Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2022 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 3: 1/14 - 1/20
Theresa, I have a terrible memory for details in books, but I feel like Project Hail Mary may work for two languages.
Happy Thursday! I am off of work tomorrow so I have a three day weekend. Yay! It's my mom's 75th birthday tomorrow so we're heading to see her and throw her a party. Finished:
Somebody's Home - one of my personal goals is to get caught up on my NetGalley ARCs this year so I read this for that. I didn't love this one.
The Overnight Guest - this is another of my NetGalley books. This was a great thriller.
The Comeback - another goal is to get through my Book of the Month backlist which is why I read this one. I really liked this story.
True Crime Story - I used this for a book with a misleading title prompt. It's a fictional story about a fictional true crime. Definitely misleading if you were hoping for true crime. I listened to the audiobook, and if you're thinking of reading this one I recommend reading the physical or ebook instead of listening to it. It was hard to keep track of who was who.
Challenge Progress:
7/50
Currently Reading:
We've Got To Stop Meeting Like This - A Memoir of Missed Connections - I'm reading this for a book tour.
The Maid - this is for my NetGalley catch up!
The Beekeeper of Aleppo - this is also a NetGalley catch up.
Question of the Week:
Is there a genre that you've always avoided but have recently started getting into because of this (or another) reading challenge?
I've read more fantasy than I normally would because of this challenge.
K.L. wrote: "I knew the final number would be high, but I had no idea that as of January 1st, I had 962 unread books on my shelves!Since it’s clear that my book buying has been out of control for way too long, I am now on a self-imposed book buying ban until I get at least 150 of my TBR titles read...."
Wow! I thought *I* was out of control, but 962 books is higher than is even on my TBR list! Good luck with your self-imposed book buying ban! Every year for Lent, I don't let myself buy books or check out books from the library. And it is hard! And that's only 45 days! It would probably take me at least a year to get through 150 books of my TBR list. I wish you well!
Milena wrote: "Theresa, I have a terrible memory for details in books, but I feel like Project Hail Mary may work for two languages."Oh, wow, Milena! That would be great if it does! I figured there was a pretty good likelihood that some book I read this year would have a second language in it.
The 2022 Edgar nominees were announced this week:https://mysterywriters.org/mwa-announ...
Lots of diversity in the nominated crime fiction, even one that is SciFi that might end up nominated for a Hugo as well.
Best of all, many of the nominees fit PS prompts perfectly.
poshpenny wrote: "On the other hand, I've been reading ALL THE BOOKS! Plenty are picture books so I can add to my spreadsheet, and I also just really like picture books. Hold on kids, it's quite a list..."I love that you love picture books. Sometimes I find it hard to give myself permission to read them. Like it's cheating, somehow. But of course, picture books are just as much books as anything else. Only more compact! With more pictures!
Mod
We had snow/ice last week, and then yesterday I had to run out to do a grocery fill-in to cover us for the coming weekend, since it’s supposed to start snowing overnight and go all day Friday into Saturday. This isn’t completely unprecedented in this area, but it is pretty unusual for us to get two snow events within two weeks.
I’m so over my skin being itchy and my sinuses being irritated by the dry air and constantly-running heat. Might need to look into a more southerly place to retire to!"
Yikes! And I thought North Carolina would be a place to get away from such weather! Ugh...
"Lynn wrote: "Happy Thursday! I feel as if I’m late in posting since I got my laptop out at 7:30AM yesterday morning thinking, “Oh, I’ve got to post for the Weekly Check-In!” Then realized, “Oh, I don’t have to ..."
I feel like this week is really timey-wimey too. And it won't stop anytime soon - next week I'm taking Monday off yet again because I've learned that the day my 13yo goes back to school after a break needs to be a Mental Health Day for me!"
LOL That sounds smart to me! Enjoy that extra day!
"Finished
Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff - A book with the name of a board game in the title - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - This book is changing my life! That sounds so corny, but she introduces a few key concepts for people who are not naturally good at reducing clutter. The best thing is, I’m now confident I can declutter my whole house without ever pulling all the contents of a drawer/closet/garage out and having to sort/organize it as a big, draining, time-eating project. And my house has already improved noticeably, just in a week! The audio book was great, too - let me DO some stuff with her walking me through it!"
That sounds exciting! Good for you!
"Currently Reading
Good Omens: A Full Cast Production - A book with a character on the ace spectrum - I put this on a 20 minute sleep timer every night, then the next night have to back up to where I fell asleep - so I’m averaging, like, 5 minutes of actual progress per day. :D But I kind of like that - I get to savor this.
Also, I didn’t really register this when watching the show, because Michael Sheen as Aziraphale looks like such a sweet cinnamon bun nerd, but Sheen actually has a very sexy voice! 😆 The benefits we get from trying different editions of favorites! (It goes without saying I already knew David Tennant has a sexy voice.)"
