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.

Kenya wrote: "Happy Thursday everyone.

My oldest niece is in the hospital this week -- I won't gross everyone out with too many details but she had to have surgery to remove part of her digestive tract. Poor girl's hurting, and I wish I could be there for her. Sucks sometimes when most of your family lives a long ways away..."
Oh, my! That sounds so invasive and so painful to recover from! Sending her positive healing energy!

"DNF:
A Home for Goddesses and Dogs -- this just wasn’t working for me. It feels like the “kid loses a parent/both parents and gets sent to live with a relative” story is getting a little overplayed… or maybe I’ve just become cold-hearted as I’ve gotten older…"
I sincerely doubt that is the cause!! :)

"The Vanished Birds -- the first chapter could have made a compelling novel all on its own. The second chapter was “eh.” The third chapter could have been a compelling novel all on its own. It feels like the author had a ton of great ideas but they just aren’t gelling together well. I’m losing patience with this one and may or may not come back to finish it at some point."
This looks like one I would enjoy...

"Currently Reading:
The Relentless Moon"
Ah, I love Kowal! Can't wait for the next installment in this series!

"QOTW:
I really enjoy retellings of any kind. There are so many things that can be done with a classic work of fiction. Then again, I'm a huge fan-ficcer, so I don't mind people playing with stories... I mean, what's a "retelling of a classic" but someone's fanfiction?."
I had never thought of it in that way, but that is so true!

Dubhease wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "No I think you understood the assignment just fine!!! You did not post too much - it's not even possible to post "too much"!! The idea originally was for people to post reactions as they read, so multiple posts for each reader. But interest has waned in these group reads and we don't get as much participation as we used to. I think the Goodreads format makes it difficult, too.."

Thank you. And thanks to Lynn too.

I learned to do group reads in another group where people would propose books and other people would sign up. They created folders for the book (same as you do for our monthly read), but they put the names of the readers in the first message. I don't know if that made a difference or if it was because there were usually only 3-10 readers per book, but people posted a lot. They shared their thoughts every 3-10 chapters depending on the book. (Some books have super short or super long chapters.) I did 2 or 3 books with them and I figured that was how people did group reads.

I don't know if it's because this group has 3,000 members that people figure some one else will post. Or if it's because there is no where to "sign up" that you are actually doing the group read that month. (And I'm not proposing anything that makes mods lives harder.)"

I think that may be a workable idea. I'll have to consider logistics and perhaps we can try that out!

Kenya wrote: "L Y N N wrote: "I have been on the "struggle bus" these past 2 weeks or so, but feel as if I’ve finally turned a corner and am regaining a more positive outlook on life! Rarely do I get “down” but it happens once ..."

It sounds like things have been rough lately. I'm sorry :( Sending plenty of hugs and good vibes your way for both you and Tigger!"
Received and grateful for them all! Thank you!

Jennifer W wrote: "Lynn, best wishes for your Tigger. I hope you're able to take care of yourself, too! It's hard."
It is. Thanks for the good wishes and positive energy!

I am catering to her every whim as much as possible: multiple feedings per day, allowing her to sleep on my lap whenever I'm home... :)

"I don't know if you all saw my late post in last week's thread, but my library went from allowing 1 renewal to allowing 6!! Now I have all these books floating around my house that aren't due back for *months*. So now I'm kinda like "well, why read any of them? I have them foreverrrr...." How is it my library can put me in a slump?? sheesh"
That is quite a change!

"QOTW: I don't mind retellings or books based on a classic, but I don't really seek them out. Especially because I'm neurotic and *have* to read the original first. What I really like are books that are based on something else but I don't know that going in and I figure it out for myself (cause "I am so smart, S-M-R-T")!"
LOL

Sheri wrote: "Lynn, I hope the treatment works for Tigger! It was SO STRESSFUL going through radiation for Teddy (and expensive) but he is only 5 and we couldn't bear to just not do anything for him, when the vets were pretty sure it'd help. So I totally get how much your pet being sick can throw you off."
Thank you for your kind words and understanding!

