors you would select for the roles?

22) Would you plan to watch an adaptation of this book?

23) If there is already a movie or TV series that was inspired by this book, have you watched it? Did you enjoy it?

24) Did the plot feel realistic, or did it require too much ‘suspension of disbelief’?

25) What do you think inspired the author to write this book?

26) Would you recommend this book to others? Why? Or, if not, why not?

27) Are there any trigger warnings you would list for this book? (Please use spoiler brackets.)

This is the shorter listing of 2024-2026 Monthly Group Reads selected that can NOT be considered for 2026 Monthly Group Reads!

**PLEASE CONSULT THIS LISTING BEFORE NOMINATING A BOOK FOR A MONTHLY GROUP READ DISCUSSION!**

(2026 months to be added as we progress through the year!)

ALPHABETICAL LISTING BY TITLE:
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #1) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, and Geoffrey Trousselot - translator
Call Us What We Carry: Poems by Amanda Gorman
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
A Deadly Education (Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings #1) by J.R.R. Tolkien
Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis
Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
Lucky Leap Day by Ann Marie Walker
The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid #2) by Nita Prose
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
The Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot #1) by Becky Chambers
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Sunrise on the Reaping (Hunger Games #0.5) by Suzanne Collins
The Tea Dragon Society (Tea Dragon #1) by Kay O'Neill
The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club #1) by Richard Osman
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

CHRONOLOGICAL LISTING:
January 2024: Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
February 2024: Lucky Leap Day by Ann Marie Walker
March 2024: Call Us What We Carry: Poems by Amanda Gorman
April 2024: The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid #2) by Nita Prose
May 2024: All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
June 2024: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
July 2024: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
August 2024: The Tea Dragon Society (Tea Dragon #1) by Kay O'Neill
September 2024: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
October 2024: The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club #1) by Richard Osman
November 2024: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
December 2024: The Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
January 2025: Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
February 2025: A Deadly Education (Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik
March 2025: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
April 2025: Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #1) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, and Geoffrey Trousselot - translator
May 2025: Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis
June 2025: West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
July 2025: Sunrise on the Reaping (Hunger Games #0.5) by Suzanne Collins
August 2025: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
September 2025: Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery
October 2025: The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings #1) by J.R.R. Tolkien
November 2025: A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot #1) by Becky Chambers
December 2025: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
January 2026
February 2026
March 2026
April 2026
May 2026
June 2026
July 2026
August 2026
September 2026
October 2026
November 2026
December 2026

All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation
Gilbert has curly hair and that is how she first met Rayya! A friend recommended Rayya as a hairdresser who could help unfrizz her hair!

Lilith wrote: "ARIES - Ashes of Aries"
Yes! This is what I'll read!! Thank you, Lilith!!

OMG! I am reading All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation for an IRL book club meeting on Tuesday, and lo and behold, on page 15 Gilbert mentions that Rayya was an Aries! A fiery Aries with a marshmallow heart.

Though this won't work for me in 2026 since I'm reading it now, I hope it helps others!!

I know I have read several books where characters were participating in or teaching yoga classes, but I don't recall any with pilates. I've never heard of the second term either...

I know each of the first two books in the Penderwicks series would work: The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy and The Penderwicks on Gardam Street. The father gets married at the end of the second book, so doubt the other books in the series would work. I loved these first two books!