Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2018 Weekly Checkins
>
Week 6: 2/2 - 2/8
Slow progress with the book The Blood Gospel. Didn't finished yet. Prompt: A book written by two authors.
Sarah wrote: "Happy Thursday everyone. It is raining and miserable here in Yorkshire. Standard February weather.This week I finished Blood of Wonderland. Literally nothing happened in the first..."
"Radiance" is one of my favorite novels, but I totally understand if you weren't able to finish. Catherynne Valente's writing style very much falls into the "love it or hate it" category, and "Radiance" can be hard to follow. I usually recommend people start with The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making if they're just starting out with her writing, as it's much more straightforward in its storytelling.
Kenya wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Happy Thursday everyone. It is raining and miserable here in Yorkshire. Standard February weather.This week I finished Blood of Wonderland. Literally nothing happene..."
I absolutely loved Deathless so I was prepared to love Radiance. Maybe my expectations were too high?
Hi everyone - I forgot to update last week so this is going to be two weeks worth!Last week I finished Sing, Unburied, Sing which I used for a book I meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to. Honestly I thought it was incredible. It was one of those books you feel more than understand, but the fact that the author got me to feel the feels and not question it or get bored was worth it.
Today (just on my lunch break) I finished Practical Magic which is a book made into a movie I've already seen. It was another book that was more emotional than cerebral, but I loved how you could just inhabit the lives and emotions of these women. It probably helped that I could picture Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as I read. :)
QOTW - No, I'm not a member of any real-life book clubs! I wish I was. Haven't been able to find or start one here in Charlotte.
Carmen wrote: "Diane wrote: "I read for the story. I do not read between the lines for the underlying hidden meanings and character traits."Same though! Whenever I look at book club questions I just blank, beca..."
So glad I'm not the only one. Maybe we should start a non book clubish book club.
Laura wrote: "Hi all!8/52 so far :)
Finished:
24. A book with a weather element in the title - The Name of the Wind - This was a doozy! I didn't really get into it until I was 60% through it. B..."
I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but the author doesn't seem in any rush to get the third book out. I've been waiting for 5 years!
Good evening from Copenhagen, DenmarkBusy week. Lots of work. Family birthdays. Good things, but not much reading time. I have some days off next week and looking forward to that.
This week I read:
Den sorte bog om helte ("The black book about heroes") a new release for review (work). It´s a (large/teen) children´s book told from a 7 year old´s perspective - his family has to flee the country they live in, and the story is about their journey, where gruesome and, sadly, very realistic things happen. The boy draws a lot in a black book, and has a rich fantasy world that saves him. The drawings are a part of the book, which works really well. Superheroes in the beginning, but then the real heroes of the world make way into his drawings (the ones that help without expecting return favours f.ex.). In the end it turns out that the world is turned upside down, so the boy is fleeing from a Danish future with war and ethnic cleansing (not sure if it´s the right word) to North Africa. Heavy stuff. Well written. I think I might be using it for "problem facing society" (War, refugees´ situation, peoples general horribleness toward their fellow humans).
I also read some picture books. One is Blekkspruten by Gro Dahle, that I think I´ll be using for Nordic Noir in my picture book edition of the Challenge. It´s about incest. And actually not as horrible as I thought. The subject is treated really gently and can work well as an opening to talk to children who face/ have faced abuse. As such I feel it is a necessary book from a children´s librarians perspective, but one that we placed in the archive - so we have it but you won´t stumble upon it unknowingly. But very Nordic to write/draw a picture book about incest. And very Noir.
Currently reading Release before going to read Beartown (There is a hold on Release at the library, so I have to read that before joining this months group read. There´s also a hold on Beartown, but I´ve had Release longer).
After these books and the death and grief book from last week I suspect I will be in very dire need of some very light reading (I´m thinking fantasy and romance smut).
QOTW:
I run two book clubs at my library, one for children 9-12 yrs and one for teens. They are in on choosing which books to read, and I make the final decision (we have like a list of 20 in the beginning of a season that we make together, and I decide from that). I really like it - it keeps me updated and I enjoy hearing the children´s perspectives on the books.
Jess wrote: "Laura wrote: "Hi all!8/52 so far :)
Finished:
24. A book with a weather element in the title - The Name of the Wind - This was a doozy! I didn't really get into it until I was 60%..."
Yeah, the second book was released in 2011... My son just read the first two and we looked it up. I was SO close to starting Name of the Wind, but now I think I´m going to wait.
Dani wrote: "That accent he uses in the show? I’d let him murder me. "Wanna know a secret? That's his actual accent! It's just the words that he uses and the character he plays that give it that sophisticated edge, but honestly, his accent is to die for. Cannot wait to see him in Chaos Walking, alongside Tom Holland! (I will not survive this move, just saying. But then again, if I can survive Kingsman..)
