Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2020 Weekly Checkins
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Week 19: 4/30 - 5/7
Happy Thursday. We've had some rain, but for the most part it's been nice and sunny which makes me so happy. I'm counting down the days till the library and book stores open back up, while worrying that it's too soon...Books I finished:
All Systems Red - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ So now I know what all the hype is about. I loved this and am using the next books as carrots to get me to finish off some of the many books I've started and never finished.
Bellweather Rhapsody - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This brought me back to when I was in high school and I went to music festivals and choir camp. I think there ended up being one too many plot threads going on, but I still really enjoyed it.Books I made progress on:
Silver-Tongued DevilQOTW
Stegosaurus all the way! But on a related note, I remember getting into an argument at school about exactly what type of dinosaur Littlefoot was - Brontosaurus or Diplodocus. So years later when I found out that they'd realized that those were the same dinosaur I had to laugh.
This week I read for number 31, a book with gold, silver or bronze in the title. It actually has two of them--if you like dark, y/a fairy tale retellings, you will probably like this one better than I did :).Strands of Bronze and Gold
Happy Thursday all! We had a very warm weekend, a cool (thank you!) Spring week, and now we are having snow. Tomorrow we could have a scorcher or temps below zero. It’s been a trippy week. On that note, I...Finished:
The God Game, Trippy! Wow, this grabbed me and didn’t let go. It was sort of a cross between Ready Player One and something Dan Brown would write. Yes, look up the chapter titles and references you don’t know – it makes the book even more worth it. It is also a strange crossover mix of YA and adult – seniors in high school confronting teen drama and …. Crowdsourcing morality vs. conscience? I felt like I was on a pulse- pounding acid trip, and I had to read Thich Nhat Hanh at night so I could calm down and sleep! I HATED the AI, but loved the other characters. And the end … brilliant, and maybe a teeny wee hint of a sequel?
The Little Treasury of One Hundred People, One Poem Each: . I loved this anthology of poems, all from Japanese masters, female and male, from the 7th to the early 13th centuries. If you are familiar with manga, you probably know about Ogura Hyaku Nin Isshu . I didn’t – this 13th century compilation is the basis of a popular card game, and there are professional competitions in Japan! Another country on my bucket list.
This edition was gorgeous: it presented the kanji and the transliteration in English – which was super helpful, because you can read and hear the alliteration and puns , even if you are not trained in Japanese. The English versions are like sweet rich truffles – you want to savor them. The translator has interesting notes, about puns in the poem, literary conventions and symbols, relations between the poets. Anthology .
QOYW:
Brontosaurus forever! I remember the name changed to Apatosaurus, but then Scientific American said they were two different dinosaurs. Which made me happy because wayyyy back in the Mesozoic Era, when I was in kindergarten and first grade, Brontosaurus - that's what we called 'em.
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Wow. I had planned to read A Gathering of Shadows in May, but bumped it back to June. Now I'm really anxious to get into it. I loved the first book!
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Glad to hear your experience with rereading The Starless Sea. I was kinda lost the first time I read it and am rereading for a buddy read this month. Hope my experience is similar to yours.
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I am so glad to hear that someone else's cat loves to shred paper! At least I am not alone in that challenge! :)
I usually check in before work, but I completely forgot it was Thursday. Can we call that coronabrain? Anyway, this week things are starting to feel a little more normal, but also, emotionally, I just feel really angry. That's part of the grief, I assume. I've done a pretty good job of accepting that my mom was going to die someday, since she was sick for so many years, but then having it happen is a whole new ballgame. I'm working through it and my dad is doing okay, so I know we'll be alright in the end. But going through the process of grief just completely sucks.On a different note, I read four books this week!
First, Twenty-one Truths About Love, which I used for the book with "twenty" in the title. I'm dubious about using it for that, but other people were doing it and I couldn't find anything else. So, I did it. Unfortunately, it was a terrible book. I really didn't like it. I feel like the main character was written really poorly, mostly because he was supposed to be a millennial, but he sounded like my cranky old Gen X friends from college. It just wasn't for me. Or for a number of other people based on the reviews.
I also finished Strangers on a Train, which is part of my Eight Perfect Murders reading project that I'm doing with my husband. I had never read anything by Patricia Highsmith before and, frankly, I didn't love it. I get why people love her writing, and I think my husband will enjoy this a lot more than I did. But it was just okay.
