Week 7: 2/6 - 2/13

[Nadine in NY]

Happy Thursday! 

Winter continues here in northern NY, we are expecting another foot of snow this weekend.  I was going to move most of my Saturday errands to Friday, just to be safe, but now it's supposed to snow on Friday too!  Hopefully I can still make my vet appointment on Saturday morning.


Admin stuff
The final poll for our April group read, for healing fiction, is now open here:    
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...
Go vote! And let us know if you're interested in leading the discussion, for April or any other upcoming month.

 March's group read will be:   Station Eleven.   We still need a volunteer to lead this discussion!

The February group read ("non traditional education") is A Deadly Education, join the discussion here:  
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Thank you to Erin for leading the discussion!





This week I finished 4 books, and I managed to find Popsugar categories for all of them.

Mask of the Deer Woman by Laurie L. Dove - I finished it last Thursday morning, so I might have listed this last week.  This was a great mystery debut set on a (fictional?) Indian reservation in Oklahoma.  The female protagonist never once thought about dating anyone or wished she had a partner, so I checked off "happily single" (it's a bit of a stretch to say she was "happy" but her singledom wasn't her problem), and "animal in title" in AtY.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister - I dumped a bowl of soup on my phone so I was phoneless for two days to let it dry out, which meant I could not read the audiboook and ebook I was in the middle of, so I opened this one on my computer from NetGalley, and in those two days I started and finished this book.  I get a lot more reading done when I'm not distracted by all the social media and games on my phone!!   This book was riveting and hard to put down. If you like action thrillers, read this!!  I've never read this author before, but I'll be digging into her backlist now.  I checked off "married couple that don't live together," since her husband is a fugitive for most of the book.

The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck - this is a ToB short list book, I used for "interconnected short stories" - as it turned out, they weren't ALL connected, it was more like several pairs of connected short stories, but my intentions were honest so I checked off "interconnected short stories" anyway, and "waves on the cover" in AtY.  This was very soothing, because it just told an interesting story and demanded very little from the reader.

Here Beside the Rising Tide by Emily Jane - if you've ever thought "I'd like to read a book like Mona Awad's, but cozy" then THIS is your book!!  It is thoroughly absurd, both serious and silly at the same time. I thought this was a debut novel, but I was so excited to find out she had written another book a few years ago! More books to read!!  I checked off "magical creatures" because there are sea monsters (both good and evil sea creatures), but this would also fill a 2015 prompt, set near a body of water, unlikely friends, nature is the antagonist, and married couple living apart.



Popsugar 28% 14 /50
Must Reads 0% 0 /10
AtY 25% 13 /52
AtY bonus 0% 0 /10
2025 pub 10% 5 /50
NetGalley ratio 80% - finally back up to 80!!  I still have nine more books to read before I clear my shelf (assuming I don't get approved for any others!)




Question of the Week
If you had an opportunity to lead a literature class for teens (ages 16-18), which books would you put on the curriculum?



Seven books might be too many to get through in one school year, but once I started it was hard to stop.  I tried to get a good mix of classic classic and modern classic and more current publications. I am not a teacher, so I have no idea if these are good choices, maybe they are too long; but I think these books will promote good discussions and open students' minds to different ideas, different types of books, and different viewpoints.

Cat’s Cradle - this was assigned reading when I was a senior, and I really enjoyed it!  I did not know until then that classic literature could be so much fun!

Nineteen Eighty-Four - because it's short and powerful and I think everyone should read it (and my kids have NOT read it!)

Things Fall Apart - this would generate so much discussion, because the protagonist is, objectively, a rather awful person, and yet he also deserves mercy and freedom, just like everyone else.

Rebecca - duMaurier is such a flawless author, and she skillfully created a bunch of assholes in this book, so skillfully that it takes quite a while for the reader to figure out that they are unreliable narrators and you aren't actually meant to like them at all. After the book, we could watch the movie!

The Street - a sharp modern classic that is probably unlike anything else teens have read yet.

The Memory Police - almost definitely unlike anything they'd read before, this is such a weird and thought-provoking book, it would generate so much great classroom discussion.

Mongrels - this is a great allegory of how marginalized people experience racism; some of it might be a bit disturbing, but most teens love disturbing books.

[Ron]

Morning all! Happy Thursday. 2 more weeks until the end of February. Time is going by kind of quick. Slow in some ways, fast in others.

Just focused on school (well trying to be. My educational psychology class is so boring).

Weather-wise it has been windy and dusty. The other day the winds and dust were so bad that it looked all yellow, almost light brown. Kind of like a scene out of the movie Interstellar with those horrible dust storms. You could even taste the dust. It was gross. Any time I stepped out of the house I put a mask on.

Book News

I have officially read all of my priority reads for February! These are books that I wanted to read most. I had 6 books and I read them all. Now I have everything else which are just random picks.

One of my reading goals for 2025 was to read a physics book because it's a genre I normally don't read. Mission accomplished!

So far I'll have read 8 books for the month of February, 9 if I can get in another by the last 2 weeks. Which isn't that bad.

Looking at my Pop Sugar Reading Challenge, I have read more books this year for it than I have in years past! It really does help that there's more leeway for nonfiction books this time around. In the past that's been a struggle because a lot of the prompts were more geared toward fiction.

So far I've read 13 (2 are double-dips so I've done 15 prompts).

Finished:

The Abduction of Betty and Barney Hill: Alien Encounters, Civil Rights, and the New Age in America - 4 star read.

Joan of Arc: A History - 4 star. Got this book as a gift. I liked it. So much history, even though Joan didn't appear until much later in the book.

The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred - 4 star. This book was recommended to me which was perfect since one of my reading goals this year was to read a physics book. I'm terrible at math and science but that's why I wanted to read this subject. I absolutely loved it! It got pretty political, but that's to be expected given that there aren't many BIPOC scientists, let alone women.

******

Currently Reading:

Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism - This book came out this week. I'm currently on chapter 3 and I love it! It talks about the racism in the US education system. It's fascinating. And as a BIPOC person, it's something I've been aware of since I was a kid. I used to wonder why my friends dressed up as Pilgrims for Thanksgiving and I was dressed as a Native American (I was 5) and I often wonder if my dark skin had something to do with it.

Odds are I'll rate this a 5-star and it will be my favorite book of the month. It's that good.


Question of the Week:

If you had an opportunity to lead a literature class for teens (ages 16-18), which books would you put on the curriculum?

Oh man I love this question! As someone who's trying to get their teaching certificate, it's one I think of often since I want to teach English grades 4-8.

And given all the book bans, it makes my ideas a lot harder because I want to include books that are being banned left and right.

I do want to stay away from classics. Those are over-taught. I understand the importance in them, but I want students to read books that are from the 20th and 21st centuries.

Some more modern books I would want students to read (ages 16-18) would be:

An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People - I got more out of this book than I have in any of my classes.

When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry - This is an excellent anthology of Native poetry. I never read any Indigenous authors in school so I would like to include stuff like this.

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents - This is considered a very controversial book, but it's one I believe students should learn.

El Norte: The Epic and Forgotten Story of Hispanic North America - Mexican history isn't taught so I would like to bring this up.

LatinoLand: A Portrait of America's Largest and Least Understood Minority - Read this one last year and it was one of my favorites. Latino culture is such a diverse group and students aren't taught this history.

[Kenya]

Happy Thursday all!

So... I'm planning to get a tattoo. And since I love both fantasy and reading so much, it will be of a dragon reading a book. I have a consultation tomorrow to talk things over with the artist -- wish me luck, folks.

Books read this week:

Piglet: The Unexpected Story of a Deaf, Blind, Pink Puppy and His Family -- for “two books with the same title (2).” I’m a sucker for animal stories, and this one was sweet… I just wish the author hadn’t felt the need to give us a biography of every member of her family and all her pets as well. I’m here for the dog, not the humans…

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses -- for “a book about a character with chronic pain.” A highly enjoyable story about a werewolf, a friendship, and struggling to cope with life after being diagnosed with a chronic illness.

Your Shadow Half Remains -- for “a book whose title begins with Y.” A bloody, brutal, yet strangely affecting examination of how isolation affects us. And it honestly feels like the author’s direct response to the pandemic and how it isolated us.

How Much of These Hills Is Gold -- for “a book about an immigrant or refugee.” I had to read this for school, and figured I might as well apply it to the challenge. A harsh but strangely lyrical story about two sisters growing up as Chinese-Americans in the 1860s.

