Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2022 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 3: 1/14 - 1/20
Carmen wrote: "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.."..."It is going to be a girls weekend in Chicago for 3 of us that became good friends through GR and books during the pandemic. We are older and vaxed and boostered. 2 of us have airline credits from pandemic cancelled events, and Chicago is a midway meeting spot for us. Hotels are ooen again too - having reopened last summer. I also have giod friends there I want to see.
It will also be the first flight any of us have taken since pandemic. Big step forward for us!
Chrissy wrote: "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 bet..."@Chrissy - She Who Became the Sun is the first book in a duology. Book two is being published this summer. The 2 books tell an alternative version o f the founding of the Ming Dynasty. There are a few years to go.
Happy check-in! Not much happened this week other than work- most plans got postponed until next month when maybe things won't quite as chaotic. But my new coffee maker arrived today so I can finally have good coffee in the morning again. Gotta take your wins where you can!Finished:
How to Pronounce Knife: Stories- I really liked these short stories. Especially "The Universe Would be so cruel." I had really good luck with short story collections last year, so I'm trying to make them a priority this year too.
14. A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title
Magma- this book is a difficult read. It's all about an abusive relationship, that is abusive in so many ways. I read this for a book you can read in one sitting. It's about 200 pages, but some pages are just a sentence long. So you can definitely read it in one sitting- but you might not want to. There were times I wanted to set it aside for a while. It's a lot.
24. A book you can read in one sitting
Currently reading:
Beautiful World, Where Are You- so far I like it, but I'm not that far in. I think I'll use it for book with 2 POVs
QotW:
Magical realism. I never picked up books with magical realism, even though it seems like it'd be perfect for me. Last year that was a prompt, and I wound up picking up a bunch that would qualify. I think seeing what books everyone else was reading for the prompt made me want to check them out too.
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..."
Time and Again by Jack Finney
A Time Traveler's Theory of Relativity
Any Fiona Davis
Any Madeleine Wickham
Confessions of a Red Herring
Any of Katie Ruggle's studly-men-and-hunky-dog books - that's my description for them.😁
Another week gone, and I don't know where it went. Sigh. Like many others have said, the pandemic is really taking its toll on my mental health right now, even though I wasn't a very social or active person before. Most of the time I just try to get on with it, but it would really, REALLY be nice to go to a friend gathering or a bar or a concert without worrying if I'm an awful person for doing it...In the spirit of positivity, though, a couple good things happened this week:
-Husband's mystery weekend illness was just flu and not COVID
-I finally took care of something at work today that I have been putting off for weeks
-The Bills absolutely walloped the Pats. Crossing my fingers for the Packers to crash and burn this weekend.
Read:
The Devil and the Dark Water - Loved it!! Both of Stuart Turton's books have been unputdownable. I hope he has something new out this year. The last section was a little rushed, but isn't that always the case with mysteries?
DNF:
Revolutionary Road - I can read about gruesome dismemberments until the cows come home, but somehow the futility of life really gets to me. Frank and April are hitting a little too close to home right now. I'm sure it's a wonderful book but I'm not in the right frame of mind for it right now.
Hoping to start Matrix tonight.
Is there a genre that you've always avoided but have recently started getting into because of this (or another) reading challenge?
I used to dismiss the romance genre as vapid and pointless due to internalized misogyny (working through that,) but I find that I really like to try it out now and again! The steamier, the better 😉 I also have really gotten into sci-fi in the past few years. I didn't have negative thoughts about it before, it was more a lack of experience with the genre.
That said, I don't think there's anything that could interest me in memoirs or self-help.
Theresa wrote: "We are older and vaxed and boostered." I just want to put out there that I have gone from knowing one person in town this whole time, to personally knowing four people that have been positive so far this month, and every one of them is vaxxed and half of them boostered. Please, everyone, be very careful.
I read a whole bunch of books this week, though most were fairly short. I read Dead Eye for a tiger on the cover. This was a fun story, I liked the characters and plot.
I also read Sandry's Book for the Found Family prompt. I’ve been reading the list in semi order, but wanted to read an old favorite for my birthday (the 17th) and decided to count it as found family.
For ATY I read The Witches of Enchanted Bay for a title over 22 characters. This wasn't a book I liked.
Not for the challenge, I finished the rest of the cruise ship series (I read book 1 for Popsugar). Sailing The South Pacific: Book Ten: The Cozy Cruise Mysteries, Murder On The Melody: Book Eleven: The Cozy Cruise Mysteries, An Alaska Adventure: Book Twelve: The Cozy Cruise Mysteries, Cooking Up Trouble: Book One: The Fun Mystery Cruise Series, a Sweet Romantic Cozy Mystery, To Find A Mate: Book Two: The Fun Cruise Mystery Series, a Sweet Romantic Cozy Cruise Mystery, The Puzzling Cruise: Book Three: The Fun Cruise Mysteries A Sweet Romantic Cozy Cruise Mystery, Foul Play In Norway: Book Four: The Fun Cruise Mystery Series, a Sweet Romantic Cozy Mystery, The Long Alaska Night: A Stand Alone Cozy Cruise Mystery.
