Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
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2017 Weekly checkins
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Week 4: 1/20-1/26
Hello from Bedfordshire in England!I haven't posted any of my progress yet. A combination of joining late and illness in our household, has prevented me from posting.
Anyway, so far I've read My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologies - took a while to get into, then loved it. Followed this with Britt-Marie Was Here, by the same author. Didn't love it, but does show the author's skill in writing, he writes in style true to the character.
I've also read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - I liked it, not as much as the book series, but then I don't tend to read plays.
I've finished A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness - enjoyed it, made me cry too.
I'm currently reading Elizabeth is Missing - fits unreliable narrator and book with a red spine, I'll decide where to rank it later.
This is my first reading challenge, I'm enjoying it, as are my books that are being pulled off shelves, dusted off and dragged out of a heap. They're all desperate to fit into a category somewhere!
So I'm 4/40 or 4/52
I need to search out a copy of Underground Railroad.
QOTW I don't think we have one around here.
I just typed a whole long post and it disappeared Oh well..I'll start again
Last weekend I participated in my first Readathon. Goal was to log 24 hours of reading over a 48 hour period, I managed just over 18 hours! It was fun to participate but I found reading with a stopwatch isn't my thing, it took the enjoyment of reading away.
Anyway, some of the books helped me with my challenge.
Guapa POC author [excellent read]
Nutshell Unreliable Narrator [odd book, unique narrator, interesting premise]
The Muse Two Time Periods [ decent read, slow start]
Born a Crime Author from a country you never visited but would like to [fantastic memoir, hilarious and insightful. Listened on audio, Trevor Noah being Trevor Noah is hysterical and captivating]
I'm 8/40
Finished book 11 for the yearA Recipe for Bees 33) A book set in two different time periods
QotW: We have two Little Free Libraries on my way home. One is outside a church, and the other is outside the local hardware store. I have not borrowed from either, but they make me smile every time I see them.
I didn't have a highly productive reading week, unfortunately.I read Watching Edie for my "book set in two time periods" challenge. It's a pretty good book, although I absolutely loathed the ending!
Then I read Where the Sidewalk Ends for "a book you loved as a child." It was not as good as I remembered it being, although there were some poems that I still love.
I'm in the middle of two books right now, as well. I'm about two hundred pages deep into Carve the Mark, which I'm planning to use for "a book by or about a person who has a disability." I'm also currently listening to The Maze of Bones for the audiobook challenge. I really hate audiobooks and struggle to pay attention, so I thought a five hour one would be reasonable. Unfortunately I'm at about sixty percent and I'm struggling to make it through. My students really want me to read it, so I'm trying!
Right now I've completed 14/52 reading challenges!
Going to call myself 12/52 for now. I'm here mostly for broadening the recommendation base, and finding a lot of different discussions going on. I don't care about the total # read too much. But it turns out all the things I was already going to read this month can fit in somewhere, The Winter People is the only read that has been a new choice so far. :)Responses for earlier folks:
Allie, I think books in the waiting room is a great idea. Short story collections might be a good place to start, or those books with little facts & tidbits, or small essays. Something short enough to read in an average wait. :)
Hailey: Have you tried Litsy? http://litsy.com/
It's basically Instagram for books. :)
Erica and Antonia (and anyone else who might be wondering about KU): My suggestion for KU is to make a "private" wishlist and spend a short time searching for books you're interested in that are marked as available on unlimited. If you end up with a list that equals about the amount of books you personally read per month, and you feel that that amount is worth the $10, then go for it. Just be aware, KU books tend to fall into a few main categories.
1. Older books that are classics and usually widely available in the library system. Worth it still if you don't have a library near you, or if you know you'll only get around to these if they're sitting there on your reader for those unexpected dull moments.
2. "Lost" authors who had a day in the sun, kept writing, but got forgotten. When you can find them amid everything else, you can run into some real gems this way.
3. Deliriously hopeful people who thought their minimal Photoshop skills were adequate for a cover and didn't see a need to hire an editor before self-pubbing. There are a lot of these.
Oh, and actual QOTW: We have 2 LFLs in my town, but one is based at a grade school and mostly used for the kids books, the other is only a block and a half from the public library, and I don't think many people use it. I don't think most people passing by even know what it is, honestly, I thought it was a private drop box for the organization whose building it's on until recently.
