Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2024 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 8: 2/16 - 2/22
Nadine in NY wrote: "It's funny, I switched from reading Cornwell's series to read Kathy Reichs' series, and after a while THAT series started to suck, too!! Are all forensic mystery series fated to just go off the rails and/or jump the shark???..."I'm sure Kathy Reichs started dumbing down her books after Bones came out. It was such a shame, I loved all the forensic science detail.
Vaish wrote: "Hi EyeryoneThis week, I was sick and spent a significant portion of that time reading. I finally finished "if he had been with me." I cried a lot, like a lot! Even though I knew the ending, I jus..."
Abbott fan here.
Theresa wrote: "Milena wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Erin wrote: "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle- I don't understand the hype around this book. I found it incredibly tedious. This book could ..."I'm sure the UWS one is even nicer. I will try that one next time.
We had the smoke alarms go off for no reason this week. After they got turned off, they were still doing the low battery chirp (once a minute). This continued even after putting fresh 9V batteries in, maybe because the units were 12-13 years old.This whole experience has renewed my frustration with the manufacturers of these devices. They tend to go off in the middle of the night when the temperature is lowest, and they are making loud noises at you while you are trying to address the problem. There should be an 8-hour snooze button for people to come at the problem with a full night's sleep and some decent diagnostic display/lights to make everything easier to deal with.
DNF:
Throne of Jade
I really liked the first book in the series, mostly because of the relationship between Laurence and Temeraire (the man and his dragon). In the second book, they are kept apart at the start, and they have few quality interactions. The long boat ride, the archaic state of medicine and warfare, and the general lack of interesting events had me giving up on it around chapter 7.
Finished:
Enemy of My Enemy (3/5, a book set in the future, a book set in space)
This book does not have a good reputation at the Trek discussion forum I frequent, but I found it surprisingly good. The characters continue to be written well, both old and new. The events of the plot spin out of established events in Voyager and other Star Trek series. I do love the Kirsten Beyer post-series Voyager novels, but I wonder how Golden would have done with the same directives.
Currently reading:
Crimson Climb
The Never Ending Sacrifice (reread)
The Children of Húrin (audio read by Christopher Lee)
Question of the Week:
I just convert stories that would not happen the same way today to historical fiction or alt history novels in my head. The only time it gives me difficulty is if I have to learn new vocabulary for the technology of the time. The biggest memory I have of this is learning what a Hansom cab was in the Sherlock Holmes stories (a type of horse-drawn carriage, for those who have not encountered the term before).
Posted late last week, so not a lot to report. Finished
The Future As I said in my currently reading section from last week, just a little too bizarre for me. I'm really excited to hear it talked about on Canada Reads though, I feel like someone knowledgeable discussing this book could really improve my opinion on it. Did something a little odd with this - I do go back and fill in Popsugar prompts from past years before I began doing this in 2020. Normally I do that once I finish the current year (or if I read something I can't use on the current list). But I had seen that there was a previous pair of prompts for two books with the same time, and I also want to read Naomi Alderman's The Future so I filled it in there.
Lucky Leap Day Just finished. Thoughts in the discussion thread. Used for the obvious prompt.
Currently Reading
In the Lives of Puppets Had planned to used this for cosy fantasy, but 75% of the way through, I'd call it neither. (Sci-fi rather than fantasy, although an argument could be made, and though it starts cosy, story developments and the context of what's going on take it out of that realm for me.) Fortunately there are some other options for where to put it!
Video Game of the Year: A Year-by-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977 For my video game book.
QotW
Certainly I've read things set in the past where the tech is outdated, but if the writing is good, usually that won't hold me back from enjoy the plot and the characters. I can't think of something I read where old tech was so jarring that it stopped me from enjoying - I'd usually expect it. Sometimes a little more so with tv/movies. Now every once in awhile, watching something set not that long ago, I see a character pull out a flip phone and think "oh yeah, right, we're in that era."
Mod
LOL no one knows what book I will definitely like. I certainly don't know!
