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.

I'll start us off...
"1) Were you planning to read this anyway, or only since it was selected as a monthly group read?"
I was not planning to read it at all, however, decided to do so at the last minute to help facilitate discussion.

"2) Do you have any expectations for this book?"
I did not. Other than I expected it to be set in a cemetery and probably involve some magic or paranormal stuff.

"3) According to Wikipedia and Goodreads, this book has been honored with these accolades:
Bram Stoker Award for Best Young Adult Novel nominee 2020...
Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee 2022
Does this alter your expectations at all?"
Actually, I think it does. Although it evidently didn't outright WIN any of these awards, there were certainly many organizations that recognized it as a "best" book. I feel as if that must mean something...

"4) Aiden Thomas identifies as queer, trans, and LatinX. Does that alter your expectations?"
Yes! Now I'm hoping for a greater diversity among the characters than I might have otherwise hoped for!

Introductory questions:
1) Were you planning to read this anyway, or only since it was selected as a monthly group read?

2) Do you have any expectations for this book?

3) According to Wikipedia and Goodreads, this book has been honored with these accolades:
Bram Stoker Award for Best Young Adult Novel nominee 2020
Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction 2020
Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Debut Novel 2020
Locus Award for Best First Novel nominee 2021
Lodestar Award finalist 2021
ALA Top Ten Best Fiction 2021
ALA Top Ten Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults 2021
ALA Teens’ Top Ten 2021
Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year 2020
Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year 2020
National Book Award longlist 2020
NPR Best Books of the Year 2020
School Library Journal’s (SLJ) Top 10 Audiobooks of 2020
School Library Best Books of the Year
Book Riot’s Most anticipated Books of 2020
Tor.com’s 25 Most Anticipated YA Novels of 2020
Goodread’s 38 Most Anticipated YA Novels of 2020
Paste’s Most Anticipated Young Adult Novels of 2020
Bitch Media’s 25 YA Novels Feminists Should Read in 2020
Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee 2022

Does this alter your expectations at all?

4) Aiden Thomas identifies as queer, trans, and LatinX. Does that alter your expectations?

I'm keeping this in the Currently Monthly Group Read folder for another week or so to give you-all time to finish your discussion. :)

Ron wrote: "Lots of rain the past two weeks. It's been amazing. While I don't have a front lawn, we get weeds around here like crazy so that can be a pain. With the wet soil though it makes it easier to pull them out still, the rain makes them grow so fast so it's been hard with the upkeep."
Ugh. They never end, do they?!?

"Currently Reading:
The Plague of Doves- While I'm not that far (ch.3), I'm enjoying it.
Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole- Reread. It's amazing at how 5 months can change perspectives. Got a second copy since I don't really remember my notations the first time around, let alone more of the major details of the book. I'm liking it again though.
- With these two books I'm taking my time since I'm annotating. I still count them to my monthly count, but because of the annotations, they take longer."
Understandable about taking longer...

"I've been buying a lot of books lately so that's been pretty fun. These are the ones I've gotten so far:
We've Got to Try: How the Fight for Voting Rights Makes Everything Else Possible"
Great title!

"The Iliad / The Odyssey"
Some of my oldest son's absolute favorite reads... Once through in high school was enough for me, however!

"Not a Nation of Immigrants: Settler Colonialism, White Supremacy, and a History of Erasure and Exclusion - (I have the hardback but I also got the paperback)
Blood Struggle: The Rise of Modern Indian Nations"
Oohh...bet these are informative!

"Teaching Truly: A Curriculum to Indigenize Mainstream Education"
Oohh...this looks like a great resource!

"The Sentence"
Planning to read this next week.

"Louise Erdrich's Justice Trilogy: Cultural and Critical Contexts"
Great to see that you have a little light reading planned! ;)

"These are the books that I'll be starting next week:
TBR:
I'm Glad My Mom Died - *This one I'm looking forward to the most. It's taken me nearly 3 weeks to get it."
Anxious to see what you think of this one!

