Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2019 Weekly Checkins
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Week 10: 3/1 – 3/7
Raye wrote: "Hi allNot that great a week for me, as we had a death in the family on Monday. He’d been ill for the last while, but his passing still felt sudden. The funeral was yesterday, and though extremely..."
I'm very sorry for your loss.
I seemed to have skipped a week again. Work has got me all so busy. I recently finished two more books for this challenge.Here is where I stand so far in my challenges: 11/50 PS, 10/52 ATY, 11/60 GR
Finished this week:
The Heir - For prompt #34, a book with a wedding. The whole storyline centers here on the male protagonist having to get married, so this fits perfectly the topic for this prompt. And yes, there is a wedding at the end.
The Girl on the Train - For prompt #30, an amateur detective. I would say she figured out with some excessive trouble the murderer in this book while the police were incompetent and exercised favouritism. Overall, this book was more interesting to read than my last suspense The Wife Between Us. Am I converting to this genre? Not sure yet. There is maybe a book out there that will have me change my mind one day.
QOTW
I would say that I follow overall the same rating levels as the moderator's first post.
5 - Excellent book: I loved the book so much I want to buy it (if I don't already own it) and read it again.
4 - Very good: I enjoyed immensely the story and the characters, but I don't see myself reading it again.
3 - Good: I liked the book overall, the story was ok. I don't dislike, but also don't adore the book.
2 - Dislike: I didn't like the book, left me feeling blah and not happy to have read it.
1- Very Bad: This is when the book was so bad I didn't finish it.
Karen wrote: "Hello feom WI. This week I completed 5 books and had one dnf.
I am embarrassed to say I could not finish A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by [author:Mary Wollstonecraft|1853305..."
Don't be embarassed, Karen! I have never been able to read it, finding the writing style and language nearly impenetrable, and I have read endless books in this genre from all eras, viewpoints, styles. I think it is the combination of being a treatise and the language and writing style for works like that in the era. Plus Mary was just not a great writer. A great revolutionary and leader, but not writer.
Mod
I gave Stardust 2 stars because I thou..."
Oh I loved Stardust! But I agree the movie was even better, because they had Robert DeNiro dressed as a ballerina in a blimp and you can't beat that.
Mod
I started a book for the PS challenge but abandoned it. It was for the prompt, "A book with pop, sugar, or challenge in the title"
The Case Against Sugar by ..."
I don't count DNFs towards this reading challenge, but if I was really struggling with a category, and I gave the book as much of myself as I was capable of giving, I would probably bend my own rule and count it. (I came really REALLY close this year w/ the "more than one millions ratings" category, but I managed to finish the audiobook while admittedly not paying a lot of attention to it so I missed parts but I didn't care.) For me, the point of the challenge is to try new things and read outside my comfort zone, and sometimes that results in failure! - you tried it, and it just wasnt' work for you, so why waste valuable reading time reading something you don't want to read.
I didn't finish any books this week. Question of the week:
I do not. My guidelines are my feelings. So, I can be stingy. Most of my books are three stars. They're entertaining, but it's possible I'll forget about the book. Two Stars or One Star are for the books that make me angry, due to disappointment in the book or because I feel I wasted my time. Four Stars or Five Starts are for the books I couldn't put down, and I know I'll never forget. I rarely stop reading a book, so I have not had to make this decision, but, I would say that I probably would not.
13/50Finished this week
✔ Kindred, by Octavia Butler – PSRC #31. A book about a family ☆☆☆☆☆
✔ Where’d You Go, Bernadette?, by Maria Semple – PSRC #16. A book with a question in the title ☆☆☆☆☆
Now reading
★★ The Woman in the Window, by A.J. Finn – PSRC #1. A book becoming a movie in 2019
★★ The New Artist’s Manual, by Simon Jennings (because I want to read an art book every month this year)
QOTW
I rate emotionally...
5 - I loved it
4 - mostly loved it but there was some flaw
3 - unenthusiastic
2 - didn't care much for it
1 - didn't like it at all
Not too long ago I DNF'ed a book after 10 chapters, and gave it two stars. I wanted to give it one star but added one because I think the writer has potential, if she could pick her characters up out of the gutter and give us a likable protagonist.
