L Y N N (book_music_lvr)'s comments from Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge Showing 1,361-1,380 of 4,909

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

Nadine in NY wrote: "Good morning / Good evening / Happy Thursday!!

Lynn is having Internet problems this morning - as she put it: life stops without the internet these days."
It does! :)

"Admin stuff -

Let's see, we still have the May group read of Year of the Reaper finishing up, next week it's JUNE and our group read will be Beloved!"
I love these group reads!

"And we have a nomination poll open for the September group read for a book by a Latinx author
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2..."
Thanks so much for that, Nadine!

"I made the mistake of reading the first page of Front Desk this morning, and I've spent the last few hours ignoring the world. Whoops! This book really sucked me right in!!"
It looks adorable!

"This week I finished 3 books, one for this Challenge, so I am now 33/50."
We are almost at the same place!

"The Undressing: Poems by Li-Young Lee - I enjoyed this, it's a bit different from the poetry I usually read, it managed to be both dark and lyrical."
Yay! Another good poetry experience for you!

"The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng- this was a perfect book. It was exquisite. And usually I'm the reader who is all "too slow, so boring, too many words" but not this time!!"
Wow! That is one helluva recommendation! So glad you enjoyed it this much!

"Question of the Week
Now we are approaching the end of the first half of the year, how are you doing on your reading challenge progress?

I'm in excellent shape! Last year I just played it by ear a lot and read whatever I wanted, and I ended up finishing the Popsugar challenge in December which stressed me out to no end. Never again for me!

According to my spreadsheet:
The year is 40% over
I am 33/50 on Popsugar, so I'm 66% done.
I am 4/11 on my "Must Read in 2022" challenge, so I'm 36% done.

And on my Cultural Appreciation Month reading, I've read:
8 books for Black History Month
11 books for Women's History Month
7 books for Asian American & Pacific Islander Month (plus 5 books I'm currently reading)

And I'm lining up books for Pride Month in June!"
You are a dynamo! Of course, you have stats from a spreadsheet! LOL Fingers crossed that we can both finish much earlier this year!

Thank you so much, Miss Nadine for getting the discussion started!

Welcome to yet another ~~Thursday~~ ~~Friday~~ ~~Saturday~~ ~~Sunday~~ MONDAY! May is just about over and done! That doesn’t seem right. It just seems to go by so fast!

My Thursday didn’t begin well. No internet. My phone wasn’t sending text messages. By the time all that was restored, it was time to leave the house to take my husband to an appointment, and then go back to town to take my good friend who had dental surgery last week to two appointments. By the time I arrived home that night I was exhausted. (It seems as if it doesn't take much to get me to the point of exhaustion any more...)

I spent 2-3 hours on the phone with AT&T about internet connection on our phones and when the girl who knew nothing and had to keep “consulting with the tech team” started all over by asking me the same questions after all that time, I just gave up. I informed her how I missed the good old days when I could walk into a store and get problems resolved…and hung up. It was the kindest thing I could do. I was soooo frustrated and angry that I had to force myself to refrain from yelling. So now I will restart that process tomorrow morning. She called me 6 times that afternoon and her supervisor left me 2 voice mail messages. I did not respond at all. *sigh* But I’m not being forced from my home or country by violence, so it’s all good. I will survive and hopefully thrive!

I got my friend through her dental surgery and she is recovering well! Don’t ever think you’ll be absolutely idle during retirement! LOL Unless you have no friends or relatives who may need your assistance! I’m trying to space out my travel over different days for appointments and such and now am having difficulty scheduling my own appointments around everyone else’s! LOL But I am honestly just glad to have the time and be able to do it all for them! No regrets. Life is GOOD!! I am retired, after all!

As of Thursday, it had been raining and storming off and on here Wednesday night, all that day, and that continued. Also cooler, highs only in the 60s. With storms arriving at any time I must make sure a bedroom door is open so our “Mini” can hide under the bed. That is her spot when it rains very hard or storms! And now as of Monday, our temperatures are in the high 80s with sunshine! Our weather is definitely NOT boring!! It provides much variety!