Olá, from cold Algarve- Portugal, no snow, no rain, just cold! This week finished Auto-retrato do Escritor Enquanto Corredor de Fundo for sport/february prompt. read two more microfictions O Abençoado ; As Súplicas. still reading A Rapariga Que Sonhava com Uma Lata de Gasolina e Um Fósforo for nordic noir/january prompt.
Diane wrote: "So glad I'm not the only one. Maybe we should start a non book clubish book club."I am so here for it! Sign me up!
How has it been a week already? I'm hoping to finish this week's book (Library of Souls) tonight, but other than that nothing to report.Are you in a "real life" book club?
I've always wanted to be, but it's never really crossed my path. I did one via Facebook once, where we all joined online and then met up in a pub to discuss the book at the end. But I didn't know anyone in the group, and the discussion didn't really go anywhere. I struggle meeting new people and in the pub setting it was difficult to have a group discussion so smaller ones broke up and I felt a little...outside of it.
I'm not sure now that book clubs are my thing. I read to the beat of my own drum. Reading other reviews on Goodreads once I finish a book is discussion enough for me!
This week I finishedHounded by Kevin Hearne, which I'll put tentatively at #39, 'involves a bookstore' and
Nerve by Dick Francis for #19, 'involving a sport'
I made some progress on my door stopper, 'Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell' and started 'Broken Angels' by Richard K. Morgan for #3, 'next in a series' after binging on 'Altered Carbon' and suddenly missing Tak something fierce.
QOTW:
No. Like some others here I read for the story, so a book club nerver held any interest for me.
In a Sunburned Country Bill Bryson's travelogue set in Australia. Bryson's always funny and always a little infuriating and this one was no different. I didn't realize how little I know about Australia until I read this book and it was pointed out to me in many amusing ways. But the whole time I felt like I wished I'd read this book when it was published as all of his observations are now close to 20 years old. Although I suppose it is amusing in some ways as he is always looking at other travel guide and finding what they say doesn't match what he's seeing because they were written 20 years before, as well. Sigh. Still, funny and fascinating and making me wish I knew more about Australia. The Grave's a Fine and Private Place maybe for next book in a series I'm reading. The last book ended in a rather sad upended place and so I was worried this one wool be more morose. It wasn't. It was a delight. Flavia is, as always, my favorite poison obsessed, child want to be detective.
Yes, I'm in a real life book club. But it is new and I've only been to one meeting, so far.
9/50 Finished
Emma in the Night- Book with a time of day in the title. Did not like this one that much, but I didn't see ending coming so that's good for a suspenseful book, wouldn't not recommend it but also wouldn't be my first recommendation.
Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History- Book whose title is a song lyric. This book is so good. Not only because of the insight it provides on Trump but also because Katy Tur is a boss.
Currently Reading
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir- So good so far, will write more next week.
Life and Other Near-Death Experiences
QOTW
Unfortunately, not.
I finished a few books this week, getting me to 16/50 for this challenge. Speed Girl by Stephan Talty, a great book about the first woman to race in the Indy 500, this was my book about a sport
Halloween Magic & Mayhem by Stella Wilkinson, a novella intended to tease the series (and it did pique my interest), used for the prompt set on Halloween
J.Lo: The Secret Behind Jennifer Lopez's Rise to the Top, not a very good book and more about J.Lo's love life than anything else
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling, for the prompt of characters who are twins
QOTW: I am not in a real life book club
Good morning from what is shaping up to be a 40+C day here in the middle of nowhere. Finished 2 books this week. Slowed down a bit from the beginning of the year when there was just me at the beach house. Also I've been reading too many books in a row on my iPad and it's exhausting me and giving me eye strain. Screens can be annoying like that.
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore (iPad) Really enjoyed this book. Couldn't put it down. Probably use it for the time of day prompt.
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. (Paperback) Loved it. Didn't want it to end. Such a beautiful book. Thinking about using it for the fruit or vegetable prompt. It also fits the warm and fuzzy prompt for AtY. Two birds, one stone.
Currently reading
The Art of Racing in the Rain. (Paperback) Started it last night after finishing GLPPPS. Liking it so far. It's supposed to be my lovely book to read before going to sleep even though I will probably start reading it again when I get off here. But I do have a few others I probably should get back to. Might use it for the book with a weather element In the title.
Armada (audiobook) Bit up in the air about this one. He's grabbed plots from well known sci fi and mashed it all together. I've been trying not to think about that and just go with it. I've been listening to it when I've been doing other things which is quite fun. Usually things I baulk at because I could be doing something more interesting. So with the audiobook I can be doing both. When asked on here the other week about audiobooks I said that I couldn't get into them. I've started to get into them because of this challenge and they definitely serve their purpose. And Wil Weaton reading to me is rather fun. I've loaded a few others onto my old iPod as well so I'm looking forwards to listening to them. Haven't decided on a prompt for this one yet.
