Week 4: 1/20-1/26

[Hailey]

poshpenny wrote: "Still at 6/52

I 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 re..."

I did not know that! Thank you for sharing!! I'm new to Goodreads and to the Popsugar Reading Challenge group this year so I haven't spent much time digging through all the topics yet.

I think La La Land is growing on me. I've been humming the songs all week. :)

[VanesGirl]

Hi from Berlin in Germany! Its very cold outside, so i cheer me up with a bundle of daffodils flowers ;-)

I´m 2/52 for the challenge, both books count for the advanced challenge:

For A book with a family member term in the title i read America's First Daughter. It took me 3 weeks, but was so good.

For A book about a difficult topic i read The Price: My Rise and Fall As Natalia, New York's #1 Escort (german Translation). Its like "Sex and the City" with many, many Drugs.

[Tanelle]

When you misread a prompt and think the 800 pager was 600 pager. Oh well, it filled the 600 page prompt from Around the Year

[AF]

This week I'm reading The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum. It's for my espionage thriller prompt. It's very good but not at all like the movie. I LOVED the movie. I have a huge crush on Matt Damon that started with this movie. I'm sure I'll finish it this week.


I am 9/52, which is just crazy! Thank you snow days!!

QotW: My public library sponsors LFL's all over our little town. They help supply them, find people to "host" them, and advertise them. I actually haven't used one, because my public library is excellent, but I know people who have borrowed books from them and love them. My little town is a big supporter of our public library, reading and the arts. I love my town!

[Ana]

I'm at 4/52.

Last week I read An Uninvited Ghost, which is currently holding the hotel spot, though it is a guesthouse. But I think I will count it as a book with a cat on the cover because I was so distracted by the cat on the cover that I didn't notice the ghost until after I had finished the book!

I also read A Year in Provence which could count for the different country prompt, or by an author from a different country, or even a book about food.

[Emma]

This is a two-week update. We were on vacation, so I missed last week's prompt (and most of this past week). I didn't get a lot of reading time, but it was a relaxing vacation nonetheless.

I only managed 2 PS books (the rest going to the Read Harder Challenge).

12/40 read

#10 - Cat on the cover - Catharsis by Travis Bagwell (audiobook). This is the first book in the Awaken Online series. It's in the sub-genre involving roll-playing games. I've read a handful of books in this subgenre, but this one is by far my favorite. Instead of being a regular player, the MC realizes he is the villain in an online MMORPG called Awaken Online.

#24 - Set in the wilderness - The Revenant by Michael Punke. I liked it, but the ending felt anticlimactic. It was kind of like, so...that was it?

[Cindy]

Monthly challenge update
"As January comes to a close, we've got our eyes on February's monthly challenge. The prompt is "written by a person of color." We've selected The Underground Railroad by a pretty big margin to be our group read. I hope to see a lot of activity in that discussion thread. Remember you can also read a book of your own choosing to fulfill the prompt for the monthly challenge. As always, participation is optional. (I still have 21 people ahead of me for a library copy so I'll probably buy a copy this week as I've chosen this as my IRL book club's February pick too.)"

I'm really disappointed that we weren't given the opportunity to vote on a book.

[Sara]

Cindy wrote: "I'm really disappointed that we weren't given the opportunity to vote on a book..."

Hi Cindy,

We actually did vote on the book. The poll was open for a week, and we had 959 votes cast. I'm sorry you missed the opportunity to vote. Our next poll will be opening near the end of next week - voting on the group read for March.

If you are curious you should be able to view the poll results for February's book here: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/1...

[Christophe]

A bit late checking in; crazy week...

Anyway: one book read for the challenge this week. This puts me at 6/52.

✅31. A book where the main character is a different ethnicity than you: Shichirō Fukazawa, Narayama , Gallimard, 1959 (trans. from the Japanese, 1st ed. 1956).

This prompt was problematic to me since my ethnicity is unclear... Im' pretty sure I'm not Japanese, though; so this small novel works just fine.
As I went through this book, I had the vague impression that I knew the story. I finally realized the reason: it was turned into a movie during the early Eighties, and I heard my parents discussing it!
A strong book, in any case.

Currently reading three books for the challenge; going rather smoothly, even though I barely read a line this week!

[Juanita]

Tanelle wrote: "When you misread a prompt and think the 800 pager was 600 pages."