Currently reading:

A Fire Upon the Deep -- for “a book you have avoided reading”
The Book Censor's Library -- for “a book that fits your favorite prompt from the 2015 challenge” (a book originally published in a different language)
The Teller of Small Fortunes -- for “a book with a happily single female protagonist”
I, Robot -- for “a classic you never read”

QOTW:

I've never thought about this before. But I think some "must read" books I'd include on this list are Fahrenheit 451, The Complete Maus, and The Hate U Give.

[K.L.]

Happy Thursday, everyone!

I had a terrible allergy attack on Monday night and broke out in hives. No idea what caused the reaction, but I spent the subsequent day alternating between napping and watching television in a Benadryl haze. I am still itchy, but feeling better. Hopefully I won’t come into contact with whatever triggered the attack again, because I actually have a lot that still needs to get done this week.

I did manage to get some reading done this week, but not nearly as much as I had planned. I am continuing to focus on reading fantasy novels, which has been a lot of fun.

Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…

Goodreads Challenge: 074/250
Mount TBR Challenge: 060/150

📚Physical TBR: 55/731
📱Ebook TBR: 3/218
🎧Audiobook TBR: 2/15
TBR Checklist Total: 60/964

TBR Books DNFed in 2025: 1

I did pick up a couple of new books this week. The first was Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales, by Heather Fawcett; and the second was Bard Hard, by T. Ellery Hodges.

“New” Books Bought in 2024: 17
“New” Books Read in 2024: 14
“New” Books DNFed in 2024: 0

Here are the books I finished this week…

Finished Reading (Fiction):
~The House Witch 3 — This was a great conclusion to The House Witch trilogy! If you’re a fan of magical, cosy fantasy that will make you laugh out loud, then I highly recommend reading the whole trilogy. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include references to abuse. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
~This Will Be Fun — I really enjoyed this standalone fantasy novel! The characters were great, and I really got invested in all of their drama. 📚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
~Bard Hard — I actually bought this book because I really liked the cover, with no idea of what to expect. I am so glad I did, because I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and loved the characters. I’m already looking forward to reading the next book in the series when it’s released. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
None

Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
None

Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None

DNFed:
None

Currently Reading:
~The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights, Volume 2 — I am currently taking an extended break from this book. 📚
~The Two Towers — I am continuing to really enjoy listening to this audiobook before bed each night. I have about 35 minutes remaining, and should finish it tonight. 🎧
~Illuminations — I’m currently about 14 chapters into this book. It’s been good so far, but I haven’t just been enthralled by it. 📚
~Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales — I started this book during the commercial breaks of last night’s 4 Nations Face-Off game, and I’m already about one-fifth of the way into it. It’s been good so far. 📚

QOTW:
I actually used to teach high school English, so I've taught quite a few books to 16-18 year-olds over the years. If I were still in the classroom, there are some books I would continue to teach, and others that I would scrap in favor of some more relevant and recent titles.

I would continue to teach the following books:
~Fahrenheit 451
~Hiroshima
~Night
~Julius Caesar
~The House on Mango Street

I would also add the following books:
~1984
~The Handmaid’s Tale
~The Hate U Give
~The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country

[Jennifer W]

Hi all! Anyone have any Valentine's plans? I don't think we do. My boyfriend and I were talking about it the other day and my daughter suggested we got to Walmart and buy her toys... lol Plus, like Nadine said, possibly really snowy weather heading this way. Though, I think I'm more likely to get 3 to 5 inches. We have a fundraiser dinner to help with Saturday evening, if the weather isn't too bad. Kiddo is off school next week for winter break, I don't have any ideas for her yet...

Still trying to pick a book to get into, nothing's totally grabbing me. Got about 100 pages into The Poet X, it's OK. Read a couple chapters of An Anarchist's Story: The Life of Ethel MacDonald, also OK. Yesterday I picked up A Season with Mom: Love, Loss, and the Ultimate Baseball Adventure for a road trip book. So far it's not as baseball-y as I would have expected. (1 week until spring training games start!!!)

QOTW: What a great question!! (and I still haven't read 1984, either!)

I would definitely assign
The Complete Maus, I think it's the best book on the Holocaust that I've read. Plus, I definitely didn't get assigned graphic novels as a teen.

To Kill a Mockingbird, it's a classic for a reason.

Maybe Beloved. I remember reading it and comparing it to Maus as they both deal with generational trauma and how that impacts the next generation.

Dear Martin or Long Way Down to talk about race and gun violence.

And Unwind to get a dystopian novel in there.

[Jen W.]

Happy Thursday!

It's been another busy week at work, but the worst of it should be done for a little while. Tonight we're going to see the new Captain America movie. Hoping it's good.

Finished:

Before Your Memory Fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - 3.5 stars - a book of interconnected short stories. Minor spoiler: (view spoiler)[I didn't like that the action moved to another cafe that just happened to have the same time travel capabilities with the same rules as the first. It seems like the time travel might be tied to the family running the cafes rather than the location, since only certain women can pour the magic coffee. But I'd rather spend more time unraveling the mysteries of the original location. (hide spoiler)] Still, I enjoyed the stories themselves, for the most part, although some were very sappy.

The Apothecary Diaries (Light Novel): Volume 11 by Natsu Hyuuga - 4 stars - no prompt. Still enjoying this series.

Comics & manga:
Chihayafuru, Vol. 29
Don't Call it Mystery (Omnibus) Vol. 9-10

I am currently at 9/50 for Popsugar (7/40 and 2/10).

Currently reading:
This Ends in Embers by Kamilah Cole - not planned for a prompt, but we'll see if it fits anywhere.

Upcoming/Planned:
A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall for a book set in or around a body of water.

QOTW:
I'm not sure. The first one that comes to mind is The Hate U Give.

[Milena]

Happy Thursday!

I have the flu. It started as an earache and I thought I had an ear infection. Ran to urgent care as we are supposed to leave for Mexico in less than a week. I asked for flu and Covid tests just in case and was very surprised based on my symptoms that it came back positive for flu. Well this morning I have a fever so now I believe it.
Trying desperately to not infect my husband who is immune suppressed. If he gets sick we will not be able to go on vacation next week. We isolated successfully when I had Covid last year and he never got it, so I have hope.

Finished:
Great Expectations for book 1 with the same title
Bury Your Gays this was really good
Small Things Like These
Good Material

Currently reading:
Mina's Matchbox
The Ink Black Heart

QOTW:
I don't have the brain power right now to think of anything. I did hear that some schools are already assigning The Hate U Give and that makes me really happy.

[Dubhease]

Happy Thursday.

My department told over 40,000 employees across Canada to work from home today as a lot of cities want the smallest amount of cars on the roads to make clearing easier.

I finished the last of my January books. Grady Hendrix is the only horror I like. I've now started all my February books, except that the one I was reading on Internet archive got taken down. It's an out of print book - there is no way to buy it and no library seems to have it. I don't understand why people hate on Internet Archive so much.

Finished:
We Sold Our Souls
Popsugar prompt: A book where music plays an integral part of the storyline
ATY prompt:
Anniversary prompt: A book related to one of the elements on the periodic table of elements (Iron)

Series - 1/10
Reading Across Canada - 1/10
Nobel laureates - 0/5

PS - 7/40
Regular ATY - 6/40
Anniversary ATY - 1/10

Currently reading:
The Mermaid That Came Between Them - 25%
Mirèio, a Provençal Poem - 25%
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands -10%

Buddy Reads:
none at present

QOTW: This is such a great question. My sarcastic answer is anything. In high school, we read actual books. When my kids were in high school, they read short stories. And their high school didn't even have grade 11 English. (The province invented a new required course. To make room for it, they got rid of grade 11 English.) One of my kids struggled in Grade 12 English because it was the first time in 4 years that they had to read actual books.

If it was up to me:
- Definitely some Shakespeare
- One of the dystopian classics - either 1984 or Fahrenheit 451
- Some Canadian content - maybe Mordecai Richler and some more modern authors
- I loved The Importance of Being Earnest - This introduced me to Oscar Wilde - something classic
- Something about race relations or racism - but depending where the school is located is going to influence the books - is the racism in the area more anti-Black, anti-Asian, anti-India, anti-Semitic, or anti- Indigenous. There are great books for each problem.
- Something modern to hold kids interest while mixed in with the classics

[Nadine in NY]

Jen W. wrote: "Tonight we're going to see the new Captain America movie. Hoping it's good. ..."



I really like Anthony Mackie so I kinda want to see that, but I'm irrationally annoyed that they made him Captain America. Chris Evans aka Steve Rogers was Captain America. Anthony Mackie is Falcon. Why can't he be Falcon?? I don't want multiple Captain Americas.

