Erica’s Comments (group member since Apr 05, 2019)

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

@Ellie I did the same thing.

Ashley Marie wrote: "Erica wrote: "Happy check-in! Anyone else not having the notifications work?

Finished Reading:

Notes on Grief ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY author read in 2022)
I just really like how she uses words..."

I really did not like the short story that started this series off so I have avoided it for years. I was dumb. 😀

Happy check-in! Anyone else not having the notifications work?

Finished Reading:

Notes on Grief ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY author read in 2022)
I just really like how she uses words and her dad sounds like he was a lovely person.

Hunting Ground ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY interracial couple)
Fair Game ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY murder)
Dead Heat ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY western)
This series has been quite helpful for prompts. Mostly because I've crossed off the dreaded western. 🥳

A Promise of Fire ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY literature map)
Random fantasy pick that ended up being inspired by Greek Mythology. :)

Heartless Prince ⭐⭐⭐
A graphic novel that was as generic as the title suggests.

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY NPR list)
A great graphic novel. Tough subject matter though. This autobiography is great to read for Woman's History Month even though it's from 2005-2008.

PS 18/50
ATY 18/52
Nadine's 9/10
Goodreads 49/200

Currently Reading:
Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts
Strange the Dreamer
Where the Crawdads Sing

QOTW:
If I make a plan then I won't read a thing for these awareness months. If I just add to the tbr, then I end up reading them later.

Title: Pemmican Wars that's the title goodreads links but it's A Girl Called Echo, Vol. 1: Pemmican Wars
Author: Katherena Vermette
I would recommend this graphic novel because it's a great intro into Metis/Canadian history.

1. This was on my tbr before it got picked because ya fantasy is a faveourite genre of mine. I've had a bunch of people in my feed read this so it went on the tbr and then as a possibility for this prompt. I've already completed #7 so I'm going to use this for my ATY challenge prompt of 'body of water in title'.

2. Yes the cover helps me pick up a book or add it to the tbr. Covers and titles are picked to latch on to fanbases of popular books especially within ya fantasy. It's why I get lots of books confused too Lynn. :)

3. Covers draw me in and then I read the synopsis sometimes. I'm more likely to read a book based on the title without any other information though.
Having girl in the title does not change whether I read a book or not. Girl is not an insult no matter your age.

4. I think the best fantasy books draw on or retell myths. I'm usually sold if it has anything to do with Greek Mythology, but then I'm pickier because I'm familiar with the myths. I'm not familiar with various Asian countries myths so that was a huge factor in adding this to the tbr.

5. Of course I hope to learn a little about Korea. Although it's a feminist retelling so you have to keep that in mind.

I’d volunteer to lead but I’m on hold for a copy at my library and I’m not next in line. So don’t know if this will come in.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Mary wrote: "... I also think she should've ended up with Gale. ..."


YES!! My 19 year old daughter argues with me about this. But I stand adamantly with Team Gale."

Ew, team Gale. 🤣

I agree that Allegiant ended with all the characters being who they were from the start.
I think that Mocking Jay did that too, but Katniss' life was more traumatic than Tris' leaving a depressing ending.

I used Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer, so good!

@K.L. fingers crossed that you don't need surgery and can get by with just a boot.

@Brandon I'm so jealous of your Perlman concert. PBS has a really good biography show on him.

Happy check-in! So back to -40 with Windchill this week plus a holiday made for a lot of reading time.

Finished Reading:

Cursed Fates ⭐⭐⭐ (PS mythical creature)
The Big A.S.S. Party ⭐⭐⭐
So book 5 of this series and the ending was great for a plot twist but awful for my favourite characters. I'm unsure if I'll continue. The novella is supposed to take place after this book but it takes place during the fifth book so it was happier.

Pemmican Wars ⭐⭐⭐ (PS Girl in title)
Daydreaming into the past to look at Metis history.