I was SO close to messaging you about that but I thought maybe you were finishing up last year's challenge. Glad you were able to use it fir AtW.

[Kelly]

7/52 for popsugar challenge
13/60 for yearly reading goal

This week I finished 2 books

Fairest by Marissa Meyer; not using this for any of the prompts
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull (the president of Pixar); a book that has been on my TBR for way too long

Both solid 3***; good, but not great.

I am now working on The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts and Jaws.

I have just started working at a new job and taking night classes so my reading time has been greatly reduced. : (

QOTW: Yes! The community college I attend has Little Free Libraries at all campuses! They are so cute and I love the idea. I usually stop to see what is there, but haven't grabbed anything yet. I may drop off some books though; I have quite a few I am not planning to reread.

[Jessica]

I have been behind on checking in due to being sick, then running away on vacation, and then having to get my hustle on to get back in then swing of things BUT got my reading list and things updated today! Yay! I'm currently working through a steampunk novel The Diamond Thief. It's alright. I think I'm getting harder to impress with every book I read. Still, I enjoy most of them.

There is a LFL along the bike path at a park/garden I like to visit with my kids. It was low on books last I saw and I thought about restocking it! We live on a gravel road in the middle of NOWHERE so having one in our yard wouldn't really probably get much attention but I love the idea so much!

[Katy]

This week I finished How the García Girls Lost Their Accents for my book with a red spine. My mother gave me the book for my birthday so I am glad it fit so easily into a category I didn't have another book in mind for.

I really liked it. I wasn't ready for the story to be over; especially because it just kind of ends out of no where. It was interesting to read a book told in reverse chronological order. I definitely want to learn more about that time in the Dominican Republic now. There is so much history I don't know.

QOTW: There is a LFL near me. I look in it whenever I walk by but I have yet to find something I want to read in there. Perhaps I should drop something off for some good karma.

[Anabell]

I am now at 15/52.

This week I read:
A book of letters: Letters to a Young Poet
An audiobook: Romancing the Duke
A book with career advice: #GIRLBOSS
A book that takes place over a character's life span: A Man Called Ove

I am (still) currently rading:
The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Almost done with RBG and think its really good and interesting. The other 2 are not bad but I have just hit a wall and cant seem to get in the mood to finish them. Afraid they might be stretched over a few more weeks.

QOTW: Fun to learn about stuff in other countries. Will be reading more about the LFL. Sounds great.
As far as I know we (Denmark) dont have something like that. At our recycling stations we have a room where people can leave books etc for others to take so its not just thrown out. Always look when I am there anyways and have left quite a few myself.

[Stephanie]

Hello from chilly Virginia!

Since my last check-in I think I've only finished one book, Hollow City by Ransom Riggs, which I filed under "a book with pictures."

I'm in the middle of reading two other books right now, Between the World and Me and 1984. I plan to finish them both within the next few days.

I've added a few books to my reading list this week, too.

QOTW: We don't have anything labeled Little Free Library but my apartment building has a "leave one, take one" shelf for books in the community room. Some days it's full, some days it's empty. The nearest public library is several miles away so it's nice to look for fresh reading material in my own building.

Have a nice Sunday, everyone! I hope you get lots of reading done.

Stephanie

[Stephanie]

Hailey wrote: "Lindi wrote: "Juanita wrote: "Hailey wrote: "Last time I checked in, I was starting Eat, Pray, Love for my book involving travel prompt. Made it a couple chapters in before I realized ..."

I didn't like it much, either, and after I actually lived in India for several years my dislike for the book grew even more.

Stephanie

[Nadine in NY]

Katy wrote: "This week I finished How the García Girls Lost Their Accents for my book with a red spine. My mother gave me the book for my birthday so I am glad it fit so easily into a category I..."

Do you think that book would work for "book about an immigrant"?

[Michelle]

My first weekly check-in!

I'm at 9/52 right now. I've finished:
Winter's Bone - one of the seasons in the title
Never Never(all three parts) - multiple authors
The Winter People - bestseller from a genre don't normally read
Ten Big Ones - read before but makes me smile
Little House in the Big Woods - set in the wilderness
Persuasion - by an author from a country I've never visited
The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo - about an interesting woman
The Wednesday Wars - month or day of week in title
America's First Daughter - family-member term in title

I'm currently working on:
Soulless - steampunk novel
The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness - about a difficult topic

QOTW - I've thought off and on about starting a little free library. I know my husband would gladly build one for me, and we have nothing like it by me. However, we live in a very rural area, so I don't know where we could put it that wouldn't require people stopping in the middle of the road or pulling into our driveway.