Teri wrote: "Spent yesterday at the hospital again having tests, so a late checkin... I keep seeing good reviews of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I'm contemplating choosing it for my next book club selection... For those of you who have read it - do you think someone who has little interest in celebrities/Hollywood and/or romance novels would still enjoy this?? Thanks :)
Nadine wrote: "Oh I loved Stardust! But I agree the movie was even better, because they had Robert DeNiro dressed as a ballerina in a blimp and you can't beat that."Haha. I too adore the book, it's actually one of my all-time favorites. But I might love the movie even more. I mean, you're right, can't beat DeNiro dressed as a ballerina in a blimp :)
I had quite a productive week. It helps that my other Goodreads group is doing a readathon this week, so it was a pretty good motivator. - Long Way Down for my novel told in verse for Bookish 2018
- Spinning for my book with a one-word title for Bookish 2018
- A Court of Frost and Starlight for my book set during a holiday for my Modified Mannegren Challenge
- All We Ever Wanted for my book recommended by a celebrity you admire for PopSugar
- A little over a quarter of Emergency Contact for my book written by an author from Asia, Africa, or South America for PopSugar
QOTW
This is a great question, and something I've been thinking more about lately since I've noticed that I'm having more trouble deciding on ratings.
I generally rate books mostly in terms of my enjoyment of the reading experience:
5 stars - thoroughly engaged with the book, very interesting characters and/or plot, thought-provoking or something about it that will stick with me. Would easily recommend this.
4 stars - enjoyed reading it and it kept my attention, generally well-written although there may be some minor flaws. These are often books that I loved while reading, but found less memorable afterwards. I would consider recommending it.
3 stars - had more about it that I liked than didn't like, was decent at the time but wouldn't recommend. I usually find that these are books that had a very interesting concept, but I didn't like the way it was executed.
2 stars - Really didn't like much about it at all. Either poorly written, or really didn't like the characters/plot
1 star - Did not like this at all and strongly considered DNF'ing
I wouldn't say that I'm stingy with my stars. It is extremely rare for me to give anything a 1 or a 2, although I think that's because I'm a pretty good judge of what I might like. The vast majority of the books I read end up getting a 4. I've noticed lately that I've had a really hard time deciding between a 3 and a 4, or a 4 and a 5. Many books I've read lately should be getting 3.5 or 4.5 but Goodreads forces me to choose. I find I often end up feeling a bit bad about giving a book a 3 even though 3 really isn't a bad rating.
I only have one book that I've ever DNF'ed and I did give that one a 1-star rating, but in general I wouldn't rate a book that I haven't finished. If anything, I would write a review that comments about why I was unable to finish, but I wouldn't feel right giving a rating that doesn't reflect the whole book because it might get better by the end. I almost never DNF though, so it's not such a concern for me.
Lauren wrote: "I keep seeing good reviews of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I'm contemplating choosing it for my next book club selection... For those of you who have read it - do you think someone who has little interest in celebrities/Hollywood and/or romance novels would still enjoy this?? Thanks :) "I DID NOT WANT TO READ THIS BOOK ( at all...ever) 😂 The cover just turned me off, LOL. I am not much interested in celebrities/hollywood, and definitely not romance, and definitely , definitely not interested in that many husbands. This book is not that. It ended up being one of the first books I read last year and MY FAVORITE book that I read last year. Loved the characters. Loved figuring out the "why" of it all. I say go for it!!!!
I've been delinquent in checking in for the last couple of weeks. I was struggling to stay out of a slump towards the end of February and most of the reading I was doing that was causing the slump or attempting to pull out of it was not Popsugar related so I didn't feel motivated to post about it. I do think I've rallied though. Currently at 17/53 for the challenge and 25 total for the year. Since my last update (I think) I've finished the following for Popsugar:The Mothers by Britt Bennett for an author whose first and last name start with the same initial. I really enjoyed this one, it had several strong characters and Bennett was great at making them sympathetic while they made some crappy decisions.
The Bluest Eye for a book you saw someone reading on TV or in a movie. On The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Sabrina's BFF Roz starts a book club to read this book after it's banned in class by their school. This was a fantastic book, although definitely some dark, serious subject matter. I've sadly never read Toni Morrison before so I'm glad I finally picked her up.
Dare Me for a book with a two word title. I figured Megan Abbott was the perfect author to help pull me out of slump territory, although this ended up being a little of a slower read than I expected. Her style on this one made me slow down and pay attention a bit more both to keep up with what was going on and catch some great language. I read later that she was inspired by Richard III for this one and I can definitely see this in many turns of phrase in the book. It hasn't been my favorite of her novels though, and there were several continuity errors that were driving me nuts by the end.
Girls' Night Out for a book with two female authors. Thrillers are basically brain candy for me so this was a fast read, but pretty meh. I found two of the three main characters quite irritating by the end (the missing person, Ashley, was annoying almost from page one, and I did not understand why her other two friends loved her so much).