Also not for the challenge was Terrier.
QotW
It wasn't a challenge, but I borrowed books from my best friend a few years ago and started reading more romance and chick lit. Before I tended to avoid them, but now I find I like them... As long as the guy isn't a jerk.
(Edited because I forgot I put in Sandry’s Book for the challenge lol).
Happy check-in! No new snow here but yesterday it was back to minus 40 and tonight it is currently raining????Anyway had a couple loved ones test positive and are recovering. They were fully vaxed, it's still rough to get Omicron. We're apparently a couple weeks away from our peak and it's a little bit terrifying.
Finished reading:
The Halo Graphic Novel ⭐⭐
So I thought this would explain the game but it's for the fan base and more about after the first game. Also didn't really like the artwork so I was bored.
Otto: A Palindrama ⭐⭐ (2022 palindrome title)
Again I was bored, but I'm glad to have this prompt done.
Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐ (2015 character with my name)
Sorta changed the 2015 prompt so this would count. This is an intriguing horror series that I will continue.
Badger to the Bone ⭐⭐⭐ (2022 found family)
This series is just fun for it's ridiculousness.
Tales of the Slayer, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (2015 based on a tv show)
Basically all of the authors who wrote good Buffy books gave a short story about different slayers. :)
Paper Girls, Vol. 3 ⭐⭐⭐
I'm glad I continued this series despite not enjoying the first collection. Not sure where it's going but that's okay.
Silver Shadows ⭐⭐⭐ (2022 two povs)
It was nice to get back to this series but the mc ends up imprisoned and it was tedious until she escaped.
A Sloth's Guide to Mindfulness ⭐⭐⭐
The title caught me and it was as cute as you think. Good points too.
It Ends with Us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (2022 BookTok)
This put me through the wringer. I thought it was a fluffy romance but nope. Worth the hype to me.
PS 2022 11/50
PS 2015 4/50
Goodreads 22/165
Currently Reading:
Endlessly ya fantasy series ender
A Night to Remember this is so good and heartbreaking
Sweep of the Heart released chapter by chapter
QOTW:
In 2020 I did the 2020 challenge and the 2016. 2016's list had a poetry collection listed and ever since I've been reading poetry. It's so much nicer to read when you can understand it or not and you don't have to analyze it.
Magical realism and westerns are still a hard nope.
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..."
Hope these can help.
A Sloth's Guide to Mindfulness
Oh Look, a Cake!
Awkward Family Photos there are a few sequels
Nadine in NY wrote: "Claire wrote: "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. ..."LOL at the id..."
Haha, that's why I didn't finish! Wishful thinking, because part of the fun is the planning process anyway! Looking back, I am really unsure why I even thought I could attempt it.
Afternoon everyone. Sitting here in overly sunny Balranald still. Just got home from having lunch out on the side of a lovely massive lake we didn't realise was there. The Highway runs past it but you can't see it and it just looks like a flat dead desert. Darcy would have loved it but he couldn't come as it's part of a National Park and dogs aren't allowed. He was quite annoyed that he was left home.It's been a slowish week. Went to the next big town to do some grocery shopping on Sunday. That's a 4 hour round trip before you even think about the shopping. Was lucky that they actually had some chicken there in the shop. There wasn't any there on Saturday when others went over but there was a lot of beef, lamb and pork which was mostly all gone when we went there Sunday. That's fine though as I eat mainly chicken so thankfully I got enough for a while. They don't have much chicken here in our small town. It's hard to get and very expensive. Beef and lamb there's lots of. With Covid getting a tad out of control here at the moment the food distribution system is a bit overwhelmed because of the lack of available staff and the supermarkets are looking rather bare.
Also had a phone consultation with my dietician about how I'm going after having Weight Loss Surgery last June. Apparently I'm going well. It's not easy but I'm getting there. For the first time in nearly 30 years I look normal and average instead of like a member of Jabba the Hutts family so that's a good thing. Still losing weight so that's even better. I might go back to somewhere closer to what was normal for me before my thyroid and everything else broke around the time I was pregnant with my second child. That would be nice. I've lost around 44kg so far. That's about 97lbs in American money. Still got around 12.5kg (27lbs) to go. It's much easier to play with my granddaughters now and I can actually function like a normal human being. Couldn't do that for a very long time. And I can shop in normal clothing stores instead of having to shop in expensive specialist stores for larger women. So good. Especially around sale time. And now that I don't have stumps for legs anymore I can wear shorter dresses and skirts and shorts. It's crazy. Hubby told me the other night that he didn't recognise me when I walked into the pub dressed in a nice pale blue top and a white shortish denim skirt. He said that he just saw this nice looking old bat walk in and then realised it was me. He's very happy with the new me. So am I.
