Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2024 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 6: 2/2 - 2/8
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I didn't finish anything this week, but I'm determined to be a consistent participant. So here's me participating!I did watch Season 2 of "Loki." Too me awhile to figure out what in the universe was going on, but I ended up really liking it! The multiverse does give me a headache though - my brain doesn't go in that many directions. :D
Goodreads: 3/100
Popsugar: 2/50
QOTW: None that I can think of. This is rather lousy participation.
Laura wrote: "I think the latest debut I've read that I really enjoyed was Maame by Jessica George. The central protagonist Maddie Wright, the 25-year-old daughter of Ghanaian immigrants living in London, is an irresistible twenty-something that you just can't stop rooting for. Vibrant and witty storytelling about the complexities of families, race, culture, being a woman, growing up, and becoming secure in your identity."Good choice. I really liked this book as well.
Happy Friday. It was a slower week (reading wise) for me, so not as much to report.Stats:
PS: 9/50
ATY: 13/52
ATY Rejects: 2/25
ATY Rewind: 4/25
GR Choice: 3/30
TBR: 1/10
DBC: 7/36
Books I finished:
Wynd, Book One: The Flight of the Prince 4 stars
ATY: 29. A book related to air.
I was hesitant going into this because I HATED Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1 which is by the same author, but this was actually good.
Radiant Sin 3 stars
ATY Rewind: 7. A book related to one of the 7 deadly sins. (Lust)
This just wasn't as good as the previous 3 in the series. The Greek mythology connection was barely there beyond character names, and the 'mystery' part of the story just left me bored.
The Bright Spot 4 stars
ATY Rejects: 19. A book with a character who works with animals.
I always enjoy a Jill Shalvis book, and this is no exception.
Books I made progress on:
The Sea of Monsters
The Dating Plan
QotW
I didn't find any debut authors last year, and at this point, the debut authors I found the year before are no longer debut authors....
Mod
During the week of Valentine's Day, I'm going to be challenging myself to binge-read as many romance novel..."
Well I can't see myself ever wanting to read mafia romance or motorcycle club romance, so my vote is for Highland romance!!
Mod
I have loved that show so much, I developed SUCH a crush on Hiddleston while watching. I can't believe I never thought much about him before!!!
Hello! Happy Friday! Yesterday was a busy day at work, so I wasn't able to check in until now.The weather turned back a bit colder yesterday and today, which is appreciated. Busy season has arrived for work, meaning my evenings are about to be very full for the next two months. But the Superbowl is this weekend and I have plenty of books from the library, so will distract myself with those.
Finished This Week:
The Ice Beneath Her by Camilla Grebe. Finished it. Hated it. I ended up giving it 2 stars instead of only one because I didn't call one of the twists. I did call the other. Nordic Noir is most definitely not my genre. Using for PS #20, Set in the Snow.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. I put the book on hold August 17th and was #1526 in line. I got it January 29th. I finished it in just over a day once I started reading it. I have the sequel on hold already as well, "only" #912 in line. I know a couple of you are also reading it/waiting for it, so I'll just say I enjoyed it but I'm not rushing out to buy it and the sequel immediately like I did A Deadly Education. There's a bit too much death. And brace yourself for the cliffhanger.
The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch. A women's fiction book I've had on my TBR at the library for a few years. I picked it up as something completely different (which it was) but should have realized that the setup meant the woman's husband was going to leave her. Not the happy romance I was anticipating. But still good. Looking forward to the author's new book in a few weeks. Not for PS prompt.
Granblue Fantasy, Vol. 1. My husband heard about the new video game Granblue Fantasy Relink, but we realized we didn't know the characters' history or backstory, and figured it would be assumed we did. There's apparently another video game, an anime and a manga. We're not playing the other game just to play this one, and could only find seven episodes of season 1 of the anime, but my library has all seven editions of the manga. Read book one and have 2-4 ready. It's the same basic story as the anime, if slightly condensed. Not for PS prompt.
