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.

Mandy wrote: "Soooo, I had a freaking adventure on Friday Night/Saturday Morning.

Picture This:

I let my dogs out around midnight. (I was reading and didn't want to give up) I really didn't want to go outside so I just wanted to watch them from the doorway.

I stepped away from the door for a second (screen door was closed) and heard a kerfuffle. I opend the porch door saw my dogs were trying to get something. At first I thought it was a vole or a gopher, but Nope!!!!

It was a quail!!

Said quail decided to fly toward my face (insert surprised screech here) and did not veer away from me. It decided it needed to come into the house and land on the shelf above the washer!

So Reba comes bopping in and I told her to get out of the kitchen (kitchen and laundry area one space). She kept bopping into the kitchen as i'm trying to find this freakin' bird. She finally got the message to stay out.

Ziggy then proceeds to bop his little but into the house. He realizes that he should skedaddle quickly.

I close the bathroom door so the bird doesn't have access to that room. I slowly move stuff off the washer and off the shelf, but there is no bird! I realized it might have fallen between the washer and wall!

So i'm thinking to myself, "F&&%^K! I have to move the washer!!! ARGH!!"

I move the mop bucket from the where it sits by the washer to against the second refrigerator. then I pull out the ironing board that's between the wall and washer.

POOF! the quail pops out and lands it's scared little butt right by the bucket. ON The Door Side!!!! YAY!!

With my trusty iron board shield in one hand, I grab the mop handle and sloooooooooowly move the bucket along the fridge's front toward the door.

It must have sensed the cold because when I got the bird to the end of the fridge it flew right back out the door.

Hence concluding my midnight adventure."
Oh, my! That's a short story in the making!! LOL From the bird's point of view!! 😉

Aquaria wrote: "Question of the Week
Did your parents try to restrict what you read as a kid?

Not at all. In fact, I come from a long line of women readers who fought for their kids to read whatever they wanted. Back in the 40s, my mum wanted to check out a Zane Grey book, and the bookmobile librarian said it was inappropriate for her. Mum told her mum, and her mum was marching out there to chew out the librarian--'She'll know if it's fit for her or not, so give it to her or I'll give it to you!'

So my mum was equally as, er, assertive when teachers or librarians tried to dictate what I could or couldn't read. Which brings me to...

Did you try to pre-approve what your kids read?

I was like my mum and gran when it came to books for my kid--If he could understand it, then why not?

I got into it with his school because my copy of Siddharta by Hermann Hesse fell out of his rucksack when he was in 3rd or 4th grade. The school was so stupidly alarmed at it that they called a conference to gang up on me--four people chewing me out over it, as if I'd given him Playboy or Hustler!

'Are you completely mental? Hesse is a Nobel Prize winner! If the son wants to read it, I'm fine with it, because I don't think there's anything wrong with the book, period. It's about the bloody Buddha! What is wrong with you for thinking there's anything wrong with the bloody Buddha? Would you get this upset if he was lugging around the bible, which has far more graphic sex and violence in it--something I know because I've actually read every bloody word of it? So don't you dare chastise me for my lad having a Nobel Prize winner's book about the bloody Buddha in his rucker when you're all in on kids reading the bible**. And don't you dare call me in here again over something so bloody stupid.'

**I know they were okay with kids reading the bible, because they let the Gideon people pass out those very books to the son and his classmates at that primary school. So they had zero bloody leg to stand on there."
I may not know you in real life, but you and I are definitely similar in this respect!!