There have been a few others in there that I don't currently have slotted in for PopSugar so I'll spare the details. Currently I'm rereading Where'd You Go, Bernadette for the monthly group read. I haven't done much rereading for a while but I'm planning to pick up a few more old favorites this year and I'm really glad this was chosen as the group read to prompt me to revisit it. I'm really enjoying it on the second go-around and I'm glad I'll be sharper on the details when the movie comes out later this year.
QotW
I don't usually agonize over ratings, but there are some books I do struggle with what to go with. Sometimes I will go back and change my original rating a few days/weeks after the fact (sadly usually downgrading when, the more I think about a book, the more problems I have with it). I try to be generous and round up if there is something I feel like would be a half-star rating.
Theresa wrote: "Karen wrote: "Hello feom WI. This week I completed 5 books and had one dnf.
I am embarrassed to say I could not finish A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by [author:Mary Wollston..."
Thank you, my friend. Its's good to know I'm not alone. I done have a biography of her and her daughter I want to read because I do think Mary led a fascinating life.
Good evening guys. I hope every one had a good week and a great start to Spring Break (at least here in Houston,TX it's already Spring Break). I don't plan on doing much maybe a movie and some window shopping. I also have a lot of class work to do so it's not much of break. This week I read two books:
Sea Witch for book with a two word title
and The Atomic City Girls no prompt for this one; besides it was a dud for me
I'm currently reading To Kill a Kingdom.
Question of the week:
Question from Serendipity - Do people agonize over what star rating to give a book (or is that just me) and how do you decide?
I did up until late 2017. I found Book Roast's a rating system on YouTube for her books and now I use her method. I did, however, modify it as I only needed 5 of the 7 categories she used. Here's the link to her video if you're interested: https://youtu.be/vcXoB38tSUI
Do you have any guidelines for how you rate books?
When rating the books I read, I take into account the characters, atmosphere, plot, intrigue, and enjoyment. I rate each one between 1-10, then I divide the total by 5 which then gives me my star rating. About 95% of the time my calculated star rating is accurate.
Are you stingy with your stars? If so, why?
No, I think the system I use works well for me. And for the 5% that it doesn't work for me, is because I want to bump it up not down.
Do you rate books you don’t finish?
Only if I have read either 5 chapters or 20% of the book (some books have short chapters which makes rating difficult). That usually gives me enough to work with so that I can give it rating.
Carmen wrote: "Teri wrote: "Carmen wrote: "Milena wrote: "Carmen, I just added like 3 books to my TBR based on your update!."The Binding'd better be one of them haha! I should get paid for all the people I got ..."
Picked up The Binding yesterday as it was on special in BW.. Won't read it right now as I suspect I am not in the right frame of mind to appreciate it!
Hey Everyone! I am participating in this years challenge and I dunno why I never thought of posting before! I just checked in to see whats going on and the question of the week strike a chord with me since just last week I had posted a similar thought on my blog!
I used to think I gave high ratings and that I was quiet generous with them but when I checked at the start of the month I realised my average rating is three and out of the 25 books I read this year I rated 13 books a three star around 5 books a four star and quiet a few 2 stars! I realised am more strict than I thought was.
In the end I decided that what my ratings reflect is what I felt at the end of the book and how good the writing was in whole.
I have completed only three prompts so far:
An Anonymous Girl - two female authors ( 4 stars )
" and The Girl Across the Street - Published this year ( 3.5 stars )
One of Us Is Lying - Multiple POVs. ( 4 stars )
I read four books in the first week of march
The Woman in Cabin 10 ( 4 stars )
An Anonymous Girl - Greer Hendricks
The girl across the street - Vikki Patis
One of us is lying - Karen McManus
Planning to read the following this week:
The Perfect Girlfriend
Watching You
and others will be decided once i finish these two..
Cheers!
Jen wrote: "Carmen wrote: "Teri wrote: "Carmen wrote: "Milena wrote: "Carmen, I just added like 3 books to my TBR based on your update!."The Binding'd better be one of them haha! I should get paid for all th..."
I can't wait to hear what you think when you get to it!
I had a fairly busy reading week, mainly due to the length of the books I've been reading lately. I finished two books and have three in progress. I'm at 11/40 and 1/10 for this challenge, and 26/100 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge.Finished:
* The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke by Andrew Lawler, which I decided to use for "a book that makes you nostalgic" prompt; I originally chose it for the Modern Mrs. Darcy challenge prompt "a book about a topic that fascinates you."
* Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, which fit many prompts; I ultimately decided to use it for "a book told from multiple character POVs." I also used it for the AACPL Reading Challenge March prompt (a book by or about women).