A Quantum Love Story by Mike Chen. New book just published end of January, so got the chance to read my new copy. I really enjoyed this new take on time loops and how they work when the person has a photographic memory. I also really liked that the characters stuck in the loop freely admitted (loudly and often) that this wasn't their particular areas of expertise and they weren't the right people to solve things. Except they had to be. Using for PS #19, Set in the Future.
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue. A book set in Dublin for last year's ATY prompt that I finally read. It's historical fiction set November 1918, as talk of an armistice in the War spreads along with a new influenza. Main character is a nurse in a hospital maternity ward dealing with pregnant women who also have the new illness. I should have realized it was not going to be a happy book, with that premise. But it's a quick read. Not for PS Prompt.
PS: 8/50 RH: 2/24 ATY: 10/52 GR: 23/125 TBR: 4/24
Currently Reading:
The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley. Remembered I had this audiobook checked out. Listened to a bit more, had Alan's wedding, now we're meeting Cecil. Still amazed I'm not even at halfway.
True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee by Abraham Riesman. Stalled, Stan has still just moved to California.
Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All by Martha S. Jones. A book on intersectional feminism I've been meaning to read for a while. I think this is the third time I've checked it out. I've at least made it out of the prologue this time.
Revision and Self-Editing for Publication: Techniques for Transforming Your First Draft into a Novel That Sells by James Scott Bell. No progress made.
QotW: Who is one of your current favorite debut authors? Sell their book to us!
A debut author has been a challenge for the past few years in various challenges, so I know which ones were debuts.
One for All by Lillie Lainoff. Disabled author writes genderbent retelling of the Three Musketeers, where the main character is also disabled. Not knowing anything about the musketeers (I watched the Chris O'Donnell movie after reading this book) or this period of French history, I still really enjoyed the book. Lots of fencing, fancy dresses and women supporting women.
Nothing But the Truth by Holly James. Liar Liar, but the main character is a woman working at a talent agency in Hollywood. She realizes how much she's been lying to herself about what puts up with at work and with her boyfriend. A very refreshing take on not being able to lie and what ultimately we want.
Mod
I am jelly!! I have had this book on hold for WEEKS now (I think the system allowed me to put it on hold back in December), I am #1 on the short holds list, but my library system STILL shows the book as "on order."
Well I had a slow reading week. Hoping the ATY Read-A-Thon picks that back up.Haven't had time to read this feed yet so, I'll come back and catch-up later.
2024 Challenges:
Popsugar: 9/50
ATY: 17/52
Robot Librarian: 15/52
A to Z: 12/26
Physical TBR: 0/92
Kindle TBR: 0/111
Goodreads: 20/50
Book Clubs:
PS Monthly: 19/50
Reese: 28/91
Oprah: 11/100
Jenna: 6/61
OSS: 6/39
Finished:
3 finished, 1 Completed Popsugar
Pillow Thoughts
PS#48, ATY#37, RL#19, AtoZ
I initially grabbed this on a Target run just to have something light to read and also because it has to do with relationships and I was just talking with my friend about her’s that is going down the tubes. I was thinking of gifting it to her after but, I really love it so if I can, I might just order her a different copy.
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home
ATY#14, RL#17, AtoZ
I loved this. And a bit of the way in I realized I had seen the Netflix version of this.
Ayesha at Last
ATY#15
Read this to catch up on Popsugar monthly reads. It was ok, just kind of blah. Don't think I'll read anything else from her.
