Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2021 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 5: 1/29 - 2/4
Good (very early) morning from a freezing and snow-packed Columbus. 2021 is off to a weird and annoying start, but I do hope it will start picking up sometime soon. Before the Coffee Gets Cold not for the challenge. This was a book I started in December but lost my overdrive hold so I had to check it back out. I feel like I saw someone praise it in this group, and I’m glad I decided to read it. I like the overall bittersweet lesson that we can’t change the past, but we can allow the past to give us new direction if we choose to.
The House of the Seven Gables for the back to the classics challenge. I could find the link to just the normal book? I read just the actual book not a study guide or whatever I could find lol. Why did schools decide The Scarlet Letter was the Hawthorne we needed to read when this book was way more interesting. Curses, murder, family feuds; this book had it all.
In an Absent Dream
Come Tumbling Down
Across the Green Grass Fields
Only the last of these were for a challenge, I put it in the book published in 2021 prompt. I just really enjoyed this series and wanted to get caught up. I guess I’m really into the idea of running away to an alternative world where I’d be right at home lol. These are fun and short and I very much enjoy them.
Popsugar- 5/40; 0/10
Book Riot- 1/24
Back to the Classics - 1/12
20 books read this year
Hi all! I guess I had a pretty good week, as I finished writing the first draft of my 3rd ever novel! I'm quite relieved to be done with it honestly lol. I'm going to let it sit a month or two before editing and ultimately querying agents (my least favorite part!).Finished
Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why by Alexandra Petri. This was very funny, definitely recommend!
Dark Archives: A Librarian's Investigation Into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin by Megan Rosenbloom. Oh. My. God. Why did nobody tell me medical librarian was a job?!?! Why does the career counselor at school not tell you there are people who research ancient books for a living! If I wasn't terrified of student loan debt, I'd immediately go back to college for whatever Rosenbloom majored in. Anyway, this book is about a very delightful medical librarian researching human skin books, and I'm in love. This was my free (gifted) book from my TBR.
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang for my book of a different format (a graphic novel ebook). This was so charming and delightful and wholesome! I do wish I'd had a physical copy, as reading graphic novels on the basic Kindle involves a lot of squinting. But I was still able to enjoy the story!
Currently Reading
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston for my book set on multiple countries. This is definitely funny and cute. RomComs are not my thing, but I'm still enjoying it enough.
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker for my book with a family tree. Definitely intriguing. I've never read about schizophrenia so I'm in for a learning experience.
I finished Art and History of Paris and Versailles as my book about art. the pictures were good. text not so much.I read The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great as my book by a blogger, vlogger, Youtube star. Really good, yet really scary.
I am now reading The Lightning Thief as my book picked randomly from tbr. So far, so good.
No qotw this week?
Mod
Yesterday a Coopers hawk swooped in and grabbed a late breakfast, so my birdfeeders really feed ALL the birds ;-) I feel bad for the sparrow, but hey, the hawk has to eat, too.
This week I finished 3 books, 1 for the Challenge, so I am now 7/50. I had a very “meh” week based on my ratings for these titles!
His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie - I was pretty disappointed in this one. I just ... didn’t get it.
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud- I was looking forward to reading this, because I love reading comics but I don’t know much about what goes into creating them. This did not teach me much. McCloud feels really insecure about comics and wants everyone to know that they really really are a higher art form. Okay. I checked off “about art or an artist” with this.
rift zone poems by Tess Taylor - some of these poems were good but most didn’t do much for me.
I am currently reading 8 books, which is a lot for me!! My coworkers in China have the next week off for Spring Festival and I WISH I had the next week off along with them, so I could catch up on my reading!! Why doesn't my company give all of us ALL THE HOLIDAYS?? And my family has started a book club so I have to have The Great Gatsby read by Feb 25th. I haven't even started that one yet. It's short, right? I THINK I read it in high school, but my daughter just read the first page to me and it didn't sound at all familiar. Of course, high school was a long time ago.
My daughter turns 18 in two months (seriously, where did that time GO???) and I'm trying to think of a special book to buy her. I know this might be controversial, but I love Wuthering Heights, so I'll get her that, plus another ... maybe To the Lighthouse or Mrs. Dalloway? she expressed an interest in Virginia Woolf recently.
Good morning.I finished 2 books this week, both for the challenge.
If We Make It Home: A Novel of Faith and Survival in the Oregon Wilderness by Christina Suzann Nelson - good story about friends who reconnect under the most dire conditions; used for "a book that has fewer than 1000 reviews"
Never Cry Wolf: The Amazing True Story of Life Among Arctic Wolves by Farley Mowat - this was a reread, I originally read this book in grade school. I still like it, but I felt like the reread was eye-opening. When I was young I was just fascinated with the wolf portion of the story; as an adult I had the completely different perspective of focusing on the narrator instead (although the wolves still won me over), both to see his shortcomings and his growth. If you have a prompt for an unreliable narrator, I would recommend this book for it. I used it for "a book set mostly outdoors"
Everyone stay warm! We only had frost down here, but I have plenty of friends in the northern states (U.S.) who seem to have been shoveling snow for days.
Good morning from a frozen Akron. It's (apparently) supposed to warm up today; I'll believe that when I see it. My amazing husband brought the tractor-plow 2 blocks down the street to my workplace a few days ago, so I now have a mostly-clear path to walk to and from work. February is off to a good start book-wise, although if I end up buried in books at any point this year, I'm sure it'll be this month :D
Finished:
Down Time - a Jasper Dent short story, centered on Jasper's dad Billy. Five disturbing stars.
The Tudor Secret - 3.5 stars. Very well-narrated by Steve West. Not sure if/when I'll continue the trilogy, but I liked this well enough.
Klaus - 4 stars. A very cool origin story for Santa Claus, with some brilliant artwork.
Letter from the Birmingham Jail - 5 stars. It took me til I was 32, but I finally read this. Nearly 60yrs on and it's still so incredibly, infuriatingly relevant.
Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening - DNF. I loved the artwork but the story felt like it had loads to tell and was only telling me bits and pieces.
The Book of Chaos, Vol. 2: Infernum in Terra - DNF. The main character's still an idiot, so this had minimal appeal.
Currently reading:
Just as I Am: A Memoir - I unexpectedly got hold of a skip-the-line audiobook copy via my library, and this has been amazing. Finishing today. Published in 2021
Ring Shout - I started this last year and had to return it prematurely; time to finish! P Djeli Clark has quickly become a favorite author.
Legendborn - Just started this last night and already it has a lot of potential!
The Fear Institute - Setting this one aside for now, the slower pace isn't doing anything for me. I love Johannes's wit, so I'm sure I'll be back!
QOTW: If you see a book is a retelling or based on another book, do you feel compelled to read the original first?
Not really -- if I've already read the original, cool. If not, that's fine as well. Most retellings tend to be stories I'm familiar with on some level even if I haven't actually read the original; I've worked on theatrical productions of Three Musketeers and Treasure Island and still have yet to read either of the novels, and it took too many years before I read Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde.
Wow, this week has gone by really quickly! We've had a lot of snow recently but it looks like 90% of it has melted now. I don't plan on going out today to find out!This week I finished A Hippo Banquet. As the shortest book on my TBR it really shouldn't have taken me as long to finish as it did but because it was so little, I kept putting it down and forgetting where I had put it! I enjoyed the little snippets of Kingsley's adventures and I will definitely read the full length book at some point.
DNF Angels of Music This was supposed to be a Phantom of the Opera/Charlie's Angels mash up which sounds amazing in theory but it didn't work for me.