Then I finished First Comes Scandal, which was a book with a three word title. I got into reading romance because of Julia Quinn. I picked up one of her books in the hospital gift shop at Johns Hopkins when my mom had her bone marrow transplant back in 2008. It was Mr. Cavendish, I Presume and I loved it. I then read right through the entire Bridgerton series, so great! But since then, I feel like her books are a little hit or miss, and this one was a miss for me. Other than the extensive discussion of cats, which I actually enjoyed, it was pretty boring.
Finally, yesterday I finished Human Acts which was a book about a subject I knew nothing about. This was about the Gwangju Uprising in South Korea, which I had never heard about before. I had read The Vegetarian and loved it, so I wanted to read another of her books. This book was really heavy, but beautifully written. I liked it a lot.
QOTW: My favorite dinosaur is the one with my name in it. My husband thinks that means there is something called a Sarasaurus. Obviously that's ridiculous. It's clearly a triSARAtops.
I think it is still Thursday....another long workday in my Home Office. It was so crazy today that it was 4PM before I realized that besides having not bathed yet, although teeth were brushed, I had not eaten a single morsel of food since getting up just in time for my first conference call of the day. Oy. Not good. Also not good that part of the reason was having trouble sleeping last night. Welcome to Work During the Time of Corona. My reading continues to suffer from Pandemice Distraction Syndrome. I have 800 pages of Proust to read by May 30...so I'm not really allowing my self to read anything else. Slow going and I find a lot of ways to do something other than read. It's not that I don't want to read it or that I am not enjoying it, it's the NEEDING to do it I think.
I did allow myself one day off over the weekend, and reread a favorite humorous Regency romance: Miss Lockharte's Letters by Barbara Metzger. It was just the tonic I needed! Pauline and her perils has nothing on our Miss Lockharte! Not for challenge although it probably fits some prompt but not one I have open.
Still at 30/50.
QOTW: Never was into dinosaurs. I did love Jurassic Park and was most awed by the section in the Bird House with the pterodactyls. So I'm going to claim Pterodactyls, which is also one of the few I can identify!
Lynn wrote: "Wow. I had planned to read A Gathering of Shadows in May, but bumped it back to June. Now I'm really anxious to get into it. I loved the first book!"Aww, I'm sure that you'll love it whenever you get around to it! I read them almost a year apart and still really enjoyed them; I gave both book 1 and 2 4 stars each. It's similar in pacing to the first book where it has a bit of a slower start but then builds and eventually gets really exciting! Book 3 is better paced throughout I'd say and was a 3 star read for me, I still liked it. :) I'm not sure if I was just in a different mood or if I had just grown more into grim-dark fantasy by then, either way I think it was just the lens that I was reading it through at the time that affected my enjoyment /rating and not the book itself.
I also remember at the end of the first book wanting more characterization of Prince Rhy and getting that in book 2 so you have that to look forward to as well! :)
Oh also, if memory serves, I think book 2 ends on another cliffhanger so you may want to have book 3 on hand/have it in your plan to get to it fairly soon afterwards.
Lynn wrote: "I am so glad to hear that someone else's cat loves to shred paper! At least I am not alone in that challenge! :)"
Ahaha, my sister's cat loves to go after any kind of paper or cardboard as well (leaving any cash out is a definite no-no) although he's pretty good about leaving the books alone but I definitely still have to be careful when I'm over there so I can sympathize with those of you who have to think about that every day!
I picked big and rather slow reads so not much got finished. I did manage to finishJohn Wick, Vol. 1 by Greg Pak but that's it.QOTW hahaha had you asked me forty years ago I could have rattled off a half dozen or so. But now it's a tie between a couple of the obvious suspects, T-Rex and Triceratops
I finished Ayesha at Last for a book recommended by favorite blog, vlog, podcast, or online book club. I went with a Modern Mrs. Darcy recommendation and really enjoyed it! I'm a huge fan of classic story rewrites/inspired by classic books. QOTW: I'm going to go with brontosaurus. Not really a huge fan of dinosaurs.
I've been working and haven't had time to read much. I'm still working on
, almost 1/2 way through. I started
for something lighter but it is also over 400 pages long.When it hasn't been too hot, yes, I'm in west Texas and we've already had 100+ temps, I sit on my porch and read.
Favorite dino has always been Stegosaurus.