Currently Reading:
* The Witch Elm by Tana French, which I plan to use for the plant prompt;
* Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li, which I'll likely use for "a book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter;" it's also one of my book clubs' picks for March; and,
* The Winter Sister by Megan Collins, which I won a copy of thanks to a Twitter giveaway run by one of the podcasts I listen to (Unlikeable Female Characters) 😃
QotW:
Question from Serendipity - Do people agonize over what star rating to give a book (or is that just me) and how do you decide? I (Sara) will add in some additional parts to this question:
-Do you have any guidelines for how you rate books?
-Are you stingy with your stars? If so, why?
-Do you rate books you don’t finish?
I only agonize over the star rating sometimes. It's usually a case where I thought I wasn't in the right frame of mind when I read the book and saw value in it, or there was something that left me unsettled and I wouldn't necessarily say I "liked" the story. For example, last month I gave a book 4 stars because the writing and research were excellent, but I thought the story was depressing.
I try to stick to the Goodreads definitions for the stars when making my decisions; I used to consider a 3-star rating just an ok book, but now use 2 stars for those. My average rating is 3.75 currently and has consistently hovered around there since I joined Goodreads.
I don't think I'm stingy with my stars, but I try to reserve a 5-star rating for books that truly blow me away. I'm more liberal with 5-star ratings than some of my friends, but definitely less so than other raters on Goodreads. For me to give a 5-star rating, it's usually a case where the story and/or writing stick with me or moves me, or I learned something or changed my views.
I rarely don't finish a book, but won't rate them if I don't for the most part. I try to include a review though to explain the non-rating but don't always. I'd love it if there was a "no rating" option for those cases because I'd rather do that than give a 1-star for a book I didn't finish.
Tracy wrote: "Lauren wrote: "I keep seeing good reviews of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I'm contemplating choosing it for my next book club selection... For those of you who have read it..."Sounds great - thank you!
I haven't finished any books this week so I'm still at 12 books read for the challenge. I made the mistake of starting lots of different books at once and splitting my attention in too many directions. So for now I've decided to focus on the following two, both of which I'm really enjoying, and read other things at a slower pace when I'm in the mood for them.Chosen - this is a romance I've had on my Kindle for a while, and I realised it would fit the cli-fi prompt. It's definitely holding my attention so far. It's scary how easy it is to imagine a world where the climate is completely wrecked.
Vixen - I'm listening to this on audio and it's very different and intriguing, with some fantastical elements. I'm using it for a book set in a vicarage. Technically it's set in a priest's house and parish as there were no vicars at the time of the story, but I'm still counting it.
QOTW - I don't usually spend very long deciding what to rate a book and just go with my instincts. I tend to go with how much I enjoyed a book rather than how technically "good" it is. I wouldn't say I'm stingy and I don't like giving one star ratings, although I have done it. It's usually when I've ended up resenting the time I've spent reading a particular book because it's so bad, or if the author endorses a stance I have a problem with (e.g. homophobia).
Did you know that checking in on GoodReads on Sundays is a highlight of my day and week!? I look forward to lazy Sunday morning, reading everyone's posts, finding out about the weather all over the world (it amazes me how there are so many people from so many different countries in this group!), and sharing about my reading.I finished Us Against You by Fredrik Backman this week. I felt this sequel was better than the original, and I LOVED the first novel Beartown. I read it so fast. I wanted to read this last year but ran out of time. So that's the prompt it filled.
I am on such a roll with good books lately! I'm in reading euphoria. It's effecting my sleep and work. Ooooops!!
I started two books this week:
Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple - I've seen this book in book stores for a long time and thought it looks/sounded interesting. I'm so glad I am finally reading it. I thank the monthly challenges for that. It is such a fun read.
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys - Another book I've seen but hadn't picked up yet. It's for the salty prompt. I am reading this as an audio book and it has me hooked in.
QotW:
I don't agonize at all about rating them. My guidelines for rating them are what pops up when I hover over the stars.
It was amazing (5), I really liked it (4), liked it (3), it was okay (2), did not like it (1). I go with my feelings when I finish and never look back. And I do not rate books I don't finish unless it's because I hated it. Which doesn't happen too often. I usually plow through books even if I hate them.
Speaking of ratings, I was looking at my stats for the past couple years, and they wind up pretty bell-shaped. (keeping in mind that 3 is a positive rating from me, it means I enjoyed the book)
23/50 for this challenge so far. Finished by 3/10:
Station Eleven
The Read-Aloud Handbook
Beneath a Scarlet Sky
Sad Cypress: A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisation
Snow Falling on Cedars
Currently reading:
The Beantown Girls (both audio & Kindle
The Cuckoo's Calling
The book Beneath A Scarlet Sky made me change my challenge list of books. I was going to read Secret History by Donna Tartt for the university/college/campus prompt, but I took it back to the library. After reading Beneath A Scarlet Sky I just couldn't read another 500+ page book right away. I really wanted to like the book. The cover is gorgeous, the story itself (supposedly a true story) was compelling, but the author did a crappy job. He described in detail scenes that nobody really cares about too much when picking up a book like that; other scenes that could have made the book really fantastic he discussed like he was in a hurry.