Currently reading: Half a King It's okay so far but the chapters feel too short, like we're just getting to the juicy bits and they finish and move on.
QOTW..... I guess we don't have one :D
Mod
Here it is...and I'll add it to my original posting as well.
Question of the Week:
This week’s question comes from Jennifer!
If you see a book is a retelling or based on another book, do you feel compelled to read the original first?
I used to feel this way in the past. For instance, I read The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine just after our Borders store closed a little over 7 years ago. It was the last “make” book as determined by the corporate head honchos but I didn’t get it read at that time. (I was so depressed at losing our store/the company!) Since it is supposed to be directly based upon Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility which I had never read, I made it a point to read the original first and was glad I did. While I could see some similarities, Schine’s book just didn’t resonate much for me. For that reason, I was glad I had read the original book since I at least enjoyed it! 😉
However, then I was faced with Madeline Miller’s two books, The Song of Achilles and Circe, which I wanted to read even though I have little experience with or knowledge of mythology in general. I suppose if I was more interested in mythology I might have read some of that prior to reading Miller’s books, but I didn’t and I really don’t think that lack of background knowledge affected my appreciation of Miller’s writing, which I ADORE!! For example, although I rarely reread I am so excited for The Song of Achilles as the group read for next month I have been considering reading it again. That definitely means I really enjoyed it!
How about you?
Thanks for adding this week's question!Question of the Week:
If you see a book is a retelling or based on another book, do you feel compelled to read the original first?
Answer: No, not really. I would actually say I'm more likely to read the retelling first, and then read the original.
Mod
I love this question because I always struggle with this. I find I definitely get more out of the retelling if I'm already familiar with the original. BUT. There are soooo many books I want to read, sometimes I just want to read a book. I don't want to read TWO books, just THAT book.
Like, when Eight Perfect Murders came out, I told myself I should read the eight classic murder mysteries first, and I planned to do that ... and I read none of them. Finally, I couldn't take it any longer and I just read Swanson's book. It was not his best. And I guess those eight mysteries are spoiled for me now, since he gives away the endings. But that's fine.
Happy Thursday! The last week and a half has been crazy at work, and hopefully things are going to start to settle down here soon. We did get some of the snow, but we are towards the southern edge, so most of it has melted already. It's supposed to be back up in the 50s tomorrow.I finished two books this week. First, Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln's Legacy which was for the TBR you get for free prompt. I got this one from the library. It was interesting. And kind of topical to be reading about one impeachment during another.
I also finished The Holdout which is for the TBR you meant to read last year. I totally forgot this was on my kindle. I thought it was a real page turner and very fun to read.
QOTW: If I haven't read the first book already, then I won't read the retelling.
book you meant to read last year
The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morganthaler. Contemporary romance. It was cute.
doesn’t fit prompts
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall. Contemporary romance. Billed as enemies to lovers but I need more enemies in that trope than this book has but it’s also fake dating which is the second best trope.
QOTW:
Honestly, I majored in English so I’ve read a ton of the “classics” and those that I haven’t read, I have a good grasp on the original and didn’t read it for a reason. I’m looking at you Moby Dick
Mod
Oohhh...that does sound good!
"The House of the Seven Gables for the back to the classics challenge. I could find the link to just the normal book? I read just the actual book not a study guide or whatever I could find lol."
Actually, Goodreads was doing some weird stuff when I searched last night to add books/authors! I found it extremely difficult to just find the book as well!
"Why did schools decide The Scarlet Letter was the Hawthorne we needed to read when this book was way more interesting. Curses, murder, family feuds; this book had it all."
LOL I always assumed it was a carry-over of reading for the lesson/moral! But now you've got me very interested to read The House of the Seven Gables! :) I need to know what I've been missing!
Mod
I've been having this problem! Just now when I tried to link to Wuthering Heights , I had to scroll through about five titles before I got to it. (I just tried it again, and one of the titles is off the top of the list).
THIS IS VERY ANNOYING, GOODREADS!!
Happy Thursday! I got a ton of reading done this week. Granted, it's mostly children's books but I'll take it. I just got in my first shipment of new books for my library and I just want to read everything. I also was approved for a grant to buy even more books to replace ones that have gone missing. I'm very excited if you can't tell!For the challenge, I read Tweet Cute for a book set in a restaurant. This was so cute! I really loved it. I think it would make a great movie, and I'm not usually one to recommend books to be made into movies.
I also read The Night Diary. I'm going to use it for a prompt, I'm just not exactly sure where to put it just yet. I was a little underwhelmed by this book. It tells a very important story but I thought most of the book dragged and then rushed all of the excitement at the end.
I finished Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Little Women which fits in well with this week's question. I would have liked this better had I not read Little Women previously. I think my expectations were too high, but for a retelling in a graphic format, it was pretty good. I liked how it brought some similar problems into a modern setting.
Some children's books I read were Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story, I Am Jazz, and I Am Every Good Thing. These were all great reads but I absolutely adored I Am Every Good Thing. If you're looking for a #BlackBoyJoy book for this month, I cannot recommend this enough. It amazes me sometimes how so much emotion and social conscience can be squeezed into a children's book. And the illustrations are amazing.
QOTW: So as I mentioned with the Little Women retelling, I would have liked the book more if I hadn't read the original. That said, I don't normally seek out the original before I read a retelling, but typically if I enjoyed the original, I'll seek out retellings (if that makes sense!).
Mod
Congratulations! I am so impressed! Sending you good energy for agent hunting!
"Finished
Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why by Alexandra Petri. This was very funny, definitely recommend!"
I rarely read humor books, but this is one I might try!
"Dark Archives: A Librarian's Investigation Into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin by Megan Rosenbloom. Oh. My. God. Why did nobody tell me medical librarian was a job?!?! Why does the career counselor at school not tell you there are people who research ancient books for a living! If I wasn't terrified of student loan debt, I'd immediately go back to college for whatever Rosenbloom majored in. Anyway, this book is about a very delightful medical librarian researching human skin books, and I'm in love. This was my free (gifted) book from my TBR."
Oh. My. I cannot believe this is true! YIKES! But I am intrigued. One of my friends is married to a medical librarian, but I'm pretty sure he has never tackled this specific subject before! LOL
"Currently Reading
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston for my book set on multiple countries. This is definitely funny and cute."
I am planning to read this this year as well, but was unaware it would fulfill that specific prompt!
"Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker for my book with a family tree. Definitely intriguing. I've never read about schizophrenia so I'm in for a learning experience."
A friend and I were discussing schizophrenia last night at the gym. It is so very unpredictable, etc. I am anxious to get back to this one...
Happy Thursday, y’all.Not much to report this week. Working, reading, and writing fanfic, pretty much...
Also running into the issue of Goodreads being difficult about adding links to books. No, I want "The Eye of the World" by Robert Jordan, not fifty links to graphic novel adapations...
Books read this week:
The Epic of Gilgamesh - for “book published anonymously.” The actual poem is interesting reading… the edition of it I read was accompanied by copious translator notes that were interesting but VERY dry. I know more about ancient Babylonian tablets and texts now than I ever wanted to know.
Riot Baby -- for “book on a Black Lives Matter reading list.” This was a ROUGH read, yet very timely and necessary. It’s eye-opening just how stacked the system seems to be against Black people, and terrifying how hard it is to change the system without drastic measures. Ouch.
A Walk in the Woods -- for “a DNF on your TBR list,” though could also work for “set mostly outdoors” or “bestseller from the 1990s.” Almost finished this years ago, then left it in a hotel room. Whoops. But it’s a hilarious yet lovely and illuminating look at some of America’s wild spaces, and what’s being done (and not being done) to protect them.