Kendra wrote: "Another late check in, but better late than never. I had some excitement this week when the cat I'm looking after brought in a mouse. And then when I went to dispose of the corpse, I discovered the mouse wasn't dead yet and I had to spend an hour trying to catch the thing. In the end, the cat finally caught the thing, but I am now being extra careful when the cat goes out."
As soon as I read that you were going to dispose of it, I shook my head, assuming it was still alive! They play with them, then rest, then play with them, etc. until they finally expire... And...this is one of the reasons I do not allow any of my felines outside. Though my very first cat to which I didn't react and could have in my house, caught one in the house (it was in the country with the nearest neighbor 1/2 mile away) and very proudly left it on my pillow! I was just so grateful that I actually looked at my bed before plopping down into it that night! I grabbed a Kleenex and picked up the mouse by the tail, picked up my Smoky (who is my member photo) with the other hand and walked us all downstairs, opening the door and explaining to her that we do not kill mice and we definitely do NOT leave them as presents! She managed to kill a few more over the 21 1/2 years we were together, but always managed to just leave them on the floor. LOL Don't tell me our animal house buddies don't understand what we say/mean! LOL

"Before We Say Goodbye ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
ATY Rejects: 14. A book with a chair on the cover.
It didn't have me in full tears, but it still packed an emotional punch in the best way."
I have a copy of this but haven't yet read it! I loved the previous books!

"QotW
When I tried to read above my reading level, my parents would try to warn me, but then they'd just let me try. As for content, my Mom objected to me reading something once and only once. She got The Client and before she she started it, I read the first quarter of the book. Then she red the opening scene and was horrified I had read it (I was 10 or 11). So we spent a couple of months with her hiding the book, and me finding it and reading as much as I could before I got caught, and then her hiding it again. When she finally finished the book, she realized the only part she really found objectionable was the part I'd already read. So she gave in and let me finish the book. After that, I read what I wanted."
I love this story!!

Felicia wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Doni wrote: "Felicia wrote: "When I was younger I thought (view spoiler) but when I read it as an adult I thought (view spoiler) Its interesting how we can all interpret the same book differently."
And that, IMO, is the beauty of reading!! 👍😁

Doni wrote: "Oh, also! I came across this app you guys might enjoy. It's called Bookmory and you can use it to graphically track your month of reading. You put in the books and then it inserts the cover of the ..."
Sounds like Storygraph. Goodreads is definitely more my thing, but at least there are options out there!

Doni wrote: "Felicia wrote: "I reread The Giver last year (which I first read in 4th grade). After rereading it, I think I was a bit too young for it because there is a lot of heavy stuff in it. However, I was ..."
But the ending was left ambiguous, wasn't it?

Doni wrote: "I have a question for you guys. If you read a book in order to fulfill a prompt, but then it turns out it doesn't actually fulfill the prompt, do you still count it? I'm reading If on a winter's ni..."
It is YOUR challenge! Do what you wish! I would count it! 😉

Felicia wrote: "I think just fostering a love of reading one of the best things you can do for your kids."
AGREED!

Bea wrote: "I read voraciously...anything and everything I could get my hands on. In fact, I can remember my mother asked me to dust a room with twin beds. She found me sitting between the beds with one arm dusting a circle on the nightstand and the other holding the book!"
You were already a multi-tasker!! LOL

Harmke wrote: "QOTW
I can only answer the first part (no kids). I was restricted a lot until I was 12. Then my mom finally decided to let me read whatever I wanted. Because she couldn’t stop me for I was borrowing books from my friends about ‘non-appropiate/ non-christian stuff’ anyway. Or reading them *in* the library. I immediately stopped reading them after I was allowed to read them, because the only reason I read them was that I wasn’t allowed to. I didn’t even liked them."
Oh, my! I had to laugh at that! Once it was acceptable it was no longer fun, huh? LOL

Theresa wrote: "QOTW:
I read whatever I got my hands on or was given to me and they were happy to let me. In fact, given this was the 60s and early 70s, jumping from Bobsey Twins and Nancy Drew to Agatha Christie, Mary Stewart Helen MacInnes, adult books was the only option as there was no YA or Middle Grade or Young Adult books except for series like Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and abridged editions of classics you bought through school sponsored mail order books. Our town library - a rural community had books for children but once you got past picture and chapter books, it was adult - Little Women was an Adult Book for example. Plus our library did not allow anyone under 16 to take out books from the Adult Section. Bless my mother, she would send me to the library then after finishing the banking and other errands, she come to get me and check out on her card all the books I had snuck into the adult section and piled up to read. One of the 2 librarians colluded in this."
Ha! Ha! Same here! We are very close in age! That's so great about your mother and the one librarian!! 👍😁