Sexy voices = GOOD!! I have learned through the years that I am a very voice-sensitive person. For instance, I can remember the very first time I heard my ex-husband's voice on the phone. I kinda melted... 😊
"The Consuming Fire - A book about or set in a nonpatriarchal society - I’m having so much trouble getting through the setup and gaining momentum on this one! I know I will. It’s just it literally starts with religious bureaucracy and a committee meeting. I need Kiva Lagos being rude and manipulating people, stat!
Anyway, I tried a little more last night, since I was reminded how much I generally love Scalzi when I preordered The Kaiju Preservation Society and submitted my receipt to Tor to get a laptop decal and “officially” adopt a Kaiju. ❤"
I have the first book in this series on my TBR listing.
"QOTW
I wouldn’t say I’ve actively avoided mysteries, but I was never too keen on the genre - more like I’d read a specific one if it crossed my path. But I’ve read several mysteries for this challenge in the past few years, and I find I want to add the genre to my regular rotation. There’s just something about being drawn on to find out the solution! And as I think I said last week, I’m now actively searching for some good YA mystery, since I liked One of Us Is Lying so much!"
Cool! I LOVE mysteries! Glad to see a convert! 👍😊
Lynn wrote: "Happy Thursday! I feel as if I’m late in posting since I got my laptop out at 7:30AM yesterday morning thinking, “Oh, I’ve got to post for the Weekly Check-In!” Then realized, “Oh, I don’t have to ..."@Lynn - there are so many books labeled 'romance', and only 'romance', that are so much more, in many cases treating very serious themes or reflecting other genres, with the romance a secondary plot at best. You also absolutely cannot judge from cover art either.
It is why I try to ignore genre classifications when considering what to read.
Lynn wrote: "K.L. wrote: "~The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels"Okay, that title alone intrigues me! LOL"
If you like books that combine humor, romance, and adventure, then I highly recommend checking out The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels. It was definitely my favorite book that I read this week.
I am actually off to a pretty strong start this year for the reading challenge! I finished in 2019, but then 2020 and 2021 I slacked while I was in grad school. Luckily, I graduated which means I get to focus on reading again! I am trying to have one audiobook and one ebook at all times, that way I can listen while I drive and read when I get home. I also just downloaded the ATY prompts, so now I am trying to figure out where the books I have planned for this challenge fit. Finished:
Howl’s Moving Castle - 16. A book about witches
⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
Pretty good fun read! I listened to the audiobook, which was really fun. It is light-hearted, and I was thinking about maybe trying to use one of the next books for another prompt.
The Last Graduate - 29. A different book by an author you read in 2021
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I read A Deadly Education last year for a dark academia book, and actually loved it. This was a perfect excuse to read the second one. You could probably use this for several of the prompts, depending on how much you stretch them.
How to Set Yourself on Fire - 49. Two books set in twin towns, aka "sister cities" #1
⭐⭐⭐1/2
The first of my sister cities books. It was an easy enough read, but still manages to deal with some really heavy topics. I loved Torrey and Vinnie, and even Sheila. The only reason it got marked down for me was just because I felt Sheila was a little insufferable at times. I wanted a bigger redemption arc for her.
Currently reading:
In Another Time - 48. A book with two POVs
Wild Beauty - 6. A book by a Latinx author
QOTW:
Hm, I think the only thing I have started including a bit more is fantasy. I never really thought myself to be a big fan, since it is so closely related with science fiction. I know that science fiction isn't generally my cup of tea. But with the past several years of the challenge, I have been including way more books with fantastical elements because of the prompts. I am still pretty picky with what fantasy I choose, though.
Milena wrote: "How could I forget graphic novels? Had never opened one in my life until I started doing reading challenges. My first one was The Complete Maus. I think that's a good one to start with..."My first was Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, but I had owned a few in my TBR for a while, acquured just because they caught my eye. I do seek them out. I also recommend The Best We Could Do as a start. And Bluffton: My Summers with Buster.
Katy wrote: "I read George Washington's Final Battle: The Epic Struggle to Build a Capital City and a Nation as my favorite from a past list: a book you pick off the shelf w/o looking. I had to ..."I read The Witches of Eastwick back when first published. Ended up HATING it. Basically discovered eventually that I just loathe Updike's writing. A very astute well read well educated woman I knew once commented that Updike appealed only to white middle-aged men of that era. I think there is truth in that.
Doni wrote: "Wow! I thought *I* was out of control, but 962 books is higher than is even on my TBR list! Good luck with your self-imposed book buying ban! Every year for Lent, I don't let myself buy books or check out books from the library. And it is hard! And that's only 45 days! It would probably take me at least a year to get through 150 books of my TBR list. I wish you well!"Thanks! It's going to be hard to resist buying new books by my favorite authors when they're released later this year.
What a great idea! I hadn't considered a book buying ban during Lent. I usually give up chocolate, which is really hard for me. I'll definitely have to keep that in mind for the future. I'd commit to doing it this year, but I'll probably still be in the middle of my current book buying ban when Lent starts.
poshpenny wrote: "Milena wrote: "How could I forget graphic novels? ... I will say the actual reading of them took some getting used to. It's still not easy for my older eyes."I started reading them as ebooks on m..."