Dark Matter -- not for the challenge. I’ve been dragging my feet getting started on a Blake Crouch book, but now I wonder why I waited so long. This was an exciting and nicely accessible quantum-fiction thriller that I can easily see being made into a movie at some point.
Dancing at the Pity Party -- graphic novel, not for the challenge. A frank, poignant, and even humorous look at the grieving process. Probably not the best read if you’ve just had a death in the family, however...
DNF:
The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night -- was going to be my choice for “book on your TBR list chosen at random.” The writing is beautiful, but the stories feel vapid and pointless. I gave up three stories in.
Challenge stats:
Regular challenge books -- 9/45
Advanced challenge books -- 3/10
Not for the challenge -- 9
Currently Reading:
Bradbury Stories (for whatever reason can't add a link, what the heck Goodreads) -- for “longest book on your TBR list”
The Eye of the World -- for “bestseller from the ‘90s”
Baby Teeth -- for “book with something broken on the cover”
QOTW:
Most of the time the "retellings" or "remakes" I read are of fairy tales or mythology, so I'm already familiar enough with the source material that I don't feel the need to go back and reread it (unless I think I've forgotten important details). Otherwise.... I imagine I'd read the remake first, then go back and read the original.
Mod
It's so funny! I have a Word document for my weekly check-in postings so I can record as I finish books, etc, and be ready my Thursday morning. But I absolutely totally forgot the Question of the Week this time! Thank goodness for Nadine reminding me first thing this morning so I could revise my post and add the Question in a separate one! So sorry! This is what happens when you get old! LOL
A big snow storm got me two extra days at home this week, which I should have used for reading, but filled with binge-watching Supernatural instead (I don’t know how that happened). This week I finished (Goodreads isn't letting me link books today, SORRY!):
And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer: I originally meant to use this for prettiest cover, but after reading it, I had to redo my list so that I could use it for a book about forgetting, because no other book could fit the prompt better; Someone on here warned me that I should wait until I was sure I was ready to read this and now I understand why. As someone who just lost my grandmother a few weeks ago and is watching my grandfather experience the long battle of brain atrophy, I'm not sure if this was the right or wrong time to read this book. I feel like the me from a month ago wouldn't have felt this book the way the me of today did. It was so real and beautiful that it was staggering and I'm not sure how I could stand to read it, but also not sure how I could ever put it down. Fredrik Backman is a gift to the world of readers and there's no place I don't trust him to take me at this point.
Home Before Dark: chosen at random: I’m a pretty big fan of Riley Sager at this point, even though this is not my typical genre. His books are never 5 stars for me, but they are always a solid enough 4 to keep me coming back for more.
To Touch the Light: set in a restaurant; I always love when an author presents an LGBT+ character as the main character and not as a side note, but this book was not well-executed. It was too short for the many complex issues that it was trying to pack into one book.
Currently reading (I can’t stop starting new books.):
Girls on the Verge: Social justice book. I really want to love this book, because I find the subject matter very important. (No political debate please!)
Sapphire: Gem in the title: This book is short and ridiculous, which is just what I wanted, even though it is not going to get a good rating from me.
Cross Her Heart: Someone else’s book shelf: I got the audiobook, but I’m having a little trouble with the narrator’s voice so far, so I had to re-listen to a chapter I’d already listened to, so I think I might slow it down a bit and try again.
Quackery: Starts with a Q; This would be a really good podcast. Maybe it already is (I don’t know about these things). It is pretty gory so far, but has some humor mixed in. I wish I had the audiobook to appreciate the delivery more.
QOTW: I don’t read many retellings, mostly just fairy tale ones, so I don’t feel the need to read those.
Well I had my surgery on Monday and the pain has been more than I would like (and sleep is challenging), but I'm grateful I've had the week off work to rest. This week I finished:
The Undocumented Americans I have this in print but my print books TBR is overwhelming and I get through audiobooks much faster so I listened to it. It worked out great - definitely recommend this one! 5 stars
Dog Flowers: A Memoir This was sad, but still worthwhile. 4 stars
Catherine House This book did a great job of grounding the reader in the setting. 4 stars
How to Walk Away I'm not a fan of romance novels, so I normally wouldn't pick up something like this, but it was listed as a book set in Austin and since I'm writing a novel set in Austin I want to see how other writers capture the setting. There were only about four references to the setting in this, so it wasn't a great model. Also, how do you mention characters being in Central Texas in August (or other months) and not have one mention of the heat? I didn't enjoy the romancy parts of the story, but there were other things going on that I found engaging. 3 stars
My Own Words I think the timing just wasn't great for this one. I didn't find it engaging at all (it was mostly recordings, there was very little narrative). Oh well. No rating
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam (of the Exonerated Five). Wow, so powerful and moving. This worked on audio better than expected since it's essentially a book of poems. They tell the story well. 5 stars
I'm currently reading Crooked Hallelujah in print and Stephen Florida on audio. (The search function just stopped working to add links to books... weird).
QOTW: I rarely read classics, so I pretty much never plan to read the original when I want to read a retelling, but I'll be reading The Secrets We Kept for a book club in March and I really wanted to read Doctor Zhivago. 1 first, but it's really long and I have so many other books to read...
Mod
Oh, my! Poor sparrow! So, admittedly, I am very impressed that you recognized what kind of hawk it was...and I'm a bit sad for the smaller birdie... ;)
"His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie - I was pretty disappointed in this one. I just ... didn’t get it."
That's never fun...
"I am currently reading 8 books, which is a lot for me!! My coworkers in China have the next week off for Spring Festival and I WISH I had the next week off along with them, so I could catch up on my reading!! Why doesn't my company give all of us ALL THE HOLIDAYS??"
Sounds like a policy change for which you should advocate, Nadine! :)
"And my family has started a book club so I have to have The Great Gatsby read by Feb 25th. I haven't even started that one yet. It's short, right? I THINK I read it in high school, but my daughter just read the first page to me and it didn't sound at all familiar. Of course, high school was a long time ago."
Now that's just cool! I reread this 7 years ago, 41 years later! As I would expect, I got much more out of it at 57 than I did at 16! I was glad I reread it now... I hope you enjoy it! I would disagree that it is "THE American novel," but then I don't believe any one book deserves that penultimate title!
"My daughter turns 18 in two months (seriously, where did that time GO???) and I'm trying to think of a special book to buy her. I know this might be controversial, but I love Wuthering Heights, so I'll get her that, plus another ... maybe To the Lighthouse or Mrs. Dalloway? she expressed an interest in Virginia Woolf recently."
How cool! What a milestone! 18 and moving on in life...