Mod
wow! I had no idea! I had never really looked into it (because I use my library and rarely buy books ) but I had just assumed that the books available in KU were all the books available for Kindle. Apparently not!
I'm 6/40 right now. This week I finished The Royal We. I counted it towards a book with two authors. It was really good. I have a LFL that I walk by during the summer. I live in a tourist town and it always seems filled with great books. I donate a lot of books too, since I usually get them used. Great idea!
Forgot to count my totals:I'm at 19/52 currently. Some prompts are doubled up and I'll be looking to fill them with others if I can
Hi everyone!This week I finished That Summer for the book with one of the four seasons in the title. I am also working my way through A Man Called Ove right now. I am still not sure where I want to slot it in the challenge since it can fit in a few different prompts.
QOTW: I love Little Free Libraries!!! There are a handful in the Philadelphia area but I haven't actually run into one in my travels...hopefully I'll come across one soon :)
This week I read two okay books and two not so good books.Good books- Wonder (for book becoming a movie in 2017) and The Wednesday Wars (for book with a month or day of the week in the title). Both of these titles are about tweens and their school days, though Wonder is set in modern day and the Wednesday Wars is set in the late 60’s. Though written for kids, I enjoyed them too.
Not so good books- The Winter People (book with one of the four seasons in the title) and Labor Day (book centered around a holiday other than Christmas. The Winter People was a bit of a let down for me given the intriguing premise. Labor Day was just odd. Almost everything about it seemed so improbable!
I have no idea if I have a Little Free Library near me. I had never heard of them until just now!
Lindi wrote: "Hailey wrote: "I'm glad I wasn't the only one. She just drove me nuts. Maybe I'll just watch the movie instead. haha"Nope, definitely not the only one! If you read through the reviews on here the..."
Yes! Privileged is such a perfect word to describe her tone! I haven't read any reviews yet, I try not read reviews on movies and books I want to see or read beforehand. I always let the reviews skew my opinions. I will definitely be heading over to read them now! :)
Sanasai wrote: "Going to call myself 12/52 for now. I'm here mostly for broadening the recommendation base, and finding a lot of different discussions going on. I don't care about the total # read too much. But it..."I have not heard of that before. I'm downloading it to my phone now! Thank you for sharing. :)
I read Love & Gelato for a book about food. Now I am on to reading Monstrous Beauty for a book involving a mythical creature. QOTW: Haven't heard of such a thing before
Hey everyone! This week I finished Winter and it'll fulfill the book with over 800 pages prompt in the advanced list. So I have now 4/52! I was so happy to be done with "Winter", I pretty much can't stand when books are over 300ish pages, so this one was a chore for me. The story was good though and I thought it was a good ending to the series. QOTW: I would love to have a LFL in my yard but I live in a small-ish subdivision and we don't have sidewalks, so I'm not sure it would really work.
I finished my first audiobook! Like a lot of people, I find audiobooks difficult to focus on. But, I read the suggestions and decided to go with Bossypants by Tina Fey. Thank you to those who recommended it as an audiobook! I love her and I didn't lose too much focus listening to her. And it was a short read. In regards to the February challenge, I'm #55 on the wait list for the library copies of Underground Railroad. Don't know when I'll get to it...
Free library near me? No. I live 3.5 blocks from the local library. Maybe that's why.
Hello,This week I finished All the Missing Girls. I was not sure I would be able to fit this in a category, but finally realized it could be used for the prompt "a book by or about a person who has a disability." The main character's father has dementia, so I assume that works.
This week in my classroom, I had two groups of students finish two different books. One group finished Runaway Ralph. The other group finished The Mouse and the Motorcycle. As a class, I am reading Who Was Galileo? to them. (I made him our Scientist of the Month.) I've decided not to use these for my challenge, but they could fit in categories, if anyone was interested. The Mouse and the Motorcycle takes place in a hotel (Inn). The Who Was books have pictures.
QOTW: I am a frequent user of our public library. We are a small area, so I always get a kick out of it when the librarians know me and notice when I haven't been in for a while. That always makes me smile. With that being said, I don't believe we have a LFL in our area, but I could be wrong.
Hello! I have finished Kindred for another challenge. I really enjoyed it.
I read House of Stairs for a book you loved as a child. It's an odd book for me to have loved as a child but it stuck with me. I was surprised that it withstood the test of time.