Hi All,Late check-in for me today and forgot to check-in last week (oops). I only read one book in those 2 weeks mainly because I got access to the Food Network Kitchen app on my tv and I've been binging cooking shows. I tend to do this every few years (with either shows or blogs) which is typically good for me as I usually start eating a little better since I tend to cook a bit more healthier options.
Also, my library is partially open again. You can't go inside but you can put books on hold and do contactless pickup. I actually won a little trivia thing my library started doing on their social media accounts and I just got my prize mug in the mail so that was a nice little pick me up for today. I won it probably a month and a half ago but they had to delay getting it to me until the employees returned to the building.
Anywho, onto books! I read the The Silent Patient which I was expecting to be a little better but I did enjoy it. I had some issues with a bit of the content especially one thing: (view spoiler) I'm not sure if I'm going to use it as a medical thriller prompt which was my original intention.
QOTW: Haha, I like that this is different! I'd have to say the Stegosaurus but that's only because my favorite character on the Land Before Time was Spike. Did you guys realize there are 13 sequels to The Land Before Time?
This is my last week working from home, my department at the hospital is calling all research staff back, and while it took me a bit to get used to working from home, it's going to be hard to go back. I'm going to miss making lunch and eating with my husband, and working near a window with lots of sunshine.This week I finished Bad Blood and One of Us is Lying. Both were great! I'm using Bad Blood for book with only words on the cover and One of Us is Lying for book involving social media.
QOTW: I guess a T-Rex? I had an inflatable 5ft one as a kid, a gift from a cool uncle.
Happy Thursday! Also early happy Mother's Day to those applicable.Finished:
Shadow Me Reveal Me Defy Me Imagine Me 3 stars all around
I finished this series whoo. I needed to read Imagine Me for my book club this month so I've sped through this series. For a ya dystopian series it followed many tropes but had unexpected twists.
The Unhoneymooners upgraded to 5 stars
This was a comfort reread. I had originally given this 4 stars but this time round I was still laughing out loud and didn't find sections annoying like the first time through.
PS 2020 39/50
PS 2016 26/40
Goodreads 86/150
Currently reading:
Little Women very slowly
The Girl in the Spider's Web
QOTW:
So after reading everyone's posts I clearly need add to my tbr with dinosaur books. I never had a dinosaur phase but I always loved Land Before Time, We're Back, and Fantasia. That's probably why I would pick stegosaurus.
Happy Friday! I'm halfway through furlough leave, to be honest not much else is happening in my life, probably a good thing...Finished reading:
Daisy Jones & The Six (your favourite prompt from a past PS challenge - a past Goodreads Choice Awards winner): I LOVED THIS. It was a fantastic story and I'm so glad I've finally read it.
Currently reading:
Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics (a book on a subject you know nothing about): I read four chapters of this, then took a break to read Daisy Jones, and now I'm back on this for a couple of days before I switch to something else - I'm trying to remember some of the things I'm learning, so I'm hoping that dividing it up will help with that. It's a fascinating read.
QOTW:
Hmm, I don't really have a favourite dinosaur...it does make me think of The Extinction Trials though, which is a YA book that has lots of dinosaurs and I would recommend reading it!
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I started reading a lot of romance maybe ten or fifteen years ago and I started with Regency romances by Quinn & Eloisa James, and I devoured them, it was like all I read back then ... but gradually I started to realize that I didn't really like most of James' & Quinn's books. I've stopped reading these two authors. So, what changed? Did I change? or did their books change? I might never know.
QOTW: My favorite dinosaur is the one with my name in it. My husband thinks that means there is something called a Sarasaurus. Obviously that's ridiculous. It's clearly a triSARAtops.
Hahahaha this is clearly a theme with Saras!!
Lynn wrote: "I am so glad to hear that someone else's cat loves to shred paper! At least I am not alone in that challenge! :)."this is the first cat I've had that has done this. I never would have known how mind blowingly annoying it could be without experiencing it first hand. Especially since her favorite time to shred is between 4 and 5 in the morning. Man, paper shredding is LOUD.
Its getting pretty warm here in CA right now, which is not my favorite. I'm definitely feeling very frustrated right now. Our opening is moving at a snails pace here. I work at a bookstore, and all we're allowed to do at this point is curbside, so only my boss is working right now. She's not sure when she'll be able to bring us back at this point. I have been reading quite a bit, since it's one of the only things that quiets (or at least slows) my brain for a time.