We've had a couple of days of nice warm weather, but it's turned again. I'm really, really, really ready for spring. My husband got his first COVID shot (he works an essential governmental job); Seth and I are still waiting our turn.Challenge Progress: 14/50
Completed:
Binti: The Complete Trilogy: The first novella is clearly the strongest and the second the weakest, but hooray for strong characters and excellent world-building! I'd love to see a graphic novelization of this series. (I don't know why I was able to review this book, but there's not a link for it here.) (PS2 - An afrofuturism book) ★★★★
Mitch, Please!: How Mitch McConnell Sold Out Kentucky:"Mitch's goal is to obfuscate, obscure, and obliterate the truth about his record because the reality is too damaging to him: that he will say anything, do anything, or take any position if it means helping him gain more political power. Dirty truths are hard to accept, whether in the most beautiful small town in America or the lowest depths of American politics." Part travelogue, part political commentary (and expose of Mitch McConnell's duplicity and greed), and thoroughly engaging. "[Mitch McConnell] is the problem. Donald Trump is a symptom, but McConnell and people like him are the problem. It's a complete absence of morality, just being driven by power and money." (PS40 - A favorite past prompt 2020: A book with a pun in the title) ★★★★
Red Rising: "I am the spark that will set the worlds afire. I am the hammer that cracks the chains." "Red Rising" = "The Hunger Games" + "Game of Thrones." There's nothing really original here and Darrow's a pretty unsympathetic character (despite his tragic past), so I had a hard time finding the magic that so many other readers found here. However, it was overall a diverting read, but I don't feel particularly compelled to continue with the series. (Note: The action is really brutal. If readers are at all squeamish, this is a book they should avoid.) (PS45 - The book that's been on your TBR the longest) ★★★
The High Season: "Every summer Ruthie gave away her house by the sea." I loved this book! It reminded me of Big Little Lies (only without a mysterious death). Lots of twists and turns and complicated characters that you're not sure whether to love or hate. (Yet another one without a link!) ★★★★★
The Robber Bride: Good enough, but I didn't feel like it was up to Atwood's usual standards. Zenia is a caricature of a woman, and Tony, Charis, and Roz are all so passive and naive. I had trouble identifying with any of the characters. ★★★
THIS IS SO RIDICULOUS! WHY ISN'T THE "ADD BOOK/AUTHOR" LINK FINDING ANY OF MY BOOKS??? I'LL COME BACK AND FINISH THIS LATER. ARGH.
Mod
Fortunately we only got about 4-5 inches total of snow here in my portion of Indiana. I was organized enough to go out Sunday afternoon and shovel and clear off the car. We got another inch or so overnight so my Monday morning snow removal was minimal! It is supposed to be colder over the next 10 days or so. I really need to relocate a bit further south!! LOL
QOTW: No. But, after reading the retelling, I might feel compelled to look up the original.
Mod
I'm gathering (and hoping) that your walk to work is rather short! It's too cold to be out for long, IMO! :)
"Finished:
Letter from the Birmingham Jail - 5 stars. It took me til I was 32, but I finally read this. Nearly 60yrs on and it's still so incredibly, infuriatingly relevant."
This is one I have never read and feel as if I should...
"Currently reading:
Just as I Am: A Memoir - I unexpectedly got hold of a skip-the-line audiobook copy via my library, and this has been amazing. Finishing today. Published in 2021"
I love the cover image on this one! And can you explain what a skip-the-line audiobook is? I'm very curious since I don't recall encountering that term in the past...
Mod
Oh, my! I had to laugh at that!! Only read really big books then they'll be easier to locate and less likely to be overlooked! LOL Sounds like something that would happen to me...
"DNF Angels of Music This was supposed to be a Phantom of the Opera/Charlie's Angels mash up which sounds amazing in theory but it didn't work for me."
Wow. That would be a mash-up!
"QOTW..... I guess we don't have one :D"
*sigh* My fault!
Lynn wrote: "Sarah wrote: "This week I finished A Hippo Banquet. As the shortest book on my TBR it really shouldn't have taken me as long to finish as it did but because it was so little, I kept putting it down..."Haha, don't worry. We know you guys have busy lives!
QOTW: I love retellings! I read a lot of classic novels when I was younger so I'm usually familiar with the most famous ones. With mythology, I haven't head a lot of the original texts but I know enough of the stories to know the gist. I don't think you need to though to enjoy retellings. I must have watched Clueless a hundred times growing up before I ever read Emma
Lynn wrote: "Ashley Marie wrote: "Good morning from a frozen Akron. It's (apparently) supposed to warm up today; I'll believe that when I see it. My amazing husband brought the tractor-plow 2 blocks down the st..."Oh yes, it's just two blocks :) I bundle up with hat, coat, and gloves, and I'm all set.
Letter from Birmingham Jail is available to read online for free! https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles...
As far as I can tell, a skip-the-line audiobook is a bit of a newer thing (I don't think I've ever encountered it before now). Anyway, I use Libby for most of my audiobooks, and apparently one of my cards is associated with a larger system called the Ohio Digital Library, beyond just the local library system where I use it. The way I understand it, if my actual local library gets a copy of something that I've got a hold on, I'm able to skip ahead of others in line and snag that copy. In this case (and I'm not sure if it's because it's brand new or a stipulation of the skip-the-line system), I only had the audiobook for 7 days, which is considerably shorter than the usual 14 or even 21 day-loan, but I managed to get through it with time to spare!
Hello from Boston! It is 6 days until I move so I am frantically trying to finish all my library books!I finished:
Dear Edward I used this for the "book everyone has read but you" prompt. I absolutely loved it and it made me cry multiple times (rare for me!)
The Devil and the Dark Water: Sampler (like to sampler because no link to book right now, ugh) I used this for a "book you meant to read last year but didn't." The characters were perfect and the mystery bamboozled me. The dialogue was *chef's kiss* I am planning on rereading this in the future to see all the hints and clues I missed.
The Cold Millions: A NovelI read this for a "book about a social justice issue." I loved a lot of things about this book but I feel like I can't share specifics without spoilers.
Currently Reading:
My last two library books!
The Mermaid of JejuAbout a third of the way through. Having recently read The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See (no link coming up right now--ah Goodreads), I can't help but compare them and find The Mermaid of Jeju lacking a bit.
The Voyage of the Morning Light (no link!) Haven't gotten deep into this one yet.
QOTW: This really depends on the book for me. I usually don't like retellings in general because I don't like knowing what is going to happen. Major exceptions for all things Madeline Miller, and for These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong, which used Romeo and Juliet pretty loosely. But I would say that I when I do read a retelling I do like to have some knowledge of the original so I feel like I am getting the connections (but I prefer for retellings to diverge heavily from the original!) I feel like I just rambled around in a circle for that but ah well.
Happy Thursday from a wet PNW! We were supposed to have snow but apparently it has been too warm (it was up to 48-50 degrees this week!) so we just have more rain...Finished:
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah (PS: A book everyone seems to have read but you. ATY: A book written by an author of one of your best reads of 2020). I finished this one just in time for the Netflix series but the series veers off course from the book (but I get it, the story needs more drama), This was the first book in a very long time that actually made me cry.
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (PS: A book found on a Black Lives Matter reading list. ATY: A book about racism or race relations). This book was very powerful and told some horrible and important stories. I still find it horrible that young teens were sometimes tried as adults and sent to adult prisons!
Currently Reading:
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (PS: A book featuring 3 generations. ATY: A book with a monochromatic cover). I understand this is a YA book - which I don't read very often - but the writing is a little amateurish? I am intrigued by the story and will definitely keep reading.
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas [PS: A book about a social justice issue. ATY: A book related to the lyrics for the song "My Favorite Things" from the "Sound of Music" (Rose)]. I loved The Hate U Give so I am excited to read about Maverick's upbringing.
QOTW:
I don't know if this counts as a retelling but I loved Circe by Madeline Miller, though I didn't know much about Circe to begin with. I have listened to it on Audio twice and love the story. I don't typically go after retellings because I don't want the original story ruined if the retelling is terrible.
Mod
I love romance novels, but that sort of thing is a common complaint for me.
I read one set in small town Texas. She talked about how hot it was (I think it was October, but still hot). She ... casually left her cat in a carrier in her car?!?!?!?!?!
I read one recently set in Key West in spring. She talked about how hot it was. Then the guy leaned on the bumper of his car to talk to her Wouldn't that be incredibly hot if the car has been parked in the sun???