Dear Fahrenheit 451. (iPad) Not enjoying this as much as I thought I would but I shall persist and finish it eventually. Don't know where I'm going to put it because I've already filled the Bookstore/Library prompt a couple of times but I'm sure I'll find something. Probably something from 2015,2016 or 2017.
The Immortalists (iPad) Really enjoying this one but had to stop reading it because of eye strain from too many books read off the iPad in a few days which is one of the reasons I started Armada on the audiobook so I didn't have to actually read anything and then went to real books for a while. Hence GLPPPS and AORITR. Anyway I'll probably use it for the LGBTQ prompt as one of the central characters is gay and is discovering his sexuality in 1970s San Francisco. An interesting time to be gay. When all of the gay pride and gay rights stuff was starting. But he is just one of 4 siblings and this book is about all of them. It could also be in the prompt about death and dying but it's also maybe more about living your life when you know when you are going to die.
Name of the Wind (paperback) Still got it on my currently reading list even though I haven't picked it up in a couple of weeks. Hopefully I feel like reading it again this week.
I'm usually not one for having so many books on the go. I read one and then go onto the next one.
QOTW
Nope not a member of any real life book clubs. I'm never home enough to commit to anything so the Goodreads book clubs suit me fine.
I've read 11/50 - 10/40 and 1/10! Quite pleased with my progress, and 2 of my current reads are slower non-fiction.Finished:
Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans - book with favorite color in title (blue) - really enjoyed this and as it is part of a series featuring the same group of friends in a Connecticut summer beach community, I will read the others. This will stand on its own - contemporary stories touching on the various secrets, tragedies, career hurdles, marriages, relationships of a childhood friends who reconnect 10 years after high school graduation.
The Widows of Malabar Hill - LOVED this! First of a new mystery series by Sujata Massey set in 1920's Bombay, featuring the first woman lawyer in Bombay. Very atmospheric, with a handy little glossary in the back, and a nice couple of maps in the front. Good mystery. One 'issue' - a good part of the story is telling Perveen's own history in flashback - essentially what led to her becoming a lawyer trained n Oxford. While in itself very interesting and important to the series going forward, it slowed down the mystery being addressed. I read this as a book set in a country that fascinates me (India), but would fit as a novel based on a real person (based on the first 2 women lawyers in India), and even a book about feminism as women's rights in marriage and society at that time in India are at the core of the story. Also fits book set in 2 time periods for earlier challenges.
Currently Reading:
Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade - my book that is basis of a stage play or musical -- it happens to be both. It is marvelous! I'll probably finish it tonight. I'm already looking for more books by Patrick Dennis. Like Edward Streeter, who I discovered during last year's challenge, Dennis writes wonderfully witty comic satire - so few have mastered that skill today. This would also work as a book for a movie you have already seen, or a book based on a real person.
DIY Rules for a WTF World: How to Speak Up, Get Creative, and Change the World - my book about feminism. Also enjoying it, but best read a few chapters at a time as it is sort of a self-help book with exercises. I'm thinking of gifting it to some teen girls I know as it approaches issues of activism and self-fulfillment from a young feminist's POV, thus it is very accessible, not preachy.
Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain - little progress here as I had to renew my library loan. This is my book with an animal in the title.
QOTW: Nope, no 'real' book clubs for me. I do not want to read specific books 'on command' or 'by deadline', especially if not a book I chose to read. I have absolutely no trouble identifying books I want to read, nor do I lack people in my life for book discussions.
Hi there from Brisbane Australia. We have had a cool spell, but are about to hit the 30 degrees Celsius this weekend.I have been reading a lot but sadly, most don't fit into this challenge.
Finished #1. A book made into a movie you've already seen Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
Which I enjoyed as much as the movie, so that was a good pick.
Also finished Breath by Tim Winton which was a wonderfull book about growing up on the West Australian coast in the 70's. I thought it was the same decade as my birth, but not by a decade, so, no cigar.
I have never been in a book club. I love the idea, but I read way to fast and too randomly for most clubs. I can get through a book in a day or two and I pick up whatever I feel like at the time. So, sadly, I don't think I would fit into a club.
I finished two books this week, which puts me at 7/50.The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for nordic noir - I listened to this on audiobook. I had avoided reading this for years because I had heard of the bad parts, but I wasn't as bothered by it as I thought I would be. I liked the book and plan to read the next one in the series.
Death with Interruptions for book about death or grief - this is my current book club book, and it was a rather fascinating one. The premise begins with a country where people stopped dying at midnight on New Years Eve, which seemed like an awesome thing at first but created many interesting problems. The writing style was different, but I liked it. If you don't want to read a heavy book about death and grief, I recommend this one.