Tomorrow we're going to Mungo National Park a couple of hundred kilometres away for Hubby's work. It's the home of Mungo Man. Mungo Man was found in the early 70s and at 42,000 years old is the oldest skeleton found in Australia. Apparently it's like the surface of Mars out there. Red dirt and not much else. Should be interesting. And bloody hot. I'll tell you about it next week.
I actually read a few books this week but nothing too long.
Cinnamon by Neil Gaiman.
Popsugar- 4 Book with a Tiger on the cover.
ATY - maybe 35. 2 books related to flora and fauna - Book 1.
A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow
Popsugar - 5. A sapphic book, 24. A book you can read in one sitting, 38. A book featuring a party, 40. A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
2016 Based on a Fairy tale, 47. A book featuring a parallel reality.
ATY - 19. A book that involves alternate reality, alternate worlds, or alternate history, 25. A book less than 220 pages OR more than 440 pages.
Enjoyed this fractured fairytale based on Sleeping Beauty and I love everything written by Alix E Harrow. Reading a review of this sent me to my next read this week.
A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies by Alix E. Harrow
Popsugar - 36. A book you know nothing about, 16. A book about witches.
ATY - 37. A book that uses all five vowels in the title and/or author's name, 25. A book less than 220 pages OR more than 440 pages, 3. A book with 22 or more letters in the title.
You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles
Popsugar - I'm thinking 33. A social-horror book. It's a tale about IVF and being able to pick more than the eye and hair colour and sex of your baby. Reads like a horror novel to me.
ATY - 15. A book without a person on the cover, 37. A book that uses all five vowels in the title and/or author's name.
Popsugar - 13/40
3/10
ATY - 13/52
Currently still reading
The Girl and the Mountain by Mark Lawrence
488 Rules for Life by Kitty Flanagan. Getting there. Somewhere in the high 300s.
QOTW
Last time I did this challenge it made me go out of my comfort zone and read stuff I wouldn't have read before. I really wasn't a fan of the more contemporary fiction and I got into that last time. I'm usually more a sci-fi and fantasy or murder mystery type of girl. I suppose over the years I've been into everything for a while though. I went through a Western stage and my Spy period and War books as well as Historical fiction and old and new Romances (and some Mills and Boon there for a while too). But I keep going back to SFF.
Yay, finally checking in on a Thursday! My life has been feeling a bit out of control lately and I feel like I'm behind on everything imaginable. But I'm really trying to focus on the present moment and not get overwhelmed. One thing at a time!Finished
Run Away With Me by Daniel Hurst - 4 stars; PS #20 (last letter of previous read, which was The Tutor)
What would you do if your husband comes home and confesses to having killed someone while driving impaired? Would you run away with him?
The Broken Vows by Daniel Hurst - 4 stars; PS #24 (can read in one sitting)
Another one of the thrillers by this author I'm burning through on my kindle (which I'm surprised fit so many prompts). Some unexpected twists in this heartbroken spouse story.
The Role Model by Daniel Hurst - 4 stars; PS #25 (secret)
What will you do to protect your child?
The Passenger by Daniel Hurst - 4 stars; PS #2 (set on a train)
The train ride from hell.
The Neighbours by Daniel Hurst - 4 stars; PS #28 (featuring a party)
You can pick the perfect house, but you can't pick your neighbors (or neighbours).
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry - 4 stars; PS #11 (#Booktok recommendation)
Took a break from the thrillers for a bit of entertaining romance and was relieved I liked it considering that I rarely read romance. Read for the Monthly Group Read and was happy this category was one of them as I had never heard of Booktok before. I'm a dinosaur.
The Woman At The Door by Daniel Hurst - 4 stars; PS #29 (different book by author read in 2021)
A woman comes to your door and says she slept with your husband. Who do you believe, the woman or your husband? This was one of my favorite reads this week.
The Boyfriend by Daniel Hurst - 4 stars; not for challenge
I'm running out of categories for these thrillers, apparently. I'm becoming concerned for the author's brain as he cranks out these books at a clip of at least one per month, and they are all rather intriguing premises. If I was his wife, I'd sleep with one eye open.
Goodreads: 13/100
Popsugar: 9/50
QOTW:
Before I started reading for this challenge, my reading was mostly by white people about white people. These prompts have opened up new worlds for me and made me a much better person in the process. So not necessarily a particular genre, but better reading among all genres.