Love Is Blind by Lynsay Sands (vision impairment)
Shakespeare's Counselor by Chairlaine Harris (no prompt)
Now Or Never by Stella Rhys (main character in their 20's)
An Argumentation of Historians by Jodi Taylor (more than 20 letters in the title)
Hope for the Best by Jodi Taylor (no prom, I just HAD to find out what happened next...)
Oh Danny Boy by Rhys Bowen (no prompt)
QOTW: I've never been super into dinosaurs in general, but I have always been obsessed with the Jurassic Park movies. I never miss one when they come out. After reading everyone else's answers I'll have to go with the Dilophosaurus. It's little and "cute", but fierce, and not to be messed with. Like me. ;)
Lynn wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Elaine wrote: "Hi all! This week I finished A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab and started in its sequel, A Gathering of Shadows! I love this series so far. It’s one I’ve been me..."Hi Victoria Schwab readers :-) May I HIGHLY recommend that your next read be her two book "Villians" series?!! Book 1 especially is one of my all time fav reads -- I immed. began my reread after I finished book 1! I wanted to immerse myself in that world.
Vicious is book 1, Vengeful is book 2. Book 2 won the 2018 Good Reads Choice Award for Science Fiction:
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1...
She writes these adult books as V.E. Schwab, and writes YA as Victoria Schwab.
It’s been a rough week for my family. My grandmother had another fall on Tuesday evening, and is currently receiving hospice care to manage her pain. She is 93 years old, and it seems as if her body is beginning to shut down. Her retirement home is currently still on lockdown as a precaution against Covid-19, and we have been unable to see her for the past couple of months. It’s been really frustrating to be unable to help during this time, and it’s been especially tough for my mum.I've been having a hard time staying engaged with the books I've tried to read this week, and haven't been able to escape into fictional worlds like I usually do. Honestly, the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge is not very high on my list of priorities right now.
POPSUGAR: 35/50
Goodreads: 95/150
Finished Reading:
Girl Logic: The Genius and the Absurdity
Currently Reading:
Tales from Jabba's Palace
Come Tumbling Down
DNF:
The City in the Middle of the Night - I got about 100 pages in, but just couldn't immerse myself in the story.
QOTW:
My favorite dinosaur is the velociraptor.
I'm a big fan of the Jurassic Park movies, and because I have watched them so frequently, my cat seems to have adopted some of the raptors' mannerisms (including ambush-style hunting). Every time he hears the Jurassic Park theme song, he runs into the room to watch the movie with me. He is also very alert when the raptors vocalize, and has chattered at the television in response.
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this is the first cat I've had that has done this. I never would hav..."
Yes, this same kitty starts trying to awaken me any time from 3:30-5AM and I just have to toss her out of the bedroom and shut the door, 'cause she will not give up. Then after 7AM or so, she starts pummeling her paws at the bedroom door to try to get me up. Sheesh! :)
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Interesting! Thanks for the info!
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Aww, I'm sure that you'll love it..."
Yes, this is our youngest kitty, "Tigger the Terror," who also managed to lose my brand-new car key over a year ago. That cost me $250 all together to replace, including a tow bill that was covered by my AAA membership! (Nothing is simple any more.) They had to order the key/fob and then program it with the vehicle there at the dealership. Quite frustrating as I'd not had the car over a couple of weeks! She did manage to eventually bat it back out into the middle of the living room one day, but that one is now shot!
No more leaving keys out in the "dish"! And we have to hide the toilet paper, 'cause she loves it! Several times of finding it strung all over the house was all it took. sigh...
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Oh, my! That is so cute! Your kitty, that is.
I am so sorry about not being able to visit with your grandmother...
I briefly slipped out of the timestream and didn't realize yesterday was Thursday, whoops. But now I'm (mostly) finished with the Popsugar challenge! My only remaining prompt is the banned books week one, which I can't do until September. Read this week:Docile for a book recommended by your favorite podcast or book club: LOL YIKES THIS WAS BAD. It came recommended by the Writing Excuses podcast and I was really excited for it, because it promised a sexy interrogation of capitalism and society etc. Nope. It's fanfic that got lost and wound up at Tor. I have to wonder who okayed this. Not even because of the content (you can read the reviews for angry reacts on that) but because the plot swings from slavefic to abandonment issues to a courtroom drama with characters making awful decisions they put no thought into at every turn. Honestly if I wanted to read something like this I'd go to AO3, and if I'd actually paid for this book I'd be royally pissed off. I gave this 1 star but wish I could have given it half a star.