Started:
The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom - maybe it will fit for mental health
Beneath a Scarlet Sky - favorite color
The Princess Diarist - Carrie Fisher's book about making Star Wars. I don't think it will fit in any category that I have open. We'll see.
QOTW: I belong to a rather unstructured book club with some friends (usually 4-6 of us). We get together every couple of months. Sometimes we all read the same book, and sometimes we just talk about whatever we've been reading. It's a fun excuse to eat, drink and be merry and share our common love of books.
I had a really good reading week between snow days, snow delays, and wait times at doctor's offices. Finished
The Secret Garden (childhood classic I've never read) - I can't believe I never read this book as a child. I would have been obsessed with it!
Artemis (book about a villain or antihero) - Absolutely loved this book! It's not as good as The Martian, but it's pretty darn close.
News of the World (novel based on a real person) - The cover and title caught my eye. I haven't read a western in several years, so I decided to give it a try. It was an enjoyable read.
Reading
The Steady Running of the Hour - I've been chipping away at this one for awhile. It's hard to get into, but I've finally made a dent.
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America - I thought I'd DNF given that it's about a notorious serial killer, but the author is such a talented writer and storyteller that I can't stop reading.
QOTW
I keep trying to join book clubs, but it never works out. I read the book that they selected, then I don't go to the meeting. Usually that's because I didn't like the book.
I got a little behind in my readings as I was waiting for a library book to become available. I just finished book 5 out of 52 and it was a doozy. I read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for the "book set on a different plant". I'm not a fan of sci-fi books so it was a tough read. I felt lost most of the time and was frustrated with parts of the book that made no sense at all. I was hoping since it was a popular book that I would like it but I didn't connect with it. I'm glad it's over! Next I'm reading The Time Traveler's Wife.
This week, I didn't finish any books towards the challenge, but I did finish Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and The Reader.I missed the 2015 and 2016 PopSugar Challenges, so I have been filling in those as I read books that won't count towards this challenge. I also went back and was able to see the books I read in those years and was able to fill in a lot of those prompts.
QOTW: I am not in any real life book clubs.
This week I finished Reservation Blues; it counts for the prompt about your favorite color. (I don't remember if I posted about it last week or not.) I also read The Woman in Cabin 10 for the book that takes place in the sea and Thunderhead for the book that is about death. I also finished IQ which I'm not counting for any of the challenges right now, but I could probably use it for the prompt about an author who is of different ethnicity than I am. I enjoyed all the books, but Thunderhead and IQ were probably my favorites. I am currently reading Six of Crows for the book involving a heist. QTW - Yes, I am part of a book club made up of alumni from my alma mater. We meet once a month, are all female, and are varying ages. I look forward to it each month!
Not to rub it in, but I am basking in the afternoon sun and a balmy breeze as I write this update from San Francisco. I do kind of miss snow days though!I finished 3 since my last update:
This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare on audiobook, which was good but more serious and less funny than I expected. I used it as a celebrity memoir for another challenge.
Beartown for a book about sports. I liked it a lot, although I was worried about the ending for a bit there!
Artemis was a road trip audiobook. I liked the science and setting, but the plot was weak and the main character waited a bit too long to start her redemption arc, IMO.
QOTW: I would like to find a good fut, but feel like I’m in the same boat as the picky introvert who said they’d like to pick books to have friends read! I also read a lot faster than most of my in-person friends.
I read 3 books this week and started a 4th one yesterday. The 3 were shorter books (under 100 pages) with 2 being for the sports prompt. Seabiscuit: The Life of the Most Famous Horse in American History and Secretariat: The Life of the Most Famous Triple Crown Winner in American History I enjoyed both of them as they were non fiction and included pictures which is always a plus. The 3rd book was Heart of Darkness for the allegory prompt. While this was only 92 pages, I felt it was a tough read and a bit difficult to understand. What I got from the allegory was the Darkness he referred to, meant the unknown of jungle and what hides in human ❤. This a classic book and I'm am trying to fit in many classics for this challenge. I gave it 2 stars. I just didn't enjoy it.
I am currently reading Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption I am only 50 pages into this but can already tell it is a good book. I have seen the movie so I know a bit of what to expect. I am also reading this for the sports prompt.
QOTW: I am not in any book clubs and nevervhave been but would love to join one.
I haven't finished any books this week. I've been struggling to get things done. I did update my shelves here on GR, plus added books to my library list, so I am making some progress. To be fair, I just joined the challenge like 2 days ago.Currently Reading:
I have 5 books checked out from the library and I am not excited to read any of them, so I am going back to the drawing board and finding a book that specifically checks something off on my list and that I actually want to read.