I read The Penelopiad for a book on mythology. I didn't care for this one as much. Margaret Atwood can be hit or miss for me sometimes and this one was a miss.
I listened to Hallowe'en Party while cleaning and liked it. I'm not sure what prompt this fits since I already have a book for the holiday prompt but I'm sure I can fit it somewhere.
I read Saga, Vol. 1 for another challenge and though graphic novels aren't my thing I thought it was really good.
My last book was A Conspiracy of Faith which I just wanted to read and it was just as great as the other books in the series.
I'm currently reading The Road and I thought I had that slotted for a prompt but I now can't find which one! And I'm also reading Sex Object for another group read.
I'm pretty far on the wait list for The Underground Railroad so I may have to buy this one for the group read next month.
QOTW: My good friend has a LFL in her front yard but she doesn't live that close so I haven't used it.
I finished Homegoing
by Yaa Gyasi for a book about a difficult topic. Wonderful book!So I'm at 4/40 and 2/12.
QOTW: I don't have any LFL near my house but when I used the website's map, https://littlefreelibrary.org/ourmap/, I found there are 13 LFL within 10 miles of me. I haven't used them in my area but I've used some in a larger, college town where my daughter lives. I love seeing the different styles that people build.
I finished Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan for the prompt "a book with a characters name in the title" I am starting 2 books that I'm ideally hoping to finish by feb 1 to catch up to my 4 books a month goal. Those books are "A Dirty Job (Grim Reaper #1) by Christopher Moore for the prompt "The first book in a series you haven't read before" and The Residence: Inside the Private Workd of the White House by Kate Andersen Brower for the prompt "a book with a subtitle."
Right now I'm 2/52 books for the year (got a late start)
1/40 and 1/12
This week I have finished A Fall of Marigolds which is for my Around the Year in 52 Books Challenge, I am also reading Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World for the Modern Mrs. Darcy challenge.The book I am currently reading for this challenge is, In the Woods (first book,in a series you haven't read before). When I saw how long it was I almost decided to save it for later but I made a mistake of reading the first couple of chapters. I got hooked and now I have no choice but to finish!
QOTW: No, I don't have a Free Little Library near me. I wish I did!
Greetings from Plano, TX where it was 75 degrees on Tuesday and 41 today. sigh...This week I finished two books. The first book, The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman satisfies the steampunk novel prompt. I enjoyed this book much more than I expected. it had me hooked from the beginning. Steampunk is not a genre I normally read, but it was well-written. Since this isn't a typical genre for me I tried to help myself along by choosing a book with a storyline I could more easily relate to....a library and books. It's the first in a series of three books (so far). I'll definitely go back and read the other two books in the series later this year. It's taking some discipline on my part to not continue with the series, but I'm trying to stay on track with my reading plan for now.
The second book I read this week was George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade. Ok, so if you are expecting something along the lines of David McCullough's John Adams, you will be disappointed. However, if you want to read about six people who worked with George Washington to establish our great country, you will enjoy this book. The book is written around several letters to and from the six spies and George Washington. He kept the letters with his personal belongings. I found it interesting. It was a quick read. It satisfied the prompt for a novel set during wartime.
My challenge count is now at 5/40 or 6/52.
I'm gearing up for the February Monthly Challenge, The Underground Railroad. I have it and am ready to go.
I just realized that I coincidentally read a book that met the January challenge for a book with one of the seasons in the title. I read The Four Seasons by Mary Alice Munroe. It has the word season rather than a season, but it also had a character whose name was Spring, so I went with it!
QOTW: I live in the Dallas/Forth Worth metroplex, so between the great public library systems and Half-Price Books, we never have a shortage of books. So, no I don't have a LFL, but I love the idea. I'll volunteer to move the Islands and start one there.
Finished my book! So I've decided to get started on my 600-pager. I chose Gemina for it. It's 659 pages. The first book in the series was 599 pages and I read it in 6 hours in one sitting. Don't expect this one to take me long so it'll be nice to check off that prompt
No finishes this week, either, but I've certainly bought some new books. I had some B&N gift cards burning a hole in my pocket, so I went on a little spree Saturday. Of that bunch, I started on Common Sense. It's short, but I find I'm very easily distracted these days. Today I started reading Untitled, and I'm not loving it, but I'm sticking with it for now. Mainly because it has a cup on the cover, so I can use it in the Chain of Evidence reading challenge (after Black Coffee). QotW: I know there are some LFLs in the Fort Collins area, and the paper did a nice write-up on them a while back. One of the guys in the article was telling about how his HOA's landscaping service even took care of installing the post. There are at least two of us in my subdivision who want to see one go in at the edge of the green space next to the mailboxes, and people have made supportive noises, but nobody will tell us who's in charge of approving such a thing.