Mod
Yes! we love that show!! We haven't watched any of the new season yet.
Brandon wrote: "We had the smoke alarms go off for no reason this week. After they got turned off, they were still doing the low battery chirp (once a minute). This continued even after putting fresh 9V batteries ..."Sorry you're not enjoying it, Brandon. I agree the beginning where they're separated was not as good. Laurence and Temeraire's relationship is the best part. But I'm enjoying it now. Not sure what chapter I am on, but about 40% in.
Joanna wrote: "Sometimes a little more so with tv/movies. Now every once in awhile, watching something set not that long ago, I see a character pull out a flip phone and think "oh yeah, right, we're in that era."..."I started watching Severance last week and I was so confused by the tech. I'm guessing it's supposed to be disorientating but it's not even like inside the office is old tech, outside is new tech, it's just a weird mishmash! I hope it becomes clearer.
I really didn't finish anything because my choice for BIPOC horror is big enough to kill someone with if I hit them with it. I did however burn through a bunch of graphic novelsThe Restorer's Home Omnibus Volume 1 by Kim Sang-yeop It was fun, a Korean manhwa centering on paranormal happenings that surround antiques in need of repair
Carmilla: The First Vampire by Amy Chu, a 90s era Asian retelling of Carmilla's vampire story. I enjoyed it though the main character makes some truly idiotic choices that brought the story down a bit for me
Onibi: Diary of a Yokai Ghost Hunter by Atelier Sentô also centered on the paranormal following two French travelers in Japan.
Doctor Strange: The Oath by Brian K. Vaughan A look at medical ethics (and relatively too easy answers) for Stephen Strange
The Knights of Heliopolis by Alejandro Jodorowsky literally some of the most beautiful sequential art I've ever seen (and I've been collecting since the 70s) However the story starts strong and then slams headlong into some misogynistic b.s. by the end (and slams hard, SO disappointing)
Zokusho by Paul Corn an American manga mimic I picked up at a con. It is the intersection of SF/F but I didn't realize a lot of the characters are assassins which isn't my thing and if my planned book for the prompt genre I avoid doesn't pan out I'm sliding this in there.
QOTW
You know, I can't think of examples right now but since I read a lot of mystery and horror, cell phones in particular have changed the way those are written, too often with the main character losing/forgetting to bring and/or charge the phone to get around it. Which yes I know is the lack of technology making the story different. So I guess my answer is question adjacent
Happy Friday!(or Saturday. it's 7 minutes after midnight jhdfdg)
I completely blanked on it being Thursday yesterday. Lucy (bunbun) wasn't eating again, just like on Wednesday, but this time I couldn't get her to eat. I eventually put her outside because her temperature was good and I was hoping being in a familiar and safe space with her mate would help. I had to go to bed knowing she ate (otherwise she would either be dead already or at the very least in shock) but I hadn't seen it, only a few small bites, so it was terrifying. We checked her temperature before going to bed and it was perfect, and she was perfectly lively. Luckily this morning dad didn't come to wake me up, but I heard when I got downstairs she still wasn't eating well. By lunchtime she was better, and by dinnertime she acted like her old self, so fingers crossed we won't get a repeat tomorrow!
I've still been exhausted (and contracted a major cold from my mom. even got a fever, so fun!) so I haven't read anything, but I did work hard on my puzzle. Probably going to finish this section tomorrow already, which would bring me to a new record day-wise! Time-wise, too, if I manage tomorrow, so that'd be really cool. Only two more to go after this!
I found someone who did the ENTIRE puzzle in 150 hours which is INSANE but so soothing and mesmerizing to watch, hahah!