Sheri wrote: "Hi all!

Having a quiet week, it was nice to have a four and a half day weekend. Kinda wish I took the rest of the week off too. Or maybe just win the lotto and not have to work. You know, the dream, haha."
I truly do not miss working full-time in an office setting. Though I wish I had won a lottery! Though I am never lucky about such things and learned early in life not to waste my money! ;)

"This week I finished:
The World We Make - good wrap up to the duology. i enjoyed. I can't actually remember if I posted this last week or not."
You did! I couldn't resist looking back! ;)

"Witch King - I do love Martha Wells storytelling, even if it wasn't murderbot haha. It reminded me of her old school fantasy from the 90s."
I love Murderbot but am on the fence about reading this one. Doesn't sound like my thing...

"Can't Spell Treason Without Tea - a cozy fantasy, reminded me a bit of legends and lattes. Not as good, but I did enjoy. I'll probably read the second when I need another cozy break."
Ooohh...yes! On my TBR listing! :)

"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory - audio book, I liked it a lot. gave me a lot to think about too. I'd already had some thoughts about what i wanted to happen to me after I go, but this gave me more of an impetus to figure it out NOW not just wave it away for when I'm older."
Definitely agree that our culture is crazy for not speaking of death and realizing we're all gonna die... Definitely want to read this one!

"QOTW:
I love retellings, more particularly ones that twist the story some how. One of my favorites was The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein which told Frankenstein from Elizabeth's perspective, as well as tweaked some other things around. I've really been enjoying the current trend of various old myths being told from the women's perspectives instead of the men's. I'm less interested in them if i don't particularly know or like the source material, but I still enjoyed What Moves the Dead even without knowing the original."
And you have introduced yet another aspect of retellings that will be a future QotW!

K.L. wrote: "Happy Thursday, everyone!

The SciFi Summer Readathon has officially ended, and I have to say that I’m really pleased with the number of books I was able to read during the month of June. I ended up reading close to three-quarters of the SciFi books on my physical TBR list!

Although I enjoyed the SciFi Summer Readathon, I have to confess that I’m feeling the need to take a break from readathons for a while. With the exception of January (and this month), I’ve participated in a readathon every month since the beginning of 2023, and I’m starting to feel a little burned out. There were a couple other readathons that I was planning to do this year, but I’ve decided that they can wait until another time."
I can definitely understand needing a break. I enjoy readathons but definitely need at least 2-3 months between them! :)

"Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…

Goodreads Challenge: 581/400 (Challenge Complete!)
Mount TBR Challenge: 150/150 (Challenge Complete!)

📚Physical TBR: 255/634
📱Ebook TBR: 7/236
🎧Audiobook TBR: 11/13
TBR Checklist Total: 273/883 (30.9% complete)"
Your recordkeeping is so very impressive!!

"I did not buy a single new book this week!"
I can understand how that might be an immense accomplishment! LOL (I did buy books this week! LOL)

"Now that the SciFi Summer Readathon is over, I am focusing exclusively on reading titles from my “New Books” list. My goal for July was to reach 95% list completion by the end of the month, and I ended up making a considerable amount of progress this week. In fact, I’m currently only one book away from accomplishing my goal!"
And your goal-setting and meeting are impressive as well! :)

"Finished Reading"
I am amazed at the breadth and depth of your reading!

"Currently Reading:
~Twenty Years After — This is the sequel to The Three Musketeers, and takes place two decades after the events of that book. I’m currently 25 chapters into the story, and really enjoying it so far. 📚"
Wow. That is a brick! LOL Glad you're enjoying it!

"~Shadow of the Titanic: The Extraordinary Stories of Those Who Survived — This book tells the stories of Titanic’s survivors, focusing on how the disaster affected their lives years later. 📚"
That definitely is now on my TBR listing!

"QOTW:
I don’t usually seek out retellings of classic novels, but I really enjoy books that expand on the original story."
Agreed!

