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.

Fannie wrote: "Can Ghost be a fit for this prompt? And the subsequent books in the serie?"
Yes! Definitely! There are 4 books in this Track series by Jason Reynolds who is, IMO, one of the most gifted writers I've read! He is phenomenal!

Each book tells the story of one of this running club's members, hence the single word title for each book. They are targeting Middle Grade/YA. But I just adore this series! The characters are complex yet relatable, and I believe, totally authentic. Highly recommended!

LeahS wrote: "Tempted to read a book about any club e.g. a book club, as they are all 'run' by somone."

I like that twist!

Kristy wrote: "I swear I just read a book about a couple that met while training for the NY marathon in a running club, but I can't seem to find it in my GR books."
Aw, man! That is so frustratiing! Hope you find it eventually! 😊

The AI recommended W Bruce Cameron's A Dog's Purpose (A Dog's Purpose #1) when I listed Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain. Since I have read the first two installments in the Dog's Purpose trilogy, I'll read the third book, A Dog's Promise, since I've owned it for several years and keep meaning to read it. Beyond that book, it listed one that I could not find anywhere, along with several others that made no sense to me whatsoever! So much for AI recommendations!

Emma wrote: "Books mentioned in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society are listed here http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/guern..."
That is one of my favorite books!

Laura Ruth wrote: "If there's a classic or other well-known book that you want to slot into this prompt, the Wikipedia page will tell you where else the book has been mentioned in other books or pop culture."
I did not realize that! Thanks for this!

SarahKat wrote: "Every time I come across a book mentioned in a book I think maybe I should write that down in case the prompt comes up again, but I never do. *sigh*"

I was certain I had a list. But I cannot find it anywhere on my laptop. *Sigh*

Nadine in NY wrote: "L Y N N wrote: "... Something I discovered this year is that searching for Goodreads Listopias is much more effective and comprehensive using my browser rather than searching through Goodreads itself. ..."
Yeah it's always been that way. It's weird because Amazon is one of the first sites to have a really good search engine, but I guess they never gave that to Goodreads. Listopia search sucks."
I still believe Bezos just bought Goodreads as an advertising mechanism for Amazon. Plus, he really wants to be the only publisher...that was his stated goal per one of his underlings when he first established Amazon selling books online. Ugh. I wish he had left Goodreads alone.

"*XOXO (XOXO #1) by Axie Oh ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was an extremely enjoyable read for me!

OMG it's a book we agree on!!! I loved XOXO & ASAP so much! they were so cute!!! I wish she would write a third one in that world. She's got a fantasy novel coming out in 2025, but I wasn't so crazy about The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea (I DNF'ed it, actually) so I'm not so sure if I'll like it."
I know! Isn't it fun when that happens? LOL The last 100 page sof TGWFBtS saved it for me, but it was still just a 4-star read for me, which, as you know, means it disappointed me a bit. I plan to read ASAP in 2025. 😁👍

Victoria wrote: "What about Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid?? To be published in June 2025. I don't think it's space tourism in the literal sense, seems more like space exploration.. I hate this prompt, not reall..."

I don't know if it will exactly fulfill this prompt, but I can only imagine I'll be reading it! I wondered when her next book would be released!

Dani wrote: "Artemis I think would most definitely work for this. It’s not the central focus of the book, but the moon tourism plays a big role."
And another good one, IMO!

Brandon wrote: "The Spare Man is a mystery/thriller set on a space cruise ship."
And I really enjoyed it. A quite complex mystery!

FIRST AND FOREMOST!! WE FINALLY HAVE A LISTING OF 2025 MONTHLY GROUP READ TOPICS!! It is HERE
ALONG WITH THAT WE ALSO HAVE THE NOMINATION POLL FOR THE JANUARY 2025 MONTHLY GROUP READ HERE
PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO TIME LIMITATIONS, this nomination poll will only be available through Saturday, December 14! So just one week from today!! Then a FINAL SELECTION poll will be posted and also only available for one week, through Saturday, December 21!

In trying to get all the 2025 prompts posted, I had only three more to go late on Tuesday night/very early Wednesday morning when I inadvertently touched the X on my browser window and voila! All my entry text was gone! Ugh... That’s when I decided I was too tired to continue, shut my laptop down and went to bed! LOL

Something I discovered this year is that searching for Goodreads Listopias is much more effective and comprehensive using my browser rather than searching through Goodreads itself. Interesting…but I find Goodreads to be inefficient overall. I have lately discovered books that I KNOW I listed on my “own it” shelf, but they were no longer checked. And books that I’ve reviewed and still are not listed as “read.” I could go on…most frustrating!

I am a self-proclaimed NPR nerd! Hence, my mention of the 2024 NPR’s Books We Love listing: https://apps.npr.org/best-books/?utm_... I have yet to peruse through here, but certainly will as I plan for 2025 challenges!

And how did I NOT know about the NPR Book of the Day podcast? Thank goodness I do now! 😉😊 I listen to those in the car now!

