Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2025 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 14: 3/28 - 4/3
Not sure I’m as organized as you. Goodreads choice first quarter: 4/6? I have 2 left/in progress.
Popsugar: 20 complete, 4 in progress
Local library in person monthly book club for April is: The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies (I have already read 3 for later months this year…score!).
Side quest started by an old Popsugar reading challenge and further inspired to continue by the werkshop athletic leggings: books about/featuring/with birds on the cover: 6 birds completed, 8 total books (doubled a couple). (I get to buy the outfit after I read the book featuring the bird haha).
Come and Get It (Audio) will be next completed audiobook for Goordreads choice esssential reader
The Silent Companions will be next physical book, using for prompt of AI recommendation.
Planned/in progress:Three Dark Crowns physical book, recommended as a by a neurodivergent author.
Jungle as physical book by Yossi Ghinsberg for nature as antagonist.
Alone in Wonderland for bucket list also physical book (visiting national parks)
Margo’s Got Money Troubles on audiobook (recommended to use for happily single)
Weyward (crows for birds side quest) on audiobook
All Fours (menopause) on audiobook
Also requested and think it came in: a book about a food truck whose name escapes me from my local library. Soo, it may get bumped up since I’ll have to return it.
Plus will work on Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies for local lib book club
Hello from a windy Columbus! We had such intense storms intermittently the last few days. Last night the thunder hit so hard it set off some car alarms, it was wild lol. I’ve missed the last few weeks of updates. I’ve just been busy at work all Thursday and Friday and then by the time Saturday evening rolls around I’ve realized I’ve missed the updates and feel like it’s too late to chime in. Finished:
The Master and Margarita for my classics challenge, a very weird Russian novel with an evil giant talking cat lol. Not what I was expecting but I still liked it.
A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer for a book where a married couple is living apart. Fun mystery, likable characters, will continue to read this series.
This Is How You Lose the Time War for a friend recommended book. A little hard to follow but I typically struggle with scifi kinda stuff.
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe for the menopause prompt. I’m surprised I’ve gone my whole life until now without reading or watching this book/movie. Old timey racist language and depictions of causal socially acceptable racism will never not be jarring, but I still enjoyed the characters and their stories.
Metazoa: Animal Life and the Birth of the Mind for a read harder prompt. A very intriguing nonfiction about the development of the mind in animal life. I’d like to read more from this author.
Spectacular quick short story from the Caraval series. Makes me wish we could get some more books in the series.
Lone Women for a read harder prompt. Is there any book of Victor LaValle that wouldn’t absolutely knock it out of the park for me? This is a western horror that genuinely shocked me, which is funny because I shouldn’t be surprised when he throws a major twist halfway into his books by now. Great read, highly recommend.
The Sea for a book set around a body of water. I liked this, it was a bit hard to follow because it’s a bit rambling as the stream of consciousness of the protagonist. It was melancholy and a good read, I’ll probably pick it up again to see if I can piece together things I missed.
O Pioneers! for my classics challenge. Very neutral on this one. It was fine and I can see why it’s remained fairly popular but I wasn’t really attached to it.
The Four Winds for a book riot prompt. If there’s anything Kristin Hannah likes writing about, it’s a woman facing hard times and trials and tribulations while also dealing with terrible men. Her books always make me feel fifty different emotions and I love it.
Currently Reading:
Hera
The Penultimate Peril
House of Leaves
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible
Recently Watched:
I watched Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl fairly recently. Haven’t been to the movies in a while though.
Challenges:
Popsugar - 9/40; 0/4; 0/3; 2/3
Read Harder - 5/24
Classics - 3/12
European Tour - 3/10
12 Friends - 2/12
Yearly Goal - 27/180
QOTW:
You know it really depends. I’m early for things like appointments and interviews but I’m habitually 3-5 minutes late to work and meeting friends lol
Happy Thursday!It's been another slow work week, but I'm not complaining.
Finished:
Painted Devils by Margaret Owen - 5 stars - for a book about a cult. I am really glad I reread this, because I had forgotten a lot of it.
The Fallow Year by Margaret Owen - 5 stars - not for a prompt, I just wanted to reread it before finishing the series reread. It would work for interconnected short stories, if I hadn't already filled that prompt.