[Michelle]

Juanita wrote: "Good morning, fellow readers! I hope your Thursday finds you in happy spirits. I'm home with a sick daughter (strep - blech!) and a sick husband and trying to work from home.

I finally got my rea..."

I had When Breath Becomes Air as a possibility for bestseller in 2016. Could you use it there instead?

[Megan]

I completed one category this week -- I used The Shattered Tree for "A novel set during wartime." I started two books that I plan to use to check off two more prompts: The Trespasser (which I was pleased to discover has a red spine :)) and Born a Crime (which I'm using for the audiobook prompt). I also started Prime Time, which I may swap out for "the first book in a series you haven't read before" since the book I read for that prompt fits a couple of other prompts and I could move it. I also picked up Relish: My Life in the Kitchen, which I plan to use for "a book about food."

QOTW: The closest I've come to seeing a little free library in person was at a booth at the 2016 National Book Festival (I think the booth was sponsored by Habitat For Humanity) and at the 2016 Malice Domestic mystery conference. I'm incredibly fortunate to have a public library within walking distance of my house, but I love the little free library concept and think it would be fun to participate if there was one near me.

[Seema]

Hey all. So, I have been in a major life transition this month. and, while I usually read 2-3 books a week, think month has been one heck of a reading month. I have been trying to prevent negativity by reading. Interestingly enough, the last book of the week, Dear Mr. Knightley , hinged on a women who escaped life through reading. Was a fortuitous choice, and helped me through this week where I gave up the only job I have ever had to start a new business.

On to to the rundown:
1. A book recommended by a librarian Me Before YouMe Before you
Wonderful: a wonderful book that starts chick lit and ends as thoughtful consideration of the meaning of life.


3. A book of letters: Dear Mr. Knightley
Enjoyable: This is a book that celebrates the well-read reader while still being in the present tense.

5. A book by a person of color:

8. A book with multiple authors: Flying Lessons and Other Stories
Exceptional: A wonderful series of short stories for middle readers from a diverse set of voices and backgrounds

12. A bestseller from a genre you don't normally read: The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo
Better than Expected: This humorous memoir brings up thoughtful issues including rape and gun violence in a surprisingly thoughtful manner.

14. A book involving travel: Radio Shangri-la: What I Learned in Bhutan, the Happiest Kingdom on Earth
Blah: Mediocre book about a women traveling to Bhutan. This women started as a NPR journalist and might have been better in a shorter form.
The Penguin Lessons
Thoughtful: Shares the tale of an English teacher in South America at a challenging political time. Wonderful, but sad ending.

15. A book with a subtitle: The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well
Good Primer: This was a useful book for those already obsessed with Hygge.

38. A book set around a holiday other than Christmas: The Cottage on Pumpkin and Vine
Okay: This lusty busty shares three tales that are sort of about Halloween. Romance is not my genre so I don't honestly know if this was a good specimen.

A11. A book about a difficult topic The Underground Railroad
Awfully lovely: A challenging, truthful, well-written tale of humanity during a culture of dehumanization

Overall: I am 29/52 (Plus 10 more random books read)

QOTW: I use the library constantly. But, I think the question is getting at libraries that require nothing of the user, no library card, no utility record, no fines, etc. I must admit I donate regularly to such spaces, often lovely little house-like structures at the side of the road. But, I have never taken a book. It isn't necessarily propriety. I have opened them, but I have never found anything that peaked my interest. For me, as a trained librarian, the public library has the robust systems of retrieval that appeal to all of my needs and interests. I applaud the openness of those free spaces, and will continue to open those little library doors, but I am most sold on public libraries--they are the lowest barrier institutions our country offers.

[Melanie]

8/52

This week I finished A Wrinkle in Time (a book that's been on my TBR for a very, very long time). It was definitely intended for a younger audience which I kept in mind, but I felt that it tried to smash too many big concepts into just one narrative.

I also read Carve the Mark (a book published in 2017). It was good world building, if a little slow at the start.

I am currently listening to Wintergirls (a book with a season in the title) and hope to start An Ember in the Ashes (a book written by a person of color).