[Nadine in NY]

Milena wrote: "Happy Thursday!

I have the flu. It started as an earache and I thought I had an ear infection. Ran to urgent care as we are supposed to leave for Mexico in less than a week. I asked for flu and Co..."




Oh no!! I hope your isolation works again.

[Laura Z]

Happy Thursday! It’s going to be all about audiobooks for the next few days. My husband’s out of town, so my daughter-in-law and I are going on a cleaning/organizing rampage. Today we’re going to pull everything out of the craft room and rearrange the existing furniture. Tomorrow we’re building shelves and cabinets, and then on Saturday we’ll start organizing all our supplies and restocking the room. He gets home next Thursday… Hopefully it’ll all get done!

2025 Reading Challenges::

52 Book Club: 16/52 (Lunar New Year Mini-Challenge: 1/3)
ATY: 7/52 (ATY Anniversary Challenge: 1/10, ATY Winter Challenge: 12/15)
The Book Girls’ Guide: 11/74
Booklist Queen: 11/52
Cover Lovers: 12/50
Popsugar: 15/50

My Ever-Growing TBR: 15/222 – 6.8% (My goal is 33.3%... But I keep buying new books.)

Recently Completed:

The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir: 2024 NPR Books We Love. Griffin Dunne’s memoir of himself, his family, and the murder of his sister. (52 Books #42 – 300-400 pages long) ★★★★

Half a Soul (Booklist Queen #1 – meant to read last year/Popsugar #18 – magical creatures that aren’t dragons) ★★★

The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree: Goodreads Giveaway. From the blurb: “Disguised by years in exile and a name she found on a gravestone, an unconventional young woman returns to her childhood home in rural 1967 Arkansas in this hauntingly visceral Southern tale of desperate choices, found family, folk magic and noisy ghosts.” I’m absolutely shocked at how much I enjoyed this book. It needs ALL the content warnings, but the characters and story were vivid and compelling. (52 Books #22 – found family/Popsugar #10 – a book I got for free) ★★★★★

The Sentence (52 Books #13 – last sentence is less than six words long/BGG Book Lovers’ Challenge #2 – books about bookstores) ★★★★

Epitaph (BGG Read Around the USA #2 – Southwest/Booklist Queen #20 – took a while to read) ★★★★

A Very Private School: A Memoir: 2024 NPR Books We Love. (Popsugar #14 – nontraditional education) ★★★★

Vilest Things (52 Books Lunar New Year Mini-Challenge – an Asian author) ★★★

When the Heavens Went on Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach: I’m completely disenchanted by billionaires and their vanity projects. (Booklist Queen #40 – chapters have titles/Cover Lovers #5 – author’s first name has an unusual spelling: Ashlee/Popsugar #3 – space tourism) ★★★



Currently Reading:

Something Lost, Something Gained: Reflections on Life, Love, and Liberty (ATY #16 – from the 2016 list: a biography, autobiography, or memoir/Booklist Queen #29 – about a politician/Cover Lovers #25 – a famous person on the cover)
This Is a Love Story (52 Books #24 – title is a “spoiler”/ATY Winter Challenge #15 – a love story)
The Serpent King (BGG Lifetime of Reading #2 – teenagers)
Good Dirt (ATY Winter Challenge #15 – a BIPOC author/Booklist Queen #43 – a multigenerational story/Cover Lovers #32 – something broken on the cover)
Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV: 2024 NPR Books We Love. ATY #3 – connected to the Do Re Mi song)
We Lived on the Horizon (52 Books #43 – explores social class/ATY Winter Challenge #11 – speculative fiction)
The Poppy War (52 Books Lunar New Year Mini-Challenge – set in a country that celebrates the lunar new year: China/Booklist Queen #40 – a popular book you’ve never read)
The Murder of Mr. Wickham: Jane Austen Book Club. (ATY #21 – related to a collective noun for animals: Murder)
Tangled Up in You (Popsugar #34 – direction in title: Up)
The Wise Women (52 Books Lunar New Year Mini-Challenge #2 – a wise character)



QOTW: That's a huge question! It's hard to pick books that are both interesting and important, but here's a few more contemporary suggestions:

The Book Thief
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Station Eleven
The Nickel Boys
Klara and the Sun
There There
Our Missing Hearts
The Hate U Give

[Laura Z]

Jennifer W wrote: "Hi all! Anyone have any Valentine's plans? I don't think we do. "

My husband went out of town for work and won't be back until next Thursday, so we've decided to celebrate that weekend. (We have reservations at a food and whiskey pairing at one of our favorite local restaurants.)

Tonight I have a "Galentines" event at my favorite local winery. They're going to be pairing wines with romance novels! All proceeds will go to Cavalcade of Authors.

Cavalcade of Authors is a local enterprise started in 2009 by a local middle school librarian. They bring YA authors from across the country to the Tri-Cities to meet with local teens to foster a love of reading and writing. They kick-off with a community book signing at Barnes and Noble and end with a one-day workshop-style conference. Authors also visit local schools throughout their stay to further promote the love of books.

[Doni]

2025 Purchased TBR: 4/8
Library TBR: 10/15
PS: 32/50

I've been reading a ton, but not finishing very many books. My local library has a challenge to finish 20 books in 28 days! There's no way I'm going to finish it. I've only finished 4 so far!

Finished: The Binding for prompt suggested by an AI. I enjoyed this book pretty well, though it was more gritty than I usually prefer.

Fascism Today: What It Is and How to End It Not sure I learned anything helpful. Might have to re-read or find another source.

The Chosen This was a re-read, so unfortunately, I wasn't able to count it towards "classic you've never read." It was worth the re-read though.

Started: Quarantine by Jim Croce. Hmm weird, it's not coming up on the Goodreads Add Book feature.
Children of Time
Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip

All three of these I did not like and probably will not finish. Quarantine was too violent, Children of Time was too long (I read 300 pages and was only halfway through), and Calvin and Hobbes was too amateurishly written.

QotW: I love this question!

1. The Dreamers
2. Ender’s Game
3. Fahrenheit 451
4. The Golden Compass This is the third in a series, but is the one that has the content I want to discuss.
5. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
6. There But For The
7. Simon Sort of Says
8. Damian

[Doni]

Hmmm.. Dubhease mentioned including something on race relations which I think is important too. Maybe One of Our Kind

[Sheri]

Hi all,

Got hit with a wintery blast last night, looks like we got several inches. Seems to be mostly done now though, so hopefully roads will be ok tonight. We're going to see Phantogram downtown and calling it our Valentine's date.

This week I finished:

A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance - this was for my books & brew this week. I liked it a lot, was glad I did the audio book. the style was very lyrical and it was nice to listen to. I skimmed through someone's text book and it looked really annoying to read.

Now Is Not the Time to Panic- another tbr challenge pick. I liked this overall, but the ending was so abrupt I actually flipped backwards see if I somehow skipped ahead. Still was an interesting story about some teens making outsider art that inadvertently triggered a big panic.

She's Up to No Good - More tbr challenge, i feel like this was a first reads or some other freebie. I liked it ok, although its not my usual genre. Did feel a little long and meandering, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

Currently reading:

Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity - I have to take a lot of breaks with this to process, so still listening to this. Still learning a lot and feeling seen.

A Sorceress Comes to Call - another tbr pick, one i picked up on a book store splurge when I had a gift card to spend. It's such a pretty book with all sorts of gold embossing and varnish. I'm not too far yet, but liking it a lot so far. I do love a good T Kingfisher.

QOTW:

I'd like to see some more modern and diverse stuff added. I agree with The Hate U Give. Something like Felix Ever After maybe, Firekeeper’s Daughter, Parachutes. Classics are great, but I think it's also good to read things that help them relate to people around them, understand different perspectives. Not just old dead authors.

[Nadine in NY]

Laura Z wrote: "Tonight I have a "Galentines" event at my favorite local winery. They're going to be pairing wines with romance novels! ..."


Oh WOW that sounds super fun!!! Let us know what the pairings are (if you're not too inebriated to remember hahaha)

[Ellie]

I haven't really read much this week, and it doesn't help that I picked up a chunkster to read. I did manage to get a book to register against Goodreads' community favourites challenge. It'll be interesting to see what happens with Iron Flame which is in multiple categories.