Comics & manga:
My Happy Marriage 05
I am currently at 18/50 for Popsugar (16/40 and 2/10).
Currently reading:
Holy Terrors by Margaret Owen - I read an ARC in early March, but I wanted to reread so I could highlight/make notes in the full release. Plus, I wanted to read it again while my reread of the rest of the series is fresher in my mind. This was my highly anticipated read of 2025. (Could also work for magical creatures that aren't dragons, among others)
Upcoming/Planned:
When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi - not currently for a prompt.
To Steal from Thieves by M.K. Lobb - not currently for a prompt.
QOTW:
I'm usually an arrive-early person. I'd rather get somewhere early and have to sit and wait (and read a book) than be scrambling and stressed out about being late.
Happy Thursday! My daughter-in-law hurt her back last weekend and is still on pain meds, so it's been Laura's taxi service all week. Her new school semester started Monday, she had a treatment for her Crohn's today, her younger son had language therapy yesterday, and both boys have regular doctor's appointments tomorrow. I'm sorry she's hurting, but I'm exhausted!2025 Reading Challenges:
52 Book Club: 32/52 (April Mini-Challenge: 0/2)
ATY: 24/52 (ATY Anniversary Challenge: 5/10, ATY Spring Challenge: 20/30)
The Book Girls’ Guide: 20/74
Booklist Queen: 34/52
Cover Lovers: 24/50
Popsugar: 24/50
My Ever-Growing TBR: 36/246 – 14.6% (I bought eight new books this week… but my goal is still 33.3%. I’m going to have to make a concentrated effort to read books I already own.)
Recently Completed:
Broken Country: This one got off to a slow start for me (some of Beth’s decisions drove me crazy), but the ending was very satisfying. (52 Books #52 – published in 2025/Booklist Queen #28 – makes you cry) ★★★★
Into the Bright Open: A retelling of The Secret Garden. I missed Mary’s cranky attitude and didn’t appreciate the introduction of a new character who ended up playing a crucial role in the story. ★★
You Shouldn't Be Here (ATY Spring #6 – TULIPS: Lauren Thoman) ★★★
Junie (ATY #43 – title contains 10 or fewer letters/Cover Lovers #35 – sunrise or sunset) ★★★★
With Love from London: I was really enjoying this book until the inconsistencies started piling up. Too many British characters using American slang/terminology… Londoners recommending “eggplant”? Really? Oh, and Eloise finds a signed copy of Hemingway’s “A Moveable Feast” at an estate sale. Yeah, no. It was published posthumously. (BGG Lifetime of Reading #4 – 30-somethings) ★★
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home: What is my obsession with books about food? (52 Books #49 – set in a country with an active volcano) ★★★★
The Dream Hotel: Strong start. I thought it was going to be a 5-star read, but then it got bogged down and the ending was incredibly abrupt. (ATY Anniversary #6 – related to the NATO Phonetic Alphabet: Hotel/Booklist Queen #45 – 2025 new release) ★★★
More: A Memoir of Open Marriage: Lacking the self-reflection that would make up for all the ick. And the whole thing just seemed exhausting to me. It’s hard enough to maintain one relationship! (Cover Lovers #39 – one of the four seasons: Molly Roden Winter) ★★
A Novel Love Story: Escapist and fun! Exactly what I expected it to be. (52 Books #41 – cover font in a primary color/ATY #11 – set in a fictional location) ★★★★
Currently Reading:
The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About
Memorials (ATY #48 – a character dealing with death/Booklist Queen #35 – an intriguing cover)
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls (ATY #10 – witches, goddesses, or nuns)
The Overnight Guest (BGG Read Around the USA #4 – Heartland/Cover Lovers #8 – a wintry scene)
The Not-Quite States of America: Dispatches from the Territories and Other Far-Flung Outposts of the USA (BGG Read Around the World #4 – islands)
Florence Adler Swims Forever (BGG Decades #4 – the 1930s/Popsugar #16 – set in or around a body of water)
Be Frank with Me (52 Books #1 – a pun in the title/BGG ICYMI Backlist #4 – published in 2016)
Heiress Takes All (ATY #48 – set in a manor, mansion, or estate)
Lore Olympus: Volume Seven (ATY #4 – set underground, undersea, or in an underworld)
The Duchess War (Popsugar #45 – a left-handed character)
A Natural History of Dragons (ATY Spring Challenge #2 – BLOOM: Marie Brennan/Popsugar #24 – happily single woman protagonist)
QOTW: I'm an early person. I'll wait in my car until right before, but I hate being late. I always feel like I'm going to get in trouble. :\
Happy Thursday, everyone! Last night was rough! It started storming about the time I was ready to head to bed, and didn’t stop until sometime this morning. Between the lightning and thunder, the rain making it sound like my house was going through a car wash, and the sump pump going off every 30 seconds right next to my bedroom, I got next to no sleep.