ADMIN STUFF:
First and foremost, Nadine posted the nomination poll here for the September Monthly Group Read. I appreciate the graphic she selected. (She is always so helpful!) Please help us select a book to fulfill prompt #6 A book written by a LatinX author in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15) in the US! As always, I’m anxious to see what books will get the most votes for the final selection poll to be posted this Thursday!

May’s Monthly Group Read is Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier and Stormie ~ Book Dragon ~ is leading this discussion! This book will fulfill prompt #15 A book written by a Pacific Islander author in honor or AAPI Appreciation Month in the US! You can also post any book you have read to complete this prompt here. This will wrap up at the end of the month, but will still be available in the 2022 Monthly Group Reads folder.

We will need a "marvelous manager" to lead the August discussion of The Dog Stars! Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!

I have a brand spanking new hardback of Beloved and also some additional resource materials for June’s discussion. I moved both June discussion threads to the Current Monthly Group Read folder. I am looking forward to others’ comments! I consider Morrison’s books to be tough reads, but necessary…

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

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Now that we are approaching the end of the first half of the year, how are you doing on your reading challenge progress?
I am actually thrilled! Remember that I finished in 2021 on the very last day of the year…with only 30 minutes to spare! I really want to avoid that ever happening again! LOL

I have fulfilled 38 of the 50 prompts and I listed those remaining 12 prompts along with the books I’ve selected for each at the top of the Word document I keep for this challenge. And actually, whenever I can get time to list fulfilled prompts for each of the 7 books I read last week (It was the ATY 2022 May Team Readathon!), I will actually be down to only 11 prompts remaining. Cha-ching! Some of these books are chunksters, so I plan to concentrate on those in July. (I have quite a few Buddy Reads scheduled for June and a 10-day Team Readathon beginning this Friday…)

So I’m pretty sure I will NOT be finishing at the very last hour of the year for 2022! YAY!!

I’ll post the books I read as soon as possible… *sigh*

I am rereading this and at the same time reading an analysis of the text. I have read this book twice already. The first time was over 20 years ago and I found it very confusing and rather confounding. (I always seemed to be rather "lost" in Morrison's books when I read them in the past.)

The second time I read it I understood it much better. I am hopeful that I can help others as needed to gain a richer reading experience from this book.

Although the 'chapters' are not numbered, I am suggesting we pretend as if they are and use numbers to denote where we are in the text when we post comments/questions.

I will post some questions to consider as we read the first part of the book on June 1.

Teri wrote: "I have gone to all of my nieces and nephews' high school graduations because I'm that spinster aunt who thinks I'm a vital part of their life (and they indulge me). Tomorrow is my last one for abou..."

Just a quick reply regarding the hotel room and cost. The hospital is in downtown Indianapolis, so I got a room in a hotel that is located right downtown (so automatically higher...) AND I had to get a handicapped suite with a walk-in shower because my friend cannot handle a tub AND she must shower with Hibi-Clens (spelling?) both tonight and tomorrow morning. So, this is one expensive night's stay (at least to me). But I'm just glad I had the money to afford it. And when I paid at check-in, they actually added another $50 just in case we purchased any "incidentals"! LOL We arrived at 8:30PM and must leave by 5:45AM to get her to the hospital by 6AM. Not as if we're here for long! Honestly, it was just over $300, but $50 of that will be dropped when we checkout tomorrow morning. If not for a AAA member discount it would have been considerably more, especially given it is valet only parking at $40 per night which was cut in almost half with the AAA membership. Not cheap!! LOL Though honestly, not as bad as I feared it might be. :)

K.L. wrote: "Good morning, everyone!

So…I took a look at my TBR checklist this week and, as much as I hate to admit it, I think it’s time to take another break from buying books.

Rather than setting a specific goal for myself in terms of the number of books I have to read before my buying ban ends (like I did earlier this year), I’ve decided to give myself a time limit instead. Starting today, I will not be allowed to buy any books until July 1st.

Hopefully this will allow me to make a sizable dent in my rapidly growing TBR.

Goodreads: 261/200
TBR checklist: 221/1140"
While I admire your persistence, my immediate response is "Why do you look?" LOL Actually, I love to review my TBR from time to time and just imagine all those great books waiting for me! (Okay, really I can just look around my house! LOL)

"~A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-18"
I would probably never read this myself, but it does look interesting...