Sherri wrote: "Good Morning All,
Ashley Marie wrote "Happy Thursday! We celebrated my grandma's 93rd birthday over the weekend. She got a Kindle for Christmas last year so every time I'm over I make sure she has plenty lined up to read."
Happy Birthday to your grandma Ashley Marie. My mother is 91 & uses an Ipad with the kindle app to read. She is blind but could enlarge the print to the largest size & see enough to read. Now she is completely blind so Alexa reads to her.. My mom only reads Stephanie Laurens books. I was a little hesitant having Alexa reading Stephanie Laurens books out loud at a high volume in assisted living. It makes mom feel like she is still reading so I guess the whole floor will follow along with the book."
So your mother may be providing enjoyment to many others, not just for herself! I love this! :)

Ellie wrote: "Lots of rain here too, things are starting to turn green again, although it's a bit late for the deciduous trees which are dropping their leaves early. Feels more like late September than August."
That's sad. Too bad the leaves are "leaving"...

"I don't feel like I've achieved anything this week, but I did finish one book (Nadine will be happy):
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel for ATY (all the vowels in title). Some lovely observations about pandemics and life in general. I loved that it was woven around an event from The Glass Hotel but is much more hopeful in tone. I give the UK edition bonus marks for actually calling it sci-fi on the cover."
So you did achieve something, whether you feel as if you did or not! :) Glad you also enjoyed this!

"Currently reading Ithaca and listening to Flowers for Algernon."
Ithaca looks interesting and FfA was a heartbreaker, IMO. A great read, just not a fun one!

"QOTW:
I like recommendations to be personal, so there's not one book I push on everyone. If there's even a slight chance they'll like it I recommend I Still Dream by James Smythe, and more recently I've been telling loads of people about Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.."
I Still Dream looks like a good one. I have a feeling I'll breakdown and pay new price for Zevin's most recent one.

Mandy wrote: "Good morning. Well, technically the sun hasn’t risen yet. It’s painting a small stretch of yellow white over the mountains east of us as I type. The rest of the sky is sparsely dotted with one or two planets as the sliver of moon hangs low in the east above a bright star. The trees are silhouettes against the backdrop of clear grey-blue darkness."
Oohhh... That is some excellent writing! :)

"I’ve been immersed into more Chinese dramas. Costume and period are my go to choice. All those flowing costumes with impossibly long sleeves make me want to be less clumsy. Ha ha not going to happen but a girl can dream. I’ve caught up to the three I was watching last week. I’m letting a build up of new episode pile before I go back and watch them. Nothing is worse than binging something and have to stop mid awesome storyline."
That's so cool that you are enjoying these!

"Finished:"
A ton. You finished a ton of books! LOL

"Planning:
Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Vol. 4
Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, Vol. 5"
While some of these titles are very unique (to me, at least!) this one I just have to ask..."Toilet-Bound"? My immediate thought is, does a character have to deal with diarrhea? I know, my brain does strange things... :)

"QOTW
I have a list of books that I keep in mind that I recommend. It depends on the genre someone is looking for. Sometimes I go through my Goodreads folders to see what else I can pull out of the hat. It also depends on if it’s in person (at work at the library with limited availability) or online."
Yes, that would definitely make a difference!

"This year the books I most recommend are:
In house and online:
Daughter of the Moon Goddess
The Kaiju Preservation Society
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense. Light Novels, Vol. 1

Online but now in-house
The Apothecary Diaries, Volume 1 (now owned by us on Libby)."
Oohhh...I added the fist and third to my TBR! Thanks for those suggestions!

Nadine in NY wrote: "Ron wrote: "Watching so many tiktok videos and I am so curious why people give their books so many 5-star ratings.

I don't know maybe I judge books a little too harshly/critically but there have only been 6 ..."


LOL not me, I will brutally savage a book if I didn't like it. Sometimes the thought of that satisfyingly ranty review is the only thing that keeps me going and gets me to finish the book. My reviews fall into a bell curve, with 3s and 4s the most common, but 1s, 2s, and 5s all appear.

But my low ratings have nothing to do with the books' value or quality. Who am I to say what is a good book and what is not?? My ratings purely reflect my own reading experience. Some people conflate the two, and that might be why some people are reluctant to give lower ratings. I've seen quite a few Goodreaders say they ONLY give four and five stars, if they didn't like the book they don't review it at all.

I think some people feel bad giving a book a low rating, like it's going to hurt the book sales or something. Maybe they are hewing hard to the "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" rule. Like you said in another post, it never occurred to you that 1 and 2 star reviews could be useful."
I love you, Nadine! LOL You make me laugh so often! I've read
some of your "ranty reviews" and admit most of them make me laugh out loud!