Thank you to everyone suggesting books
Happy Check in day! I got my booster this week. My lymph nodes were a little swollen afterwards, which was to be expected, but was still annoying. Stats:
PS: 4/50
ATY: 7/75
Books I finished:
The Family You Make ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - So I have a bunch of library books some of which were about to come due, but my hold on this came up, so I dropped everything and read it instead.🤦♀️ But a silly romance was just what I needed anyways... Basically, the MC is trapped in a life or death situation and phones home to say goodbye, but can't bring himself to actually say goodbye. When his Mom overhears the woman he is rapped with, he lies and says she's his girlfriend. When they survive, he then asks her to keep the lie going and come to his parent's anniversary party. So it wasn't the found family book I was expecting, but I used it for the A book featuring a party prompt.
Probably Ruby ⭐⭐⭐ - I read a poetry collection by this author in December so I decided to try to read one of her novels this year. When I was in the library for he firs time this year, this was sitting out on the Popular Picks shelf, so I figured it was meant to be. Each chapter is about a different person the MC Ruby is connected to, and they are not in chronological order. Eventually the way they wove through her life really worked, but it was really tough to get into at first, especially because Ruby is not the most sympathetic of characters at first blush. I used it for one of my 3 ATY prompt that did not make the list: A book by an indigenous author.
Here's to Us ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - This picks up 2 years after the first book in the duology ended and the MCs are now college students dating other people. You know it's going to end with them getting back together, so all the work the authors do to introduce the new characters ends up backfiring because then you end up feeling bad for the pain that's about to come. I used it for A book with two POVs.
Fakes, Frauds, and Flimflammery: Even More of the World's Most Outrageous Scams ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - This was a sort of accidental reread. There are 3 books in this series. I read 2, but I couldn't remember which 2... So now after 2 wrong guesses, I now know which one I still have yet to read.😉 But it's still fun to read about outrageous crimes - like the guy who tried to crack a safe but instead of a cutting torch he accidently brought a welding torch...
Where Hope Comes From: Poems of Resilience, Healing and Light ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - This was a poetry collection written during the first Covid lockdown, dealing with the despair and depression caused by the lockdown. So it brought up a lot of emotion, but I couldn't put it down. I used it for ATY A book with an image of a source of light on the cover.
Books I made progress on:
Dirty Magic - The library took this away before I could finish, so I'll have to wait on it o come back before I can finish.
Cackle - I voted for this for the Goodreads Choice because I thought the cover was pretty, so I figured I should probably read it. So far, nothing much has happened and I'm feeling more impatient then anything else....
The Eye of the World - I need to finish this this week if I want to keep on schedule and read all 15 books this year, but I've got a couple of library books that I need to finish before their due dates, so a book I own is always going to slide down the list a little.
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty - My Mom recommended this.
QOTW
I use the challenges more to find new authors than new genres. But I have noticed trends in my reading that may or may not have been because of challenges: in 2019 I read a bunch of celebrity memoirs, in 2020 I ended up reading a bunch of books about various plagues/diseases and in 2021 I read a bunch of poetry collections. We'll have to see what trend I end up having for this year.....
Mod
Heather wrote: "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,..."
I have been so tired. I fall asleep sitting up in a chair. I've never been so tired. I had been blaming it on the booster shot but that was a month ago, and I'm still. so. tired.
Lynn wrote: "I am trying to be purposeful about rotating more nonfiction books into my reading schedule. I think I feel as if they require much more reading time, but I’m not sure that’s true! I just feel as if I read more slowly since I’m always wanting to remember everything! Almost like studying a textbook!."You are 100% right about this. Nonfiction takes longer, I think, because it requires more focus. I usually read a section of a nonfiction, and then read a chapter or two of something fun or lighter. I definitely wouldn't prefer to read more than one nonfiction at a time. I'm not in college anymore haha.
I have somehow maintained a ridiculous pace so far this year. I think I was a lot more excited for this year's challenge than I realized, and I just can't stop reading. I'm going to be kicking myself in about 2 months when I finish so early and then have to wait so long for a new list.I'm 16/50.
This week, I finished:
His Tiger Queen: a book with tiger on the cover or in the title: A quick, entertaining read, but in the way that reality TV can be entertaining. We all know it isn't good, but it's flashy. If it hadn't been so short, I wouldn't have finished it. Also, I'm a sucker for a good pet being included well in a story.
Gender Queer: a book about gender identity: This was a great choice to learn more about gender identity and gender expression. I can't imagine how challenging it was for the author to put everything out there like this, but I'm definitely glad that I chose to read it. There is so much about gender that is easy to take for granted for a cis-gendered person, so it was pretty eye-opening for me.
Unmanned: A book set in a nonpatriarchal society: I was excited about this prompt initially, but I tried several books before settling on this, and I was disappointed with the selection. The truth is that I either really like graphic novels or I really don't. This was one I really didn't like. The premise has so much potential and the author made it predictable and dimensionless. Not for me.