As for the QotW: I use my own star rating system and explain it on my profile. When you go to my profile, you can read this description of my rating system:
5 Stars - Loved this book like my own children. Recommend it. Would read it again. Not ashamed to show everyone that I read and loved it.
4 Stars - Great book. I wouldn't jump off a bridge or run into a burning house to save it, but I enjoyed reading it and recommend it.
3 Stars - It's an OK book. There are some minor issues that made me go "ugh," but overall it was still a book I could finish, but I wouldn't reread it or recommend it to a close friend or family member.
2 Stars - I had a hard time with this one to the point where I almost didn't finish it. I gave this one a shot, but it committed far too many cardinal sins of grammar, common sense, good taste, basic science, (etc.) that I struggled with it. Basically, I wasted a few hours of my life that I could have spent on something more useful.
1 Star - Emmmmm, nope!!!! I would never read it again and would not pick it up even if it was the only book left after the apocalypse, and I would definitely not recommend to anyone else for fear of losing a friend, hurting someone else's feelings, or getting blamed for injuries resulting from them banging their foreheads against the wall or falling over after shaking their head like crazy while or after reading it.
Resistance continues. I did finish Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which was a quicker and easier read than I expected, even though it was liberally slathered with quotes from her Supreme Court opinions.
Still working on The Essex Serpent. Not quite feeling audiobooks lately, but I've listened to more than half, and it is a good story.
I'll probably lollygag through Genuine Black and White Magic of Marie Laveau: Hoodoo's Earliest Grimoire and Spell Book, since it is something of a reference book for practicing magicians. I do need to read it all, just not right now :)
And I started Harry Karlinsky's The Stonehenge Letters, because I couldn't resist. I read a third of it in a few days. (And damn the buggy Hoopla app!) This is for my invented "Anne Elk" category: A work of alternative history and its real-life counterpart. I'm going to pair it with Stonehenge: The Story of a Sacred Landscape -- but maybe i should read a life of Alfred Nobel instead.
Still working on The Essex Serpent. Not quite feeling audiobooks lately, but I've listened to more than half, and it is a good story.
I'll probably lollygag through Genuine Black and White Magic of Marie Laveau: Hoodoo's Earliest Grimoire and Spell Book, since it is something of a reference book for practicing magicians. I do need to read it all, just not right now :)
And I started Harry Karlinsky's The Stonehenge Letters, because I couldn't resist. I read a third of it in a few days. (And damn the buggy Hoopla app!) This is for my invented "Anne Elk" category: A work of alternative history and its real-life counterpart. I'm going to pair it with Stonehenge: The Story of a Sacred Landscape -- but maybe i should read a life of Alfred Nobel instead.
I haven't been very active in posting my reading progress since the beginning of this year. So far I have read 7 books, 5 of which were a part of this challenge:Charitraheen by Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyaya
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
I am a home to butterflies by J. Alchem
Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie
Drakeryn wrote: "Julie wrote: "Caraval fell well short of my expectations. I'd say that maybe I've reached the age (mid-40ish) where I'm too old for YA, but I read and enjoyed The Sun Is Also a Star and The Hate U ..."Drakeryn, your assessments are so right! Thanks for the validation.
Really late check-in for me but I liked the QOTW and wanted to do a full post.Completed:
Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood- - I enjoyed the direction the author took this retelling of Red Riding Hood and especially how she interprets the character of Red as brave and involved in her own story instead of just reacting to everything that happens. This author also incorporates elements of other fairy tales such as Golidlocks and the Three Bears, Snow White and Beauty and the Beast which has bothered some who have read this book but for me worked with the story arch she was pursuing.
Prompt: Your favorite prompt from a past Popsugar Reading Challenge (2016 based on a fairy tale)
Prompt: A book by an author who has more than one book on your TBR (ATY)
Prompt: Fairy tale retelling (Booked2019 Seasonal Reading Challenge)
Prompt: #1 of 3 books by the same author (Modern Mrs. Darcy)
Currently Reading:
Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet
The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism
QOTW:
My typical star rating is either a 3 or 4 and these I do not agonize over. Once I start a book I have to finish it so do not use the 1 star rating; if a book is terrible it gets a 2. I try to reserve a 5 star rating for an absolutely exceptional book which sometimes causes me to question if a book should be a 4 or 5 especially if there are no glaring flaws. In this situation, I ask myself if and how the book changed my perspective. If yes, I give the 5 stars.