[Katy]

Nadine - How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents would definitely work for a book about immigrants.

[Laura]

This week I finished Food: A Love Story for "A book about food", and #GIRLBOSS for "A book with career advice".

Both were entertaining, and pretty fast reads.

I also started Prodigal Summer for "A book set in the wilderness". I'm about half way through it.

So, I am at 3.5/40. I'm still not sure if I will be doing the advanced list.

QOTW: The are dozens of them around where we live in St. Paul. I've never grabbed anything for myself, but my kids have gotten a few books out of them. Once it warms up a bit, I plan on loading up a wagon with all of our books that the kids have grown out of, and dropping them off at the little libraries closest to us :)

[Shivani]

Good morning from sunny, bustling Bombay! :) I was travelling back home for a vacation from Chicago, and the flight (and the ensuing jetlag) meant that I couldn't check in till now.

I had a 13 hour flight on one leg of the journey, so I started reading "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It's equal parts moving and intriguing, and is a compelling coming-of-age narrative of a teenage girl growing up in a household dominated by the rigidly Catholic patriarch. I used my jetlag to finish the novel in 3 days, and now I've read everything published by CNA. :) The prompt I'm using is "A book where the main character is a different ethnicity than you".

January has been a month of heavy reading, so I'm taking a break by starting on "Can you keep a secret?" by Sophie Kinsella to fulfil the prompt of "A book by an author who uses a pseudonym".

Current count - 5/40

QOTW: Nope, but I have a Chicago Public Library literally a hundred feet away, and I'm eternally grateful for it! :)

[Zenna]

I everyone. This is my first time posting. Ive been so slack with reading these past few years so I'm taking up the challenge this year and I've already gotten through 7 books on the list! Though two have been audio books. Here's my list:

- an audiobook
- a book by an author who uses a pseudonym
- a book with a subtitle
- a book set in the wilderness
- a book by an author from a country you've never visited
- a novel set during wartime
- a book with an unreliable narrator.

7/40

This is the first time I've ever done a challenge like this! I'm so keen to read more books. I'll be reading a number of young fiction books as I'm studying to become a primary school teacher ☺️

[Warren]

Finally finished American Gods by Neil Gaiman for #40 A book bought on a trip, specifically at one of my favourite bookshops, Abbeys in Sydney.
I also read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz for #23 Book with a red spine, and Tarzan Alive by Philip Jose Farmer, for #27 Title with a character's name. I had been waiting to read this for some time, after hearing about it on the web. I read many of the Tarzan stories when I was a kid, and while the bulk of this book pretends to a true 'biography' of the real Tarzan (chortle) it is really a summary of all the book adventures, poking some fun at the movie image, and clearing up some of the more unbelievable parts of the stories - the more of a Tarzan fan you are, the more you would get from it. The major interest for me was buried in an appendix at the back which introduces the Wold Newton concept. Seems that a meteorite fell to Earth near the English village of Wold Newton in 1795 just as two carriages carrying some notable individuals were passing. These travellers were irradiated and their descendents were blessed with incredible strength and/or intelligence, and count among their number Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, Doc Savage and a host of other familiar literary heroes and villains. What a shame this crossover idea has not been taken up more enthusiastically like the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

As for the QOTW, as far as I know the Little Free Library idea has not reached Australia yet, certainly not my part anyway.

[Baroness Ekat]

6/40

I finished by "book with a mythical creature" by reading The Accidental Alchemist. I wanted to like this book more but in the end I found I really didn't care about the characters and won't be looking to finish the series.

QOTW: There is a LFL in one of the dog parks by me that is open during the summer but they do close it in the winter. I have not borrowed from it but I have donated to it.

[Annette]

Hailey wrote: "Juanita wrote: "Hailey wrote: "Last time I checked in, I was starting Eat, Pray, Love for my book involving travel prompt. Made it a couple chapters in before I realized I was never go..."

Hailey wrote: "Lindi wrote: "Juanita wrote: "Hailey wrote: "Last time I checked in, I was starting Eat, Pray, Love for my book involving travel prompt. Made it a couple chapters in before I realized ..."

I had that problem with Eat Pray Love, but enjoyed Julie and Julia!

[Annette]

My first check-in! I might be doing it all wrong, but I'm not deciding what category something goes in beforehand. I figure I don't always know what things are about! So I'm at least starting the year reading what I want but keeping track of the categories they go in, and then later in the year I'll see if I have holes.