The Bone Collector: A book in which the protagonist uses a mobility aid: This was great. As someone who loved the movie, it was everything I hoped for. Clever dialogue and good character development, so much so that a character that I very much did not like at the beginning of the book was one I was rooting for by the end. There was one happening in the book, that I will not state because of spoilers, that will always cause me to deduct at least one star. Definitely seeking out book 2.
The Kiss Quotient: A romance by a BIPOC author: I liked this a lot more than I expected to. This book was a little absurd at times, but I thought it was very sweet and also very steamy. There was good representation in the book, and also I liked the gender flip for this plot. It ended up being really enjoyable.
The Sun Down Motel: A book with two POVs: I went back and forth on this one a lot. At about 200 pages in, I could not figure out how it got so many 5 star reviews. I was finding it a bit repetitive and even a little boring. The last 100 pages definitely picked up a lot for me. By the end, I understood why everyone described it as atmospheric and creepy. I still think it gave me too much of the stuff that I didn't care about and not enough of the stuff that I did. I found the character choices frustrating, and some seriously absurd things. I have two more Simone St. James books on my TBR and I'm going to leave them, but I was really hoping to love this book and I thought it was just good.
Currently reading:
One Last Stop: a parallel reality: I have been dreading this prompt. I can't explain why, but parallel reality stories, or anything that messes with time really, give me terrible anxiety. I knew that this was the only book I was willing to tolerate for this prompt, because I loved Red, White & Royal Blue so much. I'm managing, but I wish the issue with time was not a thing in this book.
A Flicker in the Dark: A book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page (Karin Slaughter): I was so glad when the library finally got this. I am starting with the audiobook, but I might switch to an ebook, because the narrator is using this weird whispery voice that I am not fond of.
Planned:
Mexican Gothic
Daisy Jones & The Six
QOTW:
YES! In planning for the last 2 challenges, I discovered that I got pretty excited to plan for prompts that involve a horror/ghost element. I have always avoided horror books, but I now see that I am actually desperate to love them. I will note that I have yet to find one that I rate higher than 3 stars, but I'm still committed to try. Also, a lot of horror books are horrifically long (I'm looking at you Stephen King), and I just don't want to read a 700 page book.
Mary wrote: "YES! In planning for the last 2 challenges, I discovered that I got pretty excited to plan for prompts that involve a horror/ghost element. I have always avoided horror books, but I now see that I am actually desperate to love them. I will note that I have yet to find one that I rate higher than 3 stars, but I'm still committed to try. Also, a lot of horror books are horrifically long (I'm looking at you Stephen King), and I just don't want to read a 700 page book."If you're looking for some books that involve ghosts, but aren't super long, I highly recommend checking out the City of Ghosts series, by Victoria Schwab. It's a great middle grade series! The books are City of Ghosts, Tunnel of Bones, and Bridge of Souls.
Cendaquenta wrote: "Life news Very Important Owl News: on the Yorkshire barn owl stream I watch, we have our first egg of the year! In January... while temperatures are still dipping below freezing at night. Yeahhh. There's definitely a lot of risk, but we're staying pretty optimistic. As long as the nestbox is in good repair (which it is, as far as anyone knows) and the father owl brings in plenty of food so mama doesn't have to leave the egg, things could work out."I caught up on the news this morning! What a lovely surprise :) And very pleased to hear you enjoyed the Jade City trilogy!
Mod
Ironically, since you say you did not enjoy the Simone St James book, I am recommending an older SSJ book to you for a good ghost book: The Haunting of Maddy Clare was a five star read for me.
And, of course, my FAVORITE ghost book (which isn't at all scary): The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Popsugar 21/50ATY 20/52
To answer the question.. I usually would enter my library's biblio bingo in the month of March and last year I did (this year I won't since we moved) but I ended up reading a lot of thrillers for those prompts and realized I really enjoy those. I probably read at least 1 or 2 a month now.
As far as challenges go it's been another good reading week. I guess I just do a lot of staying inside since it's in the negatives in Wisconsin for most of this month almost always. I also am really trying to get through stuff that's been on my tbr forever, so I've been listening to an audiobook almost every single day (lots of YA). Anyway here's what I've finished:
1. Betrayed by P.C. and Kristin Cast for #9 - a book about found family
2. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin for #12 - a book about the afterlife
3. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis for #40 - fulfilling a past prompt - I went with the next book in a series
4. Parasite by Mira Grant for #31 - a man made disaster
5. Chosen by P.C. and Kristin Cast for #3 - a book set in a nonpatriarchal society (it loosely fits, since the house of night is goddess oriented even though the book itself technically takes place in our world)
6. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig for #11 - a booktok recommendation
7. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe for #37 - a book about gender identity
Getting to where I have to seek out books for the prompts versus everything easily fitting where I need it, so we shall see how this coming week goes. I know I have 5 or 6 books on hand for prompts, but they're all longer so it'll definitely take some time. Hope everyone else is finding some new favorites!
