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

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

Happy first check-in of 2022!

The weather woman today said "The hottest it's going to get to today is -30." I've been laughing about this all day.
Also fun thing to do to ring in the new year is to break off the end of the block heater cord on the car. Mechanics don't go on holiday's.

I'm so happy to actually read things that count for the new challenge. I couldn't start the 2022 challenge when it's 2021. ;)
I made a list of potential books for a good chunk of prompts. Naturally I've started and ignored this plan right away.

Finished Reading:

2021
Awkward Family Pet Photos ⭐⭐⭐ Awkward Family Photos ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I have bought cards with some of these photos so I realized I should read the books. I loved that people sent in explanations for the family photos.
PS 2021 50/50
PS 2017 52/52
Goodreads 280/250

2022
People We Meet on Vacation ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I was intending to read this slower because I'm leading the BOTM discussion but... :) Not sure where I'm going to slot this in just yet maybe a twin city. Booktok prompt will be easy for me so I'm not going to complete it just yet.

The Last Halloween, Book 1: Children ⭐⭐ (2022 set during a holiday)
This was boring and I didn't really like the artwork. Also I really prefer colour in comics and graphic novels.

Skin & Earth, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (2022 man-made disaster)
So grabbed this because it looked at me in the library. Turns out it's fully created by Lights a musician I like, and she created a companion album for it. The qr codes throughout didn't load for me but I listened to the album on youtube a few times because it's so good. Too bad she hasn't created more.

A Swift and Savage Tide ⭐⭐⭐ (2022 blurb on the cover)
I liked this a lot more than the first in the series. Fantasy/historical fictionish about a female captain in not English navy during battles with not France. Patricia Briggs is blurbed on the cover.

A Spindle Splintered ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (2022 paralell reality)
So I picked this short novella because fantasy retelling of sleeping beauty. This is more sci-fi and it ended really strong.

PS 2022 4/50
PS 2015 0/50
Goodreads 5/165

QOTW:
I'm making a little change to avoid this becoming stressful at the end of the year. If I read something that accomplishes a prompt I'll use it instead of trying to read what I planned, so ya is fair game again. I hope to read more classics and non-fiction but I'm a mood reader so we'll see what happens. I do want to finish some series I've started over the years too.

Randomly grabbed this from the library: Skin & Earth, Vol. 1 by Lights

This is SFF written and drawn by a musician I like who created an album to go with this story. The book has qr codes to play various songs during the comics but this is older and the links didn't work for me. I went on YouTube for the whole album and loved it too. I used it for the parallel reality prompt, but it could work for man made disaster.

El wrote: "A book with a recipe in it - Tomatoes for Neela by Padma Lakshmi and Juana Martinez-Neal (Picture book)

A sapphic book - [book:Princess Princess Ever..."

ooh I have to read Princess Princess because I love the Tea Dragon society.

Jessica wrote: "I'll be starting this book tonight! As a new years resolution I made this one: read all the monthly group reads of Popsugar Reading Challenge! This because last year I didn't join any group reads (..."

Ooh what a fun goal. I think I participated in three last year, one of which I lead the discussion. I was thinking about participating in more this year but 12 would be doubtful. Hope you have fun joining in!

Anushka wrote: "I just read My Year of Rest and Relaxation and not sure where it would fit?"

Does that fit misleading title? I haven't read the book but I always thought that the title was supposed to be sarcastic.

Thanks Teri for a great discussion. Btw I didn't find your questions or comments to be whiny.

Okay did my part for the listopia. Lynn #31 check, Poshpenny #57 check and Sarah #58 check.

Check point chapters 1 - 7

This was published last spring right in time for vacation and beach read season. Is reading a book about vacation when on vacation appealing to you?

What do you think of 'Millennial Ennui'? Is this concept good for the character building of Poppy or is it good for plot?

Seeing how this is a rom com, does the initial text banter between Poppy and Alex interest you? Do you need to wait for the meet cute to decide if the characters will be a good pairing?

Does Henry's use of time jumps build the plot or do they slow the plot down for you?

Just started A Swift And Savage Tide by Chloe Neill and Patricia Briggs is blurbed on the cover.

I used this Skin & Earth, Vol. 1 by Lights. This is a graphic novel companion for Lights fourth album of the same title. She did all the artwork too. I gave this 4 stars.

Looking at A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow.

Katherine Arden is blurbed on the cover.

Title: People We Meet on Vacation
Author: Emily Henry
Recommend? Yes I would. This was a good rom com that I read really quickly.

I don't think there's a right or wrong way to do the challenge. You can use whatever book you feel fits a prompt and you don't have to use the BOTMs. You don't have to do prompts you don't like, you can do different year's lists. You can use books for multiple prompts if 50 books is not doable for you to read in a year.

I'm hoping that this is set in New York enough that I can use it for one of the twin city prompts because I want to get those over and done asap. You could also fit it into the prompt with a party or about a secret.

Fiz|فيز wrote: "What made you decide to read this? Do you like the BookTok prompt? Are you using this book for a different prompt?

I am using this prompt to read 'The House in the Cerulean Sea
by T.J. Klune'. I l..."

I'm intending to read The House in the Cerulean Sea sometime this year too.

Britany wrote: "What made you decide to read this? Do you like the BookTok prompt? Are you using this book for a different prompt?

I read this one last year and enjoyed it much more than Beach Read, but not as mu..."

Ooh that's good to know that A Million Junes is good.

Happy 2022.

I started this today and somehow I'm half done. :) I will be posting questions throughout the month for everyone not binging this book.

Let's get started.

General Questions: What made you decide to read this? Do you like the BookTok prompt? Are you using this book for a different prompt?

I read Beach Read last year and really enjoyed it. I'm not sure why I didn't feel the need to read this right when it was published. I find the BookTok prompt really easy despite not using Tiktok. A lot of books that I've read or will read pop up on these lists so I'm trying to find a harder prompt to slot this book into. No luck so far, fortunately I've got a whole year.

Oh I have The Halo Graphic Novel coming in from the library, anybody got a prompt suggestion for it?

Ashleigh wrote: "Just wondering if anyone has read Polaris Rising and its two sequels.

Does anyone know where these could possibly fit?"

Well they all take place on space 'ships' for the most part.
Book 2 fits the secret prompt
Ilona Andrews posted the first chapter of Polaris on their blog which is how I found the book to begin with if you want to count this for the blurb prompt. They're friends with the author.
Book 3 has a party.
Double life works for all three to me, but book 3 fits the best.

I think I'm going to try and read more picture books and slot them in to prompts, but I'm not going to really search.

I normally use graphic novels and regular novels for prompts. So far I think I'm going to use these:
2021 prompts
Otto: A Palindrama - palindrome
The Last Halloween, Book 1: Children - set during a holiday

2015 prompts
Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron - funny
Fangirl, Vol. 2: The Manga - can read in a day
Heartstopper: Volume Four - set in highschool
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me - graphic novel

17. The fire was to keep you engaged until the end, which it totally did for me. I think also it was to show how all the character's feelings that they had avoided dealing with/voicing were going to build to a boiling point.

18. I didn't take meaning from this, I read it for entertainment and it delivered.