Same here. I am reading Montress series on tablet and it works well.
M wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm ashamed (but not really) to admit that I didn't do much reading this week. Work took out a number of our employees, so I've just been tired. I also started playing a video game aga..."The Library at the Edge of the World was a delightful surprise, quite engaging and unexpected when I read it a couple of years ago for PS - set in cloister prompt I think. I found it by accident. Still need to read more of series, but I will.
Mod
LOL at the idea of "slacking" while in grad school. I could never have finished a reading challenge while I was in grad school. You're busy!!
*Sigh* I've been away from work and hunkering down in my little cave since Friday afternoon. Just as I've been thinking hey I've been secluded enough days that I can probably start to actually relax for the rest of my time off, I just saw a message from the upstairs housemates (who get 95% of the house) that they both just tested positive. From one of the children they keep letting come over here all the time.
I. Am. So. ANGRY!
Milena wrote: "Harmke wrote: "I’m in the middle of testing week and this afternoon form after form crashed when I changed a tiny-tiny thing. So I considered it a good time to start the weekend and notify our supp..."Pandemic lockdown retired my cleaner. When lockdown eased in NYC...one of last places if not the last in NYS to move out of it in 2020, I tried out a cleaning srvice once a month. And that continues to this day. I can request specific cleaners but have generally let it be random. I am thinking of upping it to rwice a month.
I just can't deal with cleaning myself, lol.
Doni wrote: "K.L. wrote: "I knew the final number would be high, but I had no idea that as of January 1st, I had 962 unread books on my shelves!Since it’s clear that my book buying has been out of control for..."
Pfft...you are neophytes compared to my TBR Towers. Which will remain uncounted as I prefer spending that time reading.
But 4 figures for sure. Question is just what that first figure is.
K.L. wrote: "Lynn wrote: "K.L. wrote: "~The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels"Okay, that title alone intrigues me! LOL"
If you like books that combine humor, romance, and adventure, then I highly recommend ..."
I just reported on The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham that is all about secrets, and family and identity and the reasons one marries. Romance is pretty secondary and these are not steamy at all. Definitely more contemprary fiction than romance or chicklit.
poshpenny wrote: "*Sigh* I've been away from work and hunkering down in my little cave since Friday afternoon. Just as I've been thinking hey I've been secluded enough days that I can probably start to actually re..."
I would be too!
poshpenny wrote: "*Sigh* I've been away from work and hunkering down in my little cave since Friday afternoon. Just as I've been thinking hey I've been secluded enough days that I can probably start to actually re..."
I'm so sorry you keep having to deal with that stress! That's how I keep feeling every time someone else at work tests positive (or we find out a program had to reschedule a bunch of stuff because a student came to a *required* on-campus event--because we're somehow still requiring that for some things-- and then tested positive). We proved that we could work remotely and even did MORE work than we ever had before, but no, let's keep exposing everyone for the sake of "normalcy" (and because you don't want to admit that we don't need constant supervision in order to do our jobs).
I know that last part is different for you, since you can't work remotely. But that whole "cool, I got past one scare and walked right into another" is flipping stressful. I saw a comparison to dodgeball recently and it felt very appropriate.
Mod
I agree - I think reading nonfiction tends to be a little slower going. I enjoy it, but I notice it takes longer to finish the same number of pages."
Ah...so maybe it's not just my imagination! LOL
"I finished two books this week. I'm still trying to decide whether to count one of them for the challenge - there was a description of a recipe in In This Mountain, but I'm not sure if it was enough to count for the prompt "a book with a recipe.""
I would say that is totally up to you!
"Both books that I read this week have sat on my TBR forever, so yay for clearing shelves."
Whoo! Whoo!
"The Freeholder by Joe David Brown - historical fiction, the Goodreads description of this book is not even close to being accurate - it was portrayed as a love triangle but thankfully it's not at all like that, though there is a love story involved (a nice one). Set during the 1800s. 5 stars."
That looks intense!
"QOTW: I would say there are some genres I've been more exposed to because of the reading challenges, like scifi and comics, and I've been encouraged to go back to reading genres that I used to read more of like romance."
Cool!
Argh, the day is almost over already. I'll catch up on everyone' updates tomorrow. I've got a good head start on Popsugar now at 7/50, so I feel I can start reading longer books without any feeling of being behind. Finished:
Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire for board game in the title. One of my favourites of the series, this is set in a school that's run in the opposite way to Eleanor West's, where children are forced into being what they're not.
The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-mo for cutlery in the title and ATY's character in their golden years. This is about an assassin who is getting on in her years and she's worried the company is trying to push her out, even though she still feels capable. I enjoyed this, it's not really a thriller or mystery, but is a commentary on Korea's attitude to aging and how old women are invisible, so that actually makes them really good assassins!
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake for booktok rec. Felt a bit unfinished, has potential but the characters are all elitist and that's not properly dealt with. I have a feeling that's a topic for book two.
The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole for BIPOC romance. This didn't really work for me either as a romance or sci-fi story. It was just OK.
