Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2020 Weekly Checkins
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Week 41: 10/1 - 10/7
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Good afternoon all,Hope you are enjoying a long weekend, if you have it. Enjoy Indigenous People’ s Day! We will be celebrating our harvest festival… over Zoom… which will be weird.
I got more updates re: my return to work in November. My back with its herniated and ruptured discs has been doing **great** during the pandemic. Not 24 hours after the phone call from HR, my back went out, badly. The unconscious NEVER sleeps.
Finished:
Behind Her Eyes. I really enjoyed this. The characters completely hooked me, especially Louise. Alternating POVs with two different timelines was perfect for pacing. And, THAT. ENDING! I did not see that coming. Then, I thought back… and all the clues were there.
Prompt: (Fall). A book that had been on my TBR since last Fall.
Little Lies I love Heather Gudenkauf, and this prequel to Little Merciesdid not disappoint. I wish there had been more exploration of the mother of the victim, but I realized too late that this would be a novella.
Prompt: (Fall). A book set in a place you are unlikely to visit. (Iowa). I’ve lived and travelled in a lot of places, but at this point in my life, most of the people I love are in the Deep North, or in Europe.
National Book Award:
It’s funny; I don’t follow the awards, but I wind up hearing about the nominees from our copy of Book Page. I read two of the novels, and really enjoyed them.
Rumaan Alam, “Leave the World Behind”
Charles Yu, “Interior Chinatown”
I have not read Les Payne and Tamara Payne, “The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X” yet, but it’s on my TBR.
I love poetry and am looking forward to reading:
Anthony Cody, “Borderland Apocrypha”
Natalie Diaz, “Postcolonial Love Poem”
QOTW:
I am really fortunate that my parents were readers. We had a lot of books – in literally every room of our house. Granted, it was tiny lol. There was always a pile of fabric with some handiwork my mother was working on, and whatever book she was reading, on our kitchen table. I shocked when a classmate ate off of an entire clear kitchen table. Who does that?
There wasn’t lots of money, but they figured their two vices were books... and my father’s Coca-Cola. My dad built floor to ceiling bookcases in our den, the room that was not the kitchen, and my parents filled them up, mostly with classics and Reader’ Digest Condensed books. My mom would read something , love it, and check out the uncondensed version from our public library.
We kids weren’t really into toys, and our parents had neither the interest or cash for material things– we’d much rather be out with the animals, or hiking around the woods. We read a lot of books in trees!
We all went to the local public library a lot! There were never any limits other than what we could carry back and forth. We walked or biked. There was not much in our school library, but there was a great selection in the rec hall of a campground a few miles away. We biked there, and borrowed from their “library”. Nothing was off limits, except books that made fun of people we (especially my mom) loved.
Ali wrote: "It's interesting for me to understand the early voting thing. I'm in the UK and we have no such thing. Everyone votes on the one day - almost always a Thursday. The main thing we do have though is ..."They have early voting in Canada too. It's usually referred to as advanced polls here. I didn't realize that the UK wouldn't have his voting option.
Lynn wrote: "Nadine wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Because I live in the boonies, I can vote early in a couple of weeks, but I would have to drive half an hour to do it. My regular polling place is a 10 minute driv..."What a great way to encourage poor voter turnout. Yikes.
Side note I cannot understand when you see people out and about wearing their mask correctly but they are with someone wearing their mask incorrectly or not at all. Like why are you with them or correcting their mask?
I'm closing in on completing all the prompts for this years challenge.Completed since the last check-in:
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin for a book with the same title as a movie or TV show but unrelated to it.
Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist by Tim Federle for a book with a pun in the title. Not really impressed with it.
Predator by Terri Blackstock for a book about or involving social media. Held my attention.
The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts by Joshua Hammer for a book with a book on the cover. Title promised a lot but I don't feel that it really delivered until the last quarter of the book.
Currently reading for the last two advanced prompts; Chicago: A Novel of Prohibition & Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore.
Question of the Week
Did you have access to many books in your house as a child? If so, what kinds of books were they? Nope, neither of my parents were readers. Although I was encouraged to use the school library & the bookmobile until I was old enough to walk to a "real" Library.