On Monday I'm going to make a new appointment with the doctor, because while my stability in my knee is pretty decent, I still deal with quite a bit of pain, which he said would be gone before the stability came back, so he gets to take another look at it. The other day I crouched down without thinking and regretted it INSTANTLY. That was awful and I literally let myself fall backwards to the floor just to get out of it asap. Knee hurt more after that, how odd xD
This morning I made myself laugh, though. I was on my knees on my bed checking if I could see into Lucy and Jesper's enclosure (I couldn't, it was too dark still), and that was fine. But I couldn't sit back, and therefore couldn't stretch my leg/move it out from under me. And I couldn't roll over to the side because that was my bad knee's side. And my legs were covered by a 12kg weighted blanket. And I had to somehow get off the bed asdhfaljsdg I was literally laughing at myself for getting into this position xD I can't even tell you how I did it, I don't remember, haha!
OH OH ONE MORE THING (sorry)
I won a book! I never win anything but I won Argylle! I thought it was a book you can't buy, you have to win it, so I was excited when Pathé gave me the opportunity. And I won! It's damaged (and will be visible on a shelf sadly, but ohwell, free book!) I didn't realize it would be Dutch (which, of course it's Dutch, but I didn't even think about it oops) but I'm sure it's still cool. Only found out after that it's only a specific copy you can only win, and you can buy the regular book. Might pick up an English copy at some point, haha! My copy is a floppy paperback which is GREAT!
Watched
Shameless season 1
I started season 2 last night and gonna continue after posting. Really loving this! Though there were some choices regarding Frank's storyline that really pissed me off. He's the assholiest asshole of all assholes, but he didn't deserve that.
QOTW
My brain is way too empty to think of any, and I sadly can't read all comments before me to give me inspiration
Mod
LOL what book is it???? I must know!
Milena wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Erin wrote: "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle- I don't understand the hype around this book. I found it incredibly tedious. This book could have easily bee..."Oh, and Milena - the Morgan Library and Museum have started their afternoon themed teas again. Just in time for their Centennial Celebrations.
Milena wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Milena wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Erin wrote: "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle- I don't understand the hype around this book. I found it incredibly tedious. ..."It's on W. 73rd just off Columbus. Very convenient and easy to get to.
Mod
I won a book! I never win anything but I won Argylle!..."
Very exciting!!! It's the "maybe Taylor Swift wrote it" book :-)
And really, what is more exciting then learning that you've won a book???
Which reminds me, did I tell all of you I won a book also? I think I did? I won an ARC of Indian Burial Ground, I am currently reading it each night before bed, it is excellent. It will be my "book published in 2024." It is a horror novel, and it's creepy enough that I panicked (briefly!) when my mom texted me that she had walked home alone from the library - noooo! the vampire will get you!!!
Nadine in NY wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Erin wrote: "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle- I don't understand the hype around this book. I found it incredibly tedious. This book could have easily bee..."Meanwhile, Lynn and I are very in sync - I can easily recommend books to her!
So Lynn 'falls in' and You 'keep us on our toes.'
Carmen wrote: "WatchedShameless season 1
I started season 2 last night and gonna continue after posting. Really loving this! Though there were some choices regarding Frank's storyline that really pissed me off. He's the assholiest asshole of all assholes, but he didn't deserve that..."
My boyfriend watched it and loved it a couple of years ago. I just couldn't. Pretty soon ALL of them will join the asshole ranks... There was a scene in a later season that *still* bothers me if I think of it! (view spoiler) Oddly enough, I think if I had read that scene in a book, it probably wouldn't have bothered me as much. Though, it would have to be a different book than the show, cause I still wouldn't have had the patience to deal with that family!
Nadine in NY wrote: "Cornerofmadness wrote: "I really didn't finish anything because my choice for BIPOC horror is big enough to kill someone with if I hit them with it. ..."LOL what book is it???? I must know!"
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due It's also depressing AF because it's set inside a real life horror, the Dozier school for boys in FL back in the 50s (her uncle died in it)
Mod
yikes that does sound depressing AF!!
Mod
So Lynn 'falls in' and You 'keep us on our toes. ..."
yes I think Lynn & I agree about 10% of the time - between the two of us, we span a very broad range of good books!