Currently reading Rise to the Sun and listening to Dog Rose Dirt.
QOTW:
I've read quite widely for a while now. I try not to avoid whole genres, I look for certain themes, topics and tropes more than a "oh that book is that genre I won't like it" attitude.
Hello! The visit with my parents went well, and now we're staying with a friend. We probably won't end up seeing most of the friends we planned to see, as some won't make the trip and another is still symptomatic (maybe? it might also be allergies?). But it's been good to not work and visit our favorite restaurants.Finished This Week:
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende. This was a carryover from a Reading Women prompt for 2021. I'm not sure if I'm going to count it for 2022 prompts. It was historical fiction about the Gold Rush in California, and I enjoyed it. There were a lot of casual references to future events ("they would meet again years later" kind of thing) that threw me, because it seemed to give away what would happen.
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan. This was a book club pick for like October, and I finally had the chance to read it. It had a lot more POV characters than I was expecting, and after a certain point, I wasn't sure I still liked it.
Still not sure where anything stands on meeting challenge prompts.
Currently Reading:
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. Only 10% in. I put this on hold last summer when I put another of her books on hold, and then left that hold paused until the end of the year. I have four days to finish it, but we're flying home on Saturday, so waiting at the airport/plane ride should knock out a significant chunk.
QOTW: Is there a genre that you've always avoided but have recently started getting into because of this (or another) reading challenge?
The 2020 Read Harder prompt to read a graphic memoir introduced me to those type of books, and I've been trying to read them more often. I wouldn't say I'd avoided them, because I didn't know they existed until the challenge. I guess if you want to talk avoided, I was never the type to read memoirs, but I've found I've enjoyed them in graphic novel form.
Mod
I've been away from work and hunkering down in my little cave since Friday afternoon. Just as I've been thinking hey I've been secluded enough days that I can probably start to actually re..."
oh that really sucks
Mod
LOL!! priorities!!
....dammit GR app. I've been checking all day if the new check in was up because I didn't want to be so behind again because of lack of energy to catch up, and it just ... didn't tell me???Sigh.
It's been a tough week. Even now I'm staring at this empty box, mentally exhausted. So let's start with the bad, so I can end on a high note!
For almost the entire week my depression has been Very Present. Which really sucked during the weekend (more on that later) but was the worst especially on Monday. I eventually went upstairs Monday night and sobbed for about 15 minutes. I don't cry easily, if we're talking about crying from sadness. (Crying from exhaustion or anger is not as rare, haha!) But that night ... I'd been feeling like shit for days, and I asked my dad if we could do something that night so I wouldn't be alone, but then he got a head ache and it fell through (which is fair btw, please don't think I'm blaming him) and I ended up upstairs alone anyway ... where it hit me I was supposed to be in London. In a theater. Watching one of my favorite people (Jeremy Jordan) perform. But instead I was on my bed crying.
It was ... hard. The next day when I told my mom I started crying again. I know it's a luxury thing, but damn COVID really messed this up for me. While it's technically possible to go to the UK from the Netherlands, in my particular situation it wasn't, sadly. At least my ticket got resold and I lost no money, so silver linings I suppose.
I've been doing a bit better since then, but I'm still not very great. Don't even want to read fanfiction (nothing seems appealing, even though I read just fine if I just click one) so I've been feeling lost as well, not knowing what to do with myself.
ALRIGHT so for the fun things!
Sure, I felt awful this weekend BUT it was also the Game Weekender of my thon, and that was still a lot of fun! We played the rainbow sprints (reading while searching things that are the color of the current sprint) and the word search (a word is picked and then we all read and try to find the word). Even with how I was feeling, I managed to read! Finished my comic bound up, read an entire book on Saturday, and read plenty of fic on Sunday, and as always, got frustrated with everyone else how hard certain words are.
Magenta you expect to be hard, and we kinda had to cheat to get rid of it, due to not a whole lot of people reading as well. We expected hobble to be impossible, but we found that in 15 minutes.
Exit however?? That took 4 hours of a big group of people reading!!! It gave me serious flashbacks to the first time I ran this game, where it took HOURS to find 'walk'. Disgraceful was our 'record', at 5 hours and 10 minutes.
Also dear authors, please remember the color purple exists. It's depressing when you find a maximum of 2 purple things in 3 hours of reading.
I got several people telling me the games, and especially the word search, helped them out of their slumps, even if only for the weekend, which is frankly the best compliment a host could ask for. And it wasn't just my readers who felt that way, because as I said, it worked for me as well! During those days, I read over 1000 pages!
I even tied with someone else on who found the most words!
Safe to say I can't wait for April for the next one!
And today the cinema hosted an online Unlimited Night for the pass holders (passes are called Unlimited (Gold)), so we got to watch The Electrical Life of Louis Wain with Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy. Beautiful! Very well done. I got 150/250 points of the film quiz afterwards, so not too shabby!
Alright, now that I've used up my weekly therapy session, let's get to some stats!
