Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2021 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 27: 7/2 - 7/8
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Nadine wrote: "Oh no, I can't take credit for that one, that was CHRISTINE who set that up! And, yes, it was a brilliant idea."I'm glad it's helping people out! 😊
Jennifer W wrote: "I prefer the sequel Return to OZ.."Explaining the plot of Return to OZ to people who have never heard of it is one of my FAVORITE things. I love watching their faces shift when I say it was one of my favorite movies as a kid and then launch into all of the honestly horrifying things that happen within the first ten to fifteen minutes. Never gets old.
Chrissi wrote: "In the Garden of Spite: A Novel of the Black Widow of La Porte - historical fiction about Belle Gunness, a female serial murderer in Indiana.."!! I am so excited to find out this exists! Belle Gunness is one of my favorite serial killer stories - was that a creepy sentence?? Probably! I can just appreciate a woman who puts out a newspaper ad to lure rich men to her home to murder them and has the chutzpah to literally write "Triflers need not apply" in it.
Alex wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "I prefer the sequel Return to OZ.."Explaining the plot of Return to OZ to people who have never heard of it is one of my FAVORITE things. I love watching their faces shift when..."
The beginning of that film is terrifying! I used to love scary films but I would fast forward the video when I was a kid.
Howdy all! I'm know this is really late, but I wanted to get this week written up. It's been a busy week helping my daughter and her husband get ready to move later in the month. we are also having car issues. But I still managed to get some books read. Finished:
The Girl and The Galdurian (Lightfall#1) by Tim Probert. I can't wait for more of this series to come out. This about a world where their sun was put out by a villain, but a race called the Galdurian made lights so the world would have light and not just darkness. Cad is the last of the Galdurian. He has no idea what happened to his race or when they disappeared. He just knows they left him behind. Bea is the granddaughter of the pig wizard who has went to check on a seal. He is forgetful so Bea with the help of Cad go after him. I really liked this and hope the next book comes out soon. This a graphic novel.
Bleach Volume 7 (The Broken Coda) by Tite Kubo. I love this series and the characters in it. They all have their strengths and weaknesses.
Hex Vet: Witches in Training by Sam Davies. This is a wonderful children's graphic novel about to young witches learning to work together and overcome anything that comes at them.
The Girl Who Married a Skull and other African Stories (a Cautionary Fables and Fairytales book #1) edited by C. Spike Trotman, Kel McDonald, and Kate Ashwin. This is a graphic novel of short stories that is wonderful to read. Most of these stories I didn't know, so it was fun reading them for the first time.
The Nixie of the Mill-Pond and ohter European Stories (a Cautionary Fables and Fairytales Book #3) edited by Kel McDonald and Kate Ashwin. This is a great graphic novel of short stories. These retellings where interesting.
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. I really liked this. My only problem was that I ended up getting daughters and mothers mixed up. I ended up having to look and see which daughter belonged to which mother. I really enjoyed the stories in this book. I plan on reading more books by her.
The Night Marchers and other Oceanian Stories (A Cautionary Fables and Fairytales Book #4) edited by Kel McDonald and Kate Ashwin. I love this series and loved this book. It was interesting and I have to say that I loved all the stories.
Goldie Vance Volume 2, by Hope Larson. This graphic novel series only seems to get better. I really love the characters and the plot.
Reading and will be reading:
Maid Sama! volume 9&10 (I read book 9 last night.)
Escape From Warsaw
Drama
Forgotten City
QotW:
I'm not sure about the 1/2 or 0.5 things as they are hard to find. I get most of my books from the library so if they don't have it. I don't get to read it. I wish they would make so you can read them in a printed form or a way you can get them from the library.
Hellllloooo from rainy Chicago. I love a good dark rainy day- makes me feel zero guilt for staying on the couch in pjs catching up on all the bookish things!! Still job searching, but feel much better about my prospects. The universe truly works in mysterious ways and I'm just along with the ride.24/40 PopSugar
6/10 Advanced PopSugar
35/80 GoodReads
Finished Reading:
1.) What Color Is Your Parachute? 2020: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers by Richard Nelson Bolles (No PS Prompt) ⭐⭐⭐⭐: Used this book to work on what I really want to do when I grow up- I appreciated the data and the exercises Bolles has you do.
2.) Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo (No PS Prompt) ⭐⭐⭐: #5 in the Burkholder series about Amish murders in Painters Mill, OH. I think I need to take longer breaks between books in this series- the tropes are starting to annoy me.
3.) People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (#30- Somewhere to Visit) ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2: LOVED the snarky banter between Alex & Poppy. I was a little disappointed in Beach Read, and this one went high back up on my list by this author. Perfect summer rom-com.