"QOTW:
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that made me feel hungry."
While I have become hungry from reading a book, it wasn't for the food described, but something else that I had on hand.

Katy wrote: "I finished The arch of stars as my book with a constellation. It was terrible. My parents' neighbor died a few years ago and 2 years ago her son had a tag sale and there were tons and tons of books. I bought a whole box. Most of them are not really good. This one wasn't even in GR. I had to manually add it. Which means, nobody's been reading this. This should have been my first clue."
Oh, my! You made me laugh so hard! Thank you for that! 😂🤣 Though I am sorry the book was a disappointment to you!

"Anyway, I have stared Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 as my book about a man-made disaster. Hopefully this will be more interesting."
How bizarre!!

Nadine in NY wrote: "Happy Thursday!! Today I go get my college kid and bring her (and all her stuff) home for summer. I've been so focused on making sure I've got everything I might need for the trip that I forgot it was Thursday. So this is a little bit later than I usually post - oops!"
Totally understandable! Hope you've had a safe and uneventful trip!

"My alliums are just starting to bloom. My mother doesn't like alliums, so we never had them in our yard (and I guess no one else in the neighborhood did either) so I didn't discover them until I was about 20, I saw these gorgeous purple globe-shaped flowers blooming in planters in DC when I was visiting my boyfriend, and I just HAD to know what they were. Fast forward another ten years or so, and I finally got to plant some in my own garden. They seem to be quite hardy in my garden and they self sow here and there which I enjoy."
I never had any of those, but I love them! It's always such a joy when flowers freely seed themselves!

"We have a bald eagle nest along the shore of the lake in town, and they have BABIES - and what is an uglier cute than a baby raptor? They are so ungainly! The sight of their little grey heads with GIANT beaks poking over the edge of the nest is so precious. There are baby geese, too. Why are eaglets so ugly but goslings are so cute????"
LOL Especially 'cause geese tend to be pretty aggressive!

"We still have openings for discussion leader for August (The Dog Stars), (and Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec for those of you who choose to live dangerously) let us know if you're interested!"
Yes! Please do!

"Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto - this was madcap fun, if you like ridiculous books, give this series a try. This feels like a genre book but it defies a specific genre. Perhaps "chick lit crime caper" is the best description. I rearranged some of my challenge reads and I used this for "published in 2022."
Definitely on my list to try!

"Second Sister by Chan Ho-Kei - this was one of the books on my list of books I must read in 2022, and it was FANTASTIC. I think this author is a genius. The protagonist hires a quirky computer hacker to investigate her younger sister's death, and he uncovers various secrets related to her death. Right now Chan has only two books translated in English, I hope for more soon. If you like mystery novels, and you haven't read Chan yet, add one of his books to your TBR!"
Found a really cheap copy of each on Better World Books!

"One of the books I am currently reading now is The Garden of Evening Mists. The Chinese protagonist had been in a brutal Japanese slave labor camp during WWII, she definitely sees the Japanese as the "bad guys," (although of course she will end up befriending a Japanese gardener), and it's interesting to read this after reading a Japanese-American POV in Takei's book."
I love it when you get diverse viewpoints back-to-back!

"Question of the Week
Do books ever make you so hungry that you HAVE to make the food the characters are eating?

YES!
Next up on my books to read is Vivien Chien's Wonton Terror, book 3 in her Chinese Restaurant mystery series, and I KNOW I need to be ready with some potstickers or noodles or just make fried rice when I read this, because I always want to eat the food she describes."
Huh. Perhaps I'm just not reading the right books! LOL

I only finished reading two books this week, but am almost done with another two…This week has been very busy with my good friend who has surgery tomorrow. If all goes well, I should be relieved of duty with her for a while as she recovers. Then she will have heart surgery. I just wish she didn’t have to go through all this, but it is what it is… I’m just grateful I can help her through it! This has proven to me just how little stamina I have now compared to my ‘younger years’! But as long as I pace myself and don’t overschedule, I can do it! So I am grateful for that!