We are currently getting a bit of a reprieve from the storms, but since my area is under a flood watch until Sunday morning, I don’t think we’re done with the bad weather.
On the plus side, I have been able to do a ton of reading this week!
March Mystery Madness is officially over, but I am still binge-reading mystery novels. I got into the Hannah Swensen series toward the end of the readathon, and just don’t want to stop reading them. It’s a good thing too, because I am currently attempting to get caught up on all of the new books that I purchased in March. I have quite a few that I really want to finish before the end of the month, and I’m really happy that I decided to start with such a good series.
Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…
Goodreads Challenge: 131/250
Mount TBR Challenge: 095/150
📚Physical TBR: 78/731
📱Ebook TBR: 11/218
🎧Audiobook TBR: 6/12
TBR Checklist Total: 95/961
TBR Books DNFed in 2025: 3
I did not buy any new books this week!
“New” Books Bought in 2024: 68
“New” Books Read in 2024: 36
“New” Books DNFed in 2024: 0
Here are the books I finished this week…
Finished Reading (Fiction):
~Baking Bad — This is the first book in the Beaufort Scales mystery series. I thought this was a good story, and enjoyed reading a mystery that involved dragons. 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Princess Bride: An Illustrated Edition of S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure — This is the second time that I have attempted to read this particular book, which I DNFed the first time around. I’m glad I decided to give it a second chance, because apart from Goldman’s frequent interruptions to explain why he cut out pieces of Morgenstern’s original story, I did enjoy it. I also liked Michael Manomivibul’s illustrations. I do have to confess that I still prefer the movie adaptation though. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Yule Be Sorry — This is the second book in the Beaufort Scales mystery series. This story takes place over Christmas, and was a fun read. I’m looking forward to reading more of the series later this year. 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, read by Stephen Fry — This is the second book in the Harry Potter series. While this book was a re-read for me, this was the first chance I’d had to listen to my copy of the audiobook, as well as my first time enjoying the British edition of the series. I actually ended up finishing this book sooner than I’d originally intended, because I was listening to it while working on household projects, in addition to before bed each night. 🎧: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This week I also began reading the Hannah Swensen Mystery series. I am really enjoying this series so far! It’s been a lot of fun to read, and I love the main character. I’m also really curious to try some of the recipes the author includes in the books, because the cookies (and other desserts) that Hannah sells at her shop sound amazing! I had a chance to read books 1-8 this week, which includes the following titles:
~Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder — 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Strawberry Shortcake Murder — 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Blueberry Muffin Murder — 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Lemon Meringue Pie Murder — 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Fudge Cupcake Murder — 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Sugar Cookie Murder — 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Peach Cobbler Murder — 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Cherry Cheesecake Murder — 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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 taking an extended break from this book during the month of April. 📚
~Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban — This is the third book in the Harry Potter series. I'm really enjoying listening to this book before bed each night, and while working on household projects. 🎧
~Key Lime Pie Murder — This is the ninth book in the Hannah Swensen Mystery series. I’m currently about halfway through this book, and really enjoying it so far. I will definitely finish it later today. 📱
QOTW:
I’m the person who shows up early…but it’s closer to 30 minutes than 15. At least I always have a book with me.