Parasite for a medical thriller: this was fun! My only complaint is that in the audiobook, there's a character with a British accent, which the narrator cannot do. Seriously, it's so bad it brought tears to my eyes and not good ones. I suffered through it until the character died, but then he came back at the end!!! I was so upset at having to listen to that voice again that I switched to the ebook. 3 stars.
Making Our Way Home: The Great Migration and the Black American Dream for a book on a subject you know nothing about: all the Black history my school district skipped, yay! This is a great intro/jumping off point for a lot of history I'm not familiar with, and the illustrations are gorgeous! 5 stars.
We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir: I loved this! I only wish it was longer! 5 stars.
Currently reading:
The Kingdom of Little Wounds
Residue
QOTW: I've always liked Ankylosaurus. I'd like to have a swingable club tail myself.
Hello. Things are starting to open up around here as well, very slowly and with a lot of restrictions (which is fine by us). No big plans for my husband and I, other than trying to figure out if/what we'll do about mother's day for our moms on Sunday.I finished 1 book this week, and I'm 20/50 for the challenge.
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson - an interesting, though a bit unfocused, this memoir by Bill Bryson takes you onto the Appalachian Trail as a thru-hiker (or section-hiker, as it turns out, but I give anyone who spends 6 weeks at a time out on the trail as much credit as they want to take). I love hiking (I'm a day-hiker, though, no overnights for me), and the hiking parts of this were fascinating. There was a lot of introspection on the part of the author and his hiking buddy, which was good, and quite a few tangents which were interesting but tended to go pretty far off the main story.
QOTW: My favorite dinosaur is the T-Rex. Partly because it starts with a T, and partly because if I was going to be a dinosaur I definitely want to be at the top of the food chain.
I read 5 books this week. 2 of each covered topics for the challenge bringing me to 33/50Country starting with C- The Opium Lord's Daughter by Robert Wang
https://titlesurfingwithtraci.blogspo...
Meant to read in 2019- The Money Shot by Stuart Woods
https://titlesurfingwithtraci.blogspo...
I also read
Sweet Saboteur by CA Phipps
https://titlesurfingwithtraci.blogspo...
Pool Of Life by Pete Trewin
https://titlesurfingwithtraci.blogspo...
Read Herring Hunt by VM Burns
https://titlesurfingwithtraci.blogspo...
I forgot weekly prompt- I like the brontosaurus- although i don't think that exists anymore i think it got renamed. I think it stems from my love of the flinstones :)
I've had several books that I've gotten from the library (digitally), read like 10 pages, and decided I didn't like. So I haven't finished much. Plus I'm just much more interested in Animal Crossing right now if I'm honest. I did manage to read The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future. By then I was pretty sick of it. If you've never used any kind of planner at all, then yeah maybe this will be helpful for you. But honestly you could just read his website and not have to read 300 pages of platitudes about how helpful planning is. Plus the author's constant ribbing on more 'creative' (as opposed to minimal) bullet journalling started to get on my nerves.
I've downloaded Night Film so we'll see how I like that. It's not my normal thing, but maybe I need to shake things up.
QOTW: Brontosaurus for sure. I've just always loved how long their necks and tails are. I want to ride one around like an elephant. I found it interesting how many people brought up Land Before Time which I curiously never liked as a kid in spite of my dino love. Not sure why.
This weeks discussion about favorite dinosaurs reminds me of a fun book my brother introduced me to All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals. Has anyone else seen this? Its got some incredible drawings of what future artists might think modern creatures look like if they didn't have photos and only had information we have about dinosaurs. Also, some interesting re-imagining of dinosaurs with fur and extra soft tissue. This book had our family laughing at many points!
Lynn wrote: "Oh, my! That is so cute! Your kitty, that is.I am so sorry about not being able to visit with your grandmother..."
Thanks Lynn!
Yeah, Darcy is a very unique little animal. He definitely keeps me entertained.
I finished a few books this week but only one for this challenge. The Old Man and the Sea - a book set in a country that begins with "C"
QQTW: I am not sure what my favorite is. I grew up watching The Land Before Time and I liked a lot of them. My 2 year old nephew is currently into these movies and when we play I am usually the long neck or the T-Rex (which means he hides and I have to find him).