Finished:
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor. Not what I expected, it's more of a contemporary story with a sci-fi story slotted in as a book within a book. I liked the contemporary side a lot more. Explores attitudes to disability and all the myriad ways death of the author applies in the modern age. Didn't work for the ATY prompt I intended it for (alt universes) but managed to wedge it into some prompts anyway.
Popsugar: #26. A book where an adult character changes careers
ATY: #28. Two books with a pair of opposites in their titles: Book 1
Read Harder: #16. Read a genre-blending book
Cover Lover: #19. at least one person of color

Currently reading Iron Flame and listening to Bless Your Heart.

QOTW:
I feel like I'd need to know what the purpose of the class is to pick a book list. I'd add something popular and something genre to the list of usual suspects for sure. And some contemporary lit set in Britain covering things happening here rather than in the US. But my brain is too tired to come up with actual titles, and my dog is nagging me for her dinner!

[Ellie]

Jennifer W wrote: "Hi all! Anyone have any Valentine's plans? I don't think we do. My boyfriend and I were talking about it the other day and my daughter suggested we got to Walmart and buy her toys... lol Plus, like..."

We're getting a special meal kit delivered from one of our favorite restaurants that's too far away for us to go to regularly. We've had one once before and it's mostly prepared, just needs heating up and the naan dough cooked. I'm really looking forward to it, and best part is we can just collapse on the sofa after stuffing our faces.

[Joanna G]

Managed to finish all of my in progress books from last week.

Finished
Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth Certain scenes and lines in this were great - brilliant and biting. I could understand from them why he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. However, the whole thing didn't really hang together for me, it was a little two sprawling and hard to track. And the part of the story that I found most engaging (the effort to repatriate a body) ended up really just being a digression. Used for oldest author on my TBR - I didn't check everyone, but I believe he was 87 at the time of publication and 91 now - that works for me. (Odd because I can tend to be nitpicky about whether something fills a prompt, but I guess because the task of tracking down that info for every author on my TBR would just be too huge, I'm just going with it, and no regrets!)

Storm of Locusts Enjoyed the follow up to Trail of Lightning even though I realized I'd forgotten so many of the plot beats - really just the vibes of the main character, Maggie, had stayed with me. Actually this is another lose plot fill because they're tracking a group referred to as a cult, and they do seem to have worshipful devotion to their leader, but not a ton of time is spent with them.

Jennie's Boy: A Newfoundland Childhood As I think I said last week, it's hard to rate a memoir. I feel bad saying this, but as I was reading this one, I was wondering to myself what the particular point was - it's a about a slice of the author's life when he was young and pretty sick, but I just wasn't sure why the story needed to be told. I thought about non-traditional education there were some references to him being home-schooled, but this is where I did get stricter - I decided no, because it's very much not a focus, just a few throwaway lines, and certainly not enough for me to tell if anything other than the format would have been non-traditional about it.

Currently Reading
The Messy Lives of Book People
Dandelion
Poor Deer

QotW
I like the suggestions for Firekeeper’s Daughter, The Complete Maus, The Hate U Give and The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country (although I might swap that one out for other poem(s) by her, since my course would be in Canada)

I also might add The Marrow Thieves for Canadian content.

I'd also be tempted to do an Austen with a modern equivalent to talk about how stories can change and what's essential about them. So, something like Pride and Prejudice and Ayesha at Last.

[Jennifer W]

Milena wrote: "Happy Thursday!

I have the flu. It started as an earache and I thought I had an ear infection. Ran to urgent care as we are supposed to leave for Mexico in less than a week. I asked for flu and Co..."

Oh no!! I hope you feel better (nothing worse than traveling while sick) and that he doesn't get it. I know how hard it is to be immune suppressed.. Good luck!

[Jennifer W]

Ellie wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Hi all! Anyone have any Valentine's plans? I don't think we do. My boyfriend and I were talking about it the other day and my daughter suggested we got to Walmart and buy her toy..."

Laura Z wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Hi all! Anyone have any Valentine's plans? I don't think we do. "

My husband went out of town for work and won't be back until next Thursday, so we've decided to celebrate that ..."

Those sound fun! Enjoy!!

[Joanna]

There's been more snow near me in the past two weeks than there has been in the past two years, and it's not done yet! We're looking at some snow Saturday into Sunday, so fingers crossed on whether there'll be church or not.
I learned last night that all the Joann's near me are going to be closing sometime this year! (About 500 stores are closing overall.) No dates yet, so hopefully it won't be too soon, but it's devastating news nonetheless.

Finished:
Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All - (CL a cityscape) A fun book about friendship and how everyone has their own stories.
Headshot - (PS A 2024 prompt you'd like to do over: Female Athlete, CL Headwear of some kind) Unlike last year, I won't be able to read all the TOB shortlist books before the tournament, but I am trying to get to some of them. I wasn't planning to read this one at all, since sports books aren't really my thing, but I read a review that convinced me to give it a chance. And I'm glad I did, although I will admit that the writing style got to be a bit much after a while.
The Bawk-ness Monster - (PS A book set on or around a body of water) I didn't enjoy this as much as some of the creators' other works, but it was still pretty good.
Eb & Flow - (PS A book that features a married couple that doesn't live together) This felt like a book I'd already read. I did like the parallels and unknown connections between the two MCs, but other than that, it was just okay.

Currently reading:
The History of Sound
The Probability of Everything
Self-Esteem and the End of the World
Aria of the Beech Forest, Vol. 2

[Dani]

Hello from Columbus and happy Thursday! It’s been snowing off and on these last few days and it’s a bummer since we had some lovely 60 degree days too. Nothing exceptional happened this week but I still didn’t get a lot of reading done lol

Finished:
Justine for my classics challenge. I found this and some other vintage copies of Lawrence Durrell books at a used book store. I got this and Bitter Lemons of Cyprus mostly because they visually appealed to me and I thought the title Bitter Lemons (older versions didn’t have the “of Cyprus”) was really cool. This kind of follows the theme of lost literary expat falls in love with mysterious socialite and things go poorly that I see a lot in older books. I liked it but it wasn’t a revolutionary tale.

Currently Reading:
The Book of Doors
The Penultimate Peril
House of Leaves
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible

Recently Watched:
Still just vibing with play throughs of Kingdom Hearts

Challenges:
Popsugar - 5/40; 0/4; 0/3; 1/3
Read Harder - 2/24
Classics - 1/12
European Tour - 2/10
12 Friends - 0/12
Yearly Goal - 13/180

QOTW:
Night
Slaughterhouse-Five
To Kill a Mockingbird
Idk probably something Greek, a classic from BritLit. Never really thought about it before lol

[Jackie]

Hello fellow snowy people! We got about 5 inches total yesterday. To those of you in warm sunny locales, just know that I wish I was there. It's coooold today.

Finished:
One Life: needed a book about soccer, this fit the bill.

Currently reading:
Martyr!: really enjoying it so far though I'm not very far in yet

QOTW:
Oh man I don't know. This stuff is really better left up to the professionals. If I could change anything about the selections of my own late high school years it would be to include fewer white American/European authors and get more books from other perspectives and other countries. Like I'm genuinely not sure if I had to read any books for high school that were originally published in an Asian language and that feels like a gap.

[Marie]

Not so snowy here (anymore), although my school did call a snow day yesterday that ended up not being needed. I'm sure there were parents that weren't at all happy about that! The only issue for me is I've felt like today's Friday somehow, instead of going backward and thinking it should be Wednesday. Oh, well. Probably best not to explore the workings of my mind too deeply. :) Regardless of the day of the week, I've surprised myself by remembering to come here to update!

Currently Reading
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
The 9th Judgment
A Certain Justice
Once Upon a Dream

Completed
Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties

It seems hard to believe that's the only book I finished this week, but my schedule is typically busy this time of year, and I've been having issues off and on the last couple weeks accessing my "after dinner' ebook. (Which, come to think of it, might be due tonight and I'm only halfway through it! Off to deal with that...)

[Alex]

Happy almost Love Day! Celebrate love in all its forms, not just romantically! :)

Finished 5/20
Everyday Saints and Other Stories for "book of interconnected short stories"- this was so, so good. So encouraging and amazing all at once! Hugely recommend.

Wind and Truth for "book from 2015 prompt (book that's over 500 pages)". Sanderson is legend. Amazing end to an arc and FANTASTIC mental health representation. Need more like this!

The Last Battle for "book you want to read based on the last sentence". Yeah, so I definitely cheated on this. I *hate* reading the end before the beginning (I used to work with a woman who told me she always reads the last page of a book first. WHAT HERESY IS THIS?). So I chose a book I already read whose last line (and really, the entire ending) is one of my faves. Still good!!

Currently Reading

Perelandra for "a book about space tourism". I don't know that it's about tourism per se, but the main plot is that he is sent to a new planet and has to explore it so I think it counts.