The Sweetest Betrayal ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (PS pet character)
When you finish a series and all you want to do is reread the series it's a good sign. The entire series works for pet character, love triangle (done well), and mythical creatures.

Disney Manga: Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Zero’s Journey ⭐⭐⭐ (ATY ghosts)
Well it was a bit lame, but it follows my favourite character. It would have been nice if Zero visited a different holiday town instead of Christmastown again.

And When She Opened the Closet, All The Clothes Were Polyester: A FoxTrot Collection ⭐⭐⭐ (ATY one of the five W's in title)
Well someone was reading Foxtrot books in a previous check-in and the titles caught me so I borrowed some from my library. This was the last one of the collection and it has some fun computer/apple jokes.

Chobits, Vol. 4 Chobits, Vol. 5 ⭐⭐⭐
Three more to go.

Wash Day Diaries ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I loved the friendship that is front and centre in the book.

Cry Wolf ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY setting starts with A, T, or Y)
Finally got around to starting this spinoff series.

PS 18/50
ATY 12/52
Mini 9/10 (Norse mythology left)
Goodreads 42/200

Currently Reading:
Strange the Dreamer
Notes on Grief

DNF:
The Accidental Pinup ⭐⭐ I was going to use this for romance with a fat lead but I'm a third done and I just can't force myself to finish it. This would be a great book if it weren't a romance. I don't like the love interest who we get half the POV for.

QOTW:
Every now and then I go to Tor.com but mostly it's just Goodreads.

Happy check-in. I've read a lot this week but I'm only part way through a few books. It was like spring for a few days and now winter is back, which means everywhere is ice.

Finished Reading:

God of War ⭐⭐⭐
God of War Volume 2: Fallen God ⭐⭐
These caught my eye in the library because I loved this video game.

Rebound ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (PS about a family)
This series is great. You can read The Crossover and Booked out of order but you do need to read The Crossover before Rebound.

PS 15/50
ATY 9/52
Mini 6/10
Goodreads 32/200

Currently Reading:

Cursed Fates
Strange the Dreamer
The Accidental Pinup

QOTW:
I'm mostly a mood reader but I do often borrow a few things from library shelves promoting Black History Month or Indigenous Storytelling Month, which is February in Canada.
Kinauvit?: What's Your Name? the Eskimo Disc System and a Daughter's Search for Her Grandmother or author Kwame Alexander would be my recommendations right now.

I made a plan to read various books in my house to accomplish prompts, so naturally I just end up reading library books that I find that we’re not on my tbr to begin with. I’m accomplishing prompts but I read a lot of fiction so that makes it easier to fill prompts. If you’re reading five star books and enjoying reading it doesn’t really matter if you accomplish prompts.

@Milena because saga is Hazel telling her family/childhood story where they constantly are in hiding because of the forbidden romance all the books work for the prompt I figure.

@Nadine and @Laura hope you guys enjoy it!

Happy check-in! I read a lot this past week but it felt like I accomplished nothing. Probably because most of the books were not on the tbr before I started reading them. :)

@Elllie congratulations on your new job!

@Shannon I'm so sorry for your loss.

Finished reading:

Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The artwork is so much better than the cover. This was fantastic, it follows Buffy in her 50s and the world has no sunlight anymore...

The Crossover ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY text is not horizontal)
I wanted to read some poetry and this was a random overdrive pick. Basketball and poetry who new. Why do I keep finding middle grade poetry collections that make me sob.

Booked ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY faceless person on the cover)
This is a sequel to The Crossover but this is about soccer instead.

Light for the World to See: A Thousand Words on Race and Hope ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (PS only text on the cover)
I've found a new author to read everything by.

Must Love Books ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY books are importanbt)
This isn't your typical rom-com. It actually deals with the main character's mental health. Lots of career advice.