K.L. wrote: "If you're looking for some books that involve ghosts, but aren't super long, I highly recommend checking out the City of Ghosts series, by Victoria Schwab. It's a great middle grade series! The books are City of Ghosts, Tunnel of Bones, and Bridge of Souls.Added to my TBR.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Ironically, since you say you did not enjoy the Simone St James book, I am recommending an older SSJ book to you for a good ghost book: The Haunting of Maddy Clare was a five star read for me.."I thought the Simone St. James book I read was well written, just not what I hoped for. I am planning to read The Broken Girls for the challenge as well, but I added The Haunting of Maddy Clare to my TBR. I don't read a lot of Historical Fiction, but maybe that's something else that needs to change.
Theresa wrote: "Carmen wrote: "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 ..."Ohhh that sounds like lots of fun!! Enjoy!!
Mod
Broken Girls was very popular with a lot of readers, but it was my least favorite of the four books I've read by her.
A somewhat stressful week at work and the temperature has dropped in Manchester, but able to finish one book and start two more. I'm also doing Veganuary and training for a half marathon (I'm known to juggle different challenges) so definitely keeping myself busy! Finished The Hate U Give for 44. A duology. LOVED it. Can't wait to read the next book and fulfil the second part of the duology. I've reserved it at my library so shouldn't be too long... Trying my best to buy as few books as possible and support my local library.
Currently Reading
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The Duke and I
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music
A few audiobooks I had on order at the library have come in this week so happy to start Dave Grohl's book and nearly finished The Duke and I. I've watched Bridgerton so been able to get through it quite quickly. Nearly at the last chapter of HP with the Sacred Test podcast and eager to revisit my favourite Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban soon!
QOTW: Is there a genre that you've always avoided but have recently started getting into because of this (or another) reading challenge? I actively avoid anything science fiction, but trying to open my horizons with the challenge - planning to read Kindred at some point this year but any suggestions welcome.
Chloe wrote: "A somewhat stressful week at work and the temperature has dropped in Manchester, but able to finish one book and start two more. I'm also doing Veganuary and training for a half marathon (I'm known..."Kindred is a great choice if you don't really enjoy science fiction, and just a really good book.
Nadine in NY wrote: "And, of course, my FAVORITE ghost book (which isn't at all scary): The Ghost and Mrs. Muir ."I second this recommendation. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is one of my favorites as well!
Loved watching The Ghost and Mrs Muir TV show in the late 60s/early 70s. I’ve been trying to find The Darling Buds of May by HE Bates after watching The Larkins which is adapted from it. Watched the series, nearly 30 years ago now, with David Jason and Catherine Zeta Jones as well. I can vaguely remember reading it when I was younger but I want to reread it. It’s hard to find and not that cheap. I don’t really do online and I don’t have Kindle. I’ll find it eventually. Part of the fun of reading for me is the thrill of the chase.
Jacqueline wrote: "Loved watching The Ghost and Mrs Muir TV show in the late 60s/early 70s. I’ve been trying to find The Darling Buds of May by HE Bates after watching The Larkins which is adapted from it. Watched th..."Try thriftbooks! they have a lot of out-of-print stuff
Mod
I don't know...I kinda like sunshine even if I do have to work inside! Then there are other days when I think, "Oh, it's gloomy, so just as well that I have to work!" LOL ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
"Finished:
I only finished audiobooks this week. The two books I am reading are long, so those will take a while.
Lethal White for character that uses a mobility aid
The Unhoneymooners for BookTok recommendation
I enjoyed both."
Finishing is finishing! 👍 I am anxious to read The Cuckoo's Calling for the onomatopoeia prompt this year! Finally! I feel as if I've owned that book forever! LOL
"Currently reading:
Stalingrad
The Life of Charlotte Brontë
Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal on audio. Mental note: do not listen while eating."
Love your mental note! You made me laugh! LOL
"QOTW:
I didn't avoid them before, but I read a lot more narrative non-fiction and true crime since I started doing challenges. I particularly enjoy them as audiobooks. The more bizarre, the better. Some of my recent favorites:
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
That looks fascinating!
iI>"The Feather Thief"
I thought for sure this was already on my TBR listing, but it wasn't! It is now!
"Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts"
That one is already there!
"The Library Book"
And I meant to read this one last year. Hope I get to it this year!
"And classics. I've been reading way more classics. Purposely joined a classics group on Goodreads for just that purpose.."
Good for you!
Mod
Yes!!! I loved that show too!! It was only after I read the book a year ago that I learned there had also been a movie, and apparently more people remember the movie than the show.
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..."I'm a manga reader too! it's my go to for fast, fun, and easy reads.