ADMIN STUFF:
THE DECEMBER MONTHLY GROUP READ IS The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde!
This book could be used to fulfill Prompt #36 A Book Written By an Incarcerated Or Formerly Incarcerated Person
National Mudd Day is December 20! What is National Mudd Day, you may ask? It references a fascinating bit of history I doubt many of us know. Dr. Samuel Mudd was a doctor who helped John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirator David Herold immediately following Lincoln’s assassination on the night of April 14, 1865. Mudd performed surgery on Booth and allowed them to spend the night. He didn’t report the men’s visit for another 24 hours, though it was assumed he would have heard of the assassination well before that time. Mudd was arrested 12 days later and eventually convicted to a life sentence by a military commission for the crime of aiding and conspiring in a murder, missing the death penalty by only one vote!
Dubhease is the "End-of-Year Innovator" who has graciously volunteered to lead this discussion! YAY Dubhease! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 Fingers crossed that I can handle this book! (You know…I’m such a wuss about anything scary/horror-like!)

THE NOVEMBER MONTHLY GROUP READ IS One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
This book could be used to fulfill Prompt #39 A fiction book written by a trans or nonbinary author
I’m leaving this up because I have been too busy with life and the 2025 postings to get to finishing this discussion yet! (Sorry!)

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

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
How many books have you already postponed reading because you've discovered they are PERFECT for a 2025 category?
What a PERFECT QotW, Nadine!! I can’t say I have actually purposefully delayed reading any, but I now have about 20 books labeled and set aside for the 2025 challenge! And I’m diligently still trying to complete the 2024 challenge!! Though admittedly, I have 4 books to read for IRL book club meetings in the first half of the month!! (Wish me luck!)

2024 READING CHALLENGES:
Popsugar: 44/50
Around the Year (AtY): 52/52 DONE!
Read Harder: 19/24
52 Book Club: 46/52

FINISHED:
*The Conjure-Man Dies: A Mystery Tale of Dark Harlem by Rudolph Fisher ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was, IMO, an excellent read! It just missed being a 10-star rating for me! I adore the way Fisher blended some of the African culture into the ‘modern-day’ 1930’s U.S. This is recognized as the first novel with a black detective as well as the first detective novel with only black characters, and (according to Wikipedia) he was the second African American to write a detective novel in the United States. (I have seen him credited elsewhere as having been the first.)
I am striving to read more of the Harlem Renaissance works in 2025!
POPSUGAR: NEW #16, #17, #27
ATY: #1, #3-A book related to masks or a masquerade, #9-1,061 ratings, #10-Historical Fiction, #12, #14, #17, #21, #24-Purple, #25, #33, #41, #46, #48
RHC: #16, #23, #24-2017: prompt #7 A book published between 1900-1950
52 Book Club: #14, #20, #26-Classic, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, #30, #32, #51

*XOXO (XOXO #1) by Axie Oh ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was an extremely enjoyable read for me! Even if it very much, IMO, is a ‘typical’ romance! Admittedly, there were times it was just a tad “too good to be believable,” but the intermittent humor and unique characters put it over the top for me! Definitely ready to read the second installment, ASAP…well, ASAP!! LOL
POPSUGAR: #2, NEW #5, #11
ATY: #3-A book title that seemingly refers to one or more characters in the book, #5-Seoul, South Korea, #11, #14, #15, #16, #17, #23, #24-Orange and Purple, #31, #33, #36, #37, #49
RHC: #16, #24-2015: prompt #7 A book set in Asia
52 Book Club: #14

CONTINUING:
*Persuasion by Jane Austen (#43)
*The Trees by Percival Everett (#40)
*Shift (Wool #2) by Hugh Howey (#46)
*Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley (#28)
*Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
*The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
*Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking has me thinking so very much that I have delayed reviewing it until I can finalize my thoughts…
*The Birthing House by Kathy Taylor
*...And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer

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

When I first read this prompt, my immediate thought was that, IMO, there are very few books where the characters experience all joy without some hardships to overcome... But, as you-all should know by now, I firmly believe that each reader should interpret each prompt within their own sphere of life experience and preference. That is what reading is all about. All reader reactions/interpretations are valid. I have read some pretty 'joyful'/tame books that held some version of "trauma" for me that in no way affected many other readers in the same way. And vice versa. It's all relative...

Here's to each of us sharing our varied reactions! 'Cause that's what reading and especially discussion is all about!

Jen W. wrote: "L Y N N wrote: "Question. I own a copy of Blackout and have been wanting to read it, but are the stories of BOTH books intereconnected? Or, I assume, I could just read Blackout OR Whiteoutand those...

No, they're interconnected within each book, but each of the two books are standalone. They take place in two different cities."
That's great! Thanks!

Jennifer W wrote: "But I did find this article of 100 books with great last lines:
https://americanbookreview.org/archiv..."
This is a great resource! Thanks for posting!