Read
Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 3 Not counting this for any challenges as I read pretty much all of it last year but I finally finished it! Comics are such quick reads and yet because I have to read them on my phone it always takes me forever to get through such a bindup. I enjoyed it, but let's just say ... it was the 60s. It's some terrible writing and drawing, compared to these days, haha!
When We Got Lost in Dreamland as of now I'm counting this for PS' Featuring a Parellel Reality, as the MC spends actual time in a dream world. For ATY I put it for A book related to psychology, neuroscience or the mind, because I feel like that prompt is harder to fill for me than the alternate reality prompt. There is quite a bit of talk about the mind and how it influences dreams and how dreams influence real life that I decided it counted. This makes the book sound super serious, but it's a lovely middle grade by one of my favorite authors, about a boy who's lost his brother in Dreamland. Which has some serious consequences in real life. This author's latest book released today and I can't wait for my copy to come in!
Currently Reading
...nothing. What a surprise. But I've put Daughter of the Deep in a book jacket, so fingers crossed!
I really should work on looking for prompts for the longfics I read, but sadly my brain refuses to cooperate these days, so rip me.
QOTW
This is so hard, because there isn't necessarily any genre that I avoid consciously. Westerns and poetry perhaps, but the latter is because my brain can't comprehend it and it ends with me in tears. But then other hand, I really want to read Misha Collins' Some Things I Still Can't Tell You: Poems so *shrugs* Reading challenges haven't done anything so far to prove myself wrong, but I feel like I've been reading long enough to know pretty well what I would or wouldn't like.
I do find myself in the opposite situation: genres/age ranges I used to love, but now find myself exasperated at if it's a prompt somewhere, because I've read too many of them and grown tired.
Mod
Sigh.
..."
I'm sorry you're in a low patch. I don't understand why, but something about this pandemic has made it really difficult for me to stay focused.
Nadine in NY wrote: "I'm sorry you're in a low patch. I don't understand why, but something about this pandemic has made it really difficult for me to stay focused.."Thanks, I'm sorry you've been struggling, too!
It makes no sense for me to be impacted by the pandemic, as not a whole lot changed for me; I hardly ever left the house anyways, so all I'm missing are a few luxury things.
Maybe even that can add up, though? And more the not seeing the friends I hardly ever saw anyways cuz they live in other countries, than the not being able to go to the movies. Or maybe it's the exhaustion from people arguing about this. Maybe a combo. I don't know. But I'm tired of it.
And as someone who's already chronically tired, I could really do without, haha!
poshpenny wrote: "*Sigh* I've been away from work and hunkering down in my little cave since Friday afternoon. Just as I've been thinking hey I've been secluded enough days that I can probably start to actually re..."
Oh no! I'm so sorry. That's so frustrating when you're trying to be careful. Here's hoping you don't get sick!
Hi everyone. This is my first check in this year. I'm still not sure if I'm going to do the challenge this year but I like checking in with you all so here I am! In personal news, I just got back from my first trip out of the country since 2019. I know leisure travel shouldn't be a priority at the moment but honestly it did wonders for my mental health and I actually felt a lot safer with the restrictions in Spain than here in the UK.In even better news, my seven year old nephew just announced he'd written his first book! It is seven pages long and I couldn't be prouder of my little buddy.
This week I read more than usual because I was relaxing. First up was What Once Was Mine. I have mixed feelings. Normally I devour these books in a day but this one took me a while to get through. It was structured as a story a boy was telling his sick sister in hospital so every time it returned to the siblings it pulled you away from the "actual" Tangled story I was expecting. Surely no one picks up a fluffy Disney book and expects a cancer story.
Next up was A Song for a New Day which I loooooooved. After a string of terrorist attacks and a deadly pandemic, all large gatherings have been made illegal and one super giant online company is taking full advantage of the fear... how was this published in 2019? It is basically our probable future in a book. Plus I have a real soft spot for books about musicians.
Finally I finished S.T.A.G.S. Another one I have missed feelings about. I was expecting more action, less mooning over the (not at all) dreamy boy (view spoiler) but I really liked Greer and her movie fascination... but for a bunch of "smart" kids, they were pretty slow on figuring things out.
Currently reading: The Library of the Unwritten but I'm not sure it's for me. I'll probably give it another day to decide.
QOTW: Contemporary YA has been slowly making more of a mark on my reading since last year. It was never on my radar before as I couldn't relate to their lives but maybe I'm regressing lol
Carmen wrote: "....=I got several people telling me the games, and especially the word search, helped them out of their slumps, even if only for the weekend, which is frankly the best compliment a host could ask for. And it wasn't just my readers who felt that way, because as I said, it worked for me as well! During those days, I read over 1000 pages!..."This is such a fun idea! I've never heard nor thought of doing this. At least you're contributing to other people's well-being. I have no right to complain, but Man! Am I sick of this pandemic!
Mod
Whew! Yeah, do not fall! Please! We need you!! 😊
"This week I finished 5 books, 4 for this Challenge, so I am now 8/50."