Denise wrote: "Question of the Week
Did your parents try to restrict what you read as a kid?
My parents wouldn't know what a book was if it hit them on the head. My family at worst ridiculed me for reading so much, and at best thought I was weird. They had no clue what I was reading. If they only knew what kind of content was in some of the books they gave me as gifts....occasionally my mom would read something in a Readers Digest and ask me not to read it due to content and I usually read it anyway and laughed at how mild it was. The librarian didn't stop me from checking out YA or adult books either, she knew my parents were uninvolved in my reading and I spent hours there daily and never gave her trouble so she let me check out whatever"
How awful that your family actually made fun of you!

I can remember my grandmother being upset with me a few times because I was literally walking through the house while reading a book. She was frightened I might fall and hurt myself! LOL But no one ever made fun of me for reading. That just makes me hurt!!

"(If you have kids) Did you try to pre-approve what your kids read?
I did not pre-approve or censor my daughters books but I always asked what she was reading and was generally aware of the content and would have conversations about them and the content. In middle school the Ellen Hopkins poetry books were popular in her crowd and I read and/or discussed them along with her. They covered things like mental illness, abuse, drugs. She also read the Twilight Books in MS. Like me she is/was a voracious reader and I wasn't going to interfere with that."
Yep! My sons always talked with me about what we/they were reading. That is what makes reading so much fun, I think! At least you matured beyond making fun of your children for reading! Ugh.

Kenya wrote: "QOTW: My mom didn't really restrict what I read -- heck, I was rarely supervised when I went to the library. This led to me bringing home some WEIRD books, such as books on how to butcher animals..."
Definitely had to laugh about that one! And I thought some of the books I read at that age were over the top! LOL

Marie wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Marie wrote: "On a happier note, I went to the library yesterday to pick up a hold and discovered my library now has a "Save Me" shelf. It might become my new favorite place to..."

That's so fun!

Nadine in NY wrote: "Mandy wrote: "Mandy wrote: "The only person who has ever restricted my reading was the school librarian! She wouldn't let me check out a Ramona Quimby book! I was thoroughly not impressed. If memory serves (it was a loooong time ago), she said I was too young. It still gets my dander up thinking about it!..."

Ugh one of THOSE librarians. I guess she was of that mindset that allowing children to read beyond their reading level would be bad for them.

(I never understood that - sure it's frustrating to get a book that's difficult, but then you just go get a different book)"
Ha! Ha! Oh, my! I had forgotten about the one librarian who refused to check out a Matt Christopher book when my oldest son was 5 1/2 years old! Granted, he was reading at a 3rd-4th grade level at the time, which was a bit unusual... (Though by age 10 or so most children are reading at about the same grade level... 😋) When I protested, she explained to me her system for determining whether a book could be checked out by a child...they could miss only a certain amount of words on a page. So I had my son open the book and read a page. (I admit I enjoyed making her wait and listen! Fortunately, it was a very small rural library and she didn't have any other patrons waiting to be served at the time.) He missed only one word. She was sputtering a bit, but ended up checking it out to him. I then said to her that for whatever she knew, perhaps I was planning to read it aloud to all of them anyway. (I was... LOL) She kept reiterating her "policy" while I walked away with my three children in tow. LOL Poor woman! I'm sure my reputation in that small rural community was begun on that very day!! LOL

Ellie wrote: "I have no idea where the last week has vanished to. I did one day's paid work, so obviously now exhausted. I'm not sure how I'm meant to go back to working full time, still hoping someone will give..."
I am so sorry for your exhaustion, etc! There are others here expressing much the same symptoms and I always feel for you all! In the aftermath of my knee replacements and worst of all the withdrawals from the opioids, I can certainly empathize as well as sympathize with the struggle of returning to work full-time. Definitely no fun, and I kept up with my 2 hours per day exercise regimen as well because I knew if I didn't, my recovery would be incomplete. I'm sure there were many times I should not have been driving, but I was. Just lucky nothing ever happened!