Nadine in NY wrote: "Wow did I hate that book!!! the author clearly hates fat people (he even says in an author's note that he made the Count fat because he wanted him to be worse than a rapist. Yes, fat people are worse than rapists!!).."Wow, that's so much worse than I'd already thought of the author. At least I can remove him from authors I need to check out again- I feel like all the book people on youtube are huge fans... I don't get it. Couldn't be me.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Ellie wrote: "I picked up Patricia Cornwell's books when they were quite old, and wow the technology/methods had moved on a lot since, but that in itself is interesting. I don't think it was the te..."I have had that thought about them jumping the shark too especially Reichs books. I mean Tempe does such stupid unprofessional things which shocked me because Reichs had Tempe's job in real life once upon a time
Milena wrote: "Abbott fan here."Are you watching the new season?
Nadine in NY wrote: "Vaish wrote: "On other news, I am rewatching S2 of Abbott Elementary. Any Abbot fans? I'm totally loving their new season...."Yes! we love that show!! We haven't watched any of the new season yet."
That's ok.. who's ur fav character?
Mod
Wow, that's so much worse than I'd already thought of the author. At least I can remove him from authors I need to check out again- I feel like all the book people on youtube are huge fans... I don't get it. Couldn't be me"
Yeah I'll never read his stuff again, because aside from all the offensive stuff, I just didn't like his writing. He's been very popular though, and I don't get it. I guess the things that offend me are just not things that offend other people.
Mod
That's ok.. who's ur fav character?"
Janine, I guess!
Theresa wrote: "Milena wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Erin wrote: "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle- I don't understand the hype around this book. I found it incredibly tedious. This book could ..."I wish you could like posts on Goodreads. Thank you for letting me know.
Vaish wrote: "Milena wrote: "Abbott fan here."Are you watching the new season?"
Yes, but very slowly. I am bad at watching new things. I tend to go to comfort rewatches.
Vaish wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Vaish wrote: "On other news, I am rewatching S2 of Abbott Elementary. Any Abbot fans? I'm totally loving their new season...."Yes! we love that show!! We haven't watched any ..."
You didn't ask me, but I don't think I can pick a favorite character. I just love the interactions between all of them.
Happy check-in! The ATY read-a-thon ended and Freedom To Read Week started here and ended on Friday. This is Canada's banned books week. I didn't end up reading anything for the week but I did add to the tbr and make requests from the library. I'm a little read out from ATY. Oh well.Finished Reading:
House of Flame and Shadow ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (PS year end in 24)
This took me forever to read. It made me want to go back and reread other SJM books. I was a little disappointed that Crescent City seems done when there is one more house for a book. Hopefully the series does get more and it follows one of the characters I have questions about.
Pet ⭐⭐ (ATY African author)
I scoped this out for BIPOC horror but went a different way. This had too much philosophy for my tastes.
Orbital ⭐⭐(PS 24h)
Again, this had too much philosophy for me.
Brown Girl Dreaming ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY BIPOC MC)
I like novels in verse.
The Titan's Curse ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY 25 cities)
I keep intending to use this series for the ATY Edgar Award winning author but they work for so many other prompts too. This book was set in both San Francisco and New York which are two of the 25 cities.
PS 16/50
ATY 12/52
Goodreads 44/150
Currently Reading:
Powerless Hunger Games and Red Queen had a baby
Nadine in NY wrote: "Very exciting!!! It's the "maybe Taylor Swift wrote it" book :-)And really, what is more exciting then learning that you've won a book???"
It is? I never knew! Sadly that doesn't make it more exciting for me, haha! But nothing more exciting indeed!!
Congrats on your own win, I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Jennifer W wrote: "My boyfriend watched it and loved it a couple of years ago. I just couldn't. Pretty soon ALL of them will join the asshole ranks... There was a scene in a later season that *still* bothers me if I think of it! (view spoiler) Oddly enough, I think if I had read that scene in a book, it probably wouldn't have bothered me as much. Though, it would have to be a different book than the show, cause I still wouldn't have had the patience to deal with that family!"I am counting on that happening, it's just that kind of show, haha! Kinda wish I didn't know, though, ha! Also I am *very* tempted to open the spoiler, but I don't want to know if it's a big thing! I'm only on season 2, and I won't forget spoilers, so I need to know if I can open it safely-ish or if I should wait! I hate being spoiled but if it's dangled in my face it's hard to resist xD
Carmen wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "My boyfriend watched it and loved it a couple of years ago. I just couldn't. Pretty soon ALL of them will join the asshole ranks... There was a scene in a later season that *stil..."Lol, sorry. I don't *think* it's a huge spoiler, but by that point, I was only catching glimpses of the show. I don't even know what season it's in.