Erin wrote: "Happy Thursday! I've decided to use this extra time I have to try tackling The Count of Monte Cristo for the longest book on my tbr. This is the 2nd or 3rd time I've started it, so we'll see how it goes!

The Count of Monte Cristo-I'm on page 50. 1200 to go!"
Progress is progress!

"I've also been watching both King the Land and See You in my 19th Life- neither of which I was planning to watch but have been loving them!"
Cool!

"Finished:
Currently reading:
The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening- I actually didn't know much about Ari Shapiro before starting his memoir. I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that a radio journalist can tell a good story, but I'm really liking this"
Oooohhh...added this to my TBR! I love him! (Okay, well, maybe love is a bit too strong... LOL)

"QotW:
I'm usually intrigued by retellings. I think there's so much potential for a well known story to be modernized or brought into a new culture, or transferred to a SF/F setting. That being said, it can be really disappointing when it feels like it's just being used as a gimmick and not really thought through."
I would agree. Though I admit I have only encountered that with one book thus far...

Carmen wrote: "I don't even know how time keeps passing, it's like I'm hardly here for it. So as boring as it is to read, have a list of my past week xD"
Wow. Your week was NOT boring, IMO!

"and then ... bringing Mia to the shelter.

Honestly it was such a quick thing to happen, but it was for the best for sure. This was it was tough, no time to really prepare, but on the other hand, no days to weeks of me dreading the day coming. It was still terrible, and I still hate that it had to happen, but I'm glad to know she's unlikely to stay at the shelter for long. Unless she decides to remain a tricky bunbun to mate, haha! Owner of the shelter promised to keep me up to date, which isn't something they do normally, but I'm an exception because I'm basically furniture over there and have been for years and the situation was exceptional. We all knew I didn't want to be there, and that I wouldn't be if I didn't absolutely had to be.

It's weird, her not running up to meet you when you walk outside. I miss her."
Awww... I sure hope she is placed quickly. Sorry for your loss. It is difficult to untrain ourselves from expecting them in our everyday life. :(

"Mickey is doing incredible, by the way. He eats immediately once you put it down, even the pellets, and eats all of it in no time at all. We're so proud of him. Next Thursday is the final day of meds, and then he gets to go outside in the fresh air again!!"
Yay for Mickey! :)

"In general news, I'm still stuck in that Ted Lasso trashcan, and am wasting a lot of time on Songpop. If anyone plays, hit me up!"
LOL :)

"QOTW
In general I love retellings of any kind, but if I'm already on the fence on the original I am more hesitant to read a retelling (like Pride & Prejudice; never read the OG, but my first ever eARC was a retelling and ended up being a Christian one and ... yeah sdjkhflsg). I do prefer there to be a twist, and not just the same exact thing with a minor change (and in this case a simple gender change is minor imo)."
You make me laugh! :) Agreed about minor changes not necessarily making a retelling enjoyable...

Ellie wrote: "IIt's been a real week of nothing happening. We've had some rain, which is good for the garden and nature, but now I want the sun back."

"Finished:
The Sentence by Louise Erdich for ATY (from best books threads). This took me so long to read, it was perfectly ok but didn't really have much plot and I didn't really click with the characters, so I kept putting it down."
I barely started this for a past challenge and have yet to pick it back up!

"The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston for ATY (art). This on the other hand I loved! The romance was adorable and I cried over the side story of her dealing with her grief. The author's note says she rewrote those parts after losing a loved one and I think that showed in how much feeling came through."
Wow. That is definitely a unique theme...

"QOTW:
There is a lot of fantasy that are loose retellings and as long as they are well written and adding a twist, I'll read them. I think some stories have been done to death, but others have lots of potential to inspire new ideas. I tried reading The Fall of the House of Usher short story after reading What Moves the Dead and hated his writing style so much, that I can safely say T.Kingfisher improved it greatly!"
Yes, a fantasy setting can work wonders to twist a classic story!