QotW

Oh, I'd be the worst. I love classic lit too much, the kids would HATE me.

The Screwtape Letters - religious fiction
Laurus - modern Russian fiction
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich - historical fiction
The Redemption of Althalus - high fantasy
Tress of the Emerald Sea- Sanderson fantasy (with a female protagonist!)
To Kill a Mockingbird - classic social justice fiction/banned book
Ender’s Game- sci-fi

Something for everyone!

[Bea]

Happy Thursday!

Continuing to love my new food plan, but I seem to be eating more with the result that I am gaining weight!

So I am doing well with walking 5 miles a week, even allowing myself some days of less than a mile and an occasional day of not walking at all. My first goal is to make this amount a regular consistent action. That's where I usually fall off. Then I think I will try upping the distance.

My reading seems to have slowed but that is a factor of having finished off most of what I was reading and starting a lot of new books. That is just fine for me.

Since February is a short month, I am focusing on reading for a particular challenge in PAS, which goes all year…and requires the participant to read 12 books in January, 11 in February, etc. The books chosen must either be added to your TBR in that month (any year) or published in that month. For February, I need to read 11 books plus an additional 3 since I only finished 9 in January. So…I am working hard to read mostly books that fit the requirement of TBR/publication. So far I have completed 4/13, currently reading another, and have 5 on my desk.

Finished:
Moving Target – PAS. A book I own. 4*. Pleasantly surprised by this book. In reading books that I have owned for years, I frequently find myself saying “Why did it take me so long to read this book?” I enjoyed the interaction of the main protagonists as well as the cyber security/rescue story.

This Side of the Grave – ATY, PAS. A paranormal story of trying to prevent war between the vampires and the ghouls. The two primary protagonists are married to each other and the female (Cat) is the one with a target on her back because she is different from others. That's all I can say without revealing too much. 4*

Currently Reading:
The Beginner's Photography Guide: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Manual for Getting the Most from Your Digital Camera – 27%. This is one of my primary foci for the coming week.

*Shaman – PS #38 (same title). 47%. And this is the focus.

God Is in the Small Stuff and It All Matters: Stop Worrying and Invite God into the Details of Your Life – ATY sea. sonal (nonfiction). 13%

Just Starting:
The Devil's Feather - PAS. Non-fiction. Owned. 4% Kinda on the back burner for now.

Broken Angels – No prompt. Kindle. Prime read from 2019. 1%

*Jordan's Stormy Banks – PAS, ATY winter

On Deck: (owned)
*Kate: The Journal of A Confederate Nurse – PAS.
The Pony Wife – PAS
*The Brass Verdict – PAS

Note: An asterisk means it is a book either put on my TBR in February or published in February.

PS 11/50
ATY 8/52, Anniversary 3/10, Winter 7/15
GR 34/200

QotW: If you had an opportunity to lead a literature class for teens (ages 16-18), which books would you put on the curriculum?

Pass. I haven't the faintest idea.

[Heather]

We have a three day weekend coming up, and I’m so ready for it! The forecast is calling for a wintry mix Friday night through Sunday afternoon. That’s an excellent reason for me to stay home and read books.

I’m making very slow progress on The Fellowship Conqueror Challenge (it’s 680 miles, so that’s expected), but I’m really happy with my workout progress. I’ve doubled my cardio time, and I’ve added in some weight training now. I’ve maxed out my Libby holds with audiobooks for the extra gym time.

Finished
Only Love Can Hurt Like This (a book about a food truck). This is the first time I’ve read a book set in Indiana written by an author not from Indiana. She clearly did a lot of research, and there are only a few anachronisms. She can’t have ever been in a basement/storm cellar during a tornado because nothing about that scene was accurate. Otherwise, it’s just the American characters using Britishisms. It’s actually kind of fun spotting those. There’s a lot of satisfying melodrama in this book. I will note that this prompt is a stretch, but they use a renovated Airstream as a concession stand at one point, and that’s close enough for me.

The Lost (a book where the main character is a politician). Another re-read as I try to get back into this series. I have no memory of the A or B plotline in this book. The C plotline, however, I remember vividly. Like the first book, I liked this better a second time.

Golden Age and Other Stories (a book of interconnected short stories). These are short stories from the Temeraire series. I loved all of these stories, but especially the alternate universe stories and the Pride and Prejudice fanfic with Elizabeth Bennet as a dragon Captain.

Reading
Boy From the Valleys: My unexpected journey

QOTW
I have no idea what teenagers relate to anymore, so I’m not sure I’m the right person to suggest books for them.

[Theresa]

Have had quite the work week and today was really full sending me to Brooklyn with wet streets and some dirty small piles of snow and small ponds to wade through at street corners. We all clearly didn't know how to dress so wore down coats, waterproof boots (those corners) and comfortable cloths and snow and rain were predicted as possible. Accessories were umbrellas, warm hats, gloves, and scarves - in pockets and bags/briefcases.

Finished:
My Favorite Scar - 5 stars - a coming of age story against a neo noir background set in Argentina. With the first lines the narrator, a 15 year old girl, burrows into your heart and never leaves. I used for the last line would make you read the book as it actually reflects even echos the opening - don't read it though because it ruins an important tension in the book. If the opening line or two pull you in - it fits that last line awkward prompt.
'Twas the Knife Before Christmas used for healing fiction - it certainly was for me after an awful week last week and a dark read.
Nothing - I appreciated this but it's told with almost no narration, all dialogue and I discovered I like a balance. And it was short. No PS prompt but it does fit ATY opposites prompt - first book, and second will be a book with "Everything' in the title - I have lots of options in the TBR.

Currently Reading:
The Odyssey - Emily Wilson translation is fabulous! I read a bit every day and it's become my end of day 20 minute relaxation and destress.
A Lady's Formula for Love - a smutty romance with a science theme for Valentine's Day.
The Thirteen Problems. Illustrated - connected short stories which is a prompt somewhere.

QOTW: That such a great question and I do need to give it real thought. Right now I'd give them The Odyssey - just the Emily Wilson translation because it is fun, really accessible, not stuffy, fun and there are wonderful short videos on YouTube of Emily reading sections with props, voice changes, and facial expressions to die for. Her teenage Telemachus is perfection - complet with slumped shoulders and a backwards baseball cap.

I'd actually make it a varied list - Classic but also contemporary - different genres - maybe classic fantasy paired with a contemporary one, ditto with mysteries, gothic, etc. - love the suggestion of Rebecca but I might update it with also reading The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware which gives a young adult contemporary heroine.

It would NOT have The Catcher in the Rye on it.

[Denise]

It's "rainy season" in S. California...which means it's raining rn and will be for 2 days. It's raining pretty hard so we're worried about mud slides in the fire zones.

I finished: Milkman. It was a re-read and I absolutely love this book. I used it for "run club" since it was on the PS list of books about running so it seems to have their blessing, though its not a club, its a brother and sister-in-law who run together
Made progress on:

Horse
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers
Table for Two
War and Peace

QOTW:
I have run literature classes for teens from 9th-12th grades. Were did a combination of voting on books, doing small book groups reading their choice, reading books connected to their projects, and my choice. We read classics and contemporary, all genres. Some they enjoyed were:

Tuesdays With Morrie: they talked about this book the entire year
Fanboy and Goth Girl
Does My Head Look Big In This?
Life After Life (Atkinson)
Snow In August
Tattoos On the Heart (but we had a connection to Homeboy industries and some of our kids worked worth Father Boyle so this might be cheating)


Classics they liked:
Farewell to Manzanar
Pride and Prejudice (ok that class was very nerdy)
The Great Gatsby
The Quiet American

During our school wide Shakespeare month, A Midsummer Night's Dream was a hit

[Sasha]

Kenya wrote: "Happy Thursday all!

So... I'm planning to get a tattoo. And since I love both fantasy and reading so much, it will be of a dragon reading a book. I have a consultation tomorrow to talk things over..."

That sounds amazing, Kenya! Good luck - and maybe you can share a pic with us once it's done??

[Sasha]

Life update: I spent the first few days of this week with one of the worst migraines I've had, probably because I got overambitious with my work schedule. Still, after that, things improved rapidly. I was able to finish packing up the things I want to donate to charity from our main living spaces. Now there's "just" the contents of the attic to do, but that requires help from my husband, who hasn't been feeling up to it.

Reading update:

I kept up the momentum, with another three books finished:

Wanted, A Gentleman for the POC joy prompt. It's a very well researched m/m historical romance. I learned a few things about British racial history.