You are "bookin'" right along! LOL
"The Confession of Copeland Cane by Keenan Norris - I read this because it's on the Tournament of Books list, and I'm trying to read all the books on the short list this year (and I'm wondering if maybe that wasn't the best idea after all). I decided to check off the first "sister cities" with this book set in Oakland. It was memorable and powerful but not at all engaging. I ended up speed reading through much of it just to finish. (I'm on my third ToB book right now, and also not loving it, so I might end up deciding this whole ToB thing is not for me.)"
This one looks to be a little too "out there" for my taste... At least you're trying the ToB books out! Good for you!
"The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave - this was a book I really wanted to read last year, and my hold finally came in now. I checked off "about a secret." It was entertaining but the ending was just stupid."
LOL Guess I won't worry about reading that one right away! LOL
"Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey - another book I really wanted to read last year, and I finally got to it this month."
I read this 10 years ago and really don't remember much about it, but I evidently enjoyed it. I think I own the second book in the series, but I would definitely want to reread this first...
"Bubble written by Jordan Morris- this is my book that I could read in one sitting, although I will confess that I did NOT finish it in one sitting. But I COULD have."
And the prompt only states that you CAN read it in one sitting! So that works!
"Chew, Vol. 8: Family Recipes written by John Layman - this was completely ridiculous and a lot of fun. I'm reading volume 9 right now! I aim to have all 12 volumes completed by the end of February. There is actually a recipe in this volume! But it's not specific, it's not doable (it involves aliens), it's not safe (it's hallucinogenic), and I already checked off that category anyway."
This whole paragraph just made me laugh! 😀
"QotW
Not really "recently." Back in 2015 when I first started this challenge, I read Big Little Lies (for antonyms in the title) and Station Eleven (for number in the title) and I loved both of them, so I discovered that I do sometimes like what I considered "chick lit" and "literary fiction" and I started seeking out more of those.
In a later challenge, we had to read a Western, and I read The Sisters Brothers and enjoyed it (and I later read True Grit for some other challenge category that I can't remember now) so I discovered that sometimes I do like Westerns, but I haven't been seeking them out to read more."
Interesting discoveries!
"I pretty much have always read an equal number of: mystery, romance, & SFF; some years one or the other genre will pull ahead, but that varies. In the last few years I've started to intentionally seek out more "literary fiction" but it's not really because the Challenge pointed me in that direction, it's just sort of a gradual progression of my reading habits as I age."
I find I add in literary fiction many times so that I have the basic knowledge of it for future reference.
""Mhairi McFarlane"
That is a new one on me. I'll have to research... "
Actually, I have three of her books on my TBR listing!
Carmen wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "I'm sorry you're in a low patch. I don't understand why, but something about this pandemic has made it really difficult for me to stay focused.."Thanks, I'm sorry you've been..."
The thing is...this pandemic changed everyone's lives....and brought stress....
Even if you always worked from home
Even if you were basically a home body couch potato
Even if nothing on the surface really changed....
Because everything changed
When you did go out, you had to mask up, social distance, be carefull.
Movies and theater and travel was gone
Plans weren't being made
Even arranging deliveries, receiving deliveries, banking, etc. Changed.
Favorite restaurants went out of business
The list is endless.
So don't be upset with yourself for being depressed or frustrated with pandemic. You should feel that way. It means you are processing the changes we are living with every moment of every single day. If you don't it makes it harder to move forward.
We all get to complain!
I still remember the day last fall, during a litigation conference when we were trying to pinpoint when something happened. Someone said it was last summer, and then I heard coming out of my mouth " no. That was in the first summer of the pandemic."
Those words, 'the first summer of the pandemic' just sat there in the silence for a minute or an eon, and I said "wow. That is the first time I thought in those terms." All on the call understood. We laughed and moved on, but we all knew that now we were thinking in terms of when during the pandemic something happened, and not just before vs. After, the pandemic was being internalized. We were taking steps to accepting it as part of our daily lives.
I noticed today I wrote someone about planning a long weekend in March, hopefully squeezing in an fun event 'between variants". Again acceptance and internalization - like squeezing something in between holidays.
I find it oddly both sad and reassuring.
Mod
Trash Can Update: I successfully got everything down to the curb for pickup tomorrow. I did not fall! It's so cold today that it's not even very slippery, I crunched rather than slid. (The science behind that is fascinating!! Ice is slippery because of a fine film of water that forms on the top when you step on it - the pressure when you step on it provides enough energy to melt just a thin film, a few molecules thick, and that's what you slip on. So when it's REALLY cold out, ice doesn't melt as readily, and it basically stays solid so its friction coefficient is a bit higher. And of course when it's warm the ice is slush and so it's not slippery either.)
Mod
I'm glad you're still hanging out with us :-)
Doni wrote: "Carmen wrote: "....=I got several people telling me the games, and especially the word search, helped them out of their slumps, even if only for the weekend, which is frankly the best compliment a ..."Love the sound of this!