I use the following guidelines for my star ratings:
5- This is a book containing characters and a storyline that will stay with me long after I have closed the pages of the book. It has made me view life in a new perspective that is powerful. I cannot stop talking about the book and recommend it to everyone.
4- This is a book that I found enjoyable but there was some flaw such as a character making a random choice that didn’t fit with the flow of the story or a sudden ending that does not fully resolve the plotline.
3- This is a book that has a decent storyline and characters but did not move me any particular way.
2- This is a book that is seriously flawed in linguistic structure or has a storyline that is repetitive or remains stuck. Also has characters who are not fully developed or lack growth.
Carmen wrote: "Technically not yet started, but really should, my ARC of The Princess and the Fangirl."You got an ARC???? I looooooved Geekerella and I can't wait to get my hands on this next one. Where did you get the ARC?
Oh my, I had to edit my post! I just found it on Netgalley and requested it! I hope they grant my request. I really want to read the book NOW lol
Sara wrote: "Also, please consider volunteering as a discussion leader for June (Crazy Rich Asians) "Sara, romantic (chick-lit) novels are not really my cup of tea, but I wouldn't mind volunteering for one of the monthly discussions in the future.
Simone wrote: "Carmen wrote: "Technically not yet started, but really should, my ARC of The Princess and the Fangirl."You got an ARC???? I looooooved Geekerella and I can't wait to get my hands on this next one..."
Fingers crossed! I hope to finally start it today. Again. Dammit haha!
I'm late posting this week because I had the flu and haven't been online much. Finished:
I didn't finish anything since my last post. I wasn't feeling well enough to read while I was sick.
Challenge Progress:
Regular challenge - 14/40
Advanced challenge - 1/10
Currently Reading:
My currently reading is the same as last week!
An Anonymous Girl
Beautiful Bad
The Lying Game
QOTW:
Do people agonize over what star rating to give a book (or is that just me) and how do you decide? I struggle with star ratings, and I really wish they would add the option for half stars.
Some additional parts to this question:
Do you have any guidelines for how you rate books? It just depends on how I felt about the book. I used to not like giving different ratings than my friends, but realized that was silly so now I'm just honest with how I felt about the book.
Are you stingy with your stars? If so, why? Not really. I give more higher ratings than lower.
Do you rate books you don’t finish? I always finish books even if I don't like them. I don't know why!
While I have been reading for the challenge, I've been sorely remiss in posting (college will do that to you!) and want to get back on track.Finished since last post:
Ragtime
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Cannery Row
China Rich Girlfriend
And I've been on quite the Harry Potter kick lately (I'm counting these for the challenge because believe it or not, I haven't read them before!):
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
In progress:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Anthropology of an American Girl
War and Peace This one is a long-term goal and I'll probably always have at least one other book going while I read it. It's quite good but because of the sheer length alone I expect it to be one of the last ones I finish this year.
Overall I'm at 9/50 for the challenge which puts me at an average of 1 per week!
I love that quite a few of you are reading War and Peace! I read it a few years ago, because my best friend jokingly told me I'd finish it in like a week because I read so fast. So I picked it up (in Dutch) and while not in a week, I read it in like 5/6 weeks haha!Really enjoyed it, and hope to watch the show still, as rereading, perhaps on audio.
Hi everyone! :DI thought of making a break of any challenges and just relax and read a book from a genre I'm comfortable in but after reading James Patterson's Roses are Red I realized it could fit a prompt so why not! :D
Anyhow that brings me to 6/50 but I'm not too worried as I'm starting soon to read a couple of books for the challenge including:
,
,
and
for the March challengeso I should be back on track :)
As for the QOTW
Do people agonize over what star rating to give a book (or is that just me) and how do you decide?
I do think a lot about it and try to be consistent but I definitely can't. Sometimes I give the same rating to two books whose qualities can't compare just because of my mood at that time.
-Do you have any guidelines for how you rate books?
No, not really. I might have some guidelines in the future but for now I mostly rate by my feelings :P
-Are you stingy with your stars? If so, why?
No I'm not, most of the books I give are at least 3-4 stars and giving 5 stars I do quite often
-Do you rate books you don’t finish?
If I really hate the book then yes. But I have a small issue (it's like an itch really) that makes me continue whatever I start till the end no matter what (I mean I have 4 books paused now and I'm going to read them soon)
I feel like I am posting so late.Only read 2 books, and none counted for the challenge.