March for the last line prompt. The last line ended up being a bit of a disappointment in context, but the book itself was worth reading, although very dark.

A Fire Born of Exile for the "queer character but not about coming out" prompt. Aliette de Bodard is one of my favourite authors, and I think I'm only slightly biased by the fact that she's also a social media mutual ;-) Her worldbuilding is so rich and imaginative, and her characters are wonderfully complex.

Stats

Finished for the PopSugar challenge: 3 this week, 7/50 total
Finished for the Star Trek Series challenge: 0 this week, 2/18 total
Finished outside the challenges: 0 this week, 2 total
DNF: 0 this week, 2 total

Currently Reading:

Srimad Bhagavadgita: with English Translation and Transliteration # 1411 for the unlikely friendship prompt and as my bedtime scripture. I will probably finish this in the coming week.
The Last Best Hope for the Star Trek Series Challenge. I'm enjoying this more as I get further into it. It focuses a lot on the logistics of a Starfleet refugee mission, which appeals to me as a refugee lawyer and the child of a military logistics expert.
Sadhana Panchakam in the Chinmaya app. I'm slightly over halfway through this.
Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Getting Things Done for my ongoing GTD re-read. I am still finding this one a bit of a slog, but I did find a few good quotes in this week's portions.
Floating Hotel for the space tourism prompt. I'm really enjoying this one so far.
Fabio Quartararo, l'ascension d'un prodige - Nouvelle édition for the favourite prompt from 2015 - book originally written in a foreign language. I'm only a couple of chapters in, but there have been some cute anecdotes of his childhood.

QOTW:

What a great question! I have a post-graduate certificate in higher education teaching, so this is very much up my alley even though my own students were slightly older. I'm going to ignore the specific constraints of our A-level exam boards and the realities of what school heads would actually allow, and just include whatever I think should be in there, realistic or not. I'm going to assume that these are kids in the first year of sixth-form college - otherwise you lose huge swathes of the year to revision and are unable to introduce any meaningful new content. Kids may be sitting some college-based exams or early exams at the end of the year, but not the actual A-levels that will determine their university entrance or job prospects.

I would want to focus on themes and perspectives that I think would be thought-provoking and relevant to young people's lives here in 21st-century London. Our school year is divided into three terms, so I'd aim for two or three texts per term. Since English Literature is a subject that is often required or strongly encouraged by schools, and since our comprehensive schools tend to include a wide range of abilities, I would also try to include some alternative formats for kids who struggle with reading walls of text.

Term 1 - Autumn:

Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams for some non-fiction. The topic of rare animals should be interesting to a broad range of kids, helping to get them engaged before we get into the more difficult texts and giving an entry point for a discussion about environmental issues. From a more technical standpoint, the chapter on the komodo dragon in particular includes some extremely powerful writing that would make for good literary analysis. It was also a radio series and is available in that format as an audio download, and there was a TV follow-up.

Transit by Cameron Awkward-Rich for some poetry. The author is a black trans man, so this would give an opportunity for discussion of trans issues, which are very much in the news here. It's a short text and could be timed to coincide with Black History Month, which falls in October here.

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Leguin. It's another very short text, raises a foundational ethical question, and is a classic often referenced in later works. Doctor Who, which in a British classroom all the kids will at least be aware of, has an episode based on it that would make good classroom viewing for the last week of school before the holidays.


Term 2 - Spring:

This would have the more "difficult" texts, and a theme of fiction set in London, reflecting the environment the teens inhabit.

The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon for a first-generation immigrant experience, something widely recognised as a "classic", and a read that's in some ways challenging, but short enough to be manageable for most. There's a stage production of this playing at the moment with great reviews, so ideally I would try to contact them to see if they were amenable to having a schools recording made (assuming it won't still be running by the time we get to reading this book). Failing that, it has also been adapted twice by BBC Radio. The recordings are not currently online, but they have been in the past, so we might be able to get them directly from the BBC.

Londonstani by Gautam Malkani for something set amongst second generation immigrants, with a plot that invites discussion of how young white people relate to minority communities. I described this as "a work of genius" when I first reviewed it, and I haven't changed my mind since. There's no audio or film adaptation of it that I know of, but Noel Clarke's Kidulthood would make a good companion piece. It would have to be accompanied by a discussion of how we view texts after the author has become known as problematic, since Clarke has been accused by multiple women of sexual harassment and is in turn suing the reporters for libel; but in many ways I think that's exactly the kind of discussion we should be facilitating for young people.

Term 3 - Summer:

This is the term when we traditionally have exams, so kids will be stressed and in the mood for something they perceive as a little bit "easier". I'd play to this with a term themed around graphic novels, which actually offer a lot of opportunity for teaching contemporary issues and analytical techniques in an appealing way. These particular selections would offer a good opportunity to discuss varieties of Islamic culture and experience, which is a much-needed perspective in British political discourse.

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, for the combination of refugee experience and coming of age story .

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson, for the opportunity to discuss the cultural significance of superhero tropes and their subversion along with issues of urban multiculturalism.

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud, to underpin the analysis of the other two texts with some explicit discussion of reading different formats.

[Carmen]

Happy Friday! and Happy Valentine's Day for those who are celebrating <3

I was too early yesterday, and then I was out for the rest of the day, so Friday it is! It's cold here again, which I could have done without, but it is the time of year so it's okay.

I am so ready for March, and for it to hopefully be less chaotic than February. Some of it is on me for planning so many things (but then again, I don't plan the cinema releases xD) but other things are out of my control. Like when a bunny suddenly falls ill and requires an emergency trip to the vet, and of course having to be picked up the day after.

So originally my week was gonna be:
carer - A Complete Unknown - Captain America - psychiatrist & Bridget Jones - hairdresser - dye hair - SUNDAY

And it turned into:
carer - A Complete Unknown - emergency trip to vet - psychiatrist & picking up bunny & Captain America & Bridget Jones. If the rest of the week will go as planned remains to be seen xD Gotta admit yesterday left me exhausted, but I knew if I didn't reschedule Captain America to ASAP I wouldn't go because my brain is a dick like that.

Bunny is on the mend, but she's not eating as she should (for those wondering, yes, this is Lucy again. Poor baby got constipated again because she's also an idiot who has been refusing her lineseed.) so we've got a way to go.

Quick movie reviews for all the people who didn't ask xD
A Complete Unknown: Stellar acting. Timothée kept reminding me of Jeremy Allen White, and Edward Norton of someone else as well (even though I haven't thought of the name of who yet). Can't say this has made a fan of Bob Dylan.

Captain America: Bit boring. Very old school Marvel, which I suppose will make some people happy, but most reviews I've seen actually agree with me. For me personally the 'standalone' movies don't work as well. Less random fights and explosions and more actual plot please. When the advertised (and hyped!) antagonist is only there at the end of the movie and easily defeated, you can't help but be a bit disappointed.

Bridget Jones: I laughed. I cried. I love Bridget.

Also quick Conqueror update: I now have a jacket that fits! I also finished the Ancient Rome challenge on Wednesday (dad and I went on a 5km walk to keep my mind off the vet), so I am now fully focused on the Scotland challenge (805km/500mi) until I am allowed to buy a new challenge (imposed by myself).

Read
The Silvered Serpents
There are some inconsistencies that really pulled me out of the story, and editing got worse towards the end of the book to the point where I genuinely couldn't figure out how to make sense of sentences and what was happening. It felt like it contradicted itself constantly. Regardless, storywise I really enjoyed it!
Popsugar: Silver in the title
Server: country I've never been to (Russia)

Currently Reading
The Bronzed Beasts
About 30% in I think. It was a disaster getting my hands on a copy. Everand gaslit me into thinking it was available, but it wasn't. Amazon refused to let me buy the kindle version (kept saying it couldn't verify my location), and then suddenly the price jumped up. Wasn't gonna pay €7,99 for an ebook when I eventually want to buy a physical copy. Can't do the audio because of the very USian narrators insisting on shitty French/Polish/Indian/Phillipine accents. So I paid the €20 for the hardcover even though I couldn't really afford it. Rip me. So far story is okay, gearing up to get started, but man the Italian used is atrocious. It's painful.

QOTW
I honestly wouldn't know, as this remains a foreign concept to me.

[Kenya]

Sasha wrote: "Kenya wrote: "Happy Thursday all!

So... I'm planning to get a tattoo. And since I love both fantasy and reading so much, it will be of a dragon reading a book. I have a consultation tomorrow to ta..."

I'll have to figure out how to share pictures on a Goodreads post, hehe... but I'd love to share!