QOTW:
Yes, I am in 2 book clubs that meet once a month. One is Nonfiction where the group all read the same book and then discuss it. The other is a Murder/Mystery club where we have a different theme each month (February=Murder at a Wedding) and we all pick a book, then summarize it for the group (no spoilers). The purpose is to find new authors we might like. Both are at the local library. Thinking about adding a 3rd book club, but they would all meet the same week and that's just too much.
I recently finished One of us is Lying, for the villain category. I’m currently working on Silent Spring for alliteration and Children of Time for a book set on another planet.
Jess wrote: "Laura wrote: "Hi all!8/52 so far :)
Finished:
24. A book with a weather element in the title - The Name of the Wind - This was a doozy! I didn't really get into it until I was 60%..."
Good to know! In that case, I'll hold off on reading the second book for a while.
whoo hoo. 2 more books down 8/40COMPLETED:
35. A past Goodreads Choice Awards winner:
Feed This was the winner for science fiction in 2010. I enjoyed it which i wasn't sure i would since its a zombie book.39. A book that involves a bookstore or library:
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library Loved this book. Sometimes you just want something fun and this was.IN PROGRESS:
Rise - The Complete Newsflesh CollectionI'm not sure if i'll use this as #3. The next book in a series you started. Its not really the next book, Its got stories that take place both before Feed and some that take place after it and its sequels.
Nights of the Living Dead: An Anthology8. A book with a time of day in the title: I might use this book. but i'm not sure yet, mainly because I'm not sure if i will read all of the stories in it. I really just got it to read one author.
QOTW: No the last book club i was in was in junior high. I hated every book they wanted us to read.
Wow it's hard to keep up. Thursdays are not great for me and I hate posting without reading the thread, but looks like I get to update now and catch up later. I finished three books this week and I am at
15/50
I finally got the picture book Trombone Shorty and am pretty stinking happy about it. I was stupidly excited when he was cast as Miss Othmar in the Peanuts Movie. Bonus that some of the proceeds go to the Trombone Shorty Foundation.
I listened to Replay, which was not bad after I cranked the speed up a bit. I suppose I'll slot this one into ugly cover.
I also listened to Lady Fortescue Steps Out which I didn't know was a romance, so that was disappointing.
Currently Reading:
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir
Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics
The Automatic Detective
QOTW:
Nope. I was in an internet community once that tried to start a book club. We all read the book, then went, "I liked it. You too? Cool." It ended pretty quickly haha
Hi, everyone!So this week I've read two books, finishing a series that was on my TBR for a long time.
It's the Bill Hodges trilogy by Stephen King. The third one, End of Watch, was the best one in my humble opinion. But I do have to say that I probably would have enjoyed the series more if hadn't read so recently one of Higashino's thrillers. Anyway, you can use this last book in the series for the prompt a past Goodreads Choice Awards winner.
I'm now 5/50.
QOTW: I am not a member of any real book club, but I'm actually trying to push a couple of long-time friends to build one.
Happy reading!!
9/50I didn't finish any books this week, but I have four in progress. I am currently reading: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, The All Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion, This Is How It Always Is, and Autonomous. Hopefully will have a couple of them finished by next week.
QOTW: I am not in a real-life book club. With my two kids and all their activities, I can't add another thing to my schedule. I like reading my pics anyway.
Ok, so Tuesday was my birthday, but I was sick and spent all day in bed. To make matters worse, I felt so bad I slept all day so didn't even get to take advantage of some reading time. Boohoo!Completed To Date: 6/40, 0/10, 17 completed off-prompt
Last year, I focused heavily on the challenge books and finished just after Labor Day. This year, I've scheduled a book per week in the order of the prompts with two free weeks at the end of the year, so I'm moving more slowly this year. I like doing it this way. I'm sure I will switch out the order or skip a week at some point, but it has been nice to have books planned in advance if only because it is easier to manage the timing of the hold queues at the library.
Yes! I finally finished The Real History Behind the Templars. This is a history of the Templars written by a Medieval studies scholar, Sharan Newman. I read her Catherine LeVendeur series year ago. It is still one of my all-time favorite series. I ran across this book by accident and decided to read it. It was really interesting, and as it turned out, paired well with The Pillars of the Earth as some of the characters in this book were discussed in the Templars book.
The Magnolia Story - I was surprised at how good this book was. It tells the story of their meeting and how they started their business. I enjoyed it.
The Marriage of Opposites - I read this for a different prompt, but it would fit the prompt for which I read a different book this week. A novel based on a real person. It is about Rachel Pissarro, mother of Impressionist artist Camille Pissarro and their lives on the island of St. Thomas which was then part of the Danish West Indies. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. She was an interesting woman who led an interesting though often not happy life.