Mary wrote: "K.L. wrote: "If you're looking for some books that involve ghosts, but aren't super long, I highly recommend checking out the City of Ghosts series, by Victoria Schwab. It's a great middle grade se..."My favorite is The Sherwood Ring, a YA. Not scary.
Hi everyone! It's Friday.I'm at work so I'll make this real quick.
I've finished four books for the challenge:
Ferryman
Used for #12.
I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It's a journey story for the main character in more ways than one.
Dragon Pearl
Used for #39.
This is the first of a duology?? (so far). Min goes off to search for her brother accused of desertion. It's a mix of Korean mythology in space.
Tiger Honor
Used for #4.
The second in the duology?? Sebin enters the Space Force as a cadet, but family issues come up. Min has a role in this book as well.
And lastly but not least:
Long Live the Pumpkin Queen
Used for #28.
It's Nightmare Before Christmas!!!!!! I totally switched this out for the one I already picked for my holiday one. Not that I didn't want to read the original choice. BUT -- who would turn down using this! Not me. This is the embodiment of a holiday book.
I am currently reading (still ☹️) Rebel Seoul for #20. Not that it's a bad book. I'm enjoying it. I just got sucked into the world of Jack Skellington. heh heh heh.
QOTW: I stay away from contemporary 'ordinary life' books. Books about women or men getting back on their feet, being divorced, looking for themselves, and other such mundane normal life things. I want to read something to escape the real world.
I'm not much of a biography person either. Nor am I a hard core mystery fan. I've read one or two. I prefer cozies if I read one.
As a nineties kid, we didn’t have any (that I’m aware of) positive LGBTQIA+ books. So I was never exposed to them. Now they are more prevalent. I’m exploring this genre. I found that Tiger Honor had non-binary characters in it, which I did not know.
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..."
Well I didn't like it very much on the basis that it's a bit too saccharine for me, so maybe you should give The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society a shot.
Happy Friday everybody. The migraines were back this week so concentrating on anything was tough. I managed to finish one book this week: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It was better than I expected, which is to say that I managed to finish it without rolling my eyes too much. It's not bad, and I understand why people like it, but it's just too sweet for me. I don't tend to like these types of books but it was a gift so I read it in case I get asked about it. Not a great reading week, but the book fitted into some challenges, and I didn't hate it.
Mod
Yeah that's not my kind of book either, for the same reasons, but it was chosen for a book club I was in a while back, and I was really surprised by how much I liked it. Books like this are why I keep reading books I think I won't like. You never know!
I have finished several audio books from kindle unlimited this week. I am currently reading Beauty's Release by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice). I am liking it more than the first 2. the other books just seemed cruel. this one seems to have more substance. If there is such a thing in smutt books. I am just curious why the unwanted sex acts of the men in this book is referred to as "rape", but for the women it's just desire. Just saying. I am also reading With Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo. so far I'm like it. not that far into it though.
I usually hate books of letters until I read 84, Charing Cross Rd. I loved it and decided to try The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie etc. Such a beautiful book. I still don’t like most books that are journal entries or letters but those two I loved. And the movie is gorgeous too. Bit different to the book but still wonderful.
Tania wrote: "Good morning!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 feel like if the recipe was clear enough that you could attempt to make it, it should/could count as a book with a recipe.
Nadine in NY wrote: 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...."
Ahhh...Don't say that. I have it here waiting to be read and now I am worried I won't like it. But, thanks for the prompt rec 'cause I wasn't sure where I was going to put it.
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)
In this case I would rescind my other comment about the recipe having to be "doable"...cause aliens, LOL.
Laura wrote:
Argh! My first Book of the Month box got lost before the postal service even got it into the system, and now the replacement box is marked as delivered, and I still don't have it! I'm so irritated...
This happened to my Aunt and when she looked it up it turned out they sent it to the wrong town!! Everything else was correct but they put the wrong town. So, it ended up about 50-60 miles away...but, of course that means they probably returned it.
poshpenny wrote: "I'm also a fan of print, but I tried three different magnification devices and still couldn't read all of the type in the March books, for example. Digital has simply become the only way I can read..."Do you all know that most digital books if you double tap the words it will blow it up? I have to do this on some of the children's books I read with my nephew.
Dubhease wrote: I'm reading too many books. Ideally, I like to read 2 at a time and alternate. Three is possible. Four is a lot for me to juggle because I basically feel like I'm not progressing on any of them because my reading time is spread too thin..."I totally have been doing the same thing! I found myself starting 3 books the other day!!! Ummm... too many at a time.
2022 Challenges:Popsugar: 7/50
ATY: 4/52
A to Z: 9/26
50 States:
2021.....22/50 (Have until end of June)
2022.....2/50
Goodreads: 11/100
I had a way slower week than last week.