Kinauvit?: What's Your Name? the Eskimo Disc System and a Daughter's Search for Her Grandmother ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (PS something you should have read in highschool)
This is an aspect of Canadian history that I knew nothing about. It was published last year but the Eskimo Identification Disc System should have been/should be in school curriculums.

PS 14/50
ATY 9/52
Mini 6/10
Goodreads 29/200

Currently Reading:

Strange the Dreamer BOTM

QOTW:
Well three come to mind.
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque This was a book I chose from a list of books in highschool and I had very low expectations. It was interesting at the time to read a book from the perspective of a soldier.
Summer by Edith Wharton I needed a book with summer in the title and this was a short option. I really enjoyed the writing.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare I needed to read a book my mom loves and this is what she suggested. It was so cute.

I stretched Hell Bent into this category.

Jennifer W wrote: "Hi all! I'm keeping a keen eye on my phone and computer to see if school will be closed tomorrow. We had a wind chill alert of -20F. Syracuse has already closed schools for tomorrow. I don't think ..."

Weird they rarely ever cancel school here. That's why covid lockdown was so difficult for people because you can't just close school when it's minus -30 C = -20 F because that could be a few weeks. We have indoor recesses and they let kids into the school as soon as they get there. There might not be bus service because of hydraulics though.

Happy check-in! We got good news today about my dad's health issues. Such a relief. 😀
I want to read all the books but can't seem to sit still to actually read them. Somehow I can manage to keep borrowing books though...

Finished Reading:

What Moves the Dead ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (PS modern retelling of a classic)
This was an enjoyable surprise. Just read this because it was short and available for the read-a-thon. I haven't read Poe's Fall of the House of Usher but it's moved up on the tbr for sure.

Shadow Princess ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (PS forbidden romance)
Still hooked on this series. I'm not sure where it's going with the characters but that's okay.

Royal Valentine ⭐⭐ (PS holiday not Xmas)
So I actually borrowed a collection of a three novella series and this was the first but it was so disappointing I just finished this one and didn't carry on with the other two.

Bunnicula ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (PS rabbit on the cover)
This was so cute. The library sent the 40th edition copy which is fuzzy and shows the various artwork from book covers or cartoons over the years. This is great for pet character as well.

The Backup Plan ⭐⭐⭐ (ATY theme of returning home)
So this was nearly a two star. I might be over her books.

PS 2023 12/50
ATY 2023 6/50
Nadine's 5/10
Goodreads 23/200

Currently Reading:
Nothing yet but Strange the Dreamer is BOTM for my one group so I need to start that soon.

QOTW:
I love historical fiction. I read a lot of SFF because the story requires world building which historical fiction needs too.

Previous weeks reading that I missed posting.

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐ (ATY Debut)
Wasn't quite what I was expecting. I'm unsure if I'll continue though.

Magic Triumphs ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(PS read for the first time again)
One more book left to re-read and then fingers crossed my library buys the new KD book. I liked this more than the first time I read it. I just used this prompt as a reread because I'm not a fan of the wording.

The Recovery Agent ⭐⭐⭐ (PS divorce)
I needed an easy read and this accomplished a prompt I didn't care for.

Witcha Gonna Do? ⭐⭐
I was rooting for this to get better but it never did, instalove in ya can be forgiven but with adults is obnoxious. I feel like the book was different than the blurb I read. Oh well, this title pick was a fail.

The Stolen Heir ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY published in 2023)
Highly anticipated and mostly lived up to that. I was surprised that this was Wren's POV because I was expecting Oak's but book two will give me that. This was 5 stars until the end, just because I don't know where it's going to go with the character.

Chobits, Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐
I'm intrigued enough that I want to see this story through.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY related to science)
Upon recommendation by you the check-in people I picked up a Becky Chambers. Thank you!

Hell Bent ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (PS map)
Miles above book one. Can't wait for book 3. I also stretched this into the sheppard prompt for Nadine's challenge. I'm 4/10 for that mini challenge and hopefully I can make it in the first quarter of the year.