I'm sending you and the others positive energy to persevere!!

Nadine in NY wrote: "Ellie wrote: "I don't have kids, if I did I don't think I'd be happy with them reading racist or anti-LGBT+ books, or ones written by certain toxic people..."


that's a good point. I'm not really sure if we have run up against that. There's JKR, of course - my older daughter read the full HP series, and she's aware enough now to see a few problematic aspects of the story.

But I think it's okay to be exposed to problematic content. My kids definitely got enough of MY world view every day to be able to compare and contrast (and who is to say MY view is the right one anyway?), and they are growing up to be more more self-aware than I ever was at their age. This generation ROCKS! I grew up with a lot of subconsciously accepted racist and sexist and homophobic ideas (mostly racist) that I had to work to discover and expunge."
Exactly! I get so angry when I hear folks my age and younger/older complain about "these kids"! EGAD! Talk about making yourself sound OLD!!

My sons are definitely much more self-aware than I was, and like you, I have had to work as an adult to expunge many of the same beliefs/attitudes/behaviors... I'm just thrilled I was aware enough to do so! And am always amazed by people who never seem to change much about themselves throughout adulthood.

Wow. I thought this was an amazing “list of lists” for Black Literature: https://bookshop.org/info/all-ways-bl...

Yep! Our weather has been just as much of a roller coaster ride here in Indiana as well. Unbelievable! At least we've not had another snowstorm so I've not had any more 2-hour long treks to the gym! Sheesh!!

I wouldn’t say I’ve hit a reading slump, but in preparation for the Masha Gessen author event I was trying to finish We by Yevgeny Zamyatin and got bogged down. (Gessen wrote the forward for this particular release.) I think I wasn’t in the mood for it and it seems very dissimilar to 1984 and Brave New World in many ways, although this supposedly is the first dystopian novel published and served as inspiration for both Orwell and Huxley… Once I hit ¼ of the way through it I finally allowed myself to pickup another book I was truly interested in reading and felt certain I would enjoy. But my reading time has been greatly lessened due to neighborhood/neighbor issues and friends’ trauma and drama. I am learning that the older I get the less spare emotional energy I have! 😊 It depletes much more quickly and it takes longer for me to recover! Though I did receive some good news from one of my sons yesterday which helped me immensely! I was reminded it could always be worse!

I’m hoping for better reading energy and more reading time in the near future!

***
ADMIN STUFF:
The March Monthly Group Read is Call Us What We Carry: Poems by Amanda Gorman! This book could be used to fulfill 2024 prompt #48 A collection of at least 24 poems. World Poetry Day is celebrated on March 21!
Joanna is the "marvelous manager" who has volunteered to lead this discussion! Kudos to her!! THANK YOU, Joanna! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 I am awaiting my copy to be delivered later this week! I imagine she recorded the audiobook version and can only imagine it must be a wonderful listening experience as well!

The February Monthly Group Read was Lucky Leap Day by Ann Marie Walker!! This book could be used to fulfill 2024 prompt #1 A book with the word "leap" in the title. (Since “Leap Day”/February 29 does occur in February!) 😊 Thank you for leading the discussion, Kimberly! You will find the February threads in the 2024 Monthly Group Read folder HERE!

APRIL MONTHLY GROUP READ HAS BEEN SELECTED!
This book could be used to fulfill prompt #29 A book with a neurodivergent main character. April is Autism Awareness Month! The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid #2) by Nita Prose was selected! This is the second in a series. I own but have not yet read The Maid which is the first installment. I'm certain there is at least one member out there fitting the description of "knowledgeable navigator" to lead this discussion! Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!