I am packed to spend tonight in a hotel near the hospital since it is a 2-hour trip to pick her up at her home and drive to the hospital…and she must be there by 6AM tomorrow! Yikes! Though I’ve always said I’d rather have the surgeon at the beginning of their day when they’re (hopefully) wide awake and ready to go! :)

One kitty had an upper respiratory infection and the other an eye infection. Both have responded well to treatment, though I have a few new scratches from wrapping them up like a burrito and administering medication! LOL

I have begun rotating one nonfiction book in with my reading of fiction. I find I can easily read a bit in the nonfiction book and then rotate to fiction and then back to the nonfiction without losing details, etc., so am doing that in order to increase my nonfiction reading. I love to learn, but have been lax about reading nonfiction. But this “new and improved” system seems to work for me! I’m kinda pumped to know that I will now (hopefully) be reading at least one nonfiction book per month as a result!

ATY has a Team Readathon planned for May 21-29! I am already lining up some shorter books to read during that time period! It is always very interesting to see what prompts are posted and what books I have to fit those. It is always challenging! I look forward to having a quieter week next week so I can devote more time to reading!

Oh, and from the world of the recently retired, I just learned that Medicare covers chiropractic adjustments! That is great news for us!

ADMIN STUFF:
May’s Monthly Group Read is Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier and Stormie ~ Book Dragon ~ is leading this discussion! This will fulfill prompt #15 A book written by a Pacific Islander author in honor or AAPI Appreciation Month in the US! You can also post any book you have read to complete this prompt here. I loved this book so very much!

We will need a "marvelous manager" to lead the August discussion of The Dog Stars! Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!

I have decided to volunteer to lead June’s discussion of Beloved. I first read this book about 25 years ago and felt as if I really had not “gotten it.” I reread it in 2019 and then understood what I had missed that first time around. Since my friend will be recovering from her surgery (I should be off-duty in my nursing and transportation duties!) and I already have some resources located, I’ll be happy to share insights and hopefully help enhance other readers’ understanding of this amazing and in my opinion, intense, novel. I was lucky enough to have attended two live events with Toni Morrison, one in a larger venue and one in a smaller, more intimate, venue. She had an all-encompassing spirit that just pervaded the venue, no matter the size, IMO. It was an unmatched experience for me. Though the one live event with Maya Angelou gave me much the same feels… I am in total awe of those two women!

The nomination poll for the September Monthly Group Read will be posted NEXT week. Then the final selection poll will be posted the week following. This book will fulfill prompt #6 A book written by a LatinX author in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15) in the US!

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

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Do books ever make you so hungry that you HAVE to make the food the characters are eating?
I love this question even though I don’t have a good answer for it. This has never happened to me. Perhaps because I am a meal planner. I always have a pretty good idea what I will be preparing within the next 2-3 weeks and those ingredients are what I have purchased. I sometimes briefly stop and imagine what a character is eating as I read, but I’ve never felt compelled to eat the same thing…

Popsugar: 38/50
ATY: 47/52
RHC: 13/24

FINISHED:
*Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier 10 STARS for our May Monthly Group Read. I absolutely loved this book! I had no idea what to expect but found it very compelling and quite satisfying! I would love a sequel! (Another one on which Nadine and I agree! LOL)
POPSUGAR: #9, NEW #15, #25, #36, #40-2021: prompt #36 A book with fewer than 1,000 reviews on Goodreads (925), #46
ATY: #1-Antillas, #4-A book related to Shelley's poem Ozymandias (Nadine’s proposal): So many dead of the plague and so many murdered as a result of Mari/Jehan’s “death”, #7-Jehan has definitely lost her mind!, #14-3,342 ratings, #15-It is a statue!, #18-Pacific Islander, #23, #36-the lynxes, #40-Strength, Justice, Judgement, The World, #41, #44, #49, #52
RHC: #24-2017: prompt #12 Read a fantasy novel