I've also read a lot of novels that seem to struggle with time management - the heroine will do two million things in an hour, or something. It's just not possible.
And then there are the novels that have characters easily travelling back and forth in a short period of time. It's so distracting!
It has not been a great reading week. I’m reading Dear Edward, and it’s just not the mood or subject I want to read right now. I’m halfway through so I’m going to push myself to finish it this weekend so I can move on to more fun books. After swearing I wouldn’t, I caved and signed up for a Disney+ subscription so I can rewatch all the Marvel movies in chronological order. It’s exactly what my mood needs right now.
Reading
Dear Edward by Ann Napalitano
QOTW
If I’m familiar enough with the source material, I’ll go straight to the retelling. I’ve never read The Odyssey, but I know enough about it to have felt comfortable reading Circe. In other cases, I’ll wait until I’ve read the source material. I haven’t read Jane Eyre so I won’t read Wide Sargasso Sea yet.
Good morning from definitely-not-cold North Texas! I'm super jealous of all you with the snow (I recognize it is inconvenient and doesn't stay pretty, but we always want what we can't have, right?). It's supposed to be in the upper 60s and lower 70s for the next several days, so it's beautiful but not at all wintry.I missed last week. Things are not going well (with my head), and I'll just leave it at that.
Finished:
Nothing (see above)
Currently Reading:
Eragon: Does it count as "currently reading" if I haven't picked it up in two weeks? It's no fault of the book's, I just haven't felt like doing anything except playing Animal Crossing and Sims.
Disability Visibility (Adapted for Young Adults): 17 First-Person Stories for Today: I'm not reading the one adapted for young adults, but that was the only version that came up (these linking problems are weird). We have our first discussion over this at work today. The only reason I've gotten the first chunk read is because I'm leading one of the discussions! So far, it's a very good, very eye-opening read. I enjoy all the different voices and topics, and the fact that the stories are so raw. I'm feeling an overarching tie of "we are human, why don't you treat us as such?"
This will be my book about a social justice issue.
The Artist's Way: A Course in Discovering and Recovering Your Creative Self: I spontaneously decided to join a class that the theatre I volunteer with is hosting (online). I feel extremely out of place as someone who has no particularly artistic pursuits (much less a creative career), but I believe the work this book has you do will be good for me. I consider myself to be an arts enthusiast rather than an artist myself, so we'll see what happens!
This is my book about art or an artist.
QOTW:
Man, I love a good retelling! Usually, if I'm reading a retelling, it's because I already loved the source material. Or I didn't know it was a retelling (someone mentioned Clueless, and I didn't learn it was based on Emma until years after seeing the movie a million times--an excellent adaptation, if I say so myself!).
I'm not sure I've had many situations where I saw there was a retelling available and put off reading it so I could read the source material. If it's a retelling of something I haven't read (and don't really want to read), I usually just won't have interest in reading the retelling either.
Also, Lynn, as I tell my students all the time: remember to show yourself some grace! We're all human, and in the grand scheme of things, forgetting to post the QOTW is really not a major problem. We're all so grateful for the work you and Nadine put into this group!
Mod
Winter has only just really gotten underway up here! don't tell me about spring yet!!!
This lack of book links is weird. That book sounded good, so I searched GR for it. None of the results looked like the book you described.
Then I googled it and found the author name, so I added the author name to my search. Search results came up empty!!
Then I went back to google, found the link for the book in Goodreads, and clicked on it. There it is! It exists!
Clearly Goodreads is having a VERY ANNOYING glitch.
I successfully moved my blog onto wordpress, all 2000 posts of it! Can't believe I've written so much since I started it. If you'd like to stop by it's at http://www.curiositykilledthebookworm...Finished
This Coven Won't Break by Isabel Sterling for ATY (negative in title) on audio and it was disappointing compared to the first book. I didn't really like the narrator which didn't help things, but I also didn't like the direction the story went.
In complete contrast I also read Maxwell's Demon by Steven Hall for review and using it for ATY (2021 release). This took a lot of concentration but I loved how it explored entropy and the meaning of words, canon, and reality.
Currently reading The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick and listening to The Project.
PS: 7/50 | ATY: 7/52 | RH: 2/24 | GR: 14/100
QOTW:
No, I might go read up on the original later but I don't really need to read the source material. Often the story is well enough known for me to pick up references or I watched an adaptation already so I kinda get the gist. I read The Court of Miracles last yes without knowing much about Les Mis, but I think it probably improved it for me as I saw a lot of people who were expecting more of a retelling were disappointed.
Greetings from a NYC where snow is melting after shutting down the city for a couple of days. Frankly, my neighborhood really did not have as much as predicted nor even as much as many other ares reported. Enough to be pretty and give me an excuse to huddle in my blanket nest and read. I'm doing very well with challenge - I think I've read 13 for challenge so far this year! These are not planned reads for challenge but fitting what I read into challenge prompts. That strategy works so well for me.
Finished:
The Inevitable Fall of Christopher Cynster
The Duke and I = family tree prompt
The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
Summer People by Elin Hilderbrand
Midnight Blue by Simone van der Vlugt - title same as a song title - Melissa Manchester's Midnight Blue
The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne by Elsa Hart - best friend prompt
NOTE: GR is suddenly not allowing links for add book/author -- keeps telling me the book does not exist even though I have linked to it before many times.
Currently reading:
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James.
QOTW: This doesn't happen much. Having a fancy liberal arts education plus being a literature major, I rarely come across a book inspired by or based on another that I have not already read. If I haven't, it's rarely been a drawback as I probably know enough about the original that I pick up on the differences etc.
Goodreads won't let me add links either. Sorry!Finished:
The Midnight Library- I really liked the concept of this one, it was such an interesting idea. I'm not crazy about the ending though
Piranesi- "book about forgetting" This was really good. It took me a while to get into it, such a strange little book, but I really liked it!
Currently reading:
Remote Control- I was planning on reading Binti, but this book showed up from the library first. If I wind up liking this one, I try to get a copy of Binti to join in the group read.
QotW:
I don't feel like you need to read the classic before a retelling. As long as I have a basic understanding of the original I think it's good enough. And then if I really love the retelling, I have more motivation to go back to the original.
Happy February (the month most people don't know how to spell, thanks to a random email giving me this delightful fact).Popsugar Challenge: 5/50
Goodreads 2021 Challenge : 15/150
30 Before 30 : 0/30
Toni Read-A-Thon :0/12
I have a goal to read only Black authors in February so I was rushing to wrap up a lot of my January Reads so it's been a busy reading weekend.
Finished Reading
Love at First- I finished this, it was okay. I had super high expectations (I LOVED Love Lettering by the author) and it just didn't match them. It raises some new interesting romance tropes that were interesting though. 3 Stars for me!
The Frozen Crown- I loved this first in a duology, but be aware it leaves you on a cliffhanger (you will want to get the second book immediately). This book follows a badass woman lead who must save her kingdom from destruction by a power (and magic) hungry dictator. To save her kingdom she enters the court of a nearby ally in hope of getting their support in war. From here we enter a complex land of politics, magic, and alliances. This book's world building is well done and I love having a tough female who saves herself and this one fits that. Also I'm counting this towards prompt 23: a book with something broken on the cover.
Call of the Bone Ships- A great second book in this series. Recommend this series if you like adventures on the sea, pirates, and/or want to be introduced to fantasy in a less challenging form (less complex world building).