Good morning from very hot Australia. I finished one book this week, so I'm averaging one a week. Seems like a good pace to set. Progress: 3/50
Finished: Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. This is a Hugo Award Winner from the early-90s. It's a book about time travel and pandemics, and I think I got more out of it than I would have if I'd read it in 2019. Someone's review complained about the toilet paper discussion, and I thought "that's one of the most realistic things!" Although it was a bit slow in the beginning, the build up was necessary and made me care about the characters. Five stars overall.
Did Not Finish
I'm trying to be stricter with my DNFs this year. If I say "oh, I'll keep trying", then I get stuck because I don't want to pick it up and never move on to a new book. So, I DNF'd Cinderella Is Dead at 20%. I know there are people who love it, but it was a bit heavy-handed for me. There are plenty of other sapphic books out there that I think I'll enjoy more.
Currently Reading
Nothing! I only put down Cinderella Is Dead last night and haven't picked up anything new yet. I'll be picking up Life of Pi and To Say Nothing of the Dog from the library today, so one of those is next on the list. Probably To Say Nothing of the Dog, since it's the sequel to Doomsday Book.
QOTW
Well, this is only my second time doing the challenge, and I didn't finish last year, so not much chance so far to find new genres. I'm finding there's some literary fiction that I don't mind, but I haven't been seeking it out. I don't know if that counts.
Doni wrote: "This is such a fun idea! I've never heard nor thought of doing this. At least you're contributing to other people's well-being. I have no right to complain, but Man! Am I sick of this pandemic!"It truly is a lot of fun! I would wholeheartedly recommend it, and you (and everyone else) is of course always welcome to join in April (I host the Game Weekender during each Seasonal Edition of Page-A-Thon), or to just do it on your own. I don't own these games, after all, haha!
And I think Theresa makes a very good point. One way or another if affects us all, and we're allowed to be upset at the luxury things we're missing out on. Someone on the news even said culture is just as important for mental health as sport, if not more, so the fact that everything's closed really has an impact.
It sucks. We're all done with it. I personally can't wait for them to start labeling it as an endemic instead so we can move on. But we're not there yet.
I think a lot of my COVID fatigue also comes from how our government is handling it. The frustration and anger at their unfairness is *real*. They even manipulated a graph last press conference to hide the decline in cases in the UK. Safe to say that pissed me off beyond belief.
Oh, now it's worse. But I'm not going to fill the nice thread with that. I'm very stressed and sad and feel very... well unwanted I guess is the closest. Anyone have any recommendations for lovely books of nice feelings? I guess I could listen to Cerulean Sea again but a new book might be more distracting?
Theresa wrote: "Carmen wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "I'm sorry you're in a low patch. I don't understand why, but something about this pandemic has made it really difficult for me to stay focused.."Thanks, I'm so..."
Thank you. This made me oddly emotional. It's funny, because I don't mind the restrictions in terms of masking up, and I love the social distancing (not from friends and family, but in public- Disneyland Paris stopped doing that and in EuropaPark it wasn't even a thing and gods do I miss it), but the fact they keep closing the few things I took joy from even though those places actually had their things in order in terms of distancing and safety?
Knowing I can't go to the movies, or out to lunch, safe as can be these days, but I can go into a crowded supermarket where no one lets you breathe? That takes its own toll.
Looking at it in terms of 'these were the only things I took joy from' instead of 'luxury things', it really puts a different spin on it. As a chronically ill, chronically depressed, autistic woman, having those few things taken away is hard. And you don't realize it until after a while.
At least I'm still lucky enough to visit the theme parks in other countries, I'm aware how privileged I am in that. But it's the only thing I have right now, and it's not right around the corner, haha!
Gods do I feel the time thing though! Everything feels 'last year' but nope, it's actually been two, haha! Surreal.
I hope your long weekend works out! Where you planning on going?
poshpenny wrote: "Oh, now it's worse. But I'm not going to fill the nice thread with that. I'm very stressed and sad and feel very... well unwanted I guess is the closest. Anyone have any recommendations for lovel..."
I'm never gonna discourage a reread of Cerulean Sea, but I'm blanking on any others right now, so I'm just sending huggles your way if you want them <3
I guess I will do a short check-in - this week I read the whole Green Bone Saga trilogy by Fonda Lee (Jade City, Jade War, Jade Legacy). I have a lot of feelings but... not very many words to fit them into. My heaaaart! It runneth over.QOTW: Hmm. I've become slightly more open to different genres in the past couple years, such as romance and thriller / mystery / crime novels, but I don't think it was reading challenges specifically that prompted me to try them.
poshpenny wrote: "Oh, now it's worse. But I'm not going to fill the nice thread with that. I'm very stressed and sad and feel very... well unwanted I guess is the closest. Anyone have any recommendations for lovel..."
Becky Chambers's stuff is always feel good for me! Also Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. Weirdly, Murder on the Orient Express is calming because it is so methodical, though I know it's not to everyone's taste! I also like Tessa Dare, especially The Duchess Deal which is a very satisfying read. Discworld is also a place I like to visit when I'm feeling down - I like the witches books best. If you want to go for simpler fare, Dealing with Dragons is nice.