Whelp- it's back to hot and sweaty weather in FL and I'm over it. I'm over almost everything at this point. Tried a new to me brunch spot called the Library and it was delightful. I don't really follow the National Book Awards too closely- interested to see what's selected, but don't purposely read the nominees. I'm now hooked on Masked Singer too- Jennifer- I think you mentioned this last week? I am obsessed to find out who these people are! Why is it that addicting? Also what was the significance of the domino clue?
39/40 PopSugar
10/10 Advanced PopSugar
75/100 GoodReads
Finished Reading:
1.) The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (No PS Prompt) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- I can always appreciate a Jewell novel. She manages to write the creepiest characters and this one did not disappoint. A teensy bit tidy on the ending, but enjoyable nonetheless.
2.) The Paris Wife by Paula McLain - (#46- 1920s) ⭐️⭐️⭐️- This was just ok for me. Hard read considering how terrible Hemingway was as a person. I am such a sucker for Paris with Stein, Fitzgerald, Pouch-- can you even imagine what that must've been like?
3.) The Guest List by Lucy Foley (No PS Prompt) ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2- I loved the setting- a remote Irish island for a wedding, multiple motives and a murder! Really quick read that I enjoyed with almost all terrible characters.
Currently Reading:
1.) Home Before Dark
2.) The Huntress
QOTW: Did you have access to many books in your house as a child? If so, what kinds of books were they?
Yes! I was a voracious reader as a child. Tons of books I would check out from the library. I would pour over the scholastic book fair catalogs and circle all the things I wanted- mom usually let me pick 1-2, and I would read every single thing I could get my hands on. My mom also wasn't a reader (just magazines). My dad reads a lot, but we don't share genres. My brother was also a big reader, so we would share series. Loved RL Stine, BSC, SVH, anything horse related. I loved the Dear America series, and anything with letters. I also checked out books from the school library too. Couldn't get enough--- seems as though nothing has changed! 😂
Katelyn wrote: "Goodreads likes to remind me how behind I am in reading (currently 2 books behind schedule). Ugh.."I hate this Katelyn. Mine is 3 behind constantly and it's so much pressure. Really want to hit 100 once and then I will always set my goal at like 80.
Britany wrote: "Katelyn wrote: "Goodreads likes to remind me how behind I am in reading (currently 2 books behind schedule). Ugh.."I hate this Katelyn. Mine is 3 behind constantly and it's so much pressure. Real..."
Now I am 1 book behind so better but still behind...ugh.
Lynn wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Because I live in the boonies, I can vote early in a couple of weeks, but I would have to drive half an hour to do it. My regular polling place is a 10 minute drive, and that bug..."Lol, exactly! Every year, though, I shake my fist at the polling place a mile down the road as I drive past it on my way to/from work. This day and age it would seem like you could show up at any polling place in your state and vote and then not be able to go vote someplace else, but what do I know?? But yes, I will do what I have to to make sure I vote.
BTW, if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend the movie Iron Jawed Angels if anyone wants a sense of what American women went through to secure the right to vote. It's got some intense moments and will make sure I never get complacent about going to the polls. There's also a similar movie about the British women's fight for voting, Suffragette, but I like IJA better.
Mod
Thanks for the recommendation for Iron Jawed Angels!
I would shake my fist at the most convenient polling place as well! :)
Mod
Perhaps I was more inclined to name all of them due to being an only child. They were all my companions! Plus my faithful dog who went everywhere on those 180 acres I went!
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Your family probably boosted their circulation numbers a ton! :) I bet they were hoping you never moved away.
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That is sooo much smarter! Leave it to a country other than the US to make a law that allows for convenient voting!
Mod
So sorry to hear of your husband's/chef's illness, but very glad he is now better!
Mod
I wonder the same thing. My husband knows he had better wear it! Period! And correctly! ;)
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Ooohhh...I added Behind Her Eyes to my TBR listing. That looks so good!
And I own a copy of Little Mercies but have yet to read it. I loved The Weight of Silence and have meant to read more of hers. Thanks for the reminder!
Sounds like your mother and I would have gotten along well. Though I admit I did keep the kitchen/dining room tables cleared because there were 5 of us who needed to eat, etc....and we did have quite a bit of space in the house.
