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

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

Title: Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

Author: Marjane Satrapi

Would you recommend this book?

Yes, this graphic novel was interesting. I thought volume one worked better as a story but seeing as these are about someone's life it doesn't really matter.

Did you read your book during Banned Book Week? (September 27 - October 3, 2020)

No, I read the first volume during covid lockdown and had to wait
for the library to reopen to get the second part.

Kenya wrote: "Katy wrote: "I feel like I'm the only person who hasn't read the 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. I'll probably end up reading it in 15 years or something."

Same, haha..."

+1 to that but I'm still unsure if I'll read it

Happy Thursday.

Finished:
The Fiery Heart 2 stars
So I thought I would read the library book that has been in my house for weeks., unfortunately it was this book. This series has good characters and the first three books have been good. Book #4 was a dud and I may be done with the series. It was just character drama/feelings and no actually story arc for this book.

Third Grave Dead Ahead 3 stars
This series is has so much sarcasm that at times it's painful. Yet it follows the grim reaper and is unpredictable, to me at least. Also so much coffee love from the mc especially this book.

Emerald Blaze 5 stars
I finished book four of this series last Thursday and I have been impatiently waiting for book 5's publication. It lived up to my expectations and had a good cliff hanger for the next book.

goodreads 144/175
PS 2020 47/50
PS Summer 19/20
PS 2016 33/40

Currently Reading:
Midnight Sun half done

QOTW:
I read a lot more now than I did 10 years ago. I didn't start keeping lists of what I read throughout the year until 2012. Back then I read urban fantasy, preferably series that I would reread. Joining goodreads pushed me to read regularly and to read outside of my comfort zone. Last year I didn't really do any rereads but this year rereads have been important in curbing anxiety.

Débora wrote: "Hello!

Here where I am in the south of South America is freezing (not like for you folks from the north, but we don't have some resources that you have to stay warm). Here we are still not develop..."

Well I'm not judging. About 2/3 of what I've read this year counts as ya.

K.L. wrote: "This has been a tough week for my family. As some of you know, my grandmother had a really bad fall earlier this year that left her bedridden and in a lot of pain. Grandma passed away on Tuesday af..."

So sorry for your loss.

Happy Thursday! The heat wave is hitting here but other than tonight it cools off come sundown. I got to spend the weekend with the biggest group of people I've been around since... I don't know when. (it was 11 people that were mostly in my bubble already) I can't imagine how reopening schools will be/feel for others. My uncle is a teacher and has to go back and it is very worrisome. Anyway schoolboards have more leeway to make things safer here so it's a much better plan than a couple weeks ago.

Finished Reading:
Continuing my reread of the Hidden Legacy series which has a new edition in five days!
White Hot 3 stars
Least favourite of the series. This has a stupid cover that the authors had no control over and enjoy mocking like their fan base.
Wildfire 4 stars
Diamond Fire 5 stars
My favourite of the series.
Sapphire Flames 4 stars
The start of a trilogy with a new main character whom I prefere.
Now I'm caught up and have to wait for Emerald Blaze.

PS 2020 47/50
PS Summer 19/20
PS 2016 33/40
goodreads 140/175

Currently Reading:
The Darwin Affair I'm stalled at 15%
The Near Witch I'm stalled at 50%

QOTW:
I am frequently swayed to read a book by its cover. I do check out the synopsis but ugly covers generally go unnoticed.

You may boo me, but most of the time I end up watching the movie of a classic book first. I commit a couple of hours of time watching a movie to figure out if the story is appealing before I try to actually read it. That's why Anna Karenina and War and Peace are on the tbr list.

Teri wrote: "I just have to remember that I will never finish my "well-read" list and so I might as well read the ones I am pretty sure I'll like. It occurred to me last night that no one is ever going to quiz ..."

Well you know there is the trivia feature under the community tab for being quizzed on book knowledge...
Anyway I too am guilty of feeling crushed or sad when someone doesn't like a favourite book of mine despite knowing that is totally okay. Feelings can be stupid.

Hey all happy Thursday!

Finished Reading:

They Called Us Enemy 5 stars
Wow did I learn a few things. I knew about Japanese internment camps in Canada but I didn't know much about what happened in the states. If you've never read a graphic novel and want to give one a shot this is the novel.

The Surgeon 4 stars
Book one of the Rizzoli & Isles tv show inspiration. This was a great medical thriller that wasn't ruined because I had watched the tv show. It is a bit gruesome so be warned.

Shades of Magic Vol. 2: Night of Knives 5 stars
I enjoyed this more than the first because it is a better story arc.