We each have our own way of expressing ourselves and it's all good! :)

Nadine in NY wrote: "Lynn wrote: "I discovered a very interesting Guardian article, “Top Ten Books About Israel” by Lavie Tidhar ..."

I dont' think I've ever read a book set in Israel!!! I did read a short story by Lavie Tidhar and it was PHENOMENAL and I have been meaning to read a novel by him. Someday. Eventually. I'll go through his list and consider reading one of those, too."
I don't believe I've ever read one set in Israel either! Seems as if I would have... (Or perhaps I've just forgotten, since I am old! LOL)

"*Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (5 STARS) was very different from anything I expected it to be. It was an absolutely phenomenal reading experience that rang very true for me.

This book was so good!! This would be another one that I would recommend to everyone!! I keep telling my daughter to read it, but she won't, because she's an atheist and she doesn't like the title. She won't listen to me when I tell her it is NOT a religious book!!! This is the same kid who refused to read Harry Potter books as a child because the title made it seem like it was just about boys. (She also didn't want to eat at Five Guys because ... it was for guys. Sigh.) I finally got her to read those by watching the first movie with her, and she became a huge HP fan, so I'm not giving up on getting her to read Hurston!"
Tell her I was the same way the first time I encountered this title I rolled my eyes! 'Cause my first thought was, "Ugh. A Christian-type book." I am also an atheist so I can relate to her reaction. Give her time. She may come around. And, quite frankly, even if she doesn't, at least you know you tried. :) Our children don't always respond in a way we would prefer, but we love them anyway! :)

And yay for your success with HP! Whoo! Whoo!

Ron wrote: "Watching so many tiktok videos and I am so curious why people give their books so many 5-star ratings.

I don't know maybe I judge books a little too harshly/critically but there have only been 6 books out of 51 I've read this year that have been 5-star ratings. A majority have only been 3's and 4's.

So yeah, I just don't get it"
Hey, Ron, you are certainly NOT alone in rating books as you do! And I believe each reader takes a different perspective regarding ratings. Which is good, IMO!

I can speak for myself. I have been asked before why and/or how I manage to rate so many books so highly. It's a valid query, IMO!

I try to give each author and book the benefit of the doubt, so for me, personally, each book begins at a "5" and then must displease me in some way for me to rate it lower than a "5". So a book many might rate at 3 or 4 may still rate a "5" from me simply because it didn't annoy me in any way and it was a pleasant (not always GREAT, but pleasant) reading experience.

I just don't want to be overly-critical in my ratings. And in all honesty, I greatly enjoy most of the books I read. It's just how I am...easy to please? LOL (I'm sure my sons would disagree with that statement!)

I don't believe any one of us should feel badly or perplexed for our own unique rating of a book. We should be able to express our reactions honestly, though I believe we need to be respectful to the author and other readers when we do so. I have no right to criticize another reader's reaction(s) any more than I would expect them to criticize me for mine. In fact, I feel it is a good thing that many books invoke a wide range of reactions from readers. We each bring our own unique lens to a reading experience and that is what makes forums such as Goodreads so very fascinating to me. By reading others' reactions, I gain a much broader understanding for each book! I adore seeing life through other people. That makes this world so much more interesting!

Sorry. Stepping down from my soapbox for now...

Ashley Marie wrote: "Happy Thursday! We celebrated my grandma's 93rd birthday over the weekend. She got a Kindle for Christmas last year so every time I'm over I make sure she has plenty lined up to read."
Awwww...how sweet! 93 years is a very long life! Good for her! And she's still able to read! YAY!

"I was able to get all four brakes and rotors replaced on my car yesterday, so that's one more thing out of the way before winter gets here (yes it's August and considering how the weather has been the past few years, we likely won't see snow in Ohio til at least December, but you can never be too prepared). And while I was waiting on that to wrap up, I started a new book :D"
My car is currently in the shop for brake work as well. I adore paying for a rental in the meantime! :( Glad yours is done!

"Finished this week:
Women in the Picture: What Culture Does with Female Bodies - 4.5 stars. Some good analysis with some shoddy pop culture research.
Die, Vol. 2: Split the Party - 5 stars, reread. Just as I loved the inclusion of Tolkien in the first volume, I love the deep dive into the Brontes here.
The Old Guard: Tales Through Time, Vol. 1 - 3.5 stars. An anthology collection, and as such it's fairly hit or miss. I loved the Zanzibar story for Nicky & Joe, and it makes me anticipate the film sequel all the more."
Looks quite an eclectic grouping of books!