Britany wrote: "I'm now hooked on Masked Singer too- Jennifer- I think you mentioned this last week? I am obsessed to find out who these people are! Why is it that addicting? Also what was the significance of the domino clue?"He was in the movie Domino.
Lynn wrote: "Theresa wrote: "We never named the cows or calves or chickens. Maybe if we raised a pig or lamb for 4-H, but when time right all were auctioned, including the pig my sister raised she named Petunia..."I just think it was what I call the practical way my family approached it all. There were no house pets except the occasional parakeet or turtle bought at the 5 & Dime. The dog had a dog house by the barn and was never in the house... was a hunting dog/outside companion for my dad. The cats were barn cats whose job was controlling the rodent population. We played with them but only outdoors and yes the cats and dogs had names. Once my father 'retired' and sold the cows, we always had a cat or two in the house but no more dogs. And the cats still spent a lot of time outside; they would go to the door to be let out to do their business, and slept outside in a cat condo on the porch that my dad made from a box and old blankets (it was hilarious). My youngest sister had guinea pigs.
My siblings and I were widely spaced out in age. I guess rather than look at animals as playmates, I lived in my imagination...putting on pkays, reading. And chores. Lots of chores. My mother became chronically ill whe I was 10 so I started helping out with meals and such regularly. I was also very active in 4-H.
But certainly I have friends who were much more attached to calves etc. than I or my siblings were.
Nadine wrote: "LOL why do parents put limits like that on library books?"My Mom ended up telling me I could take as many books as I wanted, but I had to carry them, and I had to pay for any late fees. After the one bill came out to almost $30 I started being a bit more careful....
Mod
So is it library-themed? Is it setup like a Library? Just curious. With that name I would think it somehow is reflected in the restaurant itself. Sounds cool!
" I also checked out books from the school library too. Couldn't get enough--- seems as though nothing has changed! 😂."
Made me laugh! And nod my head! :)
Mod
Popsugar: 48/50
ATY: 49/52
RHC: 22/24
Reading Women: 18/26
A bit of movement ahead on a couple of these.
FINISHED:
Long Walk Out of the Woods: A Physician's Story of Addiction, Depression, Hope, and Recovery by Adam Hill was an excellent read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It seems obvious to me that being a victim of bullying in elementary school had much to do with his formation of depression as a teen/adult. He consistently refers to it throughout the book. In addition, this book presents yet another truly excellent reason for background checks, etc., to be approved to purchase a gun. If not for those, he may well have fulfilled his one-time desire to commit suicide. Having no ready access to a firearm, he tried to purchase one but became discouraged after learning of all the paperwork to complete and submit, as well as the waiting period for approval. Good! 😊 Interestingly, I used this for the 2020 Reading Challenge’s 4th Quarter “Anthropology of a Reader” prompt read a book about spiritual faith or religion. Hill does not discuss his own religion other than to state he attends AA meetings which are based upon Christian religion/belief in Christian God. But his whole philosophy of life is now based upon “being there” (reminded me of Buddhism/Eckhart Tolle) for those with whom you interact in your life, whatever that entails. He stresses the need to make yourself vulnerable so others can do that with you, but in a “safe space.” That is my spiritual belief system in a nutshell. Very pragmatic. Very simple. No faith required in anything or anyone except myself and others.
POPSUGAR: #3-“As a young child’s heart rhythm faded to a stop, I walked off the hospital floor and got in my car with a plan to end my own life.”, #6, #24-I know nothing about being a medical student or MD, #33-4.66, #47
ATY: #2, #9, #13, #22, #24, #29-Hidden gem and lesser known, #34-Nonfiction, #43-Death, #50, #52
The Angel of Darkness (Dr. Laszlo Kreizler #2) by Caleb Carr is the first of 3 October Buddy Reads ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was such an excellent read! I enjoyed it more than I did The Alienist. Perhaps because I am female? I don’t know, but it seemed there was much more psychology, sociology, and politics in this one, especially international politics, not just local to New York/NYC. I love the way Carr blends historical data right into the story arc. He has created quite memorable characters and that is what I love most!