You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories about Racism- This book made me laugh, cry, and rage. This book is a compilation of Lacey's experiences growing up and living in Omaha and the racism that surrounds her and is countered by Amber's experience in New York City. Amber is a writer on Seth Meyer's show so it's written in a light way but they don't stray away from telling the truth about racist interactions they've had. I'm counting this one to a book I think my best friend would like (Prompt 37) cause I told her about it and she purchased it. I think really anyone should read this.
Currently Reading
The Bluest Eye- Am almost done just have the last season to read (Summer), this book is intense and the writing is amazing.
I'll start like a couple more books today but that's what I've got (I had to focus on finish You'll Never Guess What Happened to Lacey because it was a library book and I wanted to finish before it was due).
QOTD
I think I'd like to believe I read the original first, but I don't always. Most classics I generally know what happens even if I didn't read it. That said most retellings I read are Pride and Prejudice ones and I have read Pride and Prejudice sooo..
Hello! It is snowing here again, but should finish soon, and it's only a few inches. We're going to get the bitter cold next, and Sunday's projected high is -4. But we didn't get the bitter cold back in January, and I'll take that over feet of snow. Especially since I'm not commuting to work these days and my husband stays mostly in the city (so I worry less about his car breaking down on an empty country road). He gets his second vaccine shot next week, letting me go back to worrying about my parents and how much their state sucks at handling the virus.Finished This Week:
Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch. This is my kind of Doing It All Over/Peggy Sue Got Married story. Dissatisfied with her life, Jillian wakes up seven years in the past, with her old boyfriend and in her old job. She makes different choices based on her foreknowledge of what's to come, and learns what really matters to her. Only quibble would be that she finds a way back to "now" without having to live through everything again. Not using for prompt, but perfect for #27, Do-Overs or Fresh Starts.
How Sex Works: Why We Look, Smell, Taste, Feel, and Act the Way We Do by Sharon Moalem. A Biological and Evolutionary take on how sex works. I didn't realize the author was a Canadian guy. Now that I've read this one, I can read Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life, which I've been holding for my Song title prompt. Not for a prompt.
A Phoenix First Must Burn edited by Patrice Caldwell. This was for Read Harder's prompt of a SFF Anthology edited by a Person of Color. It also fit for Black History Month. It's sixteen YA stories of Black Girl Magic. Like all anthologies, I loved some stories and didn't connect with others. But it was a great anthology. Highly recommended.
PS: 8/50 RH: 1/24 RW: 3/28 ATY: 13/52 GR: 18/100
Currently Reading:
War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi. I've had this checked out since October, when I intended to read it for the PS Fall challenge. Finally reading it for Black History Month. Fifty pages to go! Using for #2, Afrofuturist.
The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow. Just started this one, and can't really make a judgement on it yet. Using for #26, Oxymoron in Title.
The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis. Library hold came back in, and need to read it for my virtual book club later this month.
QOTW:
Most retellings I read are based on fairy tales, which I mostly already know. I have searched for the original Ballad of Tam Lin because a book series I'm reading has used it for a rather major plot point, but that's not really available as a book. And while Deerskin is one of my all time favorite books, I have no desire go find the original Donkeyskin, although that could be due to subject matter (and that the original is supposed to be pretty terrible in its treatment of women). I do have to agree with Sarah about Clueless - I enjoyed Emma (and kept reading it) largely because I had enjoyed Clueless so much.
I guess if a book is a retelling of another book, not a fairytale or myth (or Shakespeare play), I wouldn't read the retelling first. I'd try to read the original first. I didn't read The Eyre Affair last year even though I was having issues finding another book with a title that rhymed because I hadn't read Jane Eyre yet, and didn't want to ruin the future reading of Jane Eyre I had planned. But I will absolutely watch Ten Things I Hate About You even though I haven't read The Taming of the Shrew.
To further muddle the answer, one of the greatest joys in my (reading) life is proving historical fiction. (And I would argue historical fiction absolutely counts as a retelling.) I will read a historical fiction book, and set out to learn as much as I can about that period from non-fiction sources. One of the best days was when I found a line from 1776's staircase song in a letter written from John Adams to Thomas Jefferson (and then showing it to everyone I could find who'd also seen 1776 - and they would likely not describe that as the best day). I will absolutely read a book about something I have no knowledge of, and then find the primary sources to understand it better, when that first book is called historical fiction.
So I guess the answer is, it depends on what the book is, what it's retelling, and how much I want to read the retelling immediately.
Finished: There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather. This is weird. Goodreads isn't finding the book even though it is already on my Goodreads Read list. Better read as a memoir than a how-to book. Started:
Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God I'm surprised at how Quakery this one. (Translation: that's a good thing.)
Qotw: No.
Afternoon, all. Hope you're hanging in there. Is it just me, or has the GR search algorithm gone even more squirrlly? I was trying to get the links for the books mentioned below, and I ended up with the only place I could get them to work was by getting the individual editions off my Read shelf.
I haven't checked in since week 3, but I'm still on track, having finished four prompts in the last couple of weeks.
First up are a couple of the 40s (I'm one of those folks who for the "favourite prompt from a previous challenge" goes for one from each of the (now six) years.
40a. From 2015 - 41. A book by an author you've never read before - And Then There Were Crumbs, Eve Calter - first in what I hope will turn into a longer cozy series (only two so far). I liked the main character, and the small-town setting was about more than just the suspect pool. It had a real sense of community spirit.
40e. From 2019 – 30. A book featuring an amateur detective. The Readaholics and the Gothic Gala , Laura DiSilverio. Actually a whole book club of amateur detectives. Sadly, as this one was published in 2016, I don't think there are going to be any more in the series.
And then a pair of Jodi Taylor books from the St Mary's series:
A Second Chance for 21. Genre Hybrid (SF, Historical Fiction, Humour, Adventure)
A Trail Through Time for 27. Do-overs or fresh starts (Max, the POV character, literally has a do-over in a different timeline, with the lover who died in her own one)
Plus I've used Land of Wolves, Craig Johnson, for 33. Three generations, as the case is about a grandfather trying to protect his grandson and daughter from an abusive son-in-law.
Current totals:
Basic: 7/45
Advanced: 2/10
Total: 9/55
Next on the agenda for PS are:
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race for 20. BLM reading lists
A Discovery of Witches for 5. Dark Academia
and The City We Became for Afrofuturist.
I'm also up to date with ATY, with 5/52 read.
QotW: If you see a book is a retelling or based on another book, do you feel compelled to read the original first?
I may occasionally pick up something based on a book I've read before, but I don't go out of my way to read the original if I haven't already. If anything, it's probably the other way around. A bit like not wanting to read the book before seeing a movie.
I will admit, I find a lot of retellings rather disappointing, or maybe they just aren't my thing.
Goodness this week flew by. I've nothing to show for it, but I've been reading like mad! Crazy snowstorm this week. It was wonderful!Finished 4/50
Currently Reading
Pearls of Lutra for "book with a gem, stone, or mineral in the title". I'm truly enjoying this. I hope to finish it soon, but the Philokalia is taking all my time right now (since it's due at the library and this book is just borrowed from a friend).
The Philokalia: The Complete Text for "longest book on your TBR". It's one book broken into four and I only have until the end of March to get the first three back to my library. Yikes!! Gotta speed it up. I'm halfway through volume one.
QotW
It depends. Honestly, I've read so many classics, I usually have already read the original by the time I get to the retelling! I mean, I'll read pretty much anything so I'm never opposed.
Mod
Is it just me, or has the GR search algorithm gone even more squirrlly? I was trying to get the links for the books mentioned below, and I ended up w..."