Forgot today was Thursday. You guys know how bad my week was with failing out of school. I have time on figuring out if I'll dispute it or not. Luckily I have a supportive family who don't judge me or aren't critical over what happened. They understand how I have a hard time with things.For now they're okay with me just looking for jobs and even doing something as basic as volunteering. I did find a place to volunteer at so I'll see how that goes for a bit. They're (my family) are okay with me just doing an hour of volunteer service twice a week so I'm really lucky in that they're so accommodating that way because they know I have a difficult time with working with people and anxiety issues among everything else.
With my mental disorders, it's hard to keep things going and even have hope for the future when everything never works out.
They just ask that I keep trying day by day. I'll be looking for jobs later tomorrow and then start up fresh next week.
*****
Book News:
Went out of town last weekend so I was able to check out a comic book shop that was pretty neat. Found some great comics.
Can't believe the first week of April is almost over! I did my TBR in a blind fashioned (wrapped 20 books and then picked 7 numbers from a TBR jar.) Some of them have been short reads, under 250 pages so they've been able to be read in a day. As a result I've been able to read 6 books so far.
Normally I read about 11 a month or 12 depending. Given that I don't go to school at the moment and don't have a job I have plenty of free time to read (something I'm sure many people would love, lol but there's pros and cons to this life at the moment.)
That all said, I've got it set so I can read 14 books at the moment since I've already read 6.
Finished:
Unmasking for Life: The Autistic Person's Guide to Connecting, Loving, and Living Authentically - 5 stars. I don't know which book I love more, this one or Devon's previous book, 'Unmasking Autism'. Both have been incredible.
The Vanished - 3 star. Loved this series as a kid (middle/high school). As an adult, you see how basic they are though despite the good storylines.
Interstellar: The Official Movie Novelization - 3 star. I was hoping it would have changed a bit and been slightly different than the movie, but it was just the movie in novel form. Which is fine, but I didn't get much excitement from it. It's so much better seeing the film.
A Son of the Forest: The Experience of William Apes - 3 star. It was good, but there was too much God talk. I get that was important back in the day, but I'm not into the whole God thing so that was a turn off. Interesting personal narrative though.
Into the Wild - 4 star. A re-read for the uptenth time. One of my all-time favorite books. It still holds up.
*****
Currently Reading:
UFO: The Inside Story of the U.S. Government's Search for Alien Life Here―and Out There - Another re-read. The first time around I didn't pay too close attention. This time I'm annotating and I find myself asking a lot of questions which is fun. I may not agree with Garrett's assessment, but I love his writing and will read just about anything by him at this point. (It was his 9/11 book previously that got me turned to this writer).
*****
Upcoming Reads:
The War of the Worlds - This will be a re-read for me next week. It's one of my favorite classics and I've been in the mood to read it again.
Why We Love (and Hate) Twilight: The Highs and Lows of the Twilight Saga - This book is being released next week. I follow this author on social media and I love her Twilight talks even though I may not always agree. She's so fun and makes valid points. She analyzes Twilight in a critical way that people usually don't which is what I like about her because people don't like getting into those types of philosophical discussions sometimes.
*****
QOTW:
Are you an arrive 15 minutes early or an arrive right on time person or an arrive 5-10 minutes late person?
Definitely a 15-min-early type of person. If a person says they want to be somewhere at 1:00 PM for example to meet up or something, then I have to be there either exactly at 1 or earlier. I don't like arriving anywhere late, even if it's a couple of minutes. It drives me crazy if I get somewhere when it's not the exact time. And I get crazy if other people don't arrive at the time they have planned either. 1 o'clock is 1 o'clock, not 1 o' two, not 1 o' five. LOL!
L Y N N wrote: "There is a 6th installment in the Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon series due to be released September 9, 2025! The Secret of Secrets I have read all of his books, but The Da Vinci Code is definitely my favorite!"I have read them all, too! People can hate all they want, but you mentioning a new book coming in that series has me genuinely excited!! I guess I know what I'll be reading on the plane xD So fun, I read Inferno on holiday back then, and now I'll be doing the same!
Happy Thursday, all!Our library is discontinuing its Inter-Library Loan service, which shuts down in mid-May. Which means that from now on, if someone wants a book that's not in our library's consortium system, they either need to place a request for it or buy it themselves. This stinks... not everyone can afford to buy all the books they want, including libraries...
In better news, a month and a half left until my Italy trip. Excited!
