Tricia’s Comments (group member since Nov 21, 2016)

Tricia’s comments from the Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge group.

It is getting cold here in Brisbane. A winter chill is in the air and there is nothing like curling up under a blanket in a book with this weather.

I finished Automated Alice which was my steampunk category.

I also finished my book of letters - The Spy about Mata Hari. It was a VERY quick read at only 186 pages long. This might also be ok for the story within a story category.

I am hoping to finish my book recommended by a librarian choice which was My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry. Not sure after that. I might have a break from the challenge for a bit as I am ahead of schedule.

QOTW. I read a lot but went through phases with authors - L.M Montgomery, Virginia Andrews, Stephen King, Jean Auel. The interesting thing was I didn't really have (and still don't) have a favourite genre.

I finished Like Colour to the Blind: Soul Searching and Soul Finding. It was my choice for a book by a person with a disability. It was a very interesting exploration of autism. I was saddened to hear that the author passed away just a few weeks ago so the reading of the book was timely.

I also finished reading The Industry which was my choice for the first book in a series I had never read. The book was great and I immediately read the second in the series (third is still being written). I recommend that as a book if someone is still looking for one in that category.

Currently reading Automated Alice which is my steampunk category. It is a little odd so it might be something I put down and pick up again.

QOTW - Some of the required readings included
Primary school: I Am David (liked), Z for Zachariah (loved), Let the Balloon go (an interesting book).

Highschool: To Kill a Mockingbird (loved), A Raisin in the Sun (liked), The Great Gatsby (didn't like), Tess of the Durbervilles (tough read for a 13 year old!), A Town Like Alice (fantastic and highly recommend), Twelve Angry Men (liked), Lord of the Flies (gave me nightmares), Shakespeare (Macbeth and The Merchant of Venice)

I am sure there are others but those are the ones that stick in my memory. I was a big reader anyway so the reading at school was only a drop in the ocean for the books I read at that time.

It has been raining a little bit today here in Brisbane but it looks like the rest of the weekend will be fine :-)

I finished The Stepmother which I didn't think much of.

I also read The Midsummer Garden which was my book about two time periods. I also didn't think much of that.

On the upside I did enjoy The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which I chose as a book from my childhood. It was just as fantastic as I remembered.

This week I will be reading The Hunt for Red October which is my choice for the first book in a series that I haven't read yet (The Jack Ryan series).

If I get through that I might make a start on Atlas Shrugged as a genre that I have never heard of (Dieselpunk). It should keep me occupied though as it is 1084 pages!

QoTW - I am a bookcrosser so I get a lot of books through swapping with them. If I am out shopping I usually go to a book shop and see if there is anything I like.

Beautiful weekend here in Brisbane Australia. The sun is shining and it has been a really lovely Easter weekend. I am taking advantage of the four day long weekend to do a heap of reading.

I finished February Flowers (book with a month in the title) and A Long Way Home (a book by an immigrant or refugee). Both were ok.

I started and finished The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (a book with an eccentric character). I really enjoyed it and was surprised that I had not read it before. It was short too so if anyone is looking for a quick read in that category I would recommend it.

I have started Emma (A book mentioned in another book - being mentioned in the Jane Austen Book Club and many other books).

The next book in my list is The Stepmother (a book with a family name in the title.

QoTW: I read just about anything but I usually take genres in small doses. I will read a number of one type (eg crime fiction or Sci fi) and then get sick of it and need to change to a different type.

The one type that I struggle with is military fiction/war fiction. Espionage is also not really my thing. As a result I have chosen an Andy McNab for that particular category in the challenge. I an psyching myself up to read it.

Jessica wrote: "Hi Laura!

I like a lot of the same books that you have on your list! I recently read My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman and really enjoyed. It's al..."

Hi Jessica. I just bought that book so I will take that as a recommendation for that category as well.

Thanks :-)

I read The Firebrand which was about Kassandra of Troy. I really liked it.

I would also recommend Hades' Daughter which is the first book of The Troy Game Series.

We are heading into autumn here in Brisbane Australia. The weather has turned nice after some hot weather pre cyclone.

Finally finished A Long Way Down (book on a holiday other than Christmas). I wouldn't recommend it.

I have made a start on February Flowers (title with a month in the title). Haven't really gotten into it.

Got sidetracked though because someone gave me A Long Way Home. I am really enjoying it and it is a short read. I am going to make it my book by an immigrant or refugee.

QOTW: It depends on the series and how many are in the series. If there are only one or two books I will read them in one go. If there is more than that I tend to get tired of the series and need a read of something else.

If you have not been to Australia here are some authors I recommend:

Bryce Courtenay (also from South Africa)
Di Morrissey
Judy Nunn
Joy Dettman
Liane Moriarty
Belinda Alexandra

Greetings from Brisbane Australia. It is a lovely sunny day even though a lot of people are still cleaning up from the cyclone last week.

I finished Room which has an unreliable narrator. I really liked it, very thought provoking.

In the middle of The Mermaid's Daughter which was the book published this year.

I am still trying to finish A Long Way Down which is set on a holiday other than Xmas but I am finding it hard going. Hopefully this weekend.

After that I am planning on reading February Flowers (a book with a month in the title)

The Silent Country was definitely set in two time periods and is a book I would recommend

Fortune Cookie is another one I would recommend for this category

Anything by Mary Roach
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife
Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War

She certainly tackles some interesting topics

I have downloaded a lot of classics through Librivox. They are all free and have used an app on my phone for them.

I put them on when driving or doing my housework or yardwork.

I also have it on instead of music when out walking. It is just like someone telling me a story while walking along.

The 4-Hour Workweek is quite interesting

I discovered that Dieselpunk was a genre while hunting for Steampunk books.

Reading Atlas Shrugged which I happened to have on my bookshelf

My Sister's Keeper definitely takes place over the character's life.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is another one (and it is short)

I am reading Aztec where an old man recounts the main events of his life.

I am reading The Slap which is about smacking (a contentious and divisive issue amongst my friends who have children)

I am reading The Count of Monte Cristo (my version has 989 pages.

You could always go for War and Peace

I am reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It is short and he is definitely eccentric.

I am reading Frangipani. The author is a South Sea Islander.

If you are after a classic maybe something by Alexandre Dumas. I only found out he is Haitian decent (his grandmother was a slave).

A Long Way Down is the book I am reading. It is set on New Years.

I can recommend The Husband's Secret which is set at Easter