So this week was mostly spent reading The Life of Pi, which fits several - it's been on my TBR list for way too many years, there's a cat on the cover, it's about travel... Finished it last night!

So I've read 10 books out of the 52, which fit into 20 categories. I won't be double dipping, though!

[Deb]

Finished Hour Game - (A book with an eccentric character) - Finishing a series and getting creative in category placement

Started The Underground Railroad - (A book by a person of color) - for next month's read-along. I was able to get the CD version. Didn't realize how few options I have for playing CD's in my life at this time!

QOTW: One of our local pubs has converted a vintage newspaper dispenser into a Little Free Library on their sidewalk. This reminds me...I should take some books there soon. I'm also a member of the General Federation of Women's Clubs. We were encouraged to start/support a LFL. (Our organization has a long history with libraries. We were recognized by the American Library Association in the 1930s for establishing 75 percent of public libraries in the U.S.)

[Kirsten]

For those of you who think you don't have one nearby, check the website. I was shocked to discover there were 2 in my city.

[Linda]

Last week I finished Spring's Fury by Denise DomnIng. I'm done reading books with seasons in the title for a while now. :)

[Stephanie]

Only finished one for this check in: The Star-Touched Queen which I am using for "an audiobook"

I started Belgarath the Sorcerer but somehow misplaced my copy so that's on hold until I find it :/

10/52

[Nancy]

I have finished 1 book so fa but It doesn't fit any of he prompts on the reading challenge list. It was Alex Cross, Run by James Patterson.

Need to get moving on the reading challenge list.

[Sarah]

Hello everyone!!
So far I read 6 books for the challenge:
"The Underground Railroad"- By a person of color
"Chip Crockett's Christmas Carol"- About a person with a disability
"Christmas on Main Street"- A book with multiple authors
"The Silkworm"- By an author who uses a pseudonym
"Peter Pan"- A book you loved as a child
"The Goldfinch"- A book with an unreliable narrator
I am currently listening to "Hag-seed" for An audiobook

We have a little free library at our train station that was put up by our local Cub Scout Pack. I have not used it though, mostly because our regular library is closer to our house, and that my own library is extensive :) I do believe that the train commuters mostly use it.

[Lynette]

I don't think we do have a Little Free Library nearby. I should get Scott to build one that we could put up - wonder if the HOA would let us put it by the picnic table at the pond across the street. . .

January was a prolific reading month for me, as I was recovering from a bad Lupus flare. I only recently found this support group for the challenge, so I've got all my progress from the beginning to share - 14 of the full 52.


7. A book that is a story within a story
Peach Pies and Alibis (also works for mythical creature)

11. A book with an author who uses a pseudonym
Brain Trust, Lynn Sholes also writes as Lynn Armistead McKee (also works for multiple authors)

13. A book by or about a person who has a disability
Wonderstruck, although many would not consider deafness to be a disability

15. A book with a subtitle
The Worry Trick: How Worry Controls You and What You Can Do to Take Back your Life

17. A book involving a mythical creature -
The Fairy Circus

19. A book about food -
The Corn Grows Ripe, the primary food for a Mayan village

20. A book with career advice -
How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age -

26. A book by an author from a country you've never visited
The Alchemist I've never been to Brazil.

27. A book with a title that's a character's name -
Henry VI, Part 2

29. A book with an unreliable narrator -
A Human Silicon Chip, for Subir's complete personality flip-flop and evidenced shallowness for all his socialist idealism

32. A book about an interesting woman
Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars How about several interesting women? :)

45. A book about an immigrant or refugee
Black Fox of Lorne - Viking immigrants in 950AD Scotland (could also work for wilderness, travel)

47. A book with an eccentric character
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale - Ahab, Queequeg, Ezekiel, Gabriel, Pip

51. A book about a difficult topic
808 Conversation Starters for Couples:, because it is difficult to keep relationships meaningful over the years, and because many of its prompts a deeply personal questions that are difficult to address to oneself, let alone to a partner.

[Tanelle]

Lynette: you got thorough Moby Dick? I think you deserve a medal for that! I've heard it's one of the hardest books ever written to read.