Man, I had a lot of DNFs this week. Not sure what happened there... did I just have a string of bad books or am I slipping into a reading funk...
Books read this week:
That Quail, Robert -- for “a book that includes a non-verbal character.” Rather sweet and charming, and makes me look at these birds in a new light.
When the Moon Hits Your Eye -- for “a highly anticipated read of 2025.” John Scalzi does a fantastic job at making science fiction fun and entertaining. And this one’s no exception.
Strange Weather in Tokyo -- for “a book about an unlikely friendship.” I’m still not sure how much I liked the characters, but the ending was surprisingly sweet.
DNF:
The Stolen Child -- boy, is this one slow. And looking at the Goodreads reviews, it’s nothing like the dust jacket blurb promised.
Hello, Universe -- wasn’t getting into it, and the frequent use of the word “retard” bothered me
Butter -- another slow one. Shame, because the premise was good.
Currently reading:
Life As We Knew It -- for “a book where nature is the antagonist”
West With Giraffes -- for “a book about a road trip”
Godkiller -- for “a book about found family”
Twelfth Knight -- not for the challenge
QOTW:
I like to be on time or even a little early for things. I have a half-hour commute to work every morning, but since I have to drive the freeway I usually leave for work an hour before I have to be there. I can always read in the parking lot if I get there early...
Happy Thursday!It's so sunny! It truly feels like spring, and with the clock having moved forward for us, it feels like it even more. Walking the dogs at 8pm in light? I am so here for it!
On Tuesday my sister had a concert in Amsterdam, and she wanted to queue up from like 2pm. So dad and I decided that like last time, we'd make a day of it. I can't stand Amsterdam, btw, so this isn't like 'yay day in Amsterdam!' but we have our things, haha! We'd booked an escape room, and when we got there the lady was like 'Do you have any experience?'. We said yes, and she explained that we'd booked the beginner's room, and that she could switch us to another room if we wanted. We then had to tell her that while, yes, we are experienced, we had never actually managed to escape before, and we hoped this room would give us a chance xD
AND WE DID IT! We got out with 11 minutes to spare! And that's including us being typical and losing time on things only we'd manage to make happen. Like being so focused on getting a puzzle to line up right that we didn't notice it we got it and the door opened 3 minutes ago. Or a ball that was supposed to roll back if you let it drop, getting stuck so we had to nudge it loose, and it then getting stuck again so we had to call for help xD
WHAT A RUSH THOUGH. WE DID IT. She said there was another room she thought we could do, so we mentally noted that down. We booked a movie to go see after dinner as we got outside, and while walking towards the cinema area, I noticed that recced room had availability.
So we cancelled the movie and went back after dinner. AND GOT OUT AGAIN! IN 36 MINUTES! Apparently the things people tended to get stuck on for a while we saw super quickly (I solved two of those puzzles easy as breathing, and dad saw a column we needed that people tend to overlook), so that was really cool! She even gave us free drinks to make up for the fact that we got out so quick xD
This did mean that once we'd stepped outside again, the concert had only just started, and we had nothing left to do jskhadg We ended up finding a bar/cafe near the concert venue and chilled there with some drinks and snacks, haha!
We also watched Adolescence this week, and I can't say I get the hype. The whole 'one shot episode' is amazing and I have major respect for it. The movie Boiling Point (also Stephen Graham) was one of the most intense things I've ever watched (it's like that The Bear episode, but feature film length), but this mini series kinda felt flat for me. It just felt too disjointed between the episodes for me, personally. Masterfully done, though.
Tonight was less fun. We went to walk the dogs and came across a bunch of broken glass in different places. We found some glass yesterday on the walking path, but this was insane. After dropping off the dogs we went back out to clean it all up; it was on the sidewalk, the road, the grass, the ditch next to the grass, the biking path, the back alleys. Another woman we know found some too so she went to get a dustpan as well. I will never understand why people think stuff like this is funny.
ANYWAYS BACK ON TOPIC, a miracle happened. I read! A lot! My Page-A-Thon had its monthly Weekender last weekend and I made the most of it! So let's get into it!