Carmen wrote: "Fingers crossed for Tigger, Lynn <3333"
Yes! And toes! ;)

Katy wrote: "Lynn,

I hope Tigger gets better. My last cat had a tumor on her liver for the last 5 years of her life (noncancerous, obviously). And, the rollercoaster of her doing well, bad, won't eat, eating again, was a real emotional struggle."
Oh, my! Yes, you know what I'm going through right now... I am so sorry you and your furbaby had to endure that for so long! Ugh...

"I finished The Prophets of Eternal Fjord as my historical fiction. Didn't like it. Was confusing as all get out."
This sounds rather depressing to me, but then I have my own prejudices about zealous (overzealous?) missionaries imposing their religious beliefs upon native cultures... ;)

"I read If I Ran the Zoo as my challenged book."
WHAT?!? What in the WORLD (Not the word going through my head right now, but definitely more acceptable than my thoughts!) is objectionable about that one?!? Geeminy!

"QOTW: I don't avoid them and I don't seek them out, if that makes sense. I loved most of the Wicked series (the last book is awful) and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. So, I guess I like them told from other perspectives best?"
Those are enjoyable to me as well!

Jen wrote: "Happy Thursday!

Lynn, I hope Tigger's treatment works out. <3"
You and me both!

"Finished:
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo - 4.5 stars - for a book about a holiday that's not Christmas. This was a beautiful coming of age story about a Chinese-American girl coming to terms with her sexuality, and the fact that she can't be what her very traditional family wants her to be."
One of my all-time favorites! I can also recommend her Ash series!

"QOTW:
I've liked most of the retellings that I've read. I think I prefer retellings to have a bit of a twist on the original story, or more depth to characters or a different point of view."
I would agree!

Harmke wrote: "Had a pretty good week, not much special, just enjoying work and life. We’ve got a sticky hot weekend ahead, so I’m pretty much going to do nothing at all."
My plan as well!

"Finished
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak ⭐⭐
#27, a #BookTok recommendation
This one was a bit too artificial imho. Especially the ‘tree parts’ were a bit too made up, too much there for the effect, to make it more intellectual or something. I didn’t like it. The theme was good though: the effects of migration on people and their children."
Ugh. Sorry this didn't prove to be very enjoyable for you... :(

"QOTW
I have mixed feelings. Sometimes it’s fun to see what another point of view can add to an old story. Sometimes it’s an agony, too artificial, too much ‘I want a share of it too’. And sometimes the retelling becomes a classic itself (Bridget Jones's Diary)."
There's one I have yet to read!

Mandy wrote: "@Lynn

I'm sorry to hear about Tigger."
Thanks. It just has been a real downer for me...

Mandy wrote: "Happy Thursday!

I’m finding that I’m not liking the new system for what I want to do with it. I think I just have to figure out the intricacies of it, but, for right now, I’m frustrated. I’m trying to weed my YA fiction, but with the completely new system, all the year-to-date checkouts are now gone. We only have lifetime checkouts."
I can empathize with you about new systems. In the past in similar situations I just tried to tell myself there would inevitably be aspects of the new system I really liked and those I didn't like so much, as with any system! Some days that really worked to keep my frustration checked and not so much on other days!!

"The babies were down for the 4th. So I got a dose of adorable baby girl and toddler power. Ziggy thought the baby food on the baby (she was in a baby chair on the floor) was free food for him. So when I came home from work, I took over feeding Livie and he basically was a living wash cloth. Too bad he was too enthusiastic. He got in the way of feeding her."
There's a vision! ;)

"It’s officially in the 90s! Blech!!!!! We were spoiled by the wonderful 70s and 80s for all of June. It’ll fluctuate between high to low 90s until the 100s hit. We did have one 100s day. I am so over summer already."
But we must endure... ;)

"I found a new show that I like. It’s called Deception. It’s about an illusionist helping the FBI with cases to find the person who framed his twin brother. For the life of me, I can’t remember where it’s streaming.
CW! It’s CW. It has commercials in the show. I just remembered!"
I have no idea what "CW" is... LOL

"QOTW:

I don't mind retellings. Cinder is a retelling and I love it."
That is one that I've actively avoided. Just uncertain I would enjoy it. Perhaps someday...if I live long enough!! :)

Nadine in NY wrote: "Welcome to July!!!