POPSUGAR: #3-“There’s likely some polished way of starting a story like this, a clever bit of gaming that’d sucker people in surer than the best banco feeler in town.”, #6, #9, #20, #27-Pride, Lust, Greed, Envy, Wrath, #33-4.00, #43, #48
ATY: #2, #4-Not sure I would like living in New York City, #6, #11-1997, #15, #18, #22, #27-history, historical fiction, #33, #41, #43-Death, War, #49, #52
RHC: #3, #7, #9
CONTINUING:
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi for the campus White Racial Literacy Project book club on campus. Must read the next two chapters for discussion on Tuesday.
Ken Liu’s The Grace of Kings (Dandelion Dynasty #1) for another 2020 Reading Challenge August Buddy Read. This is another brickster. I have enjoyed it so far.
China Rich Girlfriend (Crazy Rich Asians #2) by Kevin Kwan for another October Buddy Read. Pretty sure I will like this one. Read the first 5 pages…
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street (The Penderwicks #2) by Jeanne Birdsall. I have been reading a bit in this every once in awhile at bedtime. Love this series!
*Come back to me! 😉*
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Dubois, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, Learning Race, Learning Place: Shaping Racial Identities and Ideas in African American Childhoods by Erin Winkler, and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, are all on hold for now. I hope to reunite with them in October!
Amrita by Banana Yoshimoto, translated by Russell Wasden. I have great hopes for this after the first 52 pages!
I keep looking at each of these books and wishing…wishing I could just pick one up and finish it! 😊
PLANNED:
Completing all of the above! 😊 Sometime before year’s end!
Question of the Week: Did you have access to many books in your house as a child? If so, what kinds of books were they?
I answered this in a much earlier posting, but wanted to add that my grandmother used to get pretty angry with me for literally reading as I walked through the house. She was convinced I would fall and hurt myself. I never did, thankfully! I might have been (or still am) a bit obsessive about my reading and books! Maybe...
Mod
I'm so sorry about your mother's illness. That had to have been hard.
I lived with my mother and grandmother. All of us were allergic to cats, so we had none on the farm per se, unless a stray took up lodgings in one of the barns but that didn't seem to happen often. I always had a dog, but they had to be outside only. Again, I was allergic to dogs as well. I discovered NAET therapy as an adult and now am able to live with my furry friends in the house! :) It's such a treat!
I realized that I haven't checked in or updated my Popsugar Reading Challenge let alone all the other challenges that I have despite reading almost 200 books this year. Whoops! I'll be fixing that soon. Currently reading Wilder Girls by Rory Powers. About ten percent in and really liking it.
Mostly I'm not sure what I've been in the mood to read at the moment, so focusing on scouring my Kindle to find my next book. I'm also hip deep in my TBR electronic stash for Libby and Overdrive. Sigh.
Suggestions? I'm game for anything.
Kendra wrote: "Britany wrote: "I'm now hooked on Masked Singer too- Jennifer- I think you mentioned this last week? I am obsessed to find out who these people are! Why is it that addicting? Also what was the sign..."I think it had something to do with his kids.
OMG, I love the show! I don't know why it's so addicting. When it first came out I definitely thought "that sounds stupid", but it just makes me SO happy!! I think that's a big part of the appeal, there's no politics, there's no name calling or (truly mean) insults like other singing shows and people are just out there belting out great songs! I also think that you would think "oh, I can recognize people's singing voices." I don't know about you, but I really stink at it!! I mean, I couldn't get a singer I've listened to since cassette tape days (view spoiler)!! Hehe, ok, I'll stop geeking out now....
Mod
Hehe, ok, I'll stop geeking out now...."
But I personally love your geeking out!
I totally flaked on checking in earlier but I will blame it on my crazy week. It started out with a cooking mishap (pro tip: while you might smell delicious, I do not recommend splashing your hand with hot bacon drippings while making corn chowder 😬) and dishwasher repair visit #4 (the dishwasher is STILL not fixed, but I think this tech finally found the real source of the leak...now, I just need to schedule visit #5 since the parts he ordered came in). Work was chaos the rest of the week, but at least I only had to get through three days and I have a long weekend to recover. Anyway...I finished one book and the six Mindy Kaling shorts that were just released (and just what I needed this week!). I also had two more NetGalley books come in and my October book club read also came in at the same time. As a result, I have many books in progress at the moment, but I have not made much progress on most of them since I'm trying to read a little bit of each. No change on my reading totals for this challenge (I'm at 30/40 and 9/10).