Read
Ruins & Splinter
(I can't remember what I put them for)
I DID IT. I finished the trilogy! It's such a shame no one knows about it, it's actually genuinely solid. The final book has like 10 reviews and 28 ratings or something. So like if you ever need a book with less than 1000 ratings, this series (starting with Sentinel) is my rec to you!
Wild and Wicked Things
For my server's challenge I counted this for book set in favorite season. It may mention it being Summer constantly, but it also mentioned it being May and had flashbacks to 'last spring' which was last year, AND the weather described does NOT fit UK in May so I'm counting it. Unless I come across a book that does properly match up xD
For Popsugar I used 'reminded you of childhood', because as a kid I read so much fantasy, and many involving witches. I tend to stay away from witches (though not as vehemently as vampires) so it reminded me of a time where I devoured witch stories.
This wasn't what I'd hoped, personally. It was a constant circle of spelling out the same worries and concerns and fears and I felt like we were getting nowhere. Also the character I was supposed to care about them saving, I couldn't stand, so that didn't help either xD
It's another backlist book off the list, though! And my edition (goldsboro) has stunning sparkly gold edges!
Currently Reading
Hoping to start Iron Heart tonight. I know I said last week I would, but I am glad I made the choices I did. I now have until Sunday to read this book (and it's already 10:35pm right now), so I am hoping my brain cooperates. Earlier today I had time but my brain refused to read on my phone, and now I have a headache. So typical xD
QOTW
Early. Always. If I'm not at least 5-10 minutes early, or gods forbid, if I'm late, I can promise you it was out of my hands. I also cannot stand others being late. Respecting each other's time is very important to me. I also always overestimate too. For example, our flight leaves at 7:20am. I have to be there at 4:20am to check in for assistance. The airport is an 1,5hour drive away, so 2 hours, which is 2:20am, so we leave at 2am xD
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:Are you an arrive 15 minutes early or an arrive right on time person or an arrive 5-10 minutes late person?
I'm more likely to arrive 15 minutes early, then sit in my car until it's on time.
Mod
By complete coincidence I am currently reading three books with the same character names! There is both a Phoebe and a Logan in The King's Messenger, a Phoebe in The Wedding People, and a Logan in The Boyfriend Candidate. (And I am enjoying all three of these books, so if you were thinking about reading one of them, yes I recommend it!!)
This week I finished four books, and DNF'ed one. Two of the books that I did finish were a real struggle at first, and I thought about DNFing them too, but I persevered, and in each case I was really glad I did, I ended up loving both of the books.
I finished:
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones- this was a NetGalley book from one of my favorite authors, and what a SLOG it was in the beginning!!! SGJ is trying something new here, and I struggled. If it had been anyone else, I probably would have given up. I did end up really loving most of this book. I checked off "full moon name" in AtY (the "Hunters" moon), and "book I got for free" in Popsguar. TW: This is a book about a vampire getting revenge, so there is a lot of gore.
Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte - this collection of short stories was a ToB book, and I struggled with the first story, the protagonist was just vile. I would have quit, but everyone had been raving about this one, so I carried on. I'm glad I did. He's a really talented writer (which is why he was able to make his vile characters SO VILE) I used this for "a collection" in AtY, but I could not find a Popsugar category for it. (but it would work for "interconnected short stories," which I've already filled.)
Haiku translated by Hart Larrabee - this was a little collection I got from NetGalley - I don't even know why it was still available since it was published last year. It was very nice, soothing, some beautiful little poems. No challenge category.
Exposure by Ramona Emerson - I LOVED Emerson's first book (Shutter) but this one felt really thrown together, it was a mess. I can only assume she had a two-book contract and was desperate to send in a second book. I hope she takes her time with her third book. The protagonist can see and talk to ghosts, so I checked off "a haunting book" in AtY; no Popsugar category. TW: Rita is a forensic photographer, and some of the murder scenes she is sent to photograph are extremely gruesome.
And I DNFed:
In Ascension by Martin MacInnes - the blurb promised me "An astonishing novel about a young microbiologist investigating an unfathomable deep vent in the ocean floor, leading her on a journey that will encompass the full trajectory of the cosmos and the passage of a single human life." but what I got was the dullest mess of minutiae imaginable, and NO deep sea vents. It was the opposite of astonishing. None for me, thanks.