My Ántonia - I read this for a different challenge although it would fit some of the PopSugar prompts. It was ok. I felt it ended abruptly and that I didn't get all of the story. I can't say that I'm particularly interested in reading any of Cather's other books as a result of reading this one.
The Invention of Wings - Another book I enjoyed from beginning to end. I loved Sue Monk Kidd's first novel, The Secret Life of Bees, so when I saw this book, I decided to read it as well. I was not disappointed. While this is a work of fiction, it is based upon the true story of two sisters who lived in Charleston in the early 1800's when slavery was the custom and law. The story centered around the Sarah and her younger sister Angelina who were both abolitionists and feminists and the slave who Sarah was given a child. The author extensively researched multiple historical resources and tried to write a story that was as accurate as possible to both the lead characters and the life of a slave during that time. It was a great book that kept me engaged to the end. I think I will read The Dance of the Dissident Daughter for my next book by this author.
QOTW:
Yes! Last July, I changed churches after 25 years. I thought that joining the newly formed ladies book club would be a good way to meet some new ladies. It has been great. In fact, we are meeting this Sunday after church, and we will be discussing My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel which is a book that I selected for us to read. Guess I need to finish it!
I'm also in the Modern Mrs. Darcy book club. I just joined last month and participated in my first monthly book selection discussion last week. It was fun!
Also from MMD, some of the ladies started a postal book club. So it works like this, there are six people per group. We each selected a favorite book and a small journal, and recorded some reflections/questions/etc.
**Titles remain secret, so that the arrival of each book is a fun surprise.**
We mailed the book and journal to our appointed person by January 31st. They have until March 31st to read and comment on the book then send it and the journal to the next person. So it goes every two months through November 30th.
We will finish in late November, allowing a little extra time before year end in case of extenuating circumstances. The ending month will have each of us receiving our original book and journal back, with the whole group’s reflections. I mailed my book in late January and received the book I am to read. I think it will be fun. I think we all tried to select a book that is a bit off the beaten path so that it is unlikely the others will have read it.
I'm reading Gena/Finn for a book with two authors.I read We Should All Be Feminists, which fulfills an author of a different ethnicity.
Nevernight would have worked for a time of day in the title, but I just didn't like enough to keep reading.
Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict fulfills a problem facing society today.
I also read The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Make Your Loved Ones’ Lives Easier and Your Own Life More Pleasant, which could work for a book about death -- a very cheerful book about death! -- but that slot is full already.
QOTW: I'm in four real-life book clubs. One for science fiction, one for classics -- that one is lead by the University's English department, and whichever professor or grad student volunteers to lead the discussion gets to pick whatever book they want to discuss --, one that meets at the library, and one that I joined 25 years ago, where every month one of us picks the book and feeds the rest of us dinner.
Charlsa wrote: "Also from MMD, some of the ladies started a postal book club. So it works like this, there are six people per group. We each selected a favorite book and a small journal, and recorded some reflections/questions/etc...."This sounds like so much fun!
SarahKat wrote: "Charlsa wrote: "Also from MMD, some of the ladies started a postal book club. So it works like this, there are six people per group. We each selected a favorite book and a small journal, and record..."I think it will be. We ended up with nine groups. I think the book I received is a Nordic Noir. NOT my favorite genre, but I'll give it a try. Not everyone will like my selection, I am sure. It was surprisingly hard to decide which book to send. I want to pick something that most people will not have read but that I think will have some interest or at least something about it that everyone can appreciate. Time will tell.
Finished this week:White Fur finished 2/3/2018, 3 stars, a book set in the decade you were born (1980s)
Go finished 2/8/2018, 4 stars, a book by an author of a different ethnicity than you
Currently reading:
Sleeping Beauties I'm only a couple of pages in. Hopefully I'll enjoy it. It's quite long.
QOTW: Are you in a "real life" book club?
Yes. We have a specific book that we read each month based on member recommendations and voting. It's a really great group with lively discussions and cool people. I was really lucky to find a group that has similar reading tastes to me.
I've been making pretty slow progress this week. I've finished two books:- Noteworthy for my wild card option for the ATY challenge
- Little House on the Prairie, for my western for Book Riot
I've also spent the last three days making it to halfway through Beartown for my book about sports for this challenge, which I chose because it was the book of the month and because I've had a few Goodreads friends recommend it even for people like me who are not a fan of sports at all. It's very good so far, but my progress is embarrassingly slow!
QOTW:
I am not in a real-life book club, although a co-worker did offer for me to join hers. I prefer having time to think about what I want to say about the books I read before posting, and I also know that I'd have very little motivation to actually go to a book club meeting. Plus, I don't drive and don't really want to take public transit in a Canadian winter.
Hello from Las Vegas. I've been experimenting with reading more than one book at once, which is something that I never have really done. It's working for me. The weather here is really nice this week which is super lovely.QOTW:
Are you in a "real life" book club?