"Currently:
Dreaming the Eagle - yup, she's still here
The Dark Is Rising - audio #1
Conspirata - audio #2
The Reign of Wolf 21: The Saga of Yellowstone’s Legendary Druid Pack - almost ready to skim the rest of this just to be done with it
What Souls Are Made Of: A Wuthering Heights Remix - not keen on the writing for Heathcliff but it moves along well"
Looks as if you keep a diverse group of books going at the same time as well!

"Upcoming:
Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution - I'm due to pick this up tomorrow and it's all I can do to try and wrap a bunch of other stuff up first because I know this will be my sole focus until it's finished"
Oohhh...I know that feeling!

"QOTW: What book(s) would you recommend to anyone and everyone?
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness"
An absolutely excellent read!

Patricia wrote: "Happy Thursday! It's been raining a lot too. It was my first day of school earlier and a little nervous but it was okay. I watch travel from Taiwan and it was great. I also read a little because there's some homework and studies to do."
School puts you back into the books, doesn't it?

"Question of the week
What book(s) would you recommend to anyone and everyone?
- I have lots of books to recommend! First, my favorite is Front Desk by Kelly Yang. Ban This Book by Alan Gratz, and Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks!"
Ooohhh...all 3 of these look fun!

"Happy Thursday and Happy Reading:D!"
And to you!

Nadine in NY wrote: "Happy Thursday! We've been getting lots of rain! If I had known it was going to rain non-stop, I would have made an extra effort to mow the lawn on Saturday. But I didn't, so I didn't, and now my law is extremely shaggy, I haven't mowed since July sometime. It's looking pretty nice out there today - maybe I can get out of work a little early and mow the front yard."
Here's hoping you were able to get to it! I heard on NPR that Pakistan is experiencing the worst flooding/most rain since the 1960s with more than 1,000 dead. So sad...

"If anyone wants to chat more about cultural appreciation reading for this month, I'll be starting a post to talk about that over in the 2022 General folder."
I'm so glad you do this! (Although those were always good Questions of the Week as well! LOL)

"This week I finished 4 books:
Goldenrod: Poems by Maggie Smith- what a wonderful collection of poems!! I really loved this one. Five stars."
Yay for poetry!

"Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson - This was on my personal challenge list of books I must read in 2022. I hated this book. It was so boring. Two thumbs down."
I received a free copy of this from the publisher as part of a group that then reviewed these books each month and I just could not get past the first 10 pages or so. I have kept it thinking that I might pick it back up, but I felt it was going to be too scary for me...

"All the Beautiful Sinners by Stephen Graham Jones - I picked this up on a whim two months ago, because I saw it recommended on Tik-Tok of all places (and I already finished that category!). I can't say I enjoyed it, but I think it will stick with me for a long time. This was a very very confusing book, and it would probably benefit from a re-read, if I could stomach the gore a second time (which I cannot). If you like slasher films and mind-bendingly confusing plots, definitely pick this one up!"
OMG! This is on my dedicated "Do Not Read" shelf! Thanks for the forewarning about gore!

"Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li - I just LOVE this cover! Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li It's so sleek and snazzy!! And this is being made into a Netflix show, that I am excited to watch! But the book itself completely disappointed me. It was a ridiculous plot (college students break into the most elite art museums!) and repetitive writing. Every page contained a description of: cheekbones or jawbones or eyelashes or sunlight or city lights ... or all of these things together."
LOL Sounds like one I might like! :)

"Question of the Week
This week's question was suggested by Doni:
What book(s) would you recommend to anyone and everyone?

Normally, this would be a very difficult question for me to answer! But I just read a book I loved and I HAVE been recommending it to people! Sea of Tranquility."
You might just have me talked into giving one of her books a try! :)

I’m thrilled the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge will continue for 2023! That is so cool! Now I’m just anxious to see what the prompts will be! :) (No pressure! LOL)

I discovered a very interesting Guardian article, “Top Ten Books About Israel” by Lavie Tidhar
https://www.theguardian.com/books/202... I was excited! This is a country about which I know very little and would be very interested in many of these!

I finished a book this morning and as I opened my Word document for the Weekly Check-In, realized I had yet to post this week...so here goes! LOL

ADMIN STUFF:
It is time for our final 2022 Monthly Group Read selection poll! There were 6 books that were at the top of the nomination poll. This December Monthly Group Read will fulfill prompt #1 A book published in 2022. That poll is HERE! Please help make this selection! We won’t have another one for awhile!