I'm still having a lot of trouble focusing as yet more rejection letters from jobs come in. At least the companies are being nice enough to send those out. I feel like every second I spend on anything other than job searching, cleaning, or cooking is a second that is going to get me yelled at by somebody. This includes sleeping and reading. Needless to say, I'm beyond sick of being unemployed.I did manage to finish Felicia Day's memoir, You're Never Weird on the Internet, which I have put down for the category of a book by someone I admire. I love Felicia Day and her book did NOT disappoint. It resulted in me re-watching her web series, The Guild, in its entirety, which proved to be very distracting.
Me Before You is not holding my interest very well, even though it's got decent writing and that special brand of humor the UK is known for. I'm still planning on finishing it, but lately it's just not been suiting my taste.
I'm also still struggling to pick up The Scribe of Siena again. When I do read it, I love it, but the chapters are just TOO long. 40 pages? It's ludicrous.
I started Hag-Seed for my book with a red spine, since none of my other options are grabbing my attention for this one and the other categories that it would fit into I have better ideas about what to read. It is also dragging horrendously for me at the moment.
I've got three non-challenge books I also need to read, one of which is 1984. I just started reading it today because, well, it seems relevant. You know. I don't currently plan on using this for anything on the challenge, as I don't know that it would fit for anything other than a book I've had on my TBR for too long, and I would really like to read The Mists of Avalon for that since I've wanted to read THAT one for some 16 or so years now.
QOTW: None near me. I live in the Bronx, which if you know anything about NYC it's not the most book-friendly place. I think there's one LFL somewhere on the other side, but I'm not sure and if it does exist, I wouldn't be surprised if the owners have a difficult time keeping it from being vandalized. I'd love to live in a neighborhood where I could have one, though.
Hi from summery/rainy/windy Auckland.Playing in a two-day scrabble tournament this weekend so have been gobbling down crimr novels to quell my nerves!Have heaps of m tasks-steampunk,loved as a child,two different eras etc. waiting at the library.
Just read about "aga saga"as a diff.subgenre so I will probably read Joanna Trollope's "Balancing Act"..
I'm working through America's First Daughter right now as my "home" book and I'm reading the next one after City of Bones (City of Ashes?) as my "school" book. I usually have at least two going! I really like both of them. They're very different, so it's nice to switch it up!
We have quite a few LFL by me, but I've never used one. I run past them though!
This week I finished two books! Americanah was an amazing book and I´m not sure which prompt this will fulfill! I looked at the list and it ticks off 4 different prompts so I´m going to wait to list this one. I might read other books that would fulfill only one prompt so I´ll choose the exact one for this later.
I also read Scottish Ghost Stories. Out of about 10 stories there were 4 that I liked. The others were mostly duds. this will be my ¨book by multiple authors¨. There was one editor who compiled the stories but each story was written by a different author.
QOTW: I have no clue if there is a LFL near me! I live in Madrid, Spain and I´ve never seen one. I will say that most libraries and second hand book shops have a shelf or table with free books or book exchange.
I'm at 6/52 this week. -The Paper Magician for the steampunk prompt, and I loved it!
-The Grownup for the mythical creature prompt, and it was pretty good.
-Night for the book by an author from a country you've never visited prompt. I have had this book on my TBR list for years. Very powerful, and I especially liked his Nobel Prize speech posted in the back of the book.
I started Here I Am for the book by an author of a different ethnicity than you, but it's been hard to get into. And he's one of my favorite authors too!
We do have LFL throughout our community, but I live like 3 miles from a brand new two story library. I take advantage of the library instead!
Amanda wrote: "This week I finished two books! Americanah was an amazing book and I´m not sure which prompt this will fulfill! I looked at the list and it ticks off 4 different prompts so I´m go..."
Americanah is on my list as well, but I don't know what prompt to fill it with!
Ashley wrote: "Americanah is on my list as well, but I don't know what prompt to fill it with! "If you do the Advanced, it is perfect for "about an immigrant or refugee."