Finished:
* With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo, which I chose for one of my other reading challenges. I enjoyed this one so much!;
* Kind of Hindu, Please Like Me But Keep Away , Once Upon a Time in Silver Lake, Help Is On the Way, Searching for Coach Taylor, and Big Shot by Mindy Kaling (from the Nothing Like I Imagined essay collection) -- I ended up listening to most of these (I may re-check-out the first two since I skipped the audio version) and also flipped through all of the ebook versions to see the photos and artwork.
Currently Reading:
* Death and the Maiden by Samantha Norman and Ariana Franklin -- this was offered as an early read by William Morrow via its Scene of the Crime Facebook group. I didn't know anything about the series but thought the premise sounded incredibly interesting and saw how highly rated the series was overall. I'm a little nervous about picking up the end of the series seeing how beloved it is and knowing it was written by the author's daughter, but I'm hoping this will make me want to go back and read the rest of the series too;
* A Better Man by Louise Penny, which I plan to use for "a book set in a country beginning with "C"." I should have this one finished tonight or tomorrow;
* The Kindest Lie: A Novel by Nancy Johnson, which was a NetGalley early read courtesy the Book Club Girl FB group;
* The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict, which is one of my book club's picks for October; and,
* Rebel by Beverly Jenkins, which was another NetGalley digital copy courtesy of the Book Club Girl FB group.
QotW:
Did you have access to many books in your house as a child? If so, what kinds of books were they?Yes, there were always a ton of books around the house while I was growing up. We were frequent visitors to our public library so there were always library books in easy reach. We also had a decent collection of owned books scattered throughout the house (there were books in just about every room); some were "kid" books and some were "adult" books (many of which I read when I hit high school :)). I remember receiving special titles or special editions of books as gifts when I was growing up and still have many of them on my bookshelves today.
Mod
Oh my, Megan! I guess the good news is that you had a short workweek AND there has been progress with hopefully a true fix in the not-so-far future for the dishwasher! YIKES!!
But it looks as if you got some enjoyable reading done, so good!
Well, I've made more progress since I last checked in (week 38).I solved my problem Advanced prompt, 1. author in their 20s, by spotting The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter on the list for that prompt. As I'd read that earlier in the year, I've moved it from 40a (new author), and replaced it there with The Face On The Milk Carton (which, I'll admit, was only ok).
I've also read Unidentified Woman, a crime novel from 1943, for 7. First book you touch with your eyes close. Sadly, I found it way too much work for a book of <200pg.
I've put The Colour of Magic in for 18. Made up language, for the humourous translations from "Trob", and finally, I went for Fahrenheit 451 for 39. Banned book, albeit that I read it early as I used the date in the prompt!
So at this point, I'm up to:
Basic: 40 out of 44
Advanced: 9 out of 10
Total: 49 out of 54
My prompts outstanding, at this point, are:
17. A medical thriller - Planning to read An Anonymous Girl
23. A book that won an award in 2019 - Daisy Jones & The Six (so not the prompt it's being read for!)
28. A book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character - Rogue Protocol - Murderbot is Awesome
30. A fiction or nonfiction book about a world leader - either The Road to Unfreedom (about many world leaders) or The Final Days (Nixon and Watergate)
And for my last advanced prompt:
5. A book set in Japan, host of the 2020 Olympics - The Honjin Murders.
Which means, bizarrely, I won't actually be reading Where the Crawdads Sing for the prompt I'm leading the discussion for! I'll just be reading it for itself. But never mind.
QotW: Did you have access to many books in your house as a child? If so, what kinds of books were they?
Both my parents were readers, although quite a few of the books were "grown up". General fiction and history for a lot of them.
But they had no problems with me either reading them, or buying more for myself, and we went to the library together regularly. Plus, they read to me. So I think my love of books comes from them.
Weirdly, they didn't really read to my sister as much, and she's definitely not as much of a bookaholic as me.