Finished: 3 finished this week, 3 for Popsugar
After a slow start, I zoomed through the rest of Queen Bee
Popsugar #32; ATY Winter Challenge; AtoZ (the last one for 2021)
As always I love her works but, I think this ranks up there as one of her best and it is a great book for her career to end on (she died in 2019 after this book came out)
The Tiger's Wife
Popsugar #4; AtoZ
After reading about so many people not liking this book I was worried. But, I actually kind of liked it. It wasn't the greatest book and it definitely had some flaws but I was able to follow it and enjoyed it. I did find myself having to really pay attention to the narration (audiobook) and not try to do other things at the same time.
Beach Read
Popsugar #40 (author you never read before); ATY Winter Challenge; A to Z; 2021 - 50 States (Michigan)
I found this book quite pleasant and it was a rather quick read. It is a romance but I found it to be more on the light side for MOST of the book.
Currently reading:
Every Breath
I'll be finishing this tonight.
The Signature of All Things
I am only about 30 pages in and it's been sitting for a week.
On the backburner:
Overdrive-
The Eighth Life - really gotta read this it's due in 7 days!! It's like 1000 pages too!
One Hundred Years of Solitude
The Wedding Party
Next Year in Havana
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body
You Should See Me in a Crown
Still "working on" these library books
Magic Lessons
The Last Thing He Told Me
One Hundred Years of Solitude (to read-along with audiobook)
Get a Life, Chloe Brown for our February read.
QOTW:
I wouldn't say this challenge has opened up my genre reads, I started these, and still primarily use it, to force me to read my TBR's. It has however opened me up to a lot of new authors.
Interestingly enough I have found that I like Memoirs. I think I read about 12 of them last year! None of them for the challenge(s) , although some did fit.
I still avoid SFF books and always feel bummed out when I see that their is a prompt that wants us to read a SciFi book. I think I just didn't get the nerdy SciFi gene from my parents...probably from having to watch all that Star Trek growing up, LOL! I don't even watch SFF stuff that much. I think the closest I would come to it is Witches, I like stuff about witches.
Morning from cold Yorkshire.It's my first check in and my first Popsugar. Excited to read more books because last year was pretty bad for reading but really good for Netflix.
Finished
The Party Crasher
PopSugar #38 - A book featuring a party
I used to love Sophie Kinsella's books but this time I couldn't get into her story. I felt like she could tell all story much faster and save many pages.
A Woman Like Her
Popsugar #8 - A book with protagonist who uses a mobility aid
I loved this book. I would recommend to anyone who want to read "old school" (in my opinion) chick lit.
Reading
The Husband's Secret
Been for so long on my TBR and perfectly fit #25 - A book about a secret
QOTW
I don't read horrors and books about vampires/zombies and I don't think i'd be ever able to get into them. Wouldn't sleep at night .
Kelly wrote: "The Bills absolutely walloped the Pats. Crossing my fingers for the Packers to crash and burn this weekend..."They totally did!!!
Mandy wrote: "As a nineties kid, we didn’t have any (that I’m aware of) positive LGBTQIA+ books. So I was never exposed to them. Now they are more prevalent. I’m exploring this genre..."Yeah, I don't remember any either.
Checking in late here... work was grueling (and depressing, with our democracy in the U.S. officially being dissolved) this week so I've been behind on my reading groups. I'm currently at 9/50 for the challenge, and this past week I finished:
Olga Dies Dreaming This was great. I learned a lot and was fully engaged in the story. I'd love to read more books (both fiction and nonfiction) about Puerto Rico, if folks have recommendations. 4 stars
Beautiful World, Where Are You Ugh, I'm not a fan of Rooney and the types of books she writes, but I'm reading all of the ToB books so I needed to get this one out of the way. I enjoyed some parts, but most of it annoyed me, so 2 stars.
Gods of Jade and Shadow LOVE the cover of this book, and the story was decent. Most SMG books end up being 3-star reads for me, but this one was a bit stronger, so I rounded it up to 4 stars.
My Heart Is a Chainsaw I was sucked in at the beginning of this one and enjoyed learning some things about slashers and how they were based on revenge stories, but once the action started I had trouble following it. 3 stars
I'm currently listening to The Souvenir Museum and reading The Office of Historical Corrections in print.
QOTW: I tend to struggle answering the questions I came up with, haha. In general I didn't read as much genre fiction before getting into these challenges. I still don't enjoy it as much as literary fiction and memoir, but I'll find an occasional fantasy, sci fi, or mystery that works for me that I might not have found outside of this challenge. I also have ended up reading more YA than before.
Also, looking at my spreadsheets, I've been in this group since the 2017 challenge. Great work in keeping this a fun bookish space, moderators and everyone who participates! :)
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
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I'm very stressed and sad and feel very... well unwanted I guess is the closest. Anyone have any recommendations for lovel..."
So sorry this is happening to you. I wish I had something to recommend, but I don't read a lot of lighthearted books. I tend to bury myself in mysteries when I need to be distracted.