I finished Candy Cane Murder, which was okay.
Then I read Where'd You Go, Bernadette, just because I could borrow it from a friend during this month. I'm not sure if I am going to count it for the challenge or not. I feel like the title wasn't a question mark, but the book certainly was.
QotW:
Sometimes I know what to rate a book right away when I finish it, and sometimes I have to evaluate how I felt about the book and let it settle into the right place. My reviews and ratings are my own, so I don't worry too much about them. (I've had a few authors comment or like my reviews, which is cool, but doesn't affect how I feel about the book.)
I vaguely have guidelines that evolved over the years of reading and reviewing. Five stars are the books that are my favorites and that I love and reread again and again. (15%) Four stars are the books that I enjoyed, didn't find major flaws, and would read again. (This is the bulk of my ratings, so 56% is not surprising.) Three stars are the books that are okay, well written, but I may or may not reread again. (21%) Two stars are books that I really didn't connect with, really disliked and that I would probably not read again. (6%) One star books are ones that I particularly hated and would never touch again. (0% because I only have 6 of those. I tend to put the dislike into the 2 stars instead, since usually it is just not my cup of tea).
Obviously, I am not stingy. I tend to start at the 4 star mark and either go up or down grade depending on how I feel about the book. The lower the rating is, the more wordy my review is, as I do feel like I need to explain why I rated it how I did.
I usually skim instead of DNF books, but if I did, I think it would all depend on where I left off. If I only just started the book and wasn't really connecting with it, I might not rate it. Or, I probably would rate it, but that would depend on why I didn't connect. If I hit a thing that made me go 'nope', then I would rate it because it made me go nope.
Been away this weekend so I'm behind on the thread...but I think the UK hardback of The Binding is still pretty, even if it's not quite the same as the proof. Waterstones also has special editions which are sprayed blue on the edges.https://www.instagram.com/p/BtO6kDvgHVx/
I'm guessing in the US they didn't make the board cover foiled?
There are two editions of the Binding on Amazon. One that was released in January and one that will be released in April. They are from different publishers. I'm trying to decide which one to get. The covers are close but different. Anyone know the difference?
Karen wrote: "There are two editions of the Binding on Amazon. One that was released in January and one that will be released in April. They are from different publishers. I'm trying to decide which one to get. ..."The April one cover has different colors and deckled edges. I really want that one because this is a perfect book for deckled edges! To be fair, I want pretty much all the editions of this book, not gonna lie. The blue edges are sold out, but that's fine, it's the purple ones I'm after, so if anyone has access to a Waterstones and could look for me, that'd be great! Of course I'd pay for the book and shipping.
Karen wrote: "There are two editions of the Binding on Amazon. One that was released in January and one that will be released in April. They are from different publishers. I'm trying to decide which one to get. ..."The standard UK edition (the one I shared a picture of) is from The Borough Press and was released in January. The US edition is the one out in April.
Finished: The Shepherd's Crown for A book published posthumouslyStarted and finished: Remember Me This Way. At the moment this isn't for the challenge, as it doesn't really fit any prompt (or at least, any prompt that I haven't already filled). Technically, it does work for A book that includes a wedding, but said wedding is done and dusted in about three short paragraphs, so that sort of feels like getting it through on a technicality! So I'm going to hold it in reserve for the moment...
Started: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society for A book by two female authors
QOTW:
Since I only joined Goodreads to start this challenge, I've only recently started star-rating books. I'm not sure that I agonise over it, per se, but thinking about it now and looking at the books read so far for the challenge, there's definitely a plethora of 3-star ratings, which to me signifies that I liked the book pretty well, but it didn't really make a huge impact on me. My personal enjoyment of a book factors heavily into the star-rating given (which seems obvious, but still...). I've only had a few 4-star ratings so far, which signifies a book that I properly enjoyed, but that didn't completely rock my world. And even now, looking back at those 4-stars, I can see that there's one I know I enjoyed more than the others, so should that actually be a 5-star? I don't know!
The one 2-star I've given was, curiously enough, a book I raced through and finished in about three days (a weekend where I dind't have a lot on, I think!), but when I had finished it, I realised that a lot of things about it had irritated me and spoiled it as a reading experience. I'm not sure how bad a book would have to be to get a 1-star!
Week 1024. The Night Tiger -- A book that's published in 2019
25. Magic Binds -- A book inspired by mythology, legend, or folklore
Carmen, someone on Ebay UK is selling a signed purple edition.