It's been ages since I checked in, but here goes.I read such a quantity of children's books, thanks to my two peanuts. that incorporating them into my challenge is the only way to keep my head above water.
Currently reading Monica Ali's Brick Lane for #5, since it takes place almost entirely in the eponymous London neighborhood. I've found it quite the slog. It lead my SIL to question why I insist on finishing a book if the book is quite bad. Life is short after all. She reads for a living, and didn't finish it.
Challenge books I've completed since last checking in:
#6 - My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich - Ibi Zoboi
#7 - Amina's Voice - Heena Khan
#11 - A Light in the Attic - Shel Silverstein
#16 - Strega Nona's Magic Lessons - Tomie de Paola
#21 - Wonders of the Desert World - Judith E Rinard
#23 - Merci Suarez Changes Gears - Meg Medina
#29 - Parrots Over Puerto Rico - Susan Roth
#31 - Eleanor - Barbara Cooney
#32 - Brown Girl Dreaming - Jacqueline Woodson
#33 - The Girl Who Drank the Moon - Kelly Barnhill
#39 - This One Summer - Mariko Tamaki
#43 - I Dissent: Ruther Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark - Debbie Levy
#45 - Erik-San AND Tree of Cranes - both by Allen Say (I highly recommend The Favorite Daughter by him as well.)
Books started and yet to finish:
#1 - Cool Bean - Joe Yonan
#5 - Brick Lane - Monica Ali (Soo close, yet so far)
#12 - Mrs Dalloway - Virginia Woolf (another slog)
#34 - American Gods - Neil Gaiman
#40 - Feminism: Margin to Center - bell hooks
#41 - Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Kendra wrote: "He was in the movie Domino..."AHHHH Thank you Kendra! Do you know this has been bothering me all week???? 😘😂
Lynn wrote: "So is it library-themed? Is it setup like a Library? Just curious. With that name I would think it somehow is reflected in the restaurant itself. Sounds cool!"..."
Yes, Lynn-- it looks like a library!
https://thelibrarystpete.com/
Jennifer W wrote: "Kendra wrote: "Britany wrote: "I'm now hooked on Masked Singer too- Jennifer- I think you mentioned this last week? I am obsessed to find out who these people are! Why is it that addicting? Also wh..."YESSSS My parents put it on while I was staying with them and I rolled my eyes (yes, I did) and thought it was so DUMB. Fast forward to 2 weeks later and I'm obsessed. The guessing is the most fun thing!!! AND some of these people are SUPER talented. I cannot wait for Wednesday!
Britany wrote: "Lynn wrote: "So is it library-themed? Is it setup like a Library? Just curious. With that name I would think it somehow is reflected in the restaurant itself. Sounds cool!"..."
Yes, Lynn-- it loo..."
Please tell me the menus are books.
Erica wrote: "They have early voting in Canada too. It's usually referred to as advanced polls here. I didn't realize that the UK wouldn't have his voting option...."We seem to have more trust in postal voting than the US, if you need to vote early you just apply for a postal vote.
Ellie wrote: "We seem to have more trust in postal voting than the US, if you need to vote early you just apply for a postal vote...."That works in my state also.
Britany wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Kendra wrote: "Britany wrote: "I'm now hooked on Masked Singer too- Jennifer- I think you mentioned this last week? I am obsessed to find out who these people are! Why is it that..."I have 2 difficult clients to meet with tomorrow, and I just keep telling myself "but after work I get to watch Masked Singer!"
I believe all the previous seasons are on Hulu if you have that.
Mod
Yes, Lynn-- it looks like a library!
https://thelibrarystpete.com/."
Wow. It does! ;)
Mod
We seem to have more trust in postal voting than the US, if you need to vote early you just apply for a postal vote."
The main reason I do not trust mail-in voting stems from the 2000 US Presidential election. Florida stopped counting mail-in ballots. Mainly because the votes for Gore were becoming more and more frequent as they continued counting. However, once I discovered that each state can review mail-in ballots to determine validity by reviewing the signature on the ballot with another signature and then decide whether to count the ballot or not, I am now very leery. Signatures can vary from day to day, etc. What signature do they have on file to compare it to? Are the people evaluating these ballots handwriting experts? Just too many variables to suit me. Supposedly, most (not sure if all or not) US states will contact the voter (by mail, I suppose) to resolve any question of a vote's validity. But how long does the voter have to do that? (Varies by state.) And how long might the notice to confirm their vote take to reach the voter? Again, many contingencies possible.