Caity wrote: "I'm still having a lot of trouble focusing as yet more rejection letters from jobs come in. At least the companies are being nice enough to send those out. I feel like every second I spend on anyth..."Stick with Me Before You!!!! I know it starts slow, but it gets so, so good. I was still thinking about it weeks after I read it. Probably my favorite book of 2016.
I hope you are able to find work soon. The right job WILL come! You got this girl!!!!
Thegirlintheafternoon wrote: "Brenna wrote: "Happy Thursday!I decided to participate in the 24in48 reading challenge last weekend, despite not actually having 24 hours available to read. I did make a lot of progress though.
..."
It feels like a really solid candidate for a reread! I'm definitely going to be adding it to my collection.
I finished 6/40 this week Beauvallet by Georgette Heyer. This was for the prompt 'A title that is a character's name'. I love Georgette Heyer they are comfort reads for me. This was one of the few I hadn't read. It is not her usual period - Elizabethan times rather than Regency. I was sceptical at first but actually quite enjoyed it as a swashbuckling adventure story as well as the romance. All very silly but good fun.
I've not decided what's next yet. I can only do one book at a time unlike so many of you!
I'd never heard of Little Free Libraries, looking at the website there are none near my home and only one in the whole reason, but that one isn't actually too far from where I work, so I may make a detour one day.
This week I finished:The Sacred Romance Drawing Closer To The Heart Of God Hardcover for the prompt been on my TBR list too long
Daddy-Long-Legs for a book mentioned in another book (it was one of the books read in the Mother Daughter Book Club books)
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride for no prompt at all--just because I enjoyed it!
Currently reading:
The Birth of the Modern: World Society 1815-1830 for 800+ page book (just over 100 pages into it)
The Book Thief starting this today; not sure which prompt it will fill for me but I've been waiting for it at the library for 7 months!
QOTW: No Little Free Library around here. I would use one if there was. Just make liberal use of the village library.
Finally managed to finish my second book this week, Ready Player One. I really enjoyed it - this one was in my 'genre you don't normally read' category as Sci Fi. I now need to pick my next book and I'm not sure which one to go for - need to get going though!
QOTW: Even though I live in a city there is a Little Free Library near me although I've never used it. It does make me smile every time I walk past it though.
Miriam wrote: "This week I finished:The Sacred Romance Drawing Closer To The Heart Of God Hardcover for the prompt been on my TBR list too long
Daddy-Long-Legs for a book mentioned ..."
I'm starting The Book Thief today as well! I'm using for the novel set during wartime. Let me know what you think of it. :)
This past week I read three books, decided not to finish one book, and started another.I did not finish and likely will never finish Laline Paull's really weird debut novel The Bees. I would call it an allegory gone wrong. . .but, maybe it's just me.
Fortunately, next I read The Lace Reader, a 5-Star stunner that I would recommend to anyone who loves a well-crafted story with profound themes and an atmospheric setting.
I also read the third book in a the Captain Lacy Regency Mysteries series that I started last week. The Glass House by Ashley Gardner once again, has Gabriel Lacey seeking justice for the poor and downtrodden while 19th Century London's high and mighty run amok. This series falls in the fun and quick to read category. 3-Stars
The third book I finished this week was Black Widow by Jenni Moen. This 3-Star romantic suspense novel was sufficient for the genre but ended with cliffhanger that felt like a betrayal.
I'm at 4/52 but had some good reads this week.#5 Book by a person of color: Difficult Women
Roxanne Gay is a wonderful writer. This material is not easy but I'm glad I read it.
#30 A book with pictures: March: Book One
Not just for kids - everyone should read this terrific book.
Also read A Separation for Book Riot and really enjoyed it. Recommend if you like LitFic.
Kathy wrote: "I finished Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi for a book about a difficult topic. Wonderful book!So I'm at 4/40 and 2/12.
QOTW: I don't have a..."
Kathy, I started Homegoing last night, and I am really enjoying it.
Hi, all! Hope everyone is having a good week! :)I finished the two books I was working on last week, so that was cool. The first one was Moonlight Becomes You by Mary Higgins Clark. It is the one I didn't remember until after I started it that I had allotted it for prompt #9 on my advanced list, a book you got from a used book sale. I hadn't been planning to attempt that until after I finished the basic list, but hey, I got a head start!