Otherworld Chills 4 stars
Got this off of the tbr finally. I had only read one of the novellas/short stories before and it improved upon rereading. The other stories were great except for one that follows a character I can't stand, she's just so boring.

Burn for Me 4 stars re-read
So this series has a new book being released at the end of the month so I'm rereading the series.

PS 2020 47/50
PS Summer 19/20
PS 2016 33/40
goodreads 136/175 (had to bump up the goal because of lockdown)

Currently Reading:
White Hot
The Near Witch
The Darwin Affair (started reading this for a challenge and then I completed the challenge with a different book so I may dnf this)

QOTW:
Do I own books marks? Yes.
Do I still read physical books? Yes
Do I use bookmarks? No, they are on the bookcase far far away across the room, or worse yet, in another room. ;)
What I actually use: used up gift cards, ribbons, Pokémon cards, reciepts, clothing price tags, other books, socks, remotes, my phone, my laptop, my coffee cup basically whatever is closest.

So add They Called Us Enemy to my QOTW too.

I really like the prompt idea about card suits.

What about a graphic novel of a classic

I've only read the harry potters so I can't be much help but
Once upon a river - summer challenge about a body of water

All the hps should work for bildungsroman
j.k. rowling + robert galbraith is over 20 books
the first few books were published in the 20th century
London hosted the olympics
the titles have more than 20 letters
if you read the fantastic beasts books they are set in the 1920s
harry's glasses are always getting repaired by hermione and book 5 onward harry can see thestrals so you could use it for the vision prompt
you can count parseltongue as a made up language
harry potter sadly was banned
anyway hope this helps

Sarah wrote: "Erica wrote: "Hey I'm a little annoyed I was a few sentences from finishing my check in and goodreads ate it. I also am on take 2 of posting.
I'm glad August is here because hockey is back. Go Peng..."

The books are worth your time. Season 4 was great until the very end.

Kathleen wrote: "where would Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the end of the lane fit? I'm doing regular and summer challenges.
I was thinking a book by a journalist..."

20 letter title
author more than 20 books
a body of water on the cover
a scary book around a campfire

Hey I'm a little annoyed I was a few sentences from finishing my check in and goodreads ate it. I also am on take 2 of posting.
I'm glad August is here because hockey is back. Go Penguins! This is my favourite time of year if even it gets too hot to sleep well at night. (I seem to be in the minority on this opinion) Watched an oddly addictive game show on netflix where the contestants are sleep deprived (kept awake for 24 hours) and then compete for money. So stupid but yet I could not stop watching. Anyone else have that problem?

Finished Reading:
The Henna Artist 4 stars
Historical fiction set in 1955/56 India and depicts the struggles for women in various income brackets. I could not put this down and I may have to upgrade it to a 5 star. I liked the characters, setting and writing style but I found the main character's side business, where she used different traditional remedies for all sorts of ailments, the most intriguing.

Reflections 3 stars
The second book a Seanan McGuire duology about the agency that protects the world from fairy tales. Great idea but I struggle a bit with her writing.

Mr. Kiss and Tell 5 stars
Book two of Veronica Mars set between the movie and season 4. A great mystery with lots of Logan this time round.

PS 2020 46/50
PS Summer 19/20
PS 2016 33/40
goodreads 131/150

Currently Reading:
The Surgeon (Rizzoli & Isles)

QOTW:
House of Earth and Blood was the best book I've read this year. I stayed up late multiple nights in a row to finish this book because I just couldn't put it down. It is 800+ pages and I wanted to re-read it immediately after I finished it. I didn't though.
I also really enjoyed:
The Kiss Quotient
Network Effect
SHOUT
and many others

Rose wrote: "Erica wrote: "So I was all set to read Crisis in the Red Zone: The Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History, and of the Outbreaks to Come this year... then covid hit. I stil..."

Yeah I read The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus last year so I was super interested in reading about the Ebola outbreak I had actually seen in the news. However I thought the 80s strain sounded scary enough that I can't read about the deadlier one that hit multiple countries in Africa.

So I was all set to read Crisis in the Red Zone: The Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History, and of the Outbreaks to Come this year... then covid hit. I still have no interest in plague books so I went back to the tbr list. The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen jumped out. It's the first of the series that the Rizzoli & Isles tv show is based on.

Just read The Henna Artist and really enjoyed it.
It's a historical fiction set in 1955/1956 India. This book works for many other prompts too.

The Darwin Affair this is the current big library read. It start off June 1860 so I'm going to count it for this prompt I think.

Sage works for the flaura or fauna prompt