I am. I actually have organized a book club with my girlfriends we call it Girls Night Book Bash. We have themes for every month. So far we have read the The Bear and the Nightingale for winter magic and The Light We Lost for love is in the air. It's pretty fun.
Finished
for 22. A Book with an Alliteration in the Title
Currently Reading
I only finished one book this week, which is more my normal reading pace. This puts me at 6/50, I think.I finished The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy The Shocking Inside Story for the true crime book. I've never read true crime, it's just never really interested me. Ann Rule is a great writer, though, and I could maybe be persuaded to pick up more of her books.
And since I can never seem to stick with just one (or even two or three) books at one time, I'm also reading several others. Usually a print book (The Death Cure), an ebook (The Suspenseful Collection: Volume One) and an audio book (Bad Feminist) at the very least.
Besides those, I started reading Starcrossed for the song lyrics prompt, and I'm in the middle of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader as a read-aloud book with my boys, which, incidentally could fill several prompts.
QotW:
Yes! I am in a real life book club. It's a non-traditional sort of book club where we read whatever we want, then get together once a month to talk about all the books we love - mostly sci-fi and fantasy. We swap books regularly, and get together once in awhile for a movie night or a field trip to a local bookstore.
Completed:Matilda by Roald Dahl - Regular 13. A book that is also a stage play or musical
The BFG by Roald Dahl - Regular 33. A childhood classic you've never read
Surprisingly, I've never read a Roald Dahl book before, but both of these were really fun to read. Definitely going to be picking up some more of his books.
1984 by George Orwell - Advanced 6. An allegory
This one was kind of a mediocre read for me. It had some interesting parts, but I also got very bored with some others. I probably never would have picked it up if not for this challenge, though.
Regular: 9/42
Advanced: 1/10
Currently Reading:
My Lady Jane
A Monster Calls
The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh
QOTW: Are you in a "real life" book club?
I've never been in a book club before. Although, I tend to avoid group socializing and prefer picking my own books, so not sure if a book club would be for me.
I totally forgot it was Thursday today! We took the girls to History Colorado Museum and I was beat when we got back and so it totally slipped my mind. It was a fun day - we get free passes through our local library for 5-6 museums and art galleries and we’ve been working our way through the options. I only finished three books in the past week because one was loooooong.
Bones of the Earth was a really pleasant surprise. To be honest, I had low expectations. I’d never heard of it before searching Overdrive for a prompt involving earth, but it sounded fun and it was.
In the Shadow of the Glacieris pretty bad. The audiobook is hilarious though, because the narrator does these “Canadian” accents and they made the whole experience. I don’t know that I’ll continue with the series. I was mostly just looking to read more books with Canadian authors or content and this cake up on Overdrive. I have a limited selection here in Colorado of Canadian books, so I figured it was worth a try. But yeah, pretty bad.
Best Served Cold was our book club selection - once a year we skip the January meeting and read a longer books so clearly I left it off until three days before the meeting. I was impressed to make it through 18 of the 25 hours of the audiobook by the meeting! I might have gotten through it all if it had been more compelling - I liked it well enough but the pacing felt off somehow. Plus, I hadn’t realized it was a standalone novel that followed a trilogy that I haven’t read - should have used that extra month of time to plot through that first. I may go back and read it - but I’m not sure. I’ve heard that it has really one- dimensional female characters and that’s offputting.
I’ve started All the Light We Cannot See as an audio - hilariously in terms of the QOTW, it’s for a new book club at my local library. I’m not sure if I can make the meeting - it’s Dunday afternoon and we may be doing family activities. But I thought I should read the book and just see if I can go.
I haven’t got an ebook on the go, because I think I’m going to try and plow through Death and the Dervish in hardback. We shall see. I think it will be harder to read a hardback but hopefully. I may read a novella or some graphic novels while I’m trying to get through it.
QOTW: I’ve been in book clubs for quite awhile. I went to one or two in a bookstore in Edinburgh, but just before I moved. In Korea, I actually started up a book club where we met Sundays for brunch and it was such a shitshow. People were often too hungover to come and the people who did come often hadn’t finished the book. I personally was almost always running late because I’d been out all night dancing. One meeting one of the guys had read the wrong book but with a similar title and it took 45 minutes for any of us to realize it! 😂 We were also stuck picking books for e could find in English in enough quantity - so at the end of each meeting we’d go to the English bookstore and find something with at least ten copies, which is an odd way to pick books! That said, we had a lot of people and it ran almost two years before enough of the members moved and I was too busy training for a half marathon to keep doing it. Then in Colorado Springs I was briefly in one, but it was pretty tiny and infrequent.
When we moved to Denver, I tried out 3-4 meetup book clubs and settled on a ladies sci-fi/ fantasy group. It’s a great group of women and the discussions are hilarious. As I mentioned above, I may check out the new library group - the book list looks really good, but the timing is a bit difficult for me.