Mod
And really, what is more exciting then learning that you've won a book???"
It is? I never knew! Sadly that do..."
YES there is this whole ridiculous conspiracy theory about how the author COULD be Taylor Swift. It's not, but the internet was on fire with theories for weeks.
Jennifer W wrote: "Carmen wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "My boyfriend watched it and loved it a couple of years ago. I just couldn't. Pretty soon ALL of them will join the asshole ranks... There was a scene in a later se..."Then I shall steer clear, just in case! Maybe if I remember I'll come back here in a couple weeks/months to see what it was and comment, ahah!
Nadine in NY wrote: "Carmen wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Very exciting!!! It's the "maybe Taylor Swift wrote it" book :-)And really, what is more exciting then learning that you've won a book???"
It is? I never knew..."
Oh god I bet they did, hahah! This whole Taylor Swift obsession make no sense to me so I'm glad I didn't see it. But hey, let them have their fun! Who knows, maybe I wrote it. You can't prove that I didn't :P
Carmen wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Carmen wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Very exciting!!! It's the "maybe Taylor Swift wrote it" book :-)..."I saw that it was one of the filmmakers that wrote and it was all part of the marketing. Which makes more sense than Taylor Swift randomly writing a book and staying quiet about it!
Happy Sunday! I finished training the new hire this week which means I can finally go back to my regular store! I hate training people. Thankfully, she picked up everything very quickly. I also had a dumb cooking disaster when I was making homemade mac and cheese. I went to add a roux to make the sauce thicker and mistakenly grabbed the baking soda instead of the cornstarch. If you have ever wondered what baking soda does to cheese sauce I will tell you. It makes it very foamy with a metallic aftertaste. Yuck. Had to toss it.
I finally watched Dune part 1 yesterday since it seems to be leaving Netflix at the end of the month. I thought I was excellent. It made me want to try the book again since I couldn't get into it the last time I tried to read it.
Finished:
Things We Do in the Dark (ATY pronoun in title) 3 stars. It was a good book generally but not very many twists in it. And one twist was very obvious.
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents (ATY on TBR over a year) 5 stars. This has been on my TBR for few years but I recently saw a movie trailer about it and decided it was a sign that it was time to read it. This was a very interesting and well written book. I highly recommend it.
The Glass Hotel (ATY author from Canada, Australia, or New Zealand) 3 stars. Not as good as her other books. I love Emily St. John Mandel's style of writing but I didn't love what the story was about. The breakdown of a Ponzi scheme was not interesting subject matter to me.
Currently reading:
This Poison Heart (ATY main character black, indigenous, PoC)
Fourth Wing (PS dragons)
Station Eternity (ATY title ends in A, T, Y)
Upcoming:
The Maid (PS neurodivergent character)
QotW: I thought Kindred was amazing. Still holds up very well for something written in the 70's. When she is in the "present" it still feels pretty much like the present of today.
Ellie wrote: "I saw that it was one of the filmmakers that wrote and it was all part of the marketing. Which makes more sense than Taylor Swift randomly writing a book and staying quiet about it!"Yeah that's what I figured! I, too, can't see her staying quiet about it, but my god, could you imagine if she had *and* shared she did?? Utter chaos!