I think I'm going to assume that a book I read in 2025 will qualify to fulfill this prompt, at last IMO! 😁

Some from my TBR listing:
I've really been wanting to read this one! Lulu in Marrakech by Diane Johnson
AND...
Cloud Dancer by Mary Ann McGuigan
Shadow Play: A Mystery by Rajorshi Chakraborti
The Figures of Beauty by David MacFarlane
The Clansman (Reconstruction Trilogy #2) by Thomas Dixon Jr.
Death of the Black-Haired Girl by Robert Stone
Loop Group by Larry McMurtry
The Other Story by Tatiana de Rosnay
The Book Borrower by Alice Mattison
Flying Shoes by Lisa Howorth
The Glitch by Elisabeth Cohen
Murders at Moon Dance by A.B. Guthrie Jr.
Panic in a Suitcase by Yelena Akhtiorskaya
Pamela: Or Virtue Rewarded (Oxford World's Classics) by Samuel Richardson by Samuel Richardson THIS IS A CLASSIC
Rich and Pretty by Rumaan Alam
The Garden (Into Shadow #1) by Tomi Adeyemi FANTASY & SHORT STORY
Polite Society by Mahesh Rao RETELLING OF JANE AUSTEN'S EMMA
After Alice by Gregory Maguire
The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson
Daughters of Captain Cook by Linda Spalding
Merger on the Orient Expressway by Mary Blount Christian
How Could She by Lauren Mechling
The Diagnosis by Alan Lightman
Vengeance Is Mine by Marie NDiaye
Local Girls by Caroline Zancan
The Evening Road by Laird Hunt BEEN WANTING TO READ THIS TO GIVE HIM ANOTHER TRY...
Noon by Aatish Taseer
Bookish People by Susan Coll ANOTHER ONE I REALLY WANT TO READ!
Black Olives by Martha Tod Dudman
Ballroom by Alice Sherman Simpson
A Hundred Other Girls by Iman Hariri-Kia REALLY REALLY WANT TO READ THIS ONE!
Lost Hearts in Italy by Andrea Lee ANOTHER ONE I OWN AND REALLY WANT TO READ!
The Weeping Woman by Zoé Valdés
The Actress by Amy Sohn
Black Deutschland by Darryl Pinckney
Knee-Deep in Wonder by April Reynolds
Tales of the Islanders by Charlotte Brontë
Murder on the Eiffel Tower (Victor Legris #1) by Claude Izner
Lydia's Party by Margaret Hawkins
Perfect Reader by Maggie Pouncey
See Now Then by Jamaica Kincaid
Goldberg Variations by Susan Isaacs
Between You and Me by Emma McLaughlin
Perfect Life by Jessica Shattuck
The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones
The Oriental Wife by Evelyn Toynton
The Boy Who Could Fly without a Motor by Theodore Taylor FANTASY JUVENILE
The Eye of Jade (Mei Wang Mystery #1) by Diane Wei Liang I'VE OWNED THIS ONE FOR YEARS AND REALLY WANT TO READ IT!
The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud
The Dove's Necklace by Raja Alem
The Female Detective by Andrew Forrester
Murder at the Book Club (Barrett & Palmer #1) by Betsy Reavley
Left in the Wind: A Novel of the Lost Colony: The Roanoke Journal of Emme Merrimoth by Ed Gray
The Queen's Lover by Francine du Plessix Gray

NONFICTION:
Unveiling Whiteness in the Twenty-First Century: Global Manifestations, Transdisciplinary Interventions by Veronica Watson
The Changing Terrain of Race and Ethnicity by Maria Krysan
The Equal Society: Essays on Equality in Theory and Practice by George Hull
Ending Mass Incarceration: Ideas from Today's Leaders by Inimai Chettiar
Double Stars: The Story of Caroline Herschel by Padma Venkatraman YA BIOGRAPHY OF A FEMALE SCIENTIST
Woman, Child For Sale by Gilbert King

This is what happens when you add any and all books you think you may be interested in reading...as long as you live to be approximately 1,000 years old!! LOL

I read The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship a little over 4 years ago and loved it! It still only has a cumulative rating of 2.85, if you're following the interpretation of using this statistic. This book made me wonder what other books I may really enjoy but may be missing just because others haven't liked it as well I did! 😁😉 It was much more complex than I had expected it to be.

Jamie wrote: "I found this helpful. I might try Sam and Ilsa's Last Hurrah. https://bookmarklit.net/2019/05/17/bo..."

Excellent resource! Thanks for posting!

Ally wrote: "I'm ok with this and interpreting in different ways (my challenge, my rules). 1. I'm looking at the lowest overall rating of all books on my TBR (3.01). 2. I'm looking at the people I follow on GR ..."

Brilliant interpretations!

Bea wrote: "LeahS wrote: "I'm just taking it as under 3 when the prompt list was published i.e. on 2 December 24."

I can accept that reasoning. It removes worry...and I get to stay with my choice of Lis..."</i>

And [book:Listen to Me includes a road trip and there are at least two other books with that same title!