Currently Reading:
1.) Les Miserables
2.) Malibu Rising
QOTW: What about ‘between the number’ serial installments?
Cannot STAND this. I already struggle with reading series, especially if they are still alive and well and continuing to write books for the series. I tend to get annoyed reading the same author over and over, as I feel like the reading experience starts to get predictable and not enjoyable. I also hate the idea of not knowing how big of a commitment I need to put in to a series. I'm a completist, which just makes this so hard for me. I've gotten so much better at not feeling obligated to continue on with reading series if they get stale.
Heather wrote: "Hello from Michigan! I am officially moved and (mostly) settled into my new place. Now begins the exploration of my new neighborhood."Enjoy the adventures Heather! I'm still exploring Chicago and I moved in January.
Alex wrote: "Very Important Dog Update: at a patio dinner the other day a Newfoundland that had the gray/white coloring that always makes me think of Nana from Peter Pan came over and plopped his head on my lap without warning. His name was Albert, which to quote his owner, is "a grumpy old man name to match his grumpy old man personality." 10/10, would have him interrupt any meal any time he wants."Alex - I LOVE this!!
Shannon wrote: "Not much new in Texas, but my best friend and I are planning a road trip to North Carolina (after years of talking about it, we're finally going to the Wizard of Oz theme park!), and my mom and I b..."The wine train sounds so fun!!! Please report back and let us know how it went!! Really want to add this to my travel bucket list too.
Happy Sunday everyone!Our weather has settled into a pattern of a 3-4 day heatwave of temps in the 90s – ugly, hot, humid days full of random downpours - followed cooler humid grey days full of constant rain. I hope that the plants and the dystopian writers and readers are enjoying it.
Finished:
A Study in Emerald I loved A Study in Scarlet, and if you did as well, or if you’ve read any Arthur Conan Doyle, you will likely enjoy this graphic novel. You will likely cotton on to what Neil Gaiman is up to here. Even without any prior reading, this a clever, enjoyable story. My first Neil Gaiman read, and the first retelling I enjoyed since The Ballad of Black Tom by the inimitable Victor LaValle
Book with a gem, mineral or rock in the title
Before the Coffee Gets Cold I struggled with this prompt, mostly because I love magical realism, and the few authors who do it well are dead , and I’ve read their entire canon, or they’re alive, but I’ve read everything they’ve written so far.
Thank goodness for Toshikazu Kawaguchi. I love the characters, the café, the rules, everything. I even ugly cried on the subway over the second chapter – such a beautiful, understated love story!
If you loved or even liked:
The Housekeeper and the Professor
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie
Society
Don’t miss this one!
A book that is actually magical realism
QOTW:
I don’t read many series that have the ‘in-between’ numbers. The books in the Kinsey Millhone series and the Simon / Charlie Zailer series are pretty much standalone novels. The character do grow and change, and there are some nice side plots, but you can always catch up very quickly with a few well-placed sentences. One I’ve followed, a Wedding Cake Mystery series, has a couple of the #1,5 type installments. They are nice little visits with characters I like, and the short stories explore the side characters / family a little more. But I can imagine when you are depending on a series plotline, this could be annoying.
I am loving the Very Important Dog Updates!
I have a Very Important Dog Update too!I recently discovered my rescue dog has, at some point, been trained to do this:
Of course, myself and my mother have been more or less permanently making heart-hands at him for days now.
Cendaquenta wrote: "I have a Very Important Dog Update too!I recently discovered my rescue dog has, at some point, been trained to do this:"
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT DOG UPDATE
Lynn wrote: "Kendra wrote: "Happy Thursday. Just a quick check in for me today because I'm leaving and won't be back until Sunday. I will get to see my grandma for the first time in a year (as well as other rel..."Be careful, The Bad Muslim Discount is not a cute romcom like the cover and blurb make it seem. I'm really enjoying it, but it is not what I was expecting.
Ellie wrote: "This discussion has just reminded me that I had the Hugo voting packet to download! I paid for a supporting membership this year because Seanan McGuire said it would have ALL the October Daye stori..."Does it have all the InCryptid short stories too?
Cendaquenta wrote: "I have a Very Important Dog Update too!I recently discovered my rescue dog has, at some point, been trained to do this:
Of course, myself and my mother have been more or less permanently makin..."
How does one move forward after discovering this?? ;)
Mod
I recently discovered my rescue dog has, at some point, been trained to do this: ..."
OH MY GOODNESS MY HEART!!!!!
What could be cuter???