Nothing too new this week- feels like coworkers have gotten back into the full swing of things, which just means that the stress level has ratcheted back up to "normal". Took the new jeep out for a drive along the beach and trying to take mental breaks when I can. 24/40 PopSugar
5/10 Advanced PopSugar
29/100 GoodReads
Finished:
1.) A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny (#19 - C Country) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Least favorite so far in the Armand Gamache series. Still nice to visit this series, and looking forward to continuing on.
Currently Reading:
1) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
2.) The Keeper of Lost Things
3) Such a Fun Age
QOTW: What is your favorite dinosaur?
My favorite is the brontosaurus. I love their long necks and gentle nature.
Ladiibbug wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Elaine wrote: "Hi all! This week I finished A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab and started in its sequel, A Gathering of Shadows! I love this series so far. It’s one..."I tried to start Vicious like a couple weeks ago but it required too much brain power for the lockdown. I'll have to go back at a future date.
Lynn wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Wow. I had planned to read A Gathering of Shadows in May, but bumped it back to June. Now I'm really anxious to get into it. I loved the first book!"Aww, I'm sure that..."
So what you are saying is that you have been in lockdown with a toilet paper thief. Yikes
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I just posted the questions for our monthly discussion of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and am anxious for others to participate. It is always so fun to see how varied readers’ reactions are to the same book! I felt this one was a bit different from other WWII holocaust novels I’ve read.
And I admit that I am quite proud of having made progress on Little Women! YES!! Interestingly, unbeknownst to me, until I read it, The Mother-Daughter Book Club was all about Little Women as that is the book they read and discussed throughout the first year of the club’s existence. That was such a motivator for me to get back into reading it! Perfect timing! I love how the Universe aligns sometimes! And I am finding it to be absolutely delightful!
Finished:
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan is our next book for the IRL (now remote via Webex) book club at my favorite local used bookstore! This is definitely a “howdunit,” which tends to not be my favorite. The description of the grisly crime and details given did throw me off a bit in the beginning. However, as noted in my Goodreads review, the fact that a child is describing the event helps, as well as the repetitive references to the murders throughout the book. That all seemed to desensitize me to the actual grisly details to some degree. But Lydia and her father…I imagine it will take a while before I stop considering various aspects of their relationship during my 'book hangover'! I felt Sullivan did an excellent job of plotting and leading the reader to misleading suspicions. I just don’t like grisly details! ;) This should make for a good discussion! Lots of controversial/thought-provoking topics and relationships to consider...
Popsugar: #3-“Lydia heard the distant flap of paper wings as the first book fell from its shelf.”, #6, #12, #16, #24-I know nothing about witnessing multiple murders and hiding from the perpetrator., #27-Lust, Wrath, #38-Sullivan worked as a journalist, #47
ATY: #9, #11-2017, #22, #33, $41, #43-Death
RHC: #3
Zadie Smith novella from February, 2013, that can be read for free on the New Yorker website: The Embassy of Cambodia . (Just click that link!) I have read two other books written by Zadie Smith—Swing Time and On Beauty. While I enjoyed both, I can’t say either one is a favorite read for me. Someone somewhere on Goodreads posted the link. So I figured—why not? This was thought-provoking, poignant, and pensive. Just as I found her other two books to be. I don’t believe Zadie Smith is an author you read for pure enjoyment, but rather when you wish to think and consider people’s circumstances, thought processes, and decisions.
Popsugar: #5-London, #12, #20, #24-I know nothing about being a black female from Africa displaced into London in the UK, #27-Lust, #32
ATY: #2, #9, #15-London, #29-underrated and lesser known, #33, #36-on a whim, #40
Reading Women: #18, #22-New-to-me publisher: newyorker.com
A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch was just what I wanted to read for a day! I will definitely continue with this series, though I admit it is not one of my absolute favorites, I found it to be enjoyable. And I already own another couple of them that I purchased very cheaply. The mystery’s solution was actually very complex, yet reasonable, in my opinion. And Charles Lenox is not a perfect investigator with every little detail revealed, which is more realistic, IMO. I appreciate the character development, which may not be quite as in-depth as I would prefer, but was definitely enough to pique my interest.