I also finished the audiobook version of A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages by Kristin Chenoweth and Joni Rodgers for prompt #12 on the regular list, a bestseller from a genre you don't normally read (biography/humor).
I also started & finished a book for prompt #16, a book that's published in 2017, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney.
Currently, I am reading For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards by Jen Hatmaker for prompt #23, a book with a red spine.
I am also about halfway through listening to the audiobook version of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North, for prompt #34, a book with a month or day of the week in the title.
I have read more books so far this year than I think I read in the past two years combined. This challenge has got me on such a reading kick, and I just love it! So far, I'm 11/40 and 12/52, and currently working on two more. Woo hoo!!!
QOTW: Unfortunately there is no LFL near me, but I love the idea. If I ever find one, I'm going to use it all the time! :)
Hello all! Busy with life, and fighting a sinus infection, I didn't get a ton of reading done this week. But, I did finish Juliet Stevenson's reading of Persuasion. I loved, loved, loved it all over again (I've read it with my eyeballs before). I always forget how wickedly funny Austen is until I read her over again. I'm provisionally using this for my book set during wartime, even though it was during a brief peace. It's all about Navy men, after all.
I started the audiobook of Alexander Hamilton, for a genre I don't usually read. Ponderous biographies can frustrate me, since I've had scrupulous footnoting suck all the narrative rhythm and joy out of previous attempts. But I REALLY want to know all the background before I indulge in the Hamilton soundtrack.
I also started Rebecca, for a book about an interesting woman. I studied the film in college and always meant to read the novel. So far it's quite a different approach to the setup, but very evocative and intriguing.
Still at 6/52I did not finish any books this week. I barely even picked up a book this week. I have done lots of reading, but it's been articles, websites, Congressional voting records... Also real life stuff like taking the cat to the vet and OH! My Christmas present! We went to see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in Concert with the Symphony. They had us cheer for our houses and favorite characters, it was fun!
Antonia E Iacampo wrote: "A book told from a non-human perspective: We Are Legion (We Are Bob) - OMG, I LOVED THIS!"
That was a fun book! Did you do the audio? It never failed to amuse me every time Guppy spoke.
Nadine wrote: "Strangers on a Train - "involving travel" - this is the one book I had planned; I wasn't sure it would really involve travel, but I decided it did. This is the second book I've read by Highsmith, and I am such a fan. This is a perfect descent into madness. Now I need to watch the movie!"
Strangers on a Train is my favorite Hitchcock movie. It differs from the book, which I have not yet read. I just need to add it to the list already.
Hailey wrote: "Side note... My husband took me to see La La Land last night. Have any of you watched it yet? Just curious what you thought? I don't think I loved it, but I can't stop thinking about it.
Double side note... Do any of you use Instagram to post your books in? Just looking for another way to connect with other readers! I find it as an easy tool for being accountable with my reading. My handle is @haileybunton if anyone other instagrammers out there want to connect! :) "
We do have a thread just for social media links! I think it got a bit lost in the influx but it's there if you wanna poke around.
I loved La La Land! But then again I'm from La La Land and no longer live there, so that added something I'm sure. I know for a fact the Griffith Observatory is a magical place. An odd thing for a house of science to be, and yet it's true. I have had the music stuck in my head for over a month. It's one of my two favorite movies this year, with Moonlight, which is a beautiful jewel.
Caity wrote: "I'm still having a lot of trouble focusing as yet more rejection letters from jobs come in. At least the companies are being nice enough to send those out. I feel like every second I spend on anyth..."Caity, I hope something works out for you soon. If you're not already familiar, I highly recommend http://www.askamanager.org/ - the owner has very concrete, useful advice on resumes, cover letters, and interviewing, and there's a lively and supportive readership.
January is ending and I am at 5/40. I am reading along with my mum and she is 2 behind, so I will have to wait a bit. I enjoyed Homegoing a lot and really enjoyed how it covered so much of history and may look for other books structured like it in the future. I have seen LFL before and like the idea. I live in Mongolia now so none here.
I could not stand Eat, Pray, Love and am glad others agree. I saw the movie partly on mute since I liked the scenery but still found everyone obnoxious.