MAY MONTHLY GROUP READ FINAL SELECTION POLL IS UP!!
The final selection poll for the May Monthly Group Read is HERE! This book could be used to fulfill prompt #41 A memoir that explores queerness. You will be asked to select just one book from these final 5:
All Boys Aren't Blue
Not My Father's Son
Gender Queer
Pageboy
Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place
GO VOTE!! 😉

The comprehensive listing of 2024 Monthly Group Reads resides HERE for your perusal and reference throughout 2024!
***
Question of the Week:
Did your parents try to restrict what you read as a kid? (If you have kids) Did you try to pre-approve what your kids read?
Though I cannot imagine my mother NOT overseeing my selections, I guess she really didn’t once I began self-selecting books. I read classics as a 13-16 year old that I’m certain she would have disapproved of my having knowledge of, let alone reading. Unfortunately, none of my three sons is much of a reader. My oldest son does some reading, but his interests and mine are definitely dissimilar. He prefers older classics that I have no interest in reading.

2024 READING CHALLENGES:
Popsugar: 15/50
Around the Year (AtY): 42/52
Read Harder: 9/24
52 Book Club: 32/52

FINISHED:
*Ellie Engle Saves Herself by Leah Johnson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ the best juvenile I’ve read! Seriously! I love the unexpected twists and turns and just hope at least one sequel is in the works, ‘cause I want to know what happens for Ellie Belly in the future, both among her family and friends, and in the world at large!
POPSUGAR: #2, #31
ATY: #3-A book involving politics, public service, or publicity at any level, #4-plants blooming, #6, #7, #9-621 ratings, #14, #15, #24, NEW #31- Ellie’s best friend Abby dreams of going to the Olympics as a gymnast!, #33, #36-student, #44, #48-#3 A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the final list--A book related to “civil rights” or “human rights”, #49-Mr. Walker
RHC: NEW #6, NEW #14, NEW #21, #24-2015: prompt #5 A book written by or about someone who identifies as LGBTQ—BOTH!!
52 Book Club: #14, #26-Fiction/Fantasy/Juvenile/Contemporary Fiction/LGBTQ+, #30, #43,

*China Trade (Lydia Chin & Bill Smith #1) S.J. Rozan ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was a good solid mystery with diverse characters. I especially appreciated the aspects of Asian, especially Chinese, culture. Definitely up to read more of this series!
POPSUGAR: #17
ATY: #3-A book with a character who is marginalized, #5-NYC, NY, #14, #15, #17, #23-Bars, #25, #26, #33, #36, #37
RHC: #23, #24-2017: prompt #2 A debut novel
52 Book Club: NEW #21, #24, #32

*Surviving Autocracy by Masha Gessen ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was so very well written, IMO! Very straightforward and easily understood. We are definitely witnesses to one person trying their best to undermine democratic institutions in the US. I also appreciated learning a more detailed definition of totalitarianism. Met the author last Thursday and was very impressed. One person started trying to argue with them in the aftermath of Gessen having answered the attendee’s question, and Gessen just shut him down saying. “I’ve already answered your question.” I was glad for that shutdown.
ATY: #1, #3-A book involving politics, public, service or publicity at any level, #10-History, #17, #25-undermining US democratic institutions, #41, #45, #48-#3 A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the final list--A book related to “civil rights” or “human rights”, #49
RHC: #14-Read Surviving Autocracy and We for Masha Gessen event, #16, #24-2016: prompt #21 A book about politics, in your country or another (fiction or nonfiction)
52 Book Club: #24, #26-Nonfiction/History, #30

CONTINUING:
*We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
*Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce for AtY "Going for the Gold" prompt
*...And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer
A priority for March!

PLANNED:
*Fear No Evil (Alex Cross #29) by James Patterson
*11th Hour (Women’s Murder Club #11) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
*Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
*The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

Dubhease wrote: "Reposting for a second time because the thread locked on the first time.

I had a great week where I finished two books. Because P.S. prompts are so picky this year, I'm not finding it easy to assi..."
Thanks for your patience and understanding and doing this, Dubhease!

I hope Ron can do the same!

Theresa wrote: "L Y N N wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Theresa wrote: "@Lynn - your comment posted twice - you want to delete one."
It just shows up once for me..."

It's now been locked by someone so no one besides the ..."
Yes, it has doubled posts for me before, just never on the initial/first posting to begin a thread!