I just choose not to take any chances, especially this year. I want to make sure that my vote counts just as much as I can. Most people I know in the US who are eligible to vote are doing so early.
Lynn wrote: "I just choose not to take any chances, especially this year. I want to make sure that my vote counts just as much as I can. Most people I know in the US who are eligible to vote are doing so early...."I was hoping to do early voting, but my state is only doing mail-in ballot, drop off ballot or regular voting. No in-person early voting. So, I'm hoping to stay Covid-free until November 3 (or longer would be good also:))
Mod
I was hoping to do early voting, but my state is only doing mail-in ballot, drop off ballot or regular voting. No in-person early voting. So, I'm hoping to stay Covid-free until November 3 (or longer would be good also:))"
Boo! Hiss! I wish all states provided early in-person voting as an option.
Lynn wrote: "Boo! Hiss! I wish all states provided early in-person voting as an option..."They usually do. I guess it was cancelled because of Covid. I jsut want to make sure I can get in to re-elect our governor. I know a lot of people are complaining about him re: Covid handling, but that's ridiculous because we have almost the best numbers in the country.
I did early voting last Friday, and it was basically absentee voting, in person. My ballot went in a privacy envelope inside another envelope, they compared signatures on the outside envelope to my request form, the whole bit. In the eyes of the state I am just another person voting absentee, and the only difference between me and my friends who got a ballot in the mail was I got unnecessary exposure to other people without benefiting the postal service.
Mod
Cool! So they compared the signatures right there and you knew it would be counted, right? That's great!
Mod
They usually do. I guess it was cancelled because of Covid. I jsut want to make sure I can get in to re-elect our governor. I know a lot of people are complaining about him re: Covid handling, but that's ridiculous because we have almost the best numbers in the country."
I am always so much more motivated to vote when there is a candidate I either wish to support or vote against! But it's so much nicer when I wish to support someone! May I ask which state?
Lynn wrote: "Katy wrote: I am always so much more motivated to vote when there is a candidate I either wish to support or vote against! But it's so much nicer when I wish to support someone! May I ask which state?"Vermont. My only problem with the Covid response is he needs to figure out a way to get people to stop flocking here from other states:)
Erica wrote: "Please tell me the menus are books.."Currently they are disposable paper copies (I'm guessing due to COVID), but if they don't use books, what a missed opportunity!
Jennifer W wrote: "Britany wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Kendra wrote: "Britany wrote: "I'm now hooked on Masked Singer too- Jennifer- I think you mentioned this last week? I am obsessed to find out who these people are..."I do have Hulu! but I already went on wikipedia and looked up all the previous winners, lol. I think I have guesses for Croc and Seahorse. Still unsure on the Sun though....
Britany wrote: "Erica wrote: "Please tell me the menus are books.."Currently they are disposable paper copies (I'm guessing due to COVID), but if they don't use books, what a missed opportunity!"
Haha oh right... How can you tell I haven't been to a restaurant in awhile.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Where the Crawdads Sing (other topics)The Colour of Magic (other topics)
The Face on the Milk Carton (other topics)
Fahrenheit 451 (other topics)
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Elizabeth Acevedo (other topics)Beverly Jenkins (other topics)
Mindy Kaling (other topics)
Ariana Franklin (other topics)
Samantha Norman (other topics)
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Reading update! I finished A Farewell to Arms, which I didn't really enjoy all that much so I'll be passing it along to a little library or used bookstore. I'm still working my way through Massacre in Mexico. It's engrossing, but very dense, so my progress has been a little slow. I'm continuing my Hispanic Heritage Month reads with Gods of Jade and Shadow and I'll finish that this weekend.
So I'm at 38/50 for the Popsugar challenge and 75/100 for Goodreads.
QOTW: My parents have a large wooden bookcase right as you walk into their house, which holds mostly informative, although outdated, book series including an encyclopedia set from the 1990s. However, they always fostered my love for reading by giving me money for the school book fairs and I had a nice little library of my own.