Popsugar: #3-“The fateful note came just as Lenox was settling into his armchair after a long, tiresome day in the city.”, #5, #12, #14, #20, #24-I know nothing about living in London in the 1860’s or working as an unpaid investigator or being self-sufficient financially., #27-Pride, Lust, Greed, Envy, Wrath, #34, #41
ATY: #2, #4-Women were given no consideration in London in the 1860’s! So subjugated! Only respected as a “wife” to a man., #5, #9, #15-London, #27-historical fiction, #41, #43-Death,
RHC: #3, #7
The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick. I was a bit thrown when I first started reading this. I had picked it up at a library book sale and hadn’t remembered that it was a juvenile/YA book. Once I realized that, it was fine! In fact, this was pure enjoyment! I laughed out loud so often and chuckled and giggled throughout. I was charmed! And now I am particularly motivated to finish reading Little Women since that is the book they read the first year in this book club!
Popsugar: #3-“’Nice skirt, Emma,” calls Becca Chadwick, giving me the once-over as I head down the aisle of the school bus looking for a seat.”, NEW #4, #6, #12, #14, NEW #16, #20, #27-Pride, Envy, Wrath, #33-4.06, NEW #36, #46, #47
ATY: #5, #9, #34-Young Adult, #36-on a whim-purchased from a library sale for $.50, #49
Reading Women: #22-Favorite publisher—Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Continuing:
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (I’m almost 1/3 through!)
Minority Leader: How to Lead from the Outside and Make Real Change by Stacey Abrams (This is so good. I am so impressed with her!)
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (Must have a review posted at beginning of June so want to get to this one within the next 2 weeks.)
Planned:
Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi (Buddy Read and I assume that once I start reading this I won’t stop for anything else! I was totally enamored and enthralled with the first book in the series.)
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (Buddy Read and reread)
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai (Really want to get to this one in May…we’ll see…)
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (Buddy Read and reread after 50 years!)
Question of the Week: What is your favorite dinosaur?
I love that your daughter contributed this question! Good for you, Mom!
Brontosaurus! I have always loved the curved lines of their bodies and necks and they were herbivores, if I remember correctly, so only ate plants. That appeals to me since I am not a “bloods, guts and gore” person! ;)
Interestingly, when I wrote this on Friday, I felt I would be one of the few to mention this dinosaur. I have been so surprised at the amount of people who also listed it as their favorite! And I have been amused at those listing pterodactyl for the "silent p” as well as the characteristics of the animal itself! You guys always make me smile and laugh! Thank you for that! :)
Mod
You made me laugh! And now I am compelled to Google this newly identified creature! :)
Mod
Fortunately, or not...she started this over a year ago, so we are in good practice with hiding it! Thank goodness there is a sink cabinet next to the toilet which makes it within easy reach! :)
Well finished my month of Thorns with Princess of Thorns a book with an author with a flora or fauna. It was okay not too great though. Currently reading a western The Last Shootist
so far slow going. Might try watching The Shootist to get some context.
QoTW: Pterodactyl was always interested in the flying dinosaurs. And their scene in the Jurassic Park novel pretty good.
Ladiibbug wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Elaine wrote: "Hi all! This week I finished A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab and started in its sequel, A Gathering of Shadows! I love this series so far. It’s one..."Her other books are already on my TBR and I own the ebooks for several of them. :) I'll read at least the first one in the Villains series and This Savage Song eventually. I have sooo many books in general that I want to get to and her others aren't part of any of my 2020 challenge reads so I'm just not sure when I'll pick them up. I'll probably be wrapping up all of my yearly 2020 challenges in June or July but I have a whole list of things I REALLY want to prioritize after that (this is the year I FINALLY read the Mistborn and Throne of Glass series!) and some physical books that I'll probably pick up first. (I want everything to be able to fit on my shelves again instead of having piles, haha!)
I've also heard that with Vicious it's basically a whole book of build up for a 10 page resolution so I'm not sure how I feel about that since I tend to like faster paced and plot driven books and since I already wasn't a huge fan of her pacing in the Shades of Magic series. It's not making me want to prioritize this particular one anytime soon at least. xD
Lynn wrote: "Yes, this is our youngest kitty, "Tigger the Terror," who also managed to lose my brand-new car key over a year ago. That cost me $250 all together to replace, including a tow bill that was covered by my AAA membership! (Nothing is simple any more.) They had to order the key/fob and then program it with the vehicle there at the dealership. Quite frustrating as I'd not had the car over a couple of weeks! She did manage to eventually bat it back out into the middle of the living room one day, but that one is now shot!No more leaving keys out in the "dish"! And we have to hide the toilet paper, 'cause she loves it! Several times of finding it strung all over the house was all it took. sigh...."