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Currently Reading
The Quarter Storm
Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones
Chain-Gang All-Stars
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird
On the Backburner
Libby
Call Me By Your Name
Physical Library Rentals
Kiss the Girl
XOXO
Hula
The Ones Who Don't Say They Love You: Stories
Magazines: (1/148)
Read since last check-in: 0
L Y N N wrote: "Dani wrote: "Good morning from an unseasonably warm and sunny Columbus! Other busy week, I’ve been taking my son to school (usually his grandma does) because his grandparents are on a cruise. He is..."My grandparents weren’t local to me and so I was never particularly close with them. Because of that I wanted my kids to have a close relationship with theirs. My son is so attached to his paternal grandparents I pray everyday for their continued health, for their own sake of course, but I dread the day he looses that connection because I know it will profoundly impact him. But that’s the beauty of love, ain’t it?
Also the fun thing about Catholicism is every single day of the year is something lol. Sometimes it’s just a minor saint feast day but every month there’s something to look forward to. Like today is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, which involves a Marian apparition, a beautiful pilgrimage site, and healing of the ill.
It’s a lovely warmish weekend here in Illinois, so I have been getting outside to walk the dog. I also am looking forward to Superbowl, and all the reading I can do while the commercials aren’t on. I have an exceptionally long graphic omnibus, and at this point I JUST WANT IT TO BE DONE. It actually has two follow up books, that are equally as long. QOTW: Hmm, I usually only know about debut authors after they have come fully on the scene. I was a huge fan of Hannah Nicole Maehrer’s Assistant to The Villain, and I’m looking forward to then next ones
2024 READING CHALLENGES:
GoodReads 59/365
Popsugar: 7/50
Around the Year (AtY): 3/52
Read Harder 24: 1/24
Read Harder 23: 22/24
52 Book Club: 1/52
Bookish Bistro: 13/48
Robot: 3/52
Currently Reading:
Grave Expectations
The Lost Heir
The Books of Magic Omnibus Vol 1
The Night Is Watching
The Unspoken
The Clue in the Crossword Cipher
Big Nate: Beware of Low-Flying Corn Muffins
The Dragonet Prophecy (Wings of Fire Graphic Novel)
Finished:
Bright Young Women- I ended up really liking this book and recommending it to my book club
The Hidden
Superbowl Sunday - I woke up feeling like I caught a cold somewhere, so quickly took my holy trinity of preventative (elderberry gummies, airborne and zicam) and really, REALLY hoping I don't get sick again. Challenges:
10/75 GoodReads Challenge
8/50 PopSugar Challenge
Finished:
1.) Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (#42 NF Indigenous) ⭐⭐⭐⭐: This was good and heartbreaking to read about. Now off to watch the film.
2.) The Harbor by Katrine Engberg (#17 Bucket list Destination) ⭐⭐: Nope, just too many characters and too complicated a plot for me.
Currently Reading:
1.) One in a Millennial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In
2.) The Other Valley
3.) The Christmas Orphans Club
QoTW: Who is one of your current favorite debut authors?
I really enjoyed Caroline O'Donoghue's new book the Rachel Incident- it came out last year and it was so great.
Nadine wrote: "People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry ... I really enjoyed reading this, but it wasn't as good as some of Henry's other books.,I would agree with this. It just wasn't the same as the others.
"I wasn't even seriously planning to finish the AtY challenge this year and look how well I'm doing LOL"
Ditto. Wasn't gonna give ATY much of a try however, I have been bangin' out these without really trying. Whilst I am struggling to find Popsugar books.
happy sunday~it's currently snowing! big fluffy flakes that are unfortunately sticking. fingers crossed it doesn't ice tonight.
Completed:
The Upstairs Delicatessen: On Eating, Reading, Reading About Eating, and Eating While Reading ★★★
a delightful memoir from dwight garner, a book reviewer and writer for the ny times. but chock-full of various food-related quotes. it was fun at first but got tiring after a while because it would sometimes be hard to read certain sentences. the chapters are broken up by breakfast, lunch, dinner, and so on.