Kendra wrote: "Does it have all the InCryptid short stories too?"No, Incryptid isn't a finalist for Best Series this year, so it's not part of the voting packet.
Cendaquenta wrote: "I have a Very Important Dog Update too!I recently discovered my rescue dog has, at some point, been trained to do this:
Of course, myself and my mother have been more or less permanently makin..."
ADORABLE!!!
A corgi who responds to hearts??? Does it get any better than that??(I may not be able to get back to work now....)
Mod
Now I'm thinking about how I could train them to do it. With my old dogs, I didn't have kids yet so I was very involved in obedience training and we did a few tricks. These two, they just get to live with me. They don't even know how to high-five.
Maybe it's time to make some changes around here
Jennifer W wrote: "A corgi who responds to hearts??? Does it get any better than that??(I may not be able to get back to work now....)"
To be clear, the GIF was just an illustration, my dog's not a corgi - he's a Cairn Terrier / Scottie mix.
Still darn cute though. 😁❤
Ah, gotcha. (I've barely caught on to emojis, gifs are almost too advanced for my tech skills! lol) Yes, that would also be very cute!
Cendaquenta wrote: "I have a Very Important Dog Update too!I recently discovered my rescue dog has, at some point, been trained to do this:
Of course, myself and my mother have been more or less permanently makin..."
Oh my word! That is so cute!
@Cendaquenta thanks for posting the gif even if it's not your dog!
Mod
I hope a cool-down has happened for you!
"Made crazy progress this week!"
Great!
"Of Nightingales That Weep for "book about fresh starts". Wow, this was not what I expected. It was good, but it includes things in there that I'm not sure are appropriate for a middle-grade book (15 year old marries her stepfather???)."
Sounds a bit yucky, but maybe more appropriate for the time in which it is set? It is historical fiction...
"Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man for "book with an oxymoron in the title". Wow, this was so sad. I really feel for this family. Child abuse is so sinister and creates so many lifelong issues...this book is case in point."
True.
"The Kingdom of Copper for "book by a Muslim American author". I read The City of Brass a couple years ago and liked it, so now I have the perfect excuse to read the next book in the series!"
It is fun when that happens!
"QotW
It annoys me. The Kingkiller Chronicles and the Stormlight Archives (and I think the Lunar Chronicles as well) do this, and it makes it so hard to figure out how many books are in a series and what to read when. I understand writing spin-off books can be fun or books focusing on minor characters can be cool, but please LABEL THEM BETTER SO I KNOW WHERE IT FITS. It drives me up the wall, ESPECIALLY if I like a series. I want to make sure I have them all, and if you aren't specifically labeling it as "book 2.5 of x series", it tends to not come up when I search for "books in x series" or if it does, I've no idea what it is or where it goes. Very frustrating."
It certainly can be frustrating!
Mod
I'm happy for you and jealous at the same time! LOL 😁
"the rest fit no prompts so they go from fave to least fave (I actually really enjoyed all of them except for the last 2)"
Great! Glad you enjoyed so many!
"The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren. Contemporary romance. Really enjoyed it."
I am anxious to read this one. I assume I will enjoy it as much as the other of their books I've read!
"The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe. Picked it up based on a tweet that said "be gay, do crime recs". YA. Daughter of a con artist gets caught in a bank robbery. Enjoyed it."
That certainly looks intriguing!
"Counting Down with You by Tashie Bhuiyan. YA romance. Muslim/Bangladeshi-American heroine. Fake dating trope. This was a cute read."
Ooohhh...another one I added!
"Pumpkin by Julie Murphy. YA contemporary fiction. Enjoyable read."
Sounds good, but I need to read the first one! 😃
"QOTW:
I usually just skip the inbetweens. Maybe I'm missing something but I'll never know."
Very sensible! :)
Cendaquenta wrote: "I have a Very Important Dog Update too!I recently discovered my rescue dog has, at some point, been trained to do this:."
OMG -- MY HEART!!!!!
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Bad Muslim Discount (other topics)A Study in Emerald (other topics)
The Housekeeper and the Professor (other topics)
Before the Coffee Gets Cold (other topics)
The Ballad of Black Tom (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Neil Gaiman (other topics)Toshikazu Kawaguchi (other topics)
Arthur Conan Doyle (other topics)
Victor LaValle (other topics)
Richard Nelson Bolles (other topics)
More...
Oh the follow-up Heroes of Olympus series is excellent. I wasn't a huge fan of the Kane Chronicles trilogy (ancient Egypt) and Magnus Chase series (Norse), but I do love that they all take place in the same universe. I'm kicking myself for still having not started any of the Rick Riordan Presents books yet either.