My birthday is Monday, so celebrating all the things this weekend with my different buckets of friends. Friday had dinner in the city, Saturday went out to the burbs and went roller skating on quads!! It was such a throwback to my childhood and I loved it so much, and shockingly had zero falls. Heading to a bookstore with another friend tonight and scheduled pilates and a facial for tomorrow (took the day off work). This might be the best year yet! AND THE WEATHER, what is this?? It snowed enough to stick to the ground Friday night and now it's currently sunny and 57 degrees! Tomorrow high of 70!! What is even happening with this?Challenges:
14/75 GoodReads Challenge
12/50 PopSugar Challenge
Finished:
1.) Lucky Leap Day by Ann Marie Walker (#1- Leap in Title) ⭐⭐: This was cute, but lacking much substance. This prompt was harder than I anticipated, so glad for it to be done.
2.) The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman (#45 - LGBTQ Romance) ⭐⭐⭐⭐: This was stronger than I anticipated and while corny in parts, I enjoyed this one.
3.) After Annie by Anna Quindlen (#27 - Dies in 1st Ch)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: I loved this novel. It was quiet and impactful on how many people someone can touch in their life.
Currently Reading:
1.) One in a Millennial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In
2.) First Lie Wins
QoTW: Have you read a book published in the past with limited/outdated technology that you felt still held up in our modern world with regard to characters, plot, etc.?
Not particularly. I do love a book that you (as a reader) can't figure out what year it's set in because they don't talk about technology.
Britany wrote: "My birthday is Monday, so celebrating all the things this weekend with my different buckets of friends. Friday had dinner in the city, Saturday went out to the burbs and went roller skating on quad..."Happy birthday! Mine's today, so we're one day off from being birthday twins! :)
Sigh, another Sunday evening check-in.Work has hit the busy time. I worked late Thursday and couldn't figure out why my left elbow/wrist hurt all evening. An hour into work Friday, I knew what caused it. My wrist brace was specific to right hands, so I used my lunch break to buy a left wrist brace. And then tried to do as little typing as possible the rest of the day. It's feeling much better now.
On Saturday, I went to all the libraries. The next county over had my copy of Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI ready, and I found another book on their shelves I was interested in. Then I went 10 minutes down the road into a third county, and went to *their* library. I found a couple of romances that looked happy and a sci-fi book where I was on the wait list. Then I drove to back to my own county and went to a different branch than usual. There, I found a book someone had been talking about on social media last week. Such a good library day!
Finished This Week:
Five First Chances by Sarah Jost. Another timeloop story, but this one was not a romance. And not happy. Three stars for being well-written, but I wanted a happy ending. Not for PS prompt, but would work for #27, Someone Dies in the First Chapter.
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears. This was quick and short. It made me hate Justin Timberlake, which wasn't much of a stretch anyway. There was a lot of behind the scenes things about the making of the video for Baby One More Time that were neat to learn, and what she went through under the conservatorship was infuriating. But another review said it felt like Britney was going through a checklist of things of events, and I have to agree. She was mostly saying I did X, and here's why it wasn't what everyone made it out to be. I wanted more. Not for PS prompt.
Polaris Rising / Aurora Blazing by Jessie Mihalik. Reread of books 1 and 2 in the Consortium trilogy that I loved when I first read them in August 2020. I remembered loving Bianca's book (Aurora), but what I remembered appeared to only be the beginning. There was a LOT more going on in book 2 than I remembered. Very much enjoyed the reread. Not for prompt.
Chaos Reigning by Jessie Mihalik. And book 3. For whatever reason, I didn't read the final book in the series when I read the first two, despite buying all three, so I finally read it now. I enjoyed it more than I expected to. A very good conclusion to the trilogy, where all the good guys live, their domineering parents died, the war ends and the bad guys are vanquished. Oh, and secrets are revealed. I was hoping for a resolution to a plot thread from book 1, but enjoyed yelling at my book about how Checkov's astrophysicist from the tea party was so going to be important. (She was.) Using for PS #18, Set in Space.
PS: 11/50 RH: 2/24 ATY: 15/52 GR: 33/125 TBR: 6/24
Currently Reading:
The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley. Have made it past the Nottingham Faire, and now it is time for the fight with Guy.
Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All by Martha S. Jones. Made it deeper into chapter two and the Seneca Falls conference, which had no Black women in attendance.
QotW: Have you read a book published in the past with limited/outdated technology that you felt still held up in our modern world with regard to characters, plot, etc.
I recently read a book set in 1918 and I was amazed at how much medicine has advanced since then. They were giving whiskey to pregnant women to help with their fevers. My brain still can't comprehend it.
As long as the book is well written, outdated technology that is appropriate for the time is fine. I enjoy reading historical fiction or books written a long time ago. If the plot works and no one has a smart phone in 1815 London, I'm good.
Melissa wrote: "Such a good library day!.."I love that you get that a multi-library day is a good day!
Of COURSE my hold of My Name is Barbra came in because I went to the library and got 4 new books on Friday! I thought I was like still in the 100's of the wait list. But I think my library bought a bunch of new copies which rushed me up the list quicker than I wanted.This book is soo long that I had to finish my other audiobook and return it so Barbra could finish downloading.
I also got Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants and am deciding if I want to read that one first or not.
happy sunday evening~i ended up binge watching lockwood & co this weekend and it was so good! such a pity that netflix didn't renew but they seem to be in the habit of not renewing their good shows. bleh.
completed:
Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology ★★
didn't i say that short stories aren't for me? and here i am reading more. this was just okay, i didn't find any of the stories scary and the majority of them were meh or felt incomplete. worse, it really highlighted some bad writing and made me side-eye other authors whose upcoming works i had been initially looking forward to. there were some gems hidden throughout, so i'll be on the lookout for those authors.
ps 40 - a horror book written by a bipoc author
Leave the World Behind ★
this was for a book club and i did NOT like it. i was really confused by the writing because it felt rather satirical at times but i think the author was playing it straight? basic synopsis: the world will be ending and karens will still karen. add in a bunch of weird sexual references for things that weren't sexual, and odd racial throwaway comments, plus an inconsistent timeline and you get this book. can't believe this was shortlisted for a bunch of stuff.
ps 24 - a book that takes place over the course of 24 hours
(the timeline is confusing but the characters reference that only 24 hours had passed a few times in the book)
A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons ★★
i was hoping for a cute enola holmes-esque palette cleanser with this one. i wasn't expecting much but was still rather disappointed. the main character was a bit of a pick-me, there was no chemistry between her and the love interest, and worst of all: she made dumb decisions all the time!
Question of the Week:
Have you read a book published in the past with limited/outdated technology that you felt still held up in our modern world with regard to characters, plot, etc.?
hmm, an old favorite: Last Breath - took place in the last 90s/early 00s. it featured such innovative tech like: call forwarding! email! phishing! featuring a serial killer after a female cop and the fbi and local police working together to save her before it's too late. it's very nostalgic to me and i like to re-read it every couple of years.
Felicia wrote: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents (ATY on TBR over a year) 5 stars. This has been on my TBR for few years but I recently saw a movie trailer about it and decided it was a sign that it was time to read it. This was a very interesting and well written book. I highly recommend it.
I'm planning to start the YA version of this book before I jump in to the original edition.
And thanks for the heads up on the movie release. I checked my theater because it said that the release was Jan. 19th, 2024, but my place doesn't have it yet. I'll keep an eye out though.
*****
I looked into the movie. It's being released on HBO Max/Max until November. However the blue ray is being released in April so I pre-ordered it.
Mod
LOL that does remind me: the last Harlan Coben book I read in his Myron Bolitar series mentioned that the computer was running Windows 95! and they had AOL to get online. It was just a throwaway line but it was startling because clearly the subtext was "this is modern!" but it was soooo dated.
cvtherin wrote: "happy sunday evening~i ended up binge watching lockwood & co this weekend and it was so good! such a pity that netflix didn't renew but they seem to be in the habit of not renewing their good sho..."
I hated Leave the World Behind so much. I am glad to finally see someone mention the weird sexual references. Like why are you bringing up the children's pudenda all the time? Ick.
cvtherin wrote: "happy sunday evening~i ended up binge watching lockwood & co this weekend and it was so good! such a pity that netflix didn't renew but they seem to be in the habit of not renewing their good sho..."