The August Monthly Group Read discussion of The Dog Stars by Peter Heller which can be found HERE will be wrapping up over this next week. Erica is the "marvelous manager" who has graciously led this month’s discussion! Thank you! The August "I Finished!" thread is HERE! This book can be used to fulfill prompt #35 A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title. The theme was selected for August to coincide with the Perseid Meteor Shower which is typically from mid-July to around mid-August. It was expected to peak August 11-12 this year.

The September Monthly Group Read is Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. And…

We currently have THREE Monthly Group Reads still needing discussion leaders:
1) September: a “savvy superstar” to lead the discussion of Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
2) October: a “knowledgeable navigator” to lead the discussion of The Ex Hex (The Ex Hex #1) by Erin Sterling
3) November: an “official organizer” to lead the discussion of The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!

The comprehensive listing of Monthly Group Reads for 2022 is HERE.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
This week's question was suggested by Doni: What book(s) would you recommend to anyone and everyone?
I love this question, but as you-all know, it is so difficult for me to narrow down a favorites listing…especially for recommendations!

However, when working at Borders some of my most common recommendations were The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister, and A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron. Those would still be at the top of my list, although I have learned to talk to people about the books they’ve enjoyed reading before making recommendations so I can (hopefully) recommend books more targeted to their preferences. So in the end it really depends.

Though I am STILL not quite caught up with documenting books, my challenge totals are:
Popsugar: 44/50
ATY: 50/52
RHC: 18/24

FINISHED:
*Alex Cross's Trial (Alex Cross #15) by James Patterson (5 STARS) was excellent! Probably going to be my favorite of this series. And I imagine DiLallo mainly wrote it. Some grisly details of lynchings, beatings, and physical attacks, but I doubt it isn’t all true… And Theodore Roosevelt proved himself to be no better than the other white guys/KKK members. Only out for political gain…
POPSUGAR: #9, #19-Summer, #25, #26, #29, #31-the KKK is a man-made disaster!, #33, #40-2017: prompt #51 A book about a difficult topic, #41, #46
ATY: #1-Abraham Cross, #2, #4-A book related to Shelley's poem Ozymandias (Nadine’s proposal): …passion…desolation…despair…, #7-KKK=terrorists, #11, #12-Rocks breaking windows, #15, #19, #20, #22, #31-2009, #33, #40-Strength, Justice, The Hanged Man (MEN and children!), Death, Judgment, The World, #43, #44, #49, #50-Abraham
RHC: #24-2020: prompt #3 Read a mystery where the victim is not a woman

*Last Call at the Nightingale (Nightingale Mysteries #1) by Katharine Schellman (5 STARS) proved to be an excellent read, IMO! I particularly appreciate the diversity among the characters as well as the mystery. Set during prohibition, it seems strange to think that drinking alcohol was breaking the law. I do not imbibe myself, but most people do. Although sisters, Flo and Viv are definitely two very different people! I plan to read more of Schellman’s writing and certainly look forward to the second installment in this series.
POPSUGAR: #9, #20-Read immediately after Alex Cross’s Trial, #25, #36, #40-2021: prompt #37 A book you think your best friend would like, #46-Leo
ATY: #3, #4-A book written by an author you might like to meet, #7, #11, #12-Viv cut her hand on broken glass during the raid, #14-1,340 ratings, #15, #20-1924, #40-The Lovers, Strength, Death, Temperance, Judgment, The World, #41, #44, #49, #51
RHC: #24-2016: Read a nonfiction book about feminism or dealing with feminist themes.

*Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (5 STARS) was very different from anything I expected it to be. It was an absolutely phenomenal reading experience that rang very true for me. Hurston was evidently snubbed and criticized by at least two of her male contemporary authors, Langston Hughes and Richard Wright, for simply writing the “black experience” in real-time with no ‘white-washing’ (My term!). Janie is simply living life according to her own standards, with no apologies to anyone for doing so. I love that this is written in dialect. That always feels much more authentic to me. Highly recommended!
POPSUGAR: #9, #26, #36, #40-2015: prompt #34 A book with a love triangle (Tea Cake, the restaurant owner’s brother, and Janie)
ATY: #3, #4-A book with a history, #7, #11, #20, #24, #25-207 pages, #29-Florida Everglades, #31-1937, #36-rabid dog, #40-The Lovers, Strength, Justice, Death, Judgment, The World, #41, #43, #49, #50-Janie’s grandma
RHC: #4, #8, #13, #24-2020: prompt #7 A historical fiction novel not set in WW II