PS 4 - a book about a writer
41 Stories by O. Henry ★
idk, man. i think short stories just aren't for me. setting aside the various "-isms" (racism, sexism, etc.), the stories just weren't ... hitting for me. i've been really into watching classic movies on youtube lately, and some are great while others are so-so. and i remember someone in the comments remarking on a very meh movie, "just because it's old doesn't make it a classic!" and that's kind of how i feel about this book.
PS 36 - a book written by an incarcerated or formerly incarcerated person
Real World ★★★★
ahhhh, this book was wild. it was a bit of a slow start but it built up really well. teenage girl finds out her neighbor/age-mate killed his mother and has run away. he ends up stealing her cell phone and calling her friends list and her friend group ends up becoming involved with him in one way or another. features pov chapters from all four friends plus the boy. i liked that each girl had her own secrets that she was keeping from the friend group but how the group as a whole knew each other so well.
PS 17 - a book set in a travel destination on your bucket list (japan)
currently:
Victory City
i'm planning to read through the goodreads choice awards list for fantasy for 2023 and i'm kind of behind at the moment, lol. i'm aiming to read two books a month but i've only read one so far. sigh.
QoTW: Who is one of your current favorite debut authors? Sell their book to us!
i barely pay attention to authors enough in the first place. so i'm not really paying attention to debut authors.
Erin wrote: "I feel like I'm always way behind on authors, so when I finally get to them they've been around for a while. A lot of times I think I'm reading a debut author and it turns out the have a huge back catalog and I've just haven't heard of them yet..."I am the same, I'm usually so behind...like years by the time I read it. This also happened with Emily Henry the other year with Beach Read. Thought it was her first book but, she has older YA novels. So while it was her "debut" in adult novels it was not her first novel. But, I still love finding a new to me author and just catching up on all their other novels as fast as I can.
Mod
ahhhh, this book was wild. it was a bit of a slow start but it built up really well. teenage girl finds out her neighbor/age-mate killed his mother and has run away. he ends up stealing her cell phone and calling her friends list and her friend group ends up becoming involved with him in one way or another...."
whoa that sounds crazy!!! I've never read anything by her, maybe this is a good place to start - and it would work for 3 POVs too!
Jess wrote: "(had to wait for my 15 hours of spotify to reset for this one)."I was wondering how this works-- does it just cut you off mid listen once you hit 15?
I normally don't include graphic novels for my reading challenges, but this time I'm thinking I just might.I'm pretty sure I'll be able to put Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America / Stamped from the Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America into a prompt or two.
*****
Also ordered these other graphic novels:
Going Remote: A Teacher's Journey
I Don't Want to Be a Mom
Blue Book Volume 1: 1961
In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years after the 9/11 Attacks - I follow a history teacher on socials who uses graphic novels and comics in his teachings. This one was on his website and it looked pretty interesting in terms of history.
Ron wrote: "I normally don't include graphic novels for my reading challenges, but this time I'm thinking I just might.I'm pretty sure I'll be able to put [book:Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive His..."
Those look cool. I use some in my teaching as well
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Stamped from the Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America (other topics)Blue Book Volume 1: 1961 (other topics)
I Don't Want to Be a Mom (other topics)
In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years after the 9/11 Attacks: A Graphic Novel (other topics)
Going Remote: A Teacher's Journey (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
David Grann (other topics)Katrine Engberg (other topics)
Holly James (other topics)
James Scott Bell (other topics)
Lillie Lainoff (other topics)
More...
During the week of Valentine's Day, I'm going to be challenging myself to binge-read as many romance novels as possible. The trouble is, I've got so romance ebooks currently on my TBR list that I can't make a decision about what to read.
So I was wondering if you all might like to choose for me. I have a couple of categories to choose from, and I would love to hear your thoughts about which one I should choose to read.
The categories are...
~Mafia Romance
~MC (Motorcycle Club) Romance
~Highland Romance
If you'd like to vote for your favorite category, I've included a link to my Mount TBR thread here on Goodreads. I'll be accepting votes through Monday morning at 6 AM (EST).
Thanks so much! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...