Oh dear, what a nugget! xD
At my sisters, the bathroom doors also have to stay closed at all times but not because of the toilet paper. If they leave any of them open, their cat will repeatedly flush the toilet for hours. He has definitely woken us up in the middle of the night to the sound of running water before! Also, I think they had a pretty pricey water bill the month that they first discovered his flushing obsession.
Mod
OMG! I am laughing so hard! I truly hope none of our four ever figures out how to do that. Though Tigger is always right there when I am using the toilet and adores watching the water swirl when I flush. Sheesh! Fingers crossed she never figures that one out! :)
Stacey wrote: "At my sisters, the bathroom doors also have to stay closed at all times but not because of the toilet paper. If they leave any of them open, their cat will repeatedly flush the toilet for hours. He has definitely woken us up in the middle of the night to the sound of running water before! Also, I think they had a pretty pricey water bill the month that they first discovered his flushing obsession."I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only person whose cat is a compulsive toilet flusher!
Mod
It just occurred to me that this would be particularly devestating for us, because we keep the litter boxes in the bathroom! Yikes! :)
Very late check-in this time. I was quite ill last week with a viral lung infection (I tested negative for COVID-19, thankfully) and am finally coming around. After the time off for my father's death and then this illness, I wasn't sure I would remember how to do my job when I came in today. I'll never get caught up again, but I'm happy to be isolated in my office during the day now.I finished two books last week:
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway - 3 stars; PS #19 country beginning with "C" (Cuba)
One of those books I have meant to read for a lifetime. It was quite interesting, although I would have made completely different choices if I had been the fisherman (view spoiler).
The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal - 4 stars, PS #14 flora or fauna in name [robin]
Second book in the Lady Astronaut series. I had gotten this from the library, and I was on page 288. Page 289 was from a completely different book, as was the next 32 pages. So I had to buy it from Amazon so I could finish reading it on my Kindle. Annoying. But I had to finish it, and it is the only copy the library has. Fortunately my library opened up today (with restrictions) so I can let them know. Oh yeah, I really am enjoying this series and can't wait for the next book.
Goodreads: 30/90
Popsugar: 18/40, 7/10
QOTW: The Utahraptor, of course. How could I not love a dinosaur named after my state?
Hi all, Mother Nature in New York doesn't know what the he77 she's doing! Saturday I had enough snow to cover the trees like a Christmas card, today we had a severe thunderstorm with dime sized hail, and by the weekend it's supposed to be 70.... Good thing the weather is entertaining, because I haven't finished any reading this week. I'm down to less than 100 pages on Anna Karenina, and it's my goal to post its completion in next week's (this week? oops, getting late!) update. I got a lot of driving to do tomorrow for work, if the company van I borrow has a cd player, I'll get some audiobook listening done, too.
QOTW: I'm gonna go with the Brontosaurus. I wasn't aware there was naming controversies, so whatever they're calling it these days. Maybe Land Before Time biased me, but they seem like "nice" dinosaurs.
Posted my update in last week’s check-in post *shrug*QOTW: Quetzalcoatlus northropi- the largest pterosaur, with a 36 foot wingspan!
Kenya wrote: "For anyone who wants to read about Utahraptors, check out Raptor Red, a novel from the point of view of a giant raptor and which was written by one of the paleontologists who served as a scientific advisor on the "Jurassic Park" film."I just put this book on hold since I've determined the Utahraptor to be my favorite and should learn something about it. Sounds intriguing.
Teri wrote: "Kenya wrote: "For anyone who wants to read about Utahraptors, check out Raptor Red, a novel from the point of view of a giant raptor and which was written by one of the paleontologists who served a..."Yay! I hope you enjoy it!
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Birchbark House (other topics)Salt Slow (other topics)
To the Lighthouse (other topics)
The Fated Sky (other topics)
The Old Man and the Sea (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Ernest Hemingway (other topics)Mary Robinette Kowal (other topics)
Louise Penny (other topics)
Barbara Metzger (other topics)
Patricia Highsmith (other topics)
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As someone who teaches teenagers...no, no they can't. I've started responding by fake laughing and saying "I'm twelve" which puts a stop to it for a minute.