Carmen wrote: "Dani wrote: "That accent he uses in the show? I’d let him murder me. "Wanna know a secret? That's his actual accent! It's just the words that he uses and the character he plays that give it that ..."
You know, that’s funny because my SO dig into the depths of the internet over this topic. He has family in Copenhagen and it really bugged him that he couldn’t place the inflection that Mikkelsen used when he played Hannibal. In one of the books he ended up getting about the shows production they talked about how he purposely tweaked the accent so that it’d be foreign to pretty much anyone, keeping with his method of portraying Hannibal as not human.
Because, yes of course I ended up with someone who cares this deeply about really trivial things 😂
Dani wrote: "Because, yes of course I ended up with someone who cares this deeply about really trivial things 😂 "That is the best thing though! I love how he cares, because such little things are so interesting to me. But yeah. Isn't Mads just the best? The bastard.
Charlsa wrote: "Also from MMD, some of the ladies started a postal book club. So it works like this, there are six people per group. We each selected a favorite book and a small journal, and recorded some reflections/questions/etc."
I love that so much! I'd love to do such a thing, but honestly, shipping would make it impossible for me, as it's ridiculous. Because I'd end up doing it internationally of course.
Hi everyone from Brisbane Australia. We are bracing for a heat wave this week so air con might be the go.This week I finished:
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch(book with two authors). It took me three weeks to finish but I did enjoy it.
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (A book set in a library). It was a lot of fun as a YA novel and I knocked it over quickly.
Reading:
I am still reading The Midnight Club (a book with a time of day in the title) which I am just about finished. It is only short but I haven't had much time to sit down and read it.
Also reading Moby-Dick or, The Whale (an allegory). I am just about finished (about 3/4 of the way done) but it is a hell of a slog to read. I am finding it hard work. Not sure if anyone else struggled with it like I have. It is almost as if it is becoming MY "white whale".
Next on the list:
All Fall Down (Local author from Brisbane)
Rubies and Runaways (book with an alliteration) - Short YA
Kindred(book about time travel) - also short
Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts (a book involving a heist)
My Brother Jack(a book linked to your ancestry)
QOTW
No on the formal bookclub as I don't like someone else choosing my books.
I do have book friends that I meet with regularly to talk about books and swap books.
Dani wrote: "Lily and the Octopus was my lgbt protagonist prompt pick. This book made me ugly cry. But I loved it regardless. It has that small dash of magical realism..."I am definitely bumping this onto my POPSUGAR list, it fits at least 3 prompts I haven't done yet and I have a copy on my Kindle already. I love reading these updates for ideas.
Shaylee wrote: I read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for the "book set on a different plant". I'm not a fan of sci-fi books so it was a tough read.I love, love, love science fiction. But I HATED Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It felt more like a parody of sci-fi than sci-fi. (Maybe it was supposed to be?) If you ever feel like trying sci-fi again, I'd be happy to give you some recommendations for books that actually try to make sense. :D
This week I finally finished In Cold Blood and I'm so glad I did! It was so good!! True crime might not be a a genre I'll read too often, but I'm glad I pushed myself to read this classic. It was well worth the time and effort.I also finished We Should All Be Feminists! I think everyone should be required to read this book! It was fantastic! I loved it and immediately added her other books to my TBR list!
I'm currently reading What I Talk About When I Talk About Running and I've been enjoying the somewhat casual style of writing. It feels like the author is having a conversation with me which I like a lot. I can tell this book is going to motivate me to run a lot more, the further I get into this book!
QOTW
I'm not in any book clubs. I think I would like to but I wouldn't even know how to find out about any.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Tell the Wolves I'm Home (other topics)Beartown (other topics)
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania (other topics)
West with the Night (other topics)
In Farleigh Field (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Francesca Serritella (other topics)Sana Takeda (other topics)
Lisa Scottoline (other topics)
Caroline Carlson (other topics)
Marjorie M. Liu (other topics)
More...
This week I finished Blood of Wonderland. Literally nothing happened in the first book apart from backstory so I thought that this one would have a lot more going on. It does have more action but I think I am past caring. I think I won't bother with the third.
DNF: Radiance. The premise for this was so good but it was written in such a gimmicky way, it was off putting. I had also been misinformed about the era it was set in so I couldn't use it for the prompt that I was going to use it for any way.
Currently reading: The Wrath and the Dawn I have only just started this today. So far so good but too early for a decision.
Still reading The Republic of Thieves, but as slowly as I can. Who knows when The Thorn of Emberlain will be released so I need to make this last as long as possible!
QOTW: I spend my time reading to avoid socialising as much as possible so I won't be joining a book club any time soon!