*The Christmas Pig by J.K. Rowling just because! It was on sale at Kroger and caught my eye. Although I disagree with her prejudice regarding trans folks, that does not, IMO, detract from the fact that she is one of the most talented writers I’ve ever read. This book was no exception. I intend to get this for my grandkids now!
POPSUGAR: #9, #24, #28, #36, 2021: prompt #27 A book about do-overs or a fresh start, #41, NEW #47
ATY: #4-A book whose author is younger than you, NEW #19, #36, #40-Strength, Justice, Judgement, The World, #44, #46, #49, #50
RHC: #24-2017: prompt #12 Read a fantasy novel

CONTINUING:
*The Poppy War (The Poppy War #1) by R.F. Kuang for my favorite used bookstore’s book club meeting this Sunday. Another great read for me thus far!
*The Right To Be Cold: One Woman's Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic and the Whole Planet by Sheila Watt-Cloutier for a book I meant to read in 2021 and a nonfiction that interests me. This is so very informative and educational about indigenous cultures in the extreme northern locales of our world. Unbelievable how the toxic pollutants emitted in the more southern regions of the globe literally condense and intensify in the northern climes. Ugh. We humans have no one to blame but ourselves for destroying our world.
*Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda for a May Buddy Read. Short stories translated from Japanese and based upon Japanese folklore. Interesting and thought-provoking.
*The Magic in Changing Your Stars by Leah Henderson is adorable!
*Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson
*Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.
*Paradise by Toni Morrison

PLANNED:
1 more May Buddy Read:
*Cross (Alex Cross #12) by James Patterson
*Red Island House by Andrea Lee for Literary Wives
To complete some 2021 year-long challenges:
1) *Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk
2) *The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
To complete the 2021 Read Harder Challenge:
*Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz
*Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
*Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

Nadine in NY wrote: "Lynn wrote: "It seems we are in summer now. Day time temperatures in the 80s and yesterday we even hit 92 degrees!

I have two veterinary appointments tomorrow for two sick kitties. And I’ve been ..."
Almost sounds neurological? I don't know. I hate it when the furbabies are seriously ill... Our Mini has an eye infection and Sissy has an upper respiratory infection, so now I'm corraling (wrapping up in a towel like a burrito) each of them twice daily to administer medicine. Such joy! NOT! But at least easily diagnosed and treated. Sure wish I could help your furbaby! 🙁

So, Nadine, this is yet another book on which we agree! YAY!!

I loved this! I would definitely love a sequel!

I want to know (view spoiler)

I plan to read Isle of Blood and Stone in the near future.

Nadine in NY wrote: "In Chapter 9 he picks up a weapon much like the one on the cover [spoilers removed]."
I'm so glad you pointed that out. I always remove the dust jacket while reading a hardcover book, so hadn't even noticed! That is soooo cool!

And thanks for the food info!

I am through Chapter 12 and totally intrigued to discover (view spoiler)

Jen K wrote: "I loved that part of Chapter 9! Ventillas is such a great brother."
I'm only through Chapter 12 but I would agree!

It seems we are in summer now. Day time temperatures in the 80s and yesterday we even hit 92 degrees!

I have two veterinary appointments tomorrow for two sick kitties. And I’ve been helping a friend who is undergoing severe medical challenges with appointments, etc. She will undergo surgery on the 23rd. The once she is healed from that, she will undergo further heart testing with dye and then surgery to repair three arteries (including the aorta) each of which is at least 50% occluded. Thank goodness her daughter and one of her sons help, though they both still work full-time, so I am the most available person. Good thing we’ve been friends for 20+ years and enjoy each other’s company! She is also a reader, so bonus!! 😊

My social security application has been processed and I’ve received my first monthly payment so that is good. Meanwhile, the company administering my pension funds is proving to be just as inept as I feared after my first 4 conversations with them yielded 4 distinctly different scenarios… Ah, well, at least Social Security seems to have their act together! And they service 54 million people!

Admin Stuff:
May’s Monthly Group Read is Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier and Stormie ~ Book Dragon ~ is leading this discussion! This will fulfill prompt #15 A book written by a Pacific Islander author in honor or AAPI Appreciation Month in the US! You can also post any book you have read to complete this prompt here.

Our August Monthly Group Read as selected by the 29 members who voted is The Dog Stars by Peter Heller to fulfill prompt #35 A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title! We will need a "marvelous manager" to lead the August discussion!