And yes I would count deafness as a disability

[Christine]

Tanelle wrote: "Lynette: you got thorough Moby Dick? I think you deserve a medal for that! I've heard it's one of the hardest books ever written to read. "

I found the (inadvertent?) homosexual subtext and direct humanist bent of the early relationship with Queequeg to be really entertaining, but I admit I lost steam as they met the owners of the ship. It's still on my "currently reading" list though - I'll get back to it!

[Lynette]

Tanelle and Cinnamon - I know, huh?! Yay, Me!! lol

Seriously - I was so satisfied with that accomplishment, because I've tried 4 other times to read that book, and it defeated me every time. Well, I tried 3 times, because the first was high school, and I didn't even bother - just skimmed Cliff's Notes enough to kinda slide through the assignments. In college I did attempt, but didn't make it past the first chapter. Tried again in mid-20s, same result, and then maybe a decade later, and made it to your point, Cinnamon. I'm sure the difference for me this time was having a substantially-annotated edition that softened the constant dropping of cultural, religious, and historical references, many of which are quite obscure. Tell you what, Ahab is just straight-up psycho!~ ;D

[Maggie]

I finished In Cold Blood, Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure, and Martyr of the Catacombs: A Tale of Ancient Rome last week. I haven't actually started sorting my books into individual prompts yet because some of the books fit lots of different prompts. I figure after I've gotten to about 20 books I'll start fitting them in and seeing which prompts I have left.

There's no little free libraries in my country, but a google search reveals that there's a guy who set up a similar concept outside his house in 2014. I've no idea where exactly his house is though or if the library is still operating. In any case, there are plenty of libraries near me and I'm happy with that.

[Caity]

Sarah wrote: "Hello everyone!!
So far I read 6 books for the challenge:
"The Underground Railroad"- By a person of color
"Chip Crockett's Christmas Carol"- About a person with a disability
"Christmas on Main S..."

HOLY FLUFFYCATS YOU JUST ROCKED MY WORLD. I had been trying to fit The Goldfinch onto my list and was failing because I didn't realize it would count for unreliable narrator. I bought it from the bargain section at B&N but since it's a bit long I didn't want to commit to reading it this year unless it could fit into this challenge. AHHHH THANK YOU

[Claire]

Maggie wrote: "I finished In Cold Blood, Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure, and Martyr of the Catacombs: A Tale of Ancient Rome last week. I haven't actu..."

Maggie how did you like Romeo and/or Juliet? I've been thinking about reading it but wasn't sure if it was a really fun approach or whether I'd find it too gimmicky. I did used to love the "Choose your own adventure" books when I was a kid!

[Maggie]

Claire wrote: "Maggie wrote: "I finished In Cold Blood, Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure, and Martyr of the Catacombs: A Tale of Ancient Rome last week...."

I was surprised that I liked it! He did seem to be trying too hard to be funny at some parts, but I thought it was well-organised as a choose your own adventure book. He tried to stay true to the R&J story in the different paths, so that while the paths could be wacky they weren't too far-fetched. There were some gimmicks, but I thought many of them actually made the book more fun. .

[Claire]

Maggie wrote: "Claire wrote: "Maggie wrote: "I finished In Cold Blood, Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure, and [book:Martyr of the Catacombs: A Tale of Ancient Rome|855..."

Oh excellent, I think I'll have to give this a try then although I'm not sure if I can fit it into a category or not. Thank you!

[Maggie]

Claire wrote: "Maggie wrote: "Claire wrote: "Maggie wrote: "I finished In Cold Blood, Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure, and [book:Martyr of the Catacombs: A Tale of A..."

It does! It fits a book with a subtitle and a book with pictures. If you stretch it, it could fit a book with multiple authors as well.

[Claire]

Maggie wrote: "Claire wrote: "Maggie wrote: "Claire wrote: "Maggie wrote: "I finished In Cold Blood, Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure, and [book:Martyr of the Catacom..."

I feel some category shuffling coming on... :-)

[Jennifer]

I didn't post for week 3 but this is what I read for week 4:

Life of Pi for book with cat on cover. I thought it was a good, insightful book.

10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works for a bestseller from a genre I don't usually read. I never read self help books, so thought I would do that. It was alright. Not really my cup of tea. I do find myself trying the breathing exercises but I can't find a place quiet enough (between a 2 yo baby, 3 dogs and a very loud cockatoo) to try to meditate.

Water for Elephants for book on my TBR list. I enjoyed the book. I think I liked the movie better.