Popsugar 48% 24 /50
Must Reads 20% 2 /10
AtY 50% 26 /52
AtY bonus 10% 1 /10
2025 pub 24% 12 /50
NetGalley ratio 79%
.
QotW
I think I'm a right-on-time person. I PLAN to be early, but then I run late on my plan, if that makes sense. Do you remember the beginning of the movie The Incredibles when Mr Incredible is on the way to his wedding but stops to rescue a kitten, saying "oh I've still got time!" - that's me. (I quote so many parts of that movie all the time!!!) Usually I end up skating in RIGHT when my appointment is. But to people who like to be early (like my father and my ex husband), that means I am late. So I FEEL like I'm late, but I'm actually exactly on time, and if you wanted me here earlier you should have set the time earlier.
I'm also prone to completely forgetting appointments, or getting the time wrong in my head and arriving at the wrong time because like an idiot I did not check my calendar and just trusted I knew. So I'm usually right on time, but also a complete flake, I guess?
I am loving this years Pop Sugar Reading Challenge. I've had a better time with it this year than I have in previous years. There's just so much more room for nonfiction books this time around which helps me out a lot.I have currently completed 28 of the prompts.
21 have been nonfiction
7 have been fiction.
*****
3 prompts I certainly will not be doing:
- Going through menopause- not interested in reading about that stuff yet.
- Rated less than 3 stars- Not interested in this. I read books on my own merits.
- About a food truck- Don't like reading books about food. I can barely handle The Hunger Games and even then I skim over the food talk.
*****
Next week I have plans to complete 2 more of the prompts:
- left handed character : The War of the Worlds (the author was left handed)
- Magical creatures- Why We Love (and Hate) Twilight: The Highs and Lows of the Twilight Saga (essays about S. Meyer's world of vampires and werewolves).
Hi all! House of the plague here. Kiddo had a stomach bug over the weekend and then my BF and then I caught covid earlier this week. Now kiddo tested positive. She's actually acting better than she usually does with a cold! In fact, if BF and I hadn't had it, I probably wouldn't have even tested her and sent her to school this morning! Because of my weakened immune system, my doctor said I will carry and shed the virus longer than normal people, and I have to quarantine for 20 days! Kiddo's birthday is next week (my baby will be 7! how have the years flown by??), and her family birthday was going to be next weekend, but we'll have to reschedule that. I'd probably just ignore the doctor, but almost everyone in our families have health conditions that could make covid especially dangerous, so I guess I'll listen. The other thing that really sucks about 20 days is that spring break starts April 14th, and now I'm stuck at home with the kiddo and we can't go anywhere! She wanted her ears pierced for her birthday, so we were going to do that over break... Other than the CDC setting up a perimeter around our house (ha!), things are fine here. Beautiful day today, so I've got as many windows open as possible trying to air this place out!
My reading has taken a nose dive this week (wonder why...). I was on pace to finish King: A Life by today, until I caught covid and couldn't stay awake more than a couple of hours. I'm actually feeling a lot better myself, so I should be able to get at least some reading done again and finish by next check in.
QOTW: It depends what I'm going to! Doctor's appointments and the like, I'm early or right on time. Friends and family, you'll see me when you see me! HA! To be fair, usually it's because I'm trying to get the kiddo out the door to go to those kinds of things, and I can't always accurately figure out how long that is going to take. And she is such a girlie girl (I am not), so everything has to be just so...
Guess what, guys?! I finished the Popsugar Challenge. Don't be disheartened though. I "cheated" by starting when the list came out instead of waiting till Jan. 1. The last couple of prompts were doozies.PS Challenge: 50/50
April Library TBR: 0/1
April Purchased TBR: 0/4
Finished:
The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear for prompt an overlooked woman in history. This was so good!
Figuring for prompt happily single woman protagonist. One of my favorite authors, but still a slog.
Floating Hotel for prompt space tourism. Not my kind of thing.
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals I figured out a fun future prompt this would qualify for... re-reading something you've rated 5 stars in the past.
Non-Obvious Thinking: How to See What Others Miss Meh.
Started: The Mossheart's Promise
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
QotW: I'm a 10 minutes early kind of person. It is often awkward because no one expects me to be.