I was disappointed they didn't renew Lockwood & Co too
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents (other topics)The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History (other topics)
The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History (other topics)
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents (other topics)
Leave the World Behind (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Sarah Jost (other topics)Robin McKinley (other topics)
Britney Spears (other topics)
Martha S. Jones (other topics)
Jessie Mihalik (other topics)
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Time is flying by on wings! I am still working on bits of my trip and paying…and I guess that will go on until I get on the plane.
I realized the other day that my plan to spend a week visiting my sister is next week! And, my library books (6) are due while I am gone…and no renewals! I am starting 3 today. I also have another bunch due while gone, but I can renew them electronically.
Then there is the fact that I had wanted to get taxes done this month and haven’t started! Yikes!
Oh, and I forgot to tell you that I made the decision a week or so ago to quit one of my groups. Its challenges were quarterly...and in the last quarter the decision for the group to end was made, only to have a couple of people step up and continue it. Since for the past two quarters, I have not read much for the challenges, I made the decision to quit. My trip to Scotland will greatly interrupt since it will cover the nearly all the next quarter.
As a result, I am down (or was) on challenges. Then I found a read your TBR which has increasing challenges. I joined the first of 6 books, and will probably finish it before my trip.
Finished
Born in Shame – Audiobook. PAS. Again another Nora Roberts trilogy finish. This one concerned an unknown father, a mother who told the truth on her deathbed, and a daughter left with lots of questions. All comes out, a new family is found, and love wins. 4*
Blood Cries – PAS. A book that I have owned for a LONG time. I thought it was a non-fiction book about the middle east…Israel particularly. The protagonist is an American reporter who now lives in Israel in the early 1980s. Much of the story feel current with the war happening now. Love for Israel shines through in the end along with a human love, but important questions are raised about Israel and Jewish identity. Glad I read it. 4*
The Lightkeeper's Daughters – PAS, ATY #8. I don’t know what I expected about this book, but it was different than I expected. I guess I thought it was a straight forward novel about a family. Instead, it is a piecing together of a family history and even I (who read a lot of mysteries) was caught flat-footed at the twist in the end. 4*
Ragman and Other Cries of Faith – PAS. A memoir? Not exactly. Although it is written by a Christian minister and relates his take on faith with personal stories. It is a bit of a challenging book with a gentle touch. The author died a few years ago. I would have liked to have had a conversation with him. He felt like a man of integrity who lived his faith. 3*
The Book of Cold Cases – ALCM, PAS. A blogger of cold cases, a traumatic personal past history, a murderer (?), and three unsolved cases (same killer?)…all elements that interact for a fantastic story! 4*
Currently Reading:
The Last Chance Olive Ranch – ALCM, ATY #9. 42%
Tears of the Silenced: An Amish True Crime Memoir of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Brutal Betrayal, and Ultimate Survival – Audiobook. No challenges. 38%
The Disappearance at Pere-Lachaise – PAS, ATY #10. 29%
The Earth Hums in B Flat – PAS, PS #31 (Title = complete sentence). 26%
Gone Fishin' – ALCM, PAS. 28%
On Deck:
Staying Well With Guided Imagery: How to Harness the Power of Your Imagination for Health and Healing – PAS
Death In a White Tie - PAS
Death on Demand - ALCM
The Last Camel Died at Noon - PAS
PS 5/50
ATY 8/52
GR 35/200
QotW: Have you read a book published in the past with limited/outdated technology that you felt still held up in our modern world with regard to characters, plot, etc.?
Like many others on here, I read a lot of mysteries and historical fiction. And, unless the setting does not match the technology, I do not pay particular attention.
And, when I read science fiction (rarely), my usual stance is how much of what was imagined for those stories by those authors have matched the advancements since the book was written. Sometimes, I even wonder if space advancements were made by scientists who read some of the old SF classics!