I finally got started mowing my yard again!!! At the end of spring we had a dry spell and no grass growing (hurray! no mowing!) and then we had the air quality issues, then rain, then more air quality issues plus heat ... and my grass got really long!!! A local bunny has apparently decided it's a wild field now and is trying to dig a nest, I found two (maybe three!) spots where she started digging - bad idea, bunny!! Do you not notice my two DOGS??? My backyard is fenced. Adult bunnies can easily get away and run under the fence. Baby bunnies do not have the sense to run. If any animal runs, my dogs seem to just enjoy the chase - I've seen them let squirrels get away - they don't seem to be truly trying to catch the animal. But if an animal does NOT run, it's game over for that animal. I've seen that, too, and I do not want to see it again. So, I'm hoping if I mow, the bunnies will catch a clue that this is NOT a good spot."
It is a dog's instinct... But I agree about not wanting bunnies nesting in the yard. Double danger--dogs AND lawn mower! In the past I was lucky enough twice to simply mow "over" a bunny nest without disturbing the little ones! Whew!

"It's crazy hot today, too, but I'm heading out there right now to mow some more. I've got my earbuds all charged up and my audiobook ready to go!! In the mornings, it's too humid and the grass is still wet, so the mower will clog. In the midday, it's so hot, I get all sweaty. In the evenings, it's humid again, and the bugs come out. There is no good time!!! So I'm doing it in little bits. I can mow for ten or fifteen minutes even when it's in the 90sF outside. I'll take the heat over the bugs in evening."
You are so right! NO. Good Time! I used to do the same thing. A little at a time!

"On to my books. I haven't made a lot of progress lately."
Progress is still progress! :)

"Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas - I wasn't feeling inspired by the books I had penciled in for "forbidden romance" so I went back to the drawing board and found this book on a list. I have not really loved Kleypas in the past, but I figured I'd give her another chance. This book was fun in the first half, dragged in the second half. It wasn't exactly a forbidden romance, either! The heroine - for reasons - impersonated a friend of hers and became pen pals with a neighbor guy who was busy dodging bullets in the Crimean War. She never liked neighbor guy because he said something rude about her once, but she figured he was lonely at war and deserved some letters, but her friend didn't feel like writing. They fall in love through their letters. The only reason the romance is "forbidden" is because there was an understanding between friend and neighbor guy, so the heroine is kind of stepping on her friend's toes here. That didn't seem very forbidden to me, but I decided to count this category as complete anyway, because I chose it in good faith, specifically for this category."
I would say you've fulfilled that prompt!

"For You and Only You by Caroline Kepnes - omg, what is this, a Joe Goldberg novel that I did NOT love??!!?? The horror!!! I don't know how Kepnes did it, but she made Joe BORING. This book felt like such a slog! Joe was just constantly wanting to kill people - it was too much, he was whiney and pathetic . Someone insults his writing? kill them! someone is in the way of a relationship he wants to start? kill them! someone insults his girlfriend's writing? kill them! someone else insults his writing? kill them too! his girlfriend starts an argument with him? maybe he needs to kill her too!!! (And I didn't even care if he killed any of them - they were all annoying. Joe was annoying. Everyone was annoying.) If anyone has already seen season 4 of the show (and I had), rest assured that this book is NOTHING like the show: completely different setting, characters, motivations, resolution, and ending. Kepnes seems to leave things open for a book 5, which I guess is good? I just hope it's not boring. This did not fill any challenge categories for me."
Ooohhh...nothing about that one sounds appealing to me!

"QotW

Retellings excite me!! I especially like retellings of stories from myth and folktales, because multiple versions of these stories already exist, and I like to see what new spin an author can bring to the story. (This is - oddly - the same reason I enjoy zombie stories: the idea of a zombie story has been around for a long time now, but I enjoy seeing what new twist an author brings to the "rules" of being a zombie.) Retellings of classic novels can be dicier, because it's hard for the author to keep it interesting if I have already read the story."
That's such a great summary of my own feelings! Though I've never read many (perhaps none?) of the original myths, I have enjoyed many of the retellings I've read!