We will need a “vivacious volunteer” to lead June’s monthly group read discussion of Beloved! Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!

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

Question of the Week:
Have you ever read a genre novel that felt as if you were reading general fiction?
I figure I would ask you-all if this has ever happened to you since it happened to me with Kate Atkinson’s Case Histories, the first installment in her Jackson Brodie series. I really enjoyed it but admit it read much like general fiction throughout the first half. That didn’t bother me, but it’s the first “mystery” I felt that way about…

How about you? It doesn’t have to be mystery, it could be any other genre.

Here is an article from Oprah Daily defining genres: https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainm...

And here is one from the Your Dictionary website:
https://reference.yourdictionary.com/...

FINISHED:
*The Recovery Agent (Gabriela Rose #1) by Janet Evanovich ⭐️⭐️⭐️ was only “mildly entertaining” to me. I don’t know if my sense of humor has changed or if Evanovich’s writing has changed, but I’m not finding her writing nearly as entertaining as in the past. I definitely won’t purchase another installment in this series until I can get a used copy for $3-4.
POPSUGAR: NEW #1, #25, #29, #40-2015: prompt #13 A book set in a different country
ATY: #2, #4-A book related to Shelley's poem Ozymandias (Nadine’s proposal): There were many reasons to despair of ever locating the authentic ring, #6, #8/9/10-Peru = South America, #29, #30, #35, #40-Strength, Justice, Death, Judgment, The World, #43, #44, #49, NEW #51
RHC: #24-2017: prompt #4. Read a book set in Central or South America or written by a Central or South American author

*The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for a May Buddy Read (Yes, I added one more! LOL) was an absolutely delightful read! My first Ishiguo and certainly not my last!
POPSUGAR: #9, #25, #26, #28-Stevens’ holiday driving tour, #36, #40-2015: prompt #41 An author you’ve never read before
ATY: #4-A book written by an author you might like to meet, #7-Stevens appeared to lack emotion, #11, #15, #31-1989, #40-Strength, Death, Judgement, The World, #41, #43, #49, #50, #52
RHC: #11, #24-2021: Read a book you’ve been intimidated to read

*Case Histories (Jackson Brodie #1) by Kate Atkinson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for a May Buddy Read. A very different “mystery” novel from my typical fare as of late. This read much like general fiction until about halfway through when we meet the investigator and start learning more about the murders/disappearances. I really enjoyed it and will definitely read the second installment.
POPSUGAR: #9, #25-many of them, #36, #40-2015: prompt #9 Written by a female author, #46-Michelle/Caroline
ATY: #1-Amelia, #4-Initially released in 2004 when Sean turned 22!, #7, #31-2004, #36-A BLUE MOUSE!, #40-The Lovers, Strength, Justice, Death, Judgement, The World, #49, #50
RHC: #24-2021: Read a book with a cover you don’t like
POPSUGAR: #9, #25-many of them, #36, #40-2015: prompt #9 Written by a female author, #46-Michelle/Caroline
ATY: #1-Amelia, #4-Initially released in 2004 when Sean turned 22!, #7, #31-2004, #36-A BLUE MOUSE!, #40-The Lovers, Strength, Justice, Death, Judgement, The World, #49, #50
RHC: #24-2021: Read a book with a cover you don’t like

CONTINUING:
For our Monthly Group Read:
*Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier
*The Magic in Changing Your Stars by Leah Henderson
*The Christmas Pig by J.K. Rowling
*Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson
*Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.
*Paradise by Toni Morrison

PLANNED:
2 more May Buddy Reads:
*Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda
*Cross (Alex Cross #12) by James Patterson
To complete some 2021 year-long challenges:
1) *Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk
2) *The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
To complete the 2021 Read Harder Challenge:
*Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz
*Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
*Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

I will be starting this one later today. After reading the Prologue last night I was seriously hooked!

I am enjoying life and wondering exactly why I didn’t feel I could retire earlier…but I do know the answer to that. Every month/year that I kept working just helped increase my income during retirement, so it’s all good. (Especially since I was not in the work force for 13 years while I was a "stay-at-home full-time parent.") But I do know I am much happier, much less stressed, and enduring sooooo much LESS discomfort and pain each and every day!