*Strange Magic (Essex Witch Museum Mystery #1) by Syd Moore (5 STARS) seemed as if it might be ‘too romancy’ for me, but I was willing to give it a try. I’m glad I did! It proved to be a well-plotted mystery, included much information about witches and magic, and there was a bit of romance in there as well. I especially appreciated the humorous bits sprinkled throughout. I could relate to Rosie quite easily.
POPSUGAR: #12, NEW #16, #25, #40-2021: prompt #17 A book that has the same title as a song, #46
ATY: #4-A book related to Shelley's poem Ozymandias (Nadine’s proposal): …passion…desolation…despair…, #7, #14-1,811 ratings, #15, #30, #34, #40-Strength, Justice, Death, The Devil, The Tower Judgment, The World. #43, #44, #49
RHC: #24-2019: prompt #12 A book in which an animal or inanimate object is a point-of-view character

CONTINUING:
*The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
Halfway through. Although I’m not a huge fan of mythology, Choo’s writing has me enthralled.
*The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George (I’ve owned this book for years and really wanted to read it, so picked it up and read the first 10 pages or so, and upon leafing through it, discovered recipes! Bonus!)
Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to New York (Mrs. ‘Arris #2) by Paul Gallico
Just started this one.
*Beloved by Toni Morrison
*The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed
I did not realize that Martha Jefferson died at the age of 34 just 10 ½ years into their marriage. Per common practice at the time, she and Thomas Jefferson were third cousins. She had endured 6 pregnancies and borne 6 children during that time, only two of whom lived into adulthood. As Gordon-Reed notes, For practically her entire marriage she was either pregnant or lactating. Her body was not her own. But, of course, this was not unusual in the 18th and 19th Centuries with no acceptable and/or common means of safe birth control, and it probably would not have been made easily available or even allowed. :( TJ was only 39 years old and vowed to her upon her deathbed he would not remarry. And he didn’t. But, of course, as we now know, this didn’t preclude him having sexual relationships with women in the aftermath. It is documented that in keeping with the times, he had no hesitation having sex with his wife often and as he wished, regardless of her sickness during and in the aftermath of childbearing. The Hemings slave women bore much of the work related to being “Mrs. Jefferson” when she was unable to fulfill her duties. They were half sisters, after all! TJ was depressed and “suicidal” for months afterward. He allowed both Robert and James Hemings to train for trades and hire themselves out as possible, whenever TJ did not need their services. They were even allowed to live independently when possible and travel alone as necessary. Both of these situations presented danger for the Hemings males as they were “slaves” and subject to apprehension and either whippings and/or being sold, unless they had written permission from their owner. (I’m fairly certain it didn’t matter if you had the proper paperwork or not in certain circumstances…) TJ spent much of the following 12 years traveling in the US and abroad. He lived in France and worked on behalf of the U.S. government. I had overlooked the fact that he was there during the apotheosis of the Enlightenment, “on the eve of” revolution.

PLANNED:
7 Buddy Reads and 1 IRL Book Club read! Yikes!! LOL
STILL PLANNING THESE BELOW AS WELL!
*Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk
*The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
*Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz
*Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
*Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

Cornerofmadness wrote: "The semester is upon me so I have nothing read."
Totally understandable!

"QOTW You know in some ways I dislike the 'favorite' thing because I read/watch/listen to so much media, I can never remember and my faves change.

In the last couple years I did like A book that has fewer than 1,000 reviews on Amazon or Goodreads because it got me digging into indie and/or new authors who could use exposure. I'm pretty sure I read Cassadaga Nights by Jana Denardo and enjoyed it"
Good point! Glad you enjoyed it!

Jennifer W wrote: "Ron wrote: "Ron wrote: "Keep going through lists of banned books and they're always the same ones. Can't seem to find others or anything different, more current, modern books."

Have you checked out PEN America's list? They've got over 1,000 on there. The last year has seen the most banned and challenged books in America EVER. It seems like every day I'm reading a news article about libraries closing doors, reducing hours, losing staff because a few people with very loud mouths (and very little brains) are harassing libraries. It makes me angry and sick. I don't have the money to support all the libraries that are at risk, but I am working on sending letters of support to the ones I see in the news.