[Brandon]

Finished:

The Science Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained (3/5)

Return to Mars (3/5, a book with a married couple that does not live together (only one of them with page time))

X-Men Red, Vol. 1 (3/5, a book that reminds you of your childhood)

I've read House of X/Powers of X but not much afterward. Since there is no recap page at the beginning of this volume, it approximates the experience of watching a random episode of the X-Men 1992 animated series.

The Crimson Shadow (4/5, reread)

If you like Cardassians, politics, and social justice, then this is a must read.

Currently reading:

Big Macs & Burgundy: Wine Pairings for the Real World (a book with an activity on your bucket list)

The pairings are actually a bit too specific on the wine side for me. If the author had also put a generic wine category with each food, it would be more useful and require less searching.

A Ceremony of Losses (reread)

Question of the Week:

This one is tough. The best book I can remember reading in high school was Hamlet. The Crucible was also pretty good.

[Laura Z]

Laura Z wrote: "Tonight I have a "Galentines" event at my favorite local winery. They're going to be pairing wines with romance novels! All proceeds will go to Cavalcade of Authors."

"Galentines" was a lot of fun! We started with light wines and proceeded to dark and did the same with the books. I didn't say this before, but my favorite local winery is called Bookwalter, and all their wines have book-related names.

1. Readers Sauvignon Blanc - The Spellshop
2. Readers Rose - A Little Too Familiar
3. Suspense Cabernet France - The Fiancée Farce
4. Protagonist Cabernet Sauvignon - The Friend Zone
5. Antagonist Syrah - Fourth Wing

Lish McBride, the author of "A Little Too Familiar" was there to talk about her books and "Cavalcade of Authors." She's been a big proponent of the program and has participated as a workshop presenter several times. Also, a representative from a local independent bookstore was there with copies of all the books (and their sequels) available for purchase. Lish happily signed copies of her books.

[Dubhease]

I had to abandon a book today. After Internet Archive removed it, I spent all week trying to figure out how to get a copy. Even my husband who is a better hunter of finding copies of stuff couldn't find it.

So, I started a new "menopause" book. At least I hope there is some menopause discussion. There was in the first one.

[Erin]

Oh hey it's Friday! How did that happen? This week has been not as much of a mess as last week, so that's good, and after a crazy couple days of rain, it looks like we're getting a little break. I'm going to be able to start taking walks more now, which is needed. I've been feeling not the best lately, trying to shake it off.

Finished:
A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage- this was such a disappointment! How can you make a book about vengeful serial killers boring??
-no prompt

Veil, vol. 1- this manga has the most beautiful artwork! The story is told through little snippets about a blind woman and her coworker/future love interest and I liked the story, but the artwork has this vintage feel that I loved. Will be request Vol2 from netgalley
-no prompt

Fake It Like You Mean It- another disappointing read. Not as bad as Serial Killers, but just barely a 3 star. There was a hate-to-love aspect to it that did not need to be there at all. Why is the main female lead so hostile to the the home medical help for her grandma??? Anyone in nursing who is treating your loved one with kindness and respect should be treated accordingly. That was really offputting. Not a terrible romcom, but not great
-no prompt

Patriot: A Memoir- this was a phenomenal memoir, highly recommend.
-21 A book where the main character is a politician


Currently reading:
A Deadly Education-I'm planning to post some more questions in the BOT page this weekend... it's pretty quiet over there though!

Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative- a mix of self help and memoir, more self help than I was expecting, but I love Keke Palmer, so still enjoying it

QotW:
Fun question! I had a class in college where we had to create a syllabus for a Disability and Literature class, and I loved making that- don't have my final project anymore though, unfortunately

I think it would be fun to have a class that pairs classic books with modern retellings- so David Copperfield and Demon Copperhead, James and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea etc. You could also pair this with a movie adaptation- either sticking to original setting or an updated take. You could have discussions about how the story changes based on who's telling it, or the ways something that seems outdated is still relevant to modern day. And then let the kids attempt their own retelling in a different time or through a different character.

Or this same idea but with Shakespeare plays

[Megan]

Uggggghhhh. I accidentally closed the browser tab while I was typing this up and lost my draft. It was a short update, so at least I didn't lose something long and detailed 🤪 I finished two novels (and both fit open prompts) and a short story. I'm now at 5/40 and 0/10 for this challenge, and 10/85 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge (which insists on counting the book that I DNFed but marked as read and shows me at 11).

Finished:
* The Twilight Garden written by Sara Nisha Adams and narrated by Shaheen Khan, Mikhail Sen, and Emily Stride, which I used for "a book about a chosen family" (though I may be interpreting that liberally);
* Never Meant to Stay by Trisha Das, which I used for "a book about a POC experiencing joy and not trauma;" and,
* A Classic Case by Alicia Thompson and narrated by Helen Laser (I both listened and read this one) -- this was the last story in the Busybodies Collection.

Currently Reading:
* The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries narrated by Michael Sims;
* Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass; and,
* Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour.

About to Start:
* Tidy Up Your Life: Rethinking How to Organize, Declutter, and Make Space for What Matters Most by Tyler Moore, as Libby has informed me that my hold just came in and is ready for check out!

QotW:
If you had an opportunity to lead a literature class for teens (ages 16-18), which books would you put on the curriculum? I think I'd do something similar to what my senior year AP English teacher did and have a shoebox full of index cards with a variety of titles and let the students pick the ones they wanted to read. I'd include a mix of classics, banned/challenged books (using the annual top ten lists published during Banned Books Week), and contemporary YA and adult novels. Some titles that come to mind for modern picks (along some of the great ones already suggested) are: Hell of a Book by Jason Mott, The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, Hula by Jasmin Iolani Hakes, There There by Tommy Orange, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. I'd also love to include Recitatif by Toni Morrison!

[Katy]

I totally didn't realize Thursday had come and gone. I'm not notifications any more, so that probably explains. Last notificationis from 13 days ago.

Anyway, I just finished Educated as my book about a cult. I know I'm in the vast minority, but was not a fan of the book.

I've started Mary as my book with a character going through menopause. Don't like the character Mary, but I'm loving the book.

QOTW: I have no idea. I'd probably want them to pick so that they'd be exicted about the reading.

[Nadine in NY]

Erin wrote: "A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage- this was such a disappointment! How can you make a book about vengeful serial killers boring?'..."




oh no, I've got that on my TBR. I seem to be experiencing an epidemic of "books that should be exciting but are actually very boring." Family desperately escaping a flooded major city? boring. Lesbian space heist? boring. Working for a time travel facility and falling in love with a man from the past? boring. Falling in love with your childhood bestie once you're both widowed? boring. Freelance mercenary spy taking down a terrorist group? boring. And, so far ... bonded to two powerful dragons and struggling to save your beloved from an evil fate? BORING.


I'm starting to wonder if it's me. But I have read a few super awesome books recently too, so I CAN still be entertained.

[Nadine in NY]

Has anyone noticed that book cover art seems to be getting more "amateurish"? At first I figured it was just one or two books, odd choices from the publisher or cost-cutting here and there, but looking at this NYPL list of new romance novels, I see A LOT of it here on this page. https://www.nypl.org/books-more/recom...


For example:


all look really bad, like they were self-pubbed and self-cover-arted. (The Kiss Countdown is particularly bad.)

Links if you're on a platform that wont' display the covers:
(Daydream Bull Moon Rising The Design of Us The Ex Vows Her Knight at the Museum How You Get the Girl In Want of a Viscount Isabel and the Rogue Kilt Trip The Kiss Countdown Love and Other Conspiracies Pickleballers Triple Sec Under Loch and Key)


And I dont' just mean the vector art trend, I'm fine with that, I even liked it a lot - books like these look very professional:



(and links for anyone who can't see the images: Happy Place Funny Story Frequent Fliers: A Black Romance Novel My Vampire Plus-One The Spy and I When I Think of You Birding with Benefits Bride )


What's with this trend to make professionally published books look like self-pub?? Is self-pub taking off and the big publishers are trying to get a piece??

[JessicaMHR]

Hello everyone.

Had a crappy reading week, only finished one book. I am making slow progress on my other book though.

FINISHED
Devour: A Graphic Novel
PS#18, ATY#5

[Ron]

Saw the new Captain America: Brave New World movie yesterday. I don't think it was as bad as the critics and reviews are saying. Was it great, not by a long shot, but I thought the storyline and acting were pretty good. Overall I'd rate it a 7.5/10.