Simone wrote: "Carmen, someone on Ebay UK is selling a signed purple edition."My birthday is at the end of the month. I just may buy myself one if there's still one available. ;-)
Has anyone found that they are entering a point where it is harder to take books off your TBR list and add them to your Reading Challenge List? I find that I have multiple books that meet a category, but I am running out of unique places to put them. I usually go to the library for my books, and as such, there are long wait lists for popular titles. I dont want to sacrifice my chance to read a book I have been waiting months over just because I need to be reading books that meet challenge requirements. This is my first time participating in the Reading Challenge, and maybe I am missing the point. Moving forward, I will curate my library wish list towards reading prompts, and in the meantime, I will have a few extra titles on hand.Recently read:
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine - Book recommended by celebrity (Reese Witherspoon)
Becoming - An own voices book
Tell Me Lies - Book from multiple POVs
Currently reading:
Clock Dance - plant on cover
An Anonymous Girl - a book with two female authors.
Educated - not sure where to put this one yet
My star rating can fluctuate depending on my mood and/or emotional state at the time of reading a book
5 star: I loved this book. I couldn't put it down, and it evoked an emotional response
4 star: great read, would recommend the title to a friend
3 star: a good book.
2 star: I finished it, but I would not read it again
1 star: I rarely rate book as 1 star. I guess this would fall to DNF; however, I feel bad rating a book that I couldn't finish. (What if it gets better, and I didnt give it a chance!?)
Carolyn wrote: "Has anyone found that they are entering a point where it is harder to take books off your TBR list and add them to your Reading Challenge List? I find that I have multiple books that meet a categor..."That is why my challenge list keeps changing and I signed up for multiple challenges. That has helped a lot. If it doesn't fit a Popsugar challenge prompt, it might fit one in the two other challenges I'm signed up for. And I hope and pray that not all of the books that I have on hold at library become available at the same time lol.
Carolyn wrote: "Has anyone found that they are entering a point where it is harder to take books off your TBR list and add them to your Reading Challenge List? I find that I have multiple books that meet a categor..."Yep! I was just reading and figuring where things could go as I went, and now I'm to the point I need to find a book that fits the prompt and not a prompt to fit my book.
I have also found myself rearranging books and assigning them to a different prompt just to fit a book I wanted to read to a prompt.
Simone wrote: "Carmen, someone on Ebay UK is selling a signed purple edition."Man those prices are INSANE, not to mention the shipping it would cost me. Such a shame :( Thank you so much, though!
Carolyn wrote: "Has anyone found that they are entering a point where it is harder to take books off your TBR list and add them to your Reading Challenge List? I find that I have multiple books that meet a categor..."I was quite surprised to make it until March before I read something that didn't fit either of my challenges! I read enough not to worry too much about everything fitting though. You have to let yourself have a few freebie reads otherwise you will start resenting the challenge. You can always be very creative with how books fit prompts, there are no challenge police round here.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (other topics)Avid Reader: A Life (other topics)
Where'd You Go, Bernadette (other topics)
Chocolat (other topics)
The Girl with No Shadow (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay (other topics)Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (other topics)
Stephen R. Covey (other topics)
Gabriel García Márquez (other topics)
Stuart Turton (other topics)
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I started a book for the PS challenge but abandoned it. It was for the prompt, "A book with pop, sugar, or challenge in the title"
The Case Against Sugar by Gary Taubes
I started this on audio, since I like to listen to the non-fiction I want to read, and also because I'm trying to accomplish more reading. It wasn't what I expected. It was very heavy on the history of sugar and how it came to America and so on. I was hoping it would be more of an informative case of why sugar isn't good for us. It put me to sleep so I DNF. Should I still count this for the challenge or do I pick another one for this prompt?
My favorite book this week was a galley. The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves. I had no idea what it was about going into it, and I'm not sure I would have picked it up otherwise, but it was excellent. I learned a ton while enjoying this sweet love story. It's got chops!
I also read a galley of Phaedra Patrick's new book coming out this month. The Library of Lost and Found
At first I was sure I wouldn't like it, and actually set it aside for a week or more, but I ended up liking it! It is a heartwarming story for sure, and I always enjoy a book about books!
Question of the week:
Do people agonize over what star rating to give a book (or is that just me) and how do you decide? I usually know what rating I'm going to give a book by the time I've finished it. I like what Sara said about knowing my taste and only picking books I will enjoy. I think those of us who are intentional about what we read are going to have an easier time giving out those stars.
-Do you have any guidelines for how you rate books? Not really; if it entertains me and is written well I give it 4-5 stars every time.
-Are you stingy with your stars? No, and I'm not afraid to give it 1-2 stars either! If I absolutely hate it and wouldn't recommend it to anyone, I rate it low.
-Do you rate books you don’t finish? no