... I realize that's a lot! I hope you find something you like, and that you feel better!
Hey ya'll - I'm so tired! Healthy but wanting to sleep so much. I'm going to go ahead and chalk it up to the combo of omicron stress and January light deprivation. Both things should be getting better within weeks, so there's hope!Finished this week:
She Who Became the Sun ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I really loved the beginning, but the middle got draggy for me and it kind of ended feeling unfinished? But still quite enjoyable. I used this for prompts in all 3 of my challenges: adventure story by a POC author for Read Harder, a sapphic book for PopSugar, and a book with a light source on the cover for AtY.
A Spindle Splintered ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ LOVED IT! My first 5 start of the year. I had to read sentences out loud to my husband multiple times because of their perfect mix of cleverness, sarcasm, and heart. I'm excited for more from this series.
Currently reading:
A Snake Falls to Earth on audio - not sure what to make of this at about 30% in.
The Music of Bees on Kindle, for the AtY prompt about a favorite prompt that didn't make the list (bees). So far I'm enjoying it, but wondering where it will go.
QOTW: Not really - challenges over the last 4 years have gotten me to read more widely, but there wasn't really anything I didn't already read at least a little bit. I do like finding Westerns that aren't centered on male characters and plot points now, and read more romance than I used to and probably fewer mysteries/thrillers.
Hi all. The only book I managed to finish for the challenge this past week was Light Chaser by Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth Edwards for the "book you can read in a single sitting" prompt. It was around 175 pages, and I read it on Sunday.
I'm currently working on several:
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (book about the afterlife) is probably the next one I'll finish. I would never have guessed I'd enjoy it based on the synopsis, but it works.
I started Seveneves by Neal Stephenson for the book with a palindromic title challenge. It's a daunting 860 pages, but I'm really into the story, even if it will slow down my pace for finishing books.
I'm slowly reading The Committed by Viet Thanh Nguyen as part 2 of the duology challenge, but I think I should have taken more time after the first book, The Sympathizer, since they are both so grim. The writing is brilliant, but you don't read them to brighten your day, that's for sure.
It's kind of on the back burner since I have a lot of Science Fiction in the mix, but I'm also working on The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin for the Hugo winner category.
As for the QOTW...I like to think I am willing to try any sort of books, but I have my favorites and least favorites. I definitely read more science fiction and nonfiction than anything else, and I have a hard time with romance, historical fiction, and any genre of YA books. If anyone followed the (now defunct) Booktube SFF awards, they did get me to read more YA books. And this challenge will get me to read at least one romance novel, but it's not off to a good start since I DNF'd one already.
I have been so, so, so tired lately. As if pandemic fatigue and long winter nights weren’t a bad enough combination, I also started medication for my thyroid about a month ago. I know it’s helping, but I’d gotten used to functioning at the wrong levels. This has been a rough adjustment period. I’m glad I decided not to do the challenge this year. At this point, having read only 2 1/2 books would have made me feel even worse.Finished
The Foundling by Stacey Halls. I asked for and received the UK edition for Christmas, as I didn’t like the title and cover change for the US Edition. After reading the book, I still don’t understand the changes. I liked this book, but it wasn’t as good as The Familiars.
Leviathan Falls by James SA Corey. This was the perfect ending to the series. I loved reading it, but hated that the series was ending. With the TV series ending too, I’m going to miss this series a lot.
Reading
Peril at End House by Agatha Christie
QOTW
I didn’t use to read mystery or thrillers often, but after a few were selected as monthly group reads I realized I love the genre. I read them all the time now.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Happy Thursday! It's still snowing here, and there's ice under the snow so that's fun. I'm going to have to be very very careful when I bring the trash can down to..."I did not know that, very cool. This group is fun and educational.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
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Now for books! I'm at 5/50 for PS.
Finished:
The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham - Prompt book featuring a party -- I would say the wedding of the year and the last days prior to it, which dominates the story here, fits perfectly. This also fits perfectly the prompt for a secret (but I already had something for that) and gender identity. I actually prefer the books written as Madeleine Wickham over her Sophie Kinsella pseudonym Shopaholic series.
Currently Reading - I don't think any will fit PS:
Becoming
Project Hail Mary
Dragonflight, Book 1 for Feminerdy Book Club
A Game of Thrones - slow re-read with friends.
Grand Hotel
QOTW: Since at least 90% of the books I read for PS are from my TBR Towers, there really has not been any genre that I've added simply from being introduced to it or learning to like it from reading for a PS prompt. I've always been a very diverse reader. Those genres I avoid are still ones I avoid - like horror (fyi - I do not consider gothic as part of horror necessarily or ghost stories).
However, another genre that I always disliked was SciFi, but through my Feminerdy Book Club which alternates reading SciFi with Fantasy, I've discovered there are definitely some subgenres I enjoy and seek out, even some series I am following - Murderbot! Earth Girl! Any Weir! NONE of the books I read for any of the SciFi prompts on PS though made me a fan -- not for RPG, cyberwhatever, etc.