I didn't get much accomplished for this challenge this week. Made some progress on my general Goodreads challenge though. Right now, for this group, I'm at 9/2 out of 52.Hit a bit of a snag with my audiobook. Had planned to use The Best of Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! , and had picked it up from the library, but the playaway copy they had was defective. I was complaining about finding a short book for this prompt (I hate being read to, have since I was old enough to read for myself) and got a wicked smile from one of my friends. "I have just the thing for you!" He did. I can now cheerfully check off the audiobook prompt thanks to Spock vs. Q and a friend who remembered how much I love Leonard Nimoy's Spock!
QOTW: I think the Little Libraries are great, but there's not one in my neighborhood. I'm not willing to set one up in my yard thanks to the neighborhood hoodlum that broke into my house last summer- I don't want to give anyone an excuse to come into my yard! Since there's a good spot near the town hall, I may ask for permission to set one up there. The council might go for that, especially if they don't have to pay for it!
Hi all!This week I finished Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg for my book about an interesting woman. I really liked it, she's a fascinating woman.
I also read Americanah for my book by a person of color. I'm also counting this one under a Read Harder's book where all points of view are people of color. I thought it was just ok. The main love story didn't feel believable to me. The pacing was such that it also felt very long. It was just under 600 pages, but I've torn through 1000 page books without blinking if I like them.
Not sure what I'm reading next, feel like I need a palate cleanser. Might reread The Night Circus as my book that always makes you smile.
QOTW: this summer I discovered there was a little library at the park near me. I haven't used it, it was mostly kid books. Looked like it was maintained ny the local library so I actually wasn't sure of the etiquette. All the books still had library markings on them. Wasn't sure if it worked the same way. It was taken down in the fall, maybe I'll look into it more when it reappears in nicer weather.
Hello from the Las Vegas strip! I am awake early, watching the sun come up behind the giant ferries wheel. It is my Birthday Princess Weekend (BPW) - we are seeing O and then driving to Zion NP tomorrow. If you have never had a BPW, I recommend it! Once a year, you get to decide exactly what you want to do and not have to check that everyone else agrees!I've been reading a lot, but didn't complete much this week. I did finish Mrs. Queen Takes the Train on audiobook, for the audiobook challenge. It was a nice story and very well performed, but didn't knock my socks off.
I've almost finished Middlemarch, and am halfway through the audiobook of The Handmaid's Tale. Anyone who has never read that - now is the time. It is my second time, and I'm interested to see how the series on Hulu will adapt it this spring. I believe I'll count it for the "difficult topic" category.
QOTW: There is a LFL a block from my house, and another one on the way along my walk to the beach. I've looked in them, but never taken anything - I guess I'm intimidated, and feel weird. But maybe now I'll try it out!
Goodreads is trying to crash on me. The app is barely functioning and apparently there's no way to log the page on my laptop. So if I make more errors then usual, please know that it's probably my phone's fault. I want to thank all the people who have replied to my comment in the last week's update to correct my errors. I really appreciate the help :)
Anyway, this week I've read "Ottoline and the Yellow Cat" which I'm using for the "book written by someone you admire" prompt, because Riddell is exactly the kind of illustrator that one day I would like to be. I love his style!
I'm still reading "The Book Thief", but I didn't make much progress. And I've just finished "Treasure Island" but I guess it's going to be part of next week update.
This week I finished:-Winter Storms (a holiday other than Christmas)
-The Passenger (a book involving travel).
I also read:
-We Were Liars (author that uses a pseudonym)
-Attachments (book of letters).
I am currently reading:
All the Missing Girls. I'm not sure what prompt I'll use this book for yet. I received this from Netgalley.
QOTW: I looked it up and there are actually 5 Little Free Libraries in my town, and one is right down the street. I'm super excited and can't wait to check them out :)
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Water for Elephants (other topics)10% Happier (other topics)
Life of Pi (other topics)
In Cold Blood (other topics)
Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Yaa Gyasi (other topics)Ashley Gardner (other topics)
Laline Paull (other topics)
Jenni Moen (other topics)
Yaa Gyasi (other topics)
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I think I just finished book number 8. This is a book that I had downloaded onto my Kindle. I was so excited to see that it was the first book in a series, so I was able to apply it to that prompt. The Nightingale Girls is a mix between Call the Midwife and Downton Abbey. Since I love both of those shows, I absolutely adored this book!
QOTW:
We ran across a Little Free Library when we were selling popcorn for the Boy Scouts. The woman who runs it almost ran out of her house to talk to our boys about it, she was so excited. It's not super close (the library is closer) but I LOVE the idea!