Definitely not just you. So many people today have been having trouble, just in this post! I checked the Known Issues list for Feb, didn't see this one, so I wrote to GR support this morning. Haven't heard back yet.
Hi everyone! I'm really looking forward to an epic snowshoe at Donner Peak this weekend in all the new snow. Watch out snow, you're about to get shoed.Finished this week:
Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time: I enjoyed this very much. It combined my interests in backpacking, ancient ruins, colonists being jerks, and history. I appreciated the author's willingness to say he didn't know something rather than making grand statements that weren't backed by evidence, as so many "explorers" and colonists have done.
A Princess in Theory: Loved it! Go read this book if you like romances! I cared a lot about Naledi and Thabiso and really wanted them to find love and be happy. I also liked that Naledi cared about her career, royal betrothal or not, and Thabiso supported her. I'll be continuing with this series, though I'm going to force myself to read some other authors first.
Currently reading:
The Deep by Rivers Solomon. This is my second book by Rivers Solomon, and I must admit that neither book really spoke to me. I don't think it's a problem with the books, just a personal preference.
The Italian by Ann Radcliffe. I do love a gothic novel. They're just so overwrought, which hits my funny bone very hard. A monk has already mysteriously appeared with a Dire Warning for the protagonist twice in the first 15 pages. I'm strongly suspecting he's an evillllll monk. God I love it.
Starting today: Black Panther: A Nation under our Feet Volume 2
QOTW: For the most part I like to read the source text as well as the retelling, though I don't mind about the order. There are a few instances where it didn't work out, most notably trying to read Three Men in a Boat after reading the glorious To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. Three Men in a Boat was just not as enjoyable for me. Most of the time, though, if I enjoy a retelling I'll probably enjoy the source material, so it's always worth a look.
Hey guys!I am absolutely wiped- the evaluation was at a time I'm generally not awake yet, and even though I was awake all day for all of last week, I have shifted into a rhythm that works better for me, but that still had the eval a bit too early, haha! It was weird, too. But ohwell. It's done, and hopefully from now on it will be more focused because I don't think I have the energy to switch places again. Already have to handle getting a new help, don't want to think about changing psychologist again!
Then last night I found out on of my 'trashcan bunnies' (they are bottomless pits and never have diarrhea even when introducing new veggies) hadn't eaten since that morning. For those of you who don't know, bunnies have to keep eating, or they die. They can go into shock from 12 hours upwards, and die after 24 hours. So it's a critical thing. I could even pick her up no problem, which was Extra Worrying because she and her husband are incredibly anxious and don't ever let us get near like that.
Called the vet for confirmation what to do after having given her pain meds, weighed her, and taken her temp (too low), and she then stayed inside for the rest of the evening against a hot water 'bottle' thingy (I am blanking on the English term, apologies) to get her temp back up, with meds every hour. When we were nearing the 'force feed time' because her temp was back up, I gave her some of her favorite veggies. She nibbled enough for us to not force feed, so when we went to bed we put her back with her husband, who had been looking for her, poor thing.
This morning she ate, and she did this afternoon too, but it was still not as it's supposed to be. This evening she took a few bites and then ran away because I had to walk past and I haven't seen her eat since. Tried to pick her up but she ran away (which is good, in a way) because she had randomly lied down in the middle of the garden (weird for her during food and therefore bad) but I stopped because adding stress is a Bad Idea. So now we wait until morning.
So if you could all send my Ferb girl some good vibes, that'd be greatly appreciated! (Ezra would also be grateful, because he doesn't get why Ferb is acting so weird, haha!)
Such ramblings, sorry guys! Let's hope next week will be better, haha!
Read
Be Dazzled for book about art (cosplay) for PS, and book published in 2021 for ATY. Enjoyed this, but had some issues with it as well. Especially the ending. Not happy with it, to say the least, haha! But the cosplay, the cons ... I miss it so much! Reading about it was a double edged sword in that regard!
All the Young Dudes okay so technically this isn't a book. But it's on GR so I'm mentioning it! Even as a GR Librarian I feel a fic should be allowed on this site if it's THIS LONG. 527k words, everyone. That should count toward our goals, haha! Not counting it for challenges, though; somehow I felt like that was going too far xD Anyways, absolutely loved this! My first HP fanfic ever and it is indescribably good. Taking it as canon, and no one can stop me *shrugs*
Nick and Charlie (hope this works because GR wouldn't let me find it) for heart on the cover (it's tiny but it's there!) for PS, and monochromatic cover for ATY (I figured it counted). Loved this, but then I love everything Nick and Charlie! Four stars because the miscommunication trope is overdone imo and this lasted a bit too long; there was a small fourth wall break which was jarring and not needed, and the final little chapter was unneccesary. The final line of the chapter before would have been a perfect ending, too! Other than that ... my boys <3
Currently Reading
Clap When You Land - managed 98 pages today. Slower going than I had anticipated. I'm not good with poetry, and while this is mostly just in verse, there are some stanzas (am I saying that right?) that really wrack my brain. On top of that I have to look up almost all Spanish words and (Dominican) slang (not a criticism!), so it's taking a lot more time than I thought. Really good so far, though!
QOTW
Not really, I think. I do have it with movies/TV series! Not always, but often I'm like "I kinda want to read it before I watch it". This has led, for example, to me not having seen the LOTR movies until I saw the first back in October. Currently only have the last one left! But then there's also movies like Wonder, where I don't mind not having read the book yet.
When it comes to retellings of mythology, I don't have to read the 'base material' cuz I already know it. I still want to, one day, but just for fun :D As for fairy tales .. if I don't know it, I won't go looking for it either. Maybe I would have enjoyed House of Salt and Sorrows better if I had known the origin, but alas.
When it's a retelling of a classic, sometimes. Depends on the classic, and if I've always wanted to read it anyways or not. I read a P&P retelling once and it was *horrible* and it honestly killed my motivation for reading the original and any other retellings of Austen, so I should really read those classics I'm interested in first after all, haha!
Greetings. I really miss when I was on vacation and could keep up and play in the thread. Sigh. Finished:
Mycroft and Sherlock - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar It's fun to see Mycroft deal with teen Sherlock
Ikenga - Nnedi Okorafor - This is much darker than I anticipated. The narrator has a heck of a voice!
Currently Reading:
Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures
QOTW:
It depends. If it's a retelling of a book I'm not interested in, no.
Alex wrote: "Pearls of Lutra for "book with a gem, stone, or mineral in the title". "That is by far my favorite of the Redwall series!! (And I LOVE the Redwall series). I'm so glad you're enjoying it! :D
Hi everyone, Would have been my grandma's birthday today, feeling a little blue. But I have a kitty snuggling on my lap, so that's always nice.
This week I finished:
Blood Red by Mercedes Lackey - Also having search issues, this will not come up even with author name. I even checked on my kindle to make sure I wasn't mis-remembering the name, but no that's what it was called. Anyhow this was just a re-read for me, even though it'd been a while. Didn't count it for prompts.
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones - Still more issues, the study guides came up, but not the actual book? Anyhow, this is my women's prize winner. Also used for ATY book off the USA Today's 100 Black authors to read, and Book Nerds story that spans a few years. I liked it, didn't LOVE it. I liked that the characters were believably flawed, yet a lot of their actions meant I didn't really fully support them, so made it harder to get invested. But it was really well written and was still easy to get through.
Currently reading:
1Q84 - yay one linked. Still poking at this, very slow going. it's not bad, per-se, just seems like its taking a while to really get to the point. It's longest book on my tbr.