And I now have time to devote to helping friends. One of my best friends is encountering many serious health challenges right now and I am able to step in and drive her to long-distance appointments/surgeries that neither of her two children helping her are either able or anxious to do. So that's how I spent my day Monday and it was actually fun to spend time with her. And...my body is so much healthier that 4 hours of driving didn't bother me at all and that was without anti-inflammatory meds! Whoo! Whoo!

The good news: my social security was processed in just over 2 weeks! The not-so-good news: The company administering my pension funds is almost useless and it will most likely require 3 months at minimum for them to process my application, etc. Geeminy! The first four times I spoke with them I was told four distinctly different scenarios regarding my pension funds and access to them. Unbelievable. I do not know how they stay in business…they must be much cheaper than other companies! I don’t have to wait too long to speak with someone and they’re always very nice, but…

We have had a lot of rain here in central Indiana lately. I’m sure farmers are chomping at the bit to get seeds in the ground!

:
May’s Monthly Group Read is Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier and Stormie ~ Book Dragon ~ is leading this discussion! This will fulfill prompt #15 A book written by a Pacific Islander author in honor or AAPI Appreciation Month in the US! You can also post any book you have read to complete this prompt here.

Don’t forget to vote for the final selection of an August Monthly Group Read to fulfill prompt #35 A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title! I just realized today that they graphic I had posted with the nomination poll evidently (1) never posted or (2) just disappeared! Yikes! LOL

We will need a “vivacious volunteer” to lead June’s monthly group read discussion of Beloved! Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer! Thanks so much to Teri who volunteered as the “terrific team leader” to guide July’s monthly group read discussion of Piranesi!!

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

Question of the Week:
This week's question was suggested a while ago by Lauren:
Have you read anything recently that you thought to be "the perfect book" as far as structure, writing style, ending, etc.?
As someone who finds it virtually impossible to list just one book as a favorite, I also find it impossible to consider any one book to be “perfect.”

As most of you should realize by now, I genuinely LOVE many of the books I read. And for different reasons. Although the one similarity I can cite is that all those books reflect a very skillful use of words to draw me in and keep me there throughout each page… My main focus is on characterization, though I have been to enjoy books without detailed characterization… So it just depends. Here are some of my best-loved…

Two long-standing favorites of mine:
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister for the ingenious use of descriptors to create mood, depict actions and behaviors, and define characters.
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein for making my heart ache…but in a good way.

Read more recently:
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Popsugar: 35/50
ATY: 45/52
RHC: 13/24

FINISHED:
Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish by Mark R. Levin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ was rather a shock to my system. I had no idea about this book other than it was about a rescued canine. As I read (and cried) I almost rolled my eyes I don’t know how many times at the author’s repeated, and to my mind extremely melodramatic, mourning for this dog. Don’t get me wrong, I love my furry companions and miss them dreadfully, but this man was truly depressed and should have sought professional help to better cope, IMO. Once I finished and did some research. Levin is a “far-right extremist” author and radio personality. It all kinda fit for me then. I would give it only a 2-3 star rating except that I did appreciate the descriptions of the dogs’ behaviors, etc. Not an especially enjoyable read. Very dramatic, very sad.
POPSUGAR: #20-I had just finished Mozart’s Sister, #40-2015: prompt #14 Nonfiction
ATY: #4-A book related to Shelley's poem Ozymandias (Nadine’s proposal): “despair” is what this book is all about!, #7-Levin was obviously (and he admitted it) DEPRESSED! With a capital D!, #14-3,324 ratings, #15, NEW #22, #31-2007, #36, #40-Strength, Death, #46, #49, #50
RHC: #24-2016: Read a book with a main character suffering from a mental illness-Depression

*Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ was mind-blowing (pun intended?). My aunt suffered from paranoid schizophrenia with an initial ‘nervous breakdown’ in her early 30's. I am so hopeful and extremely grateful for the genetic research being done to discover better treatments and even preventative procedures. For example, in 2017 choline was added to prenatal vitamins since it is necessary for a process associated with specific genes, without which schizophrenia can result in some people. So this is an ‘in utero’ preventative treatment. (Amazing!) There are currently over 100 genetic aberrations associated with schizophrenia. It is obviously a very complex disease with no easy answers to be had, but at least progress is being made. My aunt was very fortunate in that she was able to perform ADLs, etc., and she was meticulous in ALWAYS taking her medication and never missing doctor/therapy appointments, which is very rare… I am so grateful she could function at such a high level.
POPSUGAR: #25-many secrets, #40-2015: prompt #14 Read a nonfiction book, #46-Don was undergoing ECT treatment during the last few years of his life
ATY: #3, #4-A book relating to Catch-22, #7, #17, #40-Strength, Death, Temperance, Judgment, The World, NEW #42, #44, #49, #50
RHC: #24-2016: Read a book with a main character who has a mental illness

The Long Call (Two Rivers #1) by Ann Cleeves ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ proved to be a quite enjoyable book. I will definitely continue with the series. I love Cleeve’s writing style. Alongside the plot is much characterization and I felt as if I could relate to these main characters quite well. I particularly appreciated the villains’ identities… (You were right, Nadine! LOL)
POPSUGAR: #25, #36, #40-2020: prompt #46 Read a book written by an author who has published more than 20 books, #46
ATY: #4-A book related to Shelley's poem Ozymandias (Nadine’s proposal): …the low and level sands stretch far away… Simon was killed on the beach and Matthew and Lucy were left to die in the same spot…, #5, #7, #15, NEW #23, #29, #40-The Lovers, Strength, Death, Justice,
Temperance, Judgment, The World, #43, #44, #49, #50
RHC: #24-2020: prompt #3 A mystery where the victim is not a woman

CONTINUING:
*The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro for a May Buddy Read (Yes, I added one more! LOL)
*The Magic in Changing Your Stars by Leah Henderson
*Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson
*Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.
*Paradise by Toni Morrison

PLANNED:
POPSUGAR monthly group read:
*Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier
3 more May Buddy Reads:
*Case Histories (Jackson Brodie #1) by Kate Atkinson
*Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda
*Cross (Alex Cross #12) by James Patterson
To complete some 2021 year-long challenges:
1) *Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk
2) *The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
To complete the 2021 Read Harder Challenge:
*Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz
*Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
*Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

Well, now you-all have got me intrigued! LOL

This is listed by Goodreads members overwhelmingly as Fantasy first and foremost, then some also list it as Historical Fiction.

I also adore HF, but it looks as if the Fantasy aspect is very clear.

Sounds like it is a rather quick read. I plan to start it next week after I knock out a couple more Buddy Reads. (Definitely got a bit carried away with those this month! LOL)

This is definitely THE book I will use to fulfill the Pacific Islander author prompt.

I know nothing about this one beyond what is posted on Goodreads and what you all have mentioned.

REMINDER: The nomination poll for the August Monthly Group Read closes tonight. If you haven't voted, please do so here.

Also, if you voted for one of the two books listed below, please vote for a different book that is eligible.

There are now two books that have been nominated as write-ins that are ineligible for a Monthly Group Read. Those are The Midnight Library (April 2021) and The Map of Salt and Stars (June 2020) which are both past Monthly Group Reads.

Thank you!

Nadine & Lynn

Last set of questions.

1. Did you like the book? What were your thoughts on the Book?
It was okay. I appreciated the incorporation of social media and technology. I can imagine teens might enjoy it more than I did overall. I appreciated the fact that the popular and supposedly "good girl" wasn't actually so "good"!

I thought quite a bit about the title upon finishing the book. I felt that it could be interpreted in several different ways. Andi = "good girl" just because she was popular, etc. (I'm assuming white...) And as I recall her father always favored her over Becca. (I could be misremembering) Pippa = "good girl" because she was trying to unravel the mystery to determine whether Sal was truly guilty or not. I kinda felt like she was sticking up for the 'minority' person who was assumed to be guilty, so being "good" in that regard.

2. Are you going to continue the series?
Nope.

3. Did you ask for books for Mother's Day if you celebrate?
Ha! Ha! Don't have to. Every single person who knows me well enough to get me a gift knows to just gift me cash or a book-related (Bookshop/B&N/Better World Books) gift card.

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

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