"So, even though I will read a book specifically because it is a retelling, it has to be really good to impress me. I'm often disappointed.

By coincidence, I happen to be reading my "retelling" right now!! It's not because of the group read,it just worked out that my hold ws available now. I'm reading The Wife Upstairs which is a retelling of Jane Eyre. It's ... not very good, honestly. I hate Jane, and I'm only truly interested in the chapters from Bertha's POV. Perhaps this makes sense, since I never really liked Jane Eyre, but I loved Wide Sargasso Sea. Or maybe this book just isn't that great. It's funny, one review complained that the title was a spoiler - but if you've read Jane Eyre, you of course know there is a wife upstairs. It never even occurred to me that it could be a spoiler LOL. But sure I can see how it would be if you've never read the original."
Ah. What isn't a spoiler for one person, may be for another! ;) The Wide Sargasso Sea didn't impress me when I read it...probably just me. I wonder if I should reread and give it another chance...

Nadine in NY wrote: "Laura wrote: "The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi: So fun! It's rare to find this kind of adventurous book that features a woman who's not quite young anymore. I felt seen...."

Oooh that got my attention!! I had not been interested in this one, but I just added it to my TBR because now that I'm in my 50s I'm loving adventure stories about slightly older women."
Ha! Agreed! Except I have at least 10 years on you! ;)

Laura wrote: "Okay, summer's barely started and I'm already tired of the heat. Luckily, we live in an area that's technically desert so it cools rapidly at night. (Our community is bounded by the Columbia and Yakima rivers. Everyone irrigates their lawns with canal water, so it's very green. But we get fewer than 30 days of precipitation each year.) Most evenings we can eat outdoors since the patio is shaded by trees, and the mornings are pleasant enough for a walk before 8:00 am."
Sounds quite enjoyable!

"Recently Completed
Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1: Completely gory. Great start to a new comic book series. ★★★★★"
Whew! Luckily I would have never put this on my TBR listing, just from the title! (Can't do much gore...)

"The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi: So fun! It's rare to find this kind of adventurous book that features a woman who's not quite young anymore. I felt seen. ★★★★"
I keep wanting to tackle her City of Brass trilogy. This looks awesome as well!

"The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World ★★★★"
Not sure I want to know! ;)

"All the Missing Girls (PS7 - a book with girl in the title) ★★★"
Well, pooh! Sorry you didn't enjoy this as much as I did! When I met her I admitted I had purposefully avoided her books because they looked to be a bit too scary for me. I can handle only so much "scare"! She admitted that she is exactly the same way! LOL I certainly didn't expect her to agree! Then I thought it was a rather insensitive thing for me to say, but she made it into a positive! (Sometimes my mouth gets ahead of my brain...)

"Currently Reading:
The American Roommate Experiment
See You Yesterday
A Flicker in the Dark
The Hacienda (PS41 - a book written during NaNoWriMo)
Leg: The Story of a Limb and the Boy Who Grew from It
The Build Up
Lucky Red
Dreaming Beauty (PS44 - a book that was self-published)"
Wow. Quite the list! :)

"QOTW: Retellings can be so hit or miss. Sometimes they're great - the story is reimagined or told from a different viewpoint. Sometimes they're pointless - a new culture/gender/setting dropped in without really examining the story and how the changes ought to affect the story. I've read several retellings this year that I enjoyed:

Demon Copperhead (David Copperfield)
Jane & Edward: A Modern Reimagining of Jane Eyre
What Souls Are Made Of: A Wuthering Heights Remix

Within These Wicked Walls was less successful. It wasn't a bad book, but it was advertised as a retelling of Jane Eyre and the connection was tenuous at best."
Thanks for the listing! Having never read David Copperfield, I plan to read it before tackling Demon Copperhead. I think because I feel as if that is a classic I should read anyway!