[Nadine in NY]

So I've been struggling a bit with Iron Flame because it's so boring (as previously whined about) but for some reason my daughter offered to read to me the other night, and she seems to enjoy it, and it's so much fun to laugh at the ridiculous bits with her, it makes the book much more enjoyable! (She's 18 so plenty old enough, and I warned her about the nonstop sex so she was prepared when dirty talk inevitably started) I feel bad because reading aloud is tiring but I really want her to read the whole book to me!


ETA: daughter's name is Neve, and one of the side characters is named Neve. She thought that was too funny when "Neve" showed up. When your name is so unusual, it's a real THING to find it in a book. (Sadly Nadine is not in this book.)

[Jennifer W]

It's nice to be read to. I used to read to my boyfriend, he's not much of a reader, but he can get into books when I'm reading them. It is tiring, so it takes a while. Maybe you can repay the favor by reading something to her next.

[Erin]

Nadine in NY wrote: "So I've been struggling a bit with Iron Flame because it's so boring (as previously whined about) but for some reason my daughter offered to read to me the other night, and she seems to enjoy it, a..."

Oh no, I'm planning on pick that up next! My friends love it though,so I'm hoping I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I like it

[L Y N N]

No wonder I’ve been so drawn to juvenile literature last week and this week! The first week of February is Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week!! Though honestly, I believe it is more an action of escapism from the dismal aspects of political leaders and their actions right now…especially in the U.S.

A list! Harper Collins Bookperk: https://link.harpercollins.com/view/5...
I discovered quite a few intriguing titles in this listing!
How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? by Anna Montague which involves a ROAD TRIP!

ADMIN STUFF:
THE APRIL MONTHLY GROUP READ FINAL SELECTION POLL IS LIVE!
This book could be used to fulfill Prompt #23 A book that is considered healing fiction
World Health Day is April 7, 2025: https://www.calendarr.com/united-stat...
Nadine thoughtfully provided a definition:
Healing fiction describes stories about ordinary people, set in ordinary places (such as cafes, bookshops, laundromats, and convenience stores), who are struggling with real, common problems like heartbreak or loneliness.
And while that may be the "official" description, I also would define some of the fantasy I read as "healing fiction." But that's just me... 😁
Vote HERE! This poll will run through February 25!
The three books under consideration:
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop
Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #1)

THE MARCH 2025 MONTHLY GROUP READ IS…Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. This book could be used to fulfill prompt #31 A book where music plays an integral part of the storyline. World Music Therapy Day is March 1, 2025! Surely there is a “musical muse” who will volunteer to lead this discussion! Message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!

THE FEBRUARY 2025 MONTHLY GROUP READ IS A Deadly Education (Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik! This book could be used to fulfill prompt #14 A book about a nontraditional education. World Thinking Day is February 22, 2025. Erin is the “crafty chronicler” who has graciously volunteered to lead this discussion! Thank you so very much, Erin!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏😃👍

THE LISTING OF 2025 MONTHLY GROUP READ TOPICS IS HERE!
***

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
If you had an opportunity to lead a literature class for teens (ages 16-18), which books would you put on the curriculum?
I would definitely begin with discussion regarding literature. What is it? What are the different “genres”? Including specific discussion of adult vs. YA ‘literature’. Students would list books they have read, or if they’ve not read any, books that interest them.

My class would be setup so that everyone read 5 or 6 of the same books and then students could self-select another 2 books from another listing and participate in online small-group discussions regarding those books. Journaling would be required to be submitted intermittently for comments by the instructor.

One of the first that comes to mind is The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

Other than that, this is such a tough question for me, because, as usual, there are so many from which I would need to choose!
Parable of the Sower (Earthseed #1) by Octavia E. Butler
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz #1) by L. Frank Baum
Read and compare with the movie adaptation project.
Emily of New Moon (Emily #1) by L.M. Montgomery
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Wonder (Wonder #1) by R.J. Palacio
Stargirl (Stargirl #1) by Jerry Spinelli
Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha #1) by Tomi Adeyemi
Ready Player One (Ready Player One #1) by Ernest Cline
Hatchet (Brian's Saga #1) by Gary Paulsen

2025 READING CHALLENGES:
Popsugar: 27/50
Around the Year (AtY): 45/52
AtY 2025 Anniversary List: 9/10
Read Harder: 13/24
52 Book Club: 37/52

2024 Popsugar: 47/50

FINISHED:
*Bernard Into Battle: A Miss Bianca Story (Rescuers #9) by Margery Sharp, illustrated by Leslie Morrill ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was a quick and delightful reread that is the last book in this series. And it has a snake on the cover!!
POPSUGAR: NEW #5, #6, #8, #20, #23, #24, #40
ATY: #2, NEW #6, #14, #16, #33, #36, #37, #40, #42, #45, #48
RHC: #24
52 Book Club: NEW #21, #42

*Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for an IRL book club that met Tuesday. I enjoyed reading this, perhaps moreso since I had read The Shape of Water by Guillermo del Toro and enjoyed it so much. This ending felt more realistic, but not nearly as satisfying as that of The Shape of Water. In addition, this book was more complex and complicated in the interrelationships of the characters, etc, than was TSoW. Very few attended the book club meeting, which was disappointing. One member mused whether the creature actually existed… An interesting consideration.
POPSUGAR: #2, #6, #8, #16, #20, #28
ATY: #2, #14, #15, #16, #23, #24, #30, #31, #37, #43, #45, #48
RHC: #6, #12, #16, #21, #24
52 Book Club: #2, #3, #13, #21, #22, #33, #35, #36, #37, #42

*We Had Fun and Nobody Died: Adventures of a Milwaukee Music Promoter by Amy T. Waldman with Peter Jest ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was a truly enjoyable and compelling read! Surprisingly so! I selected this as my “freebie” from my favorite local used bookstore when making a purchase. (They keep a small shelf of ARCs and complimentary/review copies they have received for customers to select one when they purchase something…) I selected this one strictly based upon the title, We Had Fun and Nobody Died! I mean, what a title! Am I right?!? 😉 I found it to be an intriguing and compelling read and would highly recommend it for the ‘nontraditional education’ (#14) or the ‘music plays an integral part of the storyline (#31) prompt. Jest is an amazing example of someone using their passion/obsession to create a successful entrepreneurial space for themselves. Now I would like to meet him! 😊
POPSUGAR: #6, #8-224 pages, #10, #14, #20, #31
ATY: #1-ticket, #2, #3, #5, #16, #19, #23, #26, #34, #36, #37, #40, #47, #48
RHC: #4, #17, #24
52 Book Club: #33, #35

*The Penguin Who Knew Too Much (Meg Langslow #8) by Meg Langslow ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was yet another excellent addition to this series!
POPSUGAR: #6, #20, #43
ATY: #2, #3, #5, #15, #16, #20, #32, #40, #41, #42, #45, #46, #48
RHC: #4
52 Book Club: #2, #7, #41

*Cockatiels at Seven (Meg Langslow #9) by Meg Langslow ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ had Meg in more dangerous situations than usual. I found this installment to be particularly humorous! And Meg and her father have discovered yet another relative! (Proving the nut usually doesn't fall far from the tree! LOL)
POPSUGAR: #6, #43
ATY: #2, #15, #16, #20, #23, #32, #41, #42, #45, #48
RHC: #4
52 Book Club: #1, #2, #7, #18, #28/#29, #36, #41, #51

CONTINUING:
*Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power by Rebecca
Solnit
*Parable of the Talents (Earthseed #2) by Octavia E. Butler is so true to what we are witnessing today! Unbelievably so!
*Death on Eat Street (Biscuit Bowl Food Truck Mystery #1) by J.J. Cook has me intrigued thus far...
*Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power by Rebecca
Solnit is a valuable read in the present atmosphere in the U.S.
*Shift (Silo #2) by Hugh Howey
*Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune
*The Trees by Percival Everett (#40)
*Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (#42)
*Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
*The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
*Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking has me thinking so very much that I have delayed reviewing it until I can finalize my thoughts…
*The Birthing House by Kathy Taylor
*...And Ladies of the Club by

[Theresa]

Erin wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "So I've been struggling a bit with Iron Flame because it's so boring (as previously whined about) but for some reason my daughter offered to read to me the other night, and she..."

Nadine struggling means I would probably love it. 🤣🤣

[Have not read any of these]

[Katy]

Nadine in NY wrote: "Has anyone noticed that book cover art seems to be getting more "amateurish"? At first I figured it was just one or two books, odd choices from the publisher or cost-cutting here and there, but loo..."

Could it be with the trend of more and more people reading digital books, and people ordering books online as opposed to browsing in book stores that the covers aren't seen as important as they once were?