The Burning God - RF Kuang - Again, won't come up. So my libary's back to allowing people in the building for in-and-out trips. I picked up the prizes I won for the winter reading challenge, and did a little browsing on the new release shelf, and of course walked out with three long books that don't really fit into any of my challenge plans haha. I'll have to see if I can make it fit anywhere. It's almost a black and white cover, but there's a purple wash within the drawing and a few purple letters. A good portion so far has been outside or in precarious shelter, might count it for that since I didn't have anything picked out yet.
Thick by Tressie McMillian Cottom - again, no link. I think this'll be my body positivity book, also for Reading Women's 2019 short list.
The House in the Cerulean Sea Sneak Peek - Doing the audio book, just started. Will be my book where a beloved pet doesn't die in read harder, not sure about popsugar yet.
QOTW:
Not usually. Either I don't know it's specifically a retelling, or I'm reading it because it's already a story I'm reasonably familiar with. I don't think I'd go out of my way to read a retelling if it was for a story i hadn't read and i wasn't familiar enough to get by. although if i ended up reading it anyhow and liked it, might go back and read the original
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Meet Me in Bombay (other topics)A Hundred Suns (other topics)
Before She Disappeared (other topics)
House of Earth and Blood (other topics)
A Duke by Default (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Anne Morrow Lindbergh (other topics)Dhonielle Clayton (other topics)
Gary Taubes (other topics)
John Grisham (other topics)
William Shakespeare (other topics)
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Black History Month is one of the first such commemorative months I can remember being established in the US. (Though I think perhaps Women’s History Month was the first I remember.) I was grateful there was at least acknowledgement and am so appreciative of the resulting attention!
Here is my listing of books to continue and hopefully FINISH reading:
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Excellent writing! It really flows.
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. Really want to finish this one!
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. Excellent so far! I love Reynolds' humor!
Learning Race, Learning Place: Shaping Racial Identities and Ideas in African American Childhoods by Erin N. Winkler
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois. I believe I learned more valuable US history in the first chapter than in my whole life thus far!
Once these are done, I plan to startStamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi. I plan to just read a bit at a time, since I expect it to be dense with information!
Admin Stuff:
The February Monthly Group Read Discussion of Binti (Binti #1) by Nnedi Okorafor is well underway! You can always post information regarding a different book you have read that fulfills 2021 POPSUGAR prompt #2 An afrofuturist book here. A huge thank you to Jessica for leading this one!
We are in need of leaders for these next four months. Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer! (Note the poll winners for April-June!)
March: #8 A book that has won the Women’s Prize for Fiction
(Women’s History month in Australia, UK, US)
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Waiting for a 'ravishing reader' to volunteer to lead this discussion!
April: #28 A magical realism book
(#1 in selection poll)
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
We will need a "leading librarian" to lead this discussion!
May: #24 A book by a Muslim American author
(Islamic holiday Eid al-Fitr on May 13, 2021)
Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin
We will need an "adorable analyzer" to lead this discussion!
June: #20 A book on a Black Lives Matter reading list
(Juneteenth on June 19, 2021 - aka African American Freedom Day or Emancipation Day)
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
We are searching for a "bookish bookworm" to lead this discussion!
Thanks to all who voted!
Popsugar: 25/50
ATY: 38/52
RHC: 3/24
Reading Women: 2/28
FINISHED:
I thoroughly enjoyed A Playdate With Death (A Mommy-Track Mystery #3) by Ayelet Waldman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. A solid mystery and I particularly appreciated Juliet’s dilemma with weaning Isaac. (I allowed my third and youngest child to wean himself and certainly wished I had done that with the first two!) Looking forward to reading the fourth installment, but have a few other books to finish before I can tackle it.
POPSUGAR: #27, #30-California, #36-41 reviews on Goodreads, #38-Peter is a screenwriter, #40-From 2017 POPSUGAR Challenge-prompt #47 A book with an eccentric character—Al!, #47-Ayelet Waldman is one of my favorite authors!
ATY: #7-A book related to the 2020 or 2021 Pantone Color of the Year-2021 Ultimate/Pandemic Grey-the book cover is half grey, #15, #24, #27-The Lovers, Death, The Fool, #31, #38-THREATEN: Matthew did threaten Juliet and her child, #42, #45-Juliet, #49, #52-The end of Bobby’s life.
I blew my reading schedule out of the water this past weekend by reading Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ :) for Literary Wives. Then, on Sunday evening as I was beginning to compose a review on my extremely long-neglected blog, I reread the latest Literary Wives email message/reminder and realized that (1) I read the WRONG book, and (2) the blog posting isn’t to be posted until MARCH 1, NOT February 1!! Oh, my. Not only did I NOT read the books I intended to read, but read the WRONG book! YIKES! I am old and decrepit! But…this book was absolutely excellent! I have now read four of Genova’s books and am looking forward to obtaining a copy and reading Every Note Played during February!
POPSUGAR: #18-Empathy for others, acceptance of all, #27, #30-Boston, #33, #34-Acceptance of people dealing with a disability or disabilities, #40-From 2017 POPSUGAR Challenge-prompt #51 A book about a difficult topic—Huntington’s Disease, #46, #47-Lisa Genova is one of my all-time favorite authors
ATY: #7-A book with a life-altering event in the plot, #8-Boston or Massachusetts, #15, #27-Strength, Death, #38-ASYLUM: The most vivid memories Joe has of his mother are from his visits to her in the State Hospital which was more of an insane asylum in its day, #40, #47-Joe’s police UNIFORM, #49, #52-Joe’s premature death
CONTINUING:
The Wall of Storms (Dandelion Dynasty #2) by Ken Liu. I am enjoying this one much more than the first installment, The Grace of Kings! Oh, my. Very anxious to finish this over the coming weekend!
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende to fulfill the 2020 Reading Women prompt #26 A book written by Isabel Allende.
Paradise by Toni Morrison to fulfill the 2020 Reading Women prompt #25 A book written by Toni Morrison.
Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence (Classsics, Literature) Annotated |56605996]. Still…
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
I KEEP TELLING MYSELF I MUST NOT PICK UP ANY OTHER BOOKS. JUST FINISH THESE ALREADY!!! 😊
PLANNED:
A Cat of a Different Color (Alice Nestleton Mystery #2) by Lydia Adamson to fulfill 2020 Reading Challenge Color Challenge prompt #17 Read a book with the word “Color” in the title.
Every Note Played by Lisa Genova for Literary Wives in March.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger for a February Buddy Read.
I'm so sorry you guys! I initially overlooked posting the Question of the Week! Here it is...
Question of the Week:
This week’s question comes from Jennifer!
If you see a book is a retelling or based on another book, do you feel compelled to read the original first?
I used to feel this way in the past. For instance, I read The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine just after our Borders store closed a little over 7 years ago. It was the last “make” book as determined by the corporate head honchos but I didn’t get it read at that time. (I was so depressed at losing our store/the company!) Since it is supposed to be directly based upon Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility which I had never read, I made it a point to read the original first and was glad I did. While I could see some similarities, Schine’s book just didn’t resonate much for me. For that reason, I was glad I had read the original book since I at least enjoyed it! 😉
However, then I was faced with Madeline Miller’s two books, The Song of Achilles and Circe, which I wanted to read even though I have little experience with or knowledge of mythology in general. I suppose if I was more interested in mythology I might have read some of that prior to reading Miller’s books, but I didn’t and I really don’t think that lack of background knowledge affected my appreciation of Miller’s writing, which I ADORE!! For example, although I rarely reread I am so excited for The Song of Achilles as the group read for next month I have been considering reading it again. That definitely means I really enjoyed it!
How about you?