I set personal goals to always be reading a classic, always reading a work of non-fiction, this year I've added always be reading a banned book.

Here's the list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

Climbs off of soapbox, but does NOT put it away, I will be back on it soon enough! :D"
THANK YOU SO MUCH for this listing! I totally agree with you! Thank you for your advocacy!

Katelyn wrote: "Happy Thursday!

Its been a much better reading week for me. I put away the loads of work I have (on the weekends anyway) and I got so much reading done. "
Good for you!

"Currently Reading:
The It Girl by Ruth Ware. This is one author that I will always read...forever and ever. I love the stories and the writing style, plus she always keeps me guessing."
I read and enjoyed The Woman in Cabin 10 and just got a copy of The Death of Mrs. Westaway!

"The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. Just started this but so far it is pretty good. Excited to see where this story is going."
I thought this was an amazing read. Am planning to reread it for next month's IRL book club meeting!

"QOTW:
I like prompts that force me to read a book in a genre that I like but don't necessarily read as often as I should. I think back in 2017 there was a prompt called "A book with a subtitle" and I chose a nonfiction book but for some reason nonfiction is just not my go-to. Though I am never disappointed when I do read one."
I hear ya! I have found I must be purposeful in rotating in a nonfiction book!

Kaia wrote: "Good morning! It's been a while since I checked in, but I'll just put this week's reading."
Glad you found your way back! :)

"Finished
Pride and Prejudice My first time reading this, even though I fell in love with the BBC series more than 20 years ago. I really enjoyed it - I was expecting it to be slower and was pleasantly surprised that it didn't drag. Prompt: Featuring a party"
A class I keep meaning to read...

"Currently Reading
Gods of Jade and Shadow For #ownvoices SFF. Definitely enjoying this."
I hesitated to read this, but really enjoyed it!

"Coming Up
Together We Will Go
All That I Am
Muster Dogs
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
A Brief History of Seven Killings
Walkaway
I'm going away for a couple of months housesitting for friends and I'm preparing my pile of books to take away with me! All sitting on my desk waiting to go in a bag."
Wow. How exciting! Looks like you'll have some good reads!

"QOTW
Hard question. I don't have a lot of choices, because this is only my second reading challenge (not counting any I may have done during school, which is too long ago to remember anyway)

As difficult as it's been finding a book, I think my favorite is the book blurbed by your favorite author. I haven't read my pick for this yet (next on my list), but I've enjoyed exploring some beloved authors on Fantastic Fiction and seeing what they like. I have Together We Will Go penciled in for the prompt, which was blurbed by Cory Doctorow."
Cool!

Ashley Marie wrote: "Happy Thursday! Glad to hear there will be a 2023 challenge. This has been a bit of a rough week; hubby threw his back out and I ended up with a nasty sinus cold. I'm on the tail end of it now, and he got a massage and is on the mend as well, but... oof. We originally had plans for this evening and tomorrow, but scrapped them when things weren't going well earlier in the week. I'm glad for it now; extra time to rest and recuperate!"
I trust you are both healed up and doing well now!

I did manage to get a decent amount read, even with being under the weather:
Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead - 4.5 stars. This was my pick-me-up audiobook while my attention span was low this week, and it didn't disappoint!"
Glad to hear it! I hope to read this one soon! I adored Finlay Donovan Is Killing It!

"Currently:
The Reign of Wolf 21: The Saga of Yellowstone’s Legendary Druid Pack"
That cover image is AWESOME!

"List one of your absolute favorite reading prompts of all time and the book you read to fulfill it. (This could be from any reading challenge, not just POPSUGAR!)
These kinds of questions are the ones where I always draw a blank, mostly because I don't tend to remember past prompts easily. My brain wipes the slate clean each year. That said, I feel like I used Silent in the Grave for Book with a book on the cover in 2020, totally by chance, and it was a book I'd owned for several years and never read. I ended up adoring it"
Another one I hope to read yet this year!

Sheri wrote: "I don't think i even realized their gender wasn't specified, in Kaiju. I think I assumed male, probably based on general biases and generally coming across Jamie as a male name in most fiction I re..."
This sounds like me. I just don't care about it, I guess! :) But now I am even more fascinated and want to read this! LOL