I was starting to worry about both of you... then realized just because I was looking to post far earlier than I ever manage didn't mean you were late posting. Just meant I couldn't avoid work any longer. @L Y N N - I've been off a day all week - though 4/1 was a Monday for example. It happens.
PS 22/60
ATY 31/52
Finished:
A Treacherous Curse - PS Prompt snake on cover (a tiny hieroglyph but a snake nonetheless); ATY serpentime element - there's a cobra featured in the plot - well a fake one.
Flying Too High - only ATY prompt - comfort read
Three Act Tragedy - only ATY - includes acting
Currently reading:
The Crescent Spy
Death of an Avid Reader
The Ambivalent Corpse
Miss Ruffles Inherits Everything
QOTW: I'd say I'm mostly an on time person. Do I sometimes allow too much time or too little to get somewhere? Sure. But I set alarms on my phone during the day so that I have 15 minutes notice of conference calls and zoom meetings, especially as I'm hosting many of them. I get deep into revising legal documents or research and lose all track of time. How did I manage before mobile phones? I wore a watch and since I bill my time working on different legal matters in increments, I was looking at it a lot.
Hello from surprisingly cold So CalThe last check in day was Opening Day for baseball. Hurray to that. the only thing I like I almost as much as books and cats is baseball.
Finished two books this week, both for prompts:
How to Age Disgracefully (menopause)
Reasons to Stay Alive (neurodivergent author)
First quarter check in-Not as far as long as many people, but that's ok my goal is a December finish:
PS: 14/50
Read harder: 8/24
ATY: 18/62
52: 15/52
Currently reading:
Wandering Stars
Tehrangeles
The Humans
War and Peace
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
Five Winters
The Complete Poems
QOTW:
For work, definitely early. I like to beat the traffic and get some work done like grading papers before the bell rings and work officially starts
For social events I am right on time. Actually I arrive early then stay in the car and read or something then go to the event right on time.
Happy Thursday!Mother Nature seems to be going through menopause here. We've had snow, freezing rain, normal rain, and temperatures over 10 - and that's just this week.
I finished 2 books, but 2 of my hold finally came in. I'm not even starting April's series book until I finish March's. Between Lent and Ulysses, I only have the brain to be reading 2 other books maximum. Ulysses is like a Tardis. It has 18 chapters - I'm in the middle of chapter 12, which you would think with math would mean I'm about 2/3rds through - but I'm not even half way through. The farther I get into the book, the more there seems to be to read.
Who Has Seen the Wind was such a great book. I adored it. I am totally loving my challenge to read across Canada.
Finished:
Who Has Seen the Wind
Popsugar prompt: A book you want to read based on the last sentence
ATY prompt:
Anniversary prompt: An author's debut book
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Down
Popsugar prompt: A book with a title that starts with the letter Y
ATY prompt: A book involving a "group" with at least 4 members that's not a family
Series - 1/10
Reading Across Canada - 3/10
Nobel laureates - 1/5
PS - 12/40
Regular ATY - 9/40
Anniversary ATY - 5/10
Currently reading:
Ulysses - 45%
An Acceptable Time - 75%
The Vegetarian - 25%
Lent:
Interior Castle - 10%
QOTW: I prefer to be early and I get anxious at being late. But my kids often make me late. Work is flexible enough that if you come in later, you stay late. And work is insisting on 3 days in the office which means people are late due to traffic, our terrible transit system, and weather.
Happy Thursday! It's been a rough week at work, so really really looking forward to the weekend! My birthday's this weekend, but I never really make big plans, just small get togethers. So I'm meeting up with my family for lunch- haven't seen my nieces since christmas- and have some plans with friends. Hopefully going to a show, and then I have some store credit at a bookstore I love, so maybe I'll treat myself to some new books!Finished:
Time Loops & Meet Cutes- this was just a nice romcom about being stuck in a time loop and then falling in love with someone who keeps forgetting you. Was this amazing, no- but I had a fun time
-no prompt
The Bachelorette Party- this reminds me of movies like I still know What You Did Last Summer. Not the most amazing mystery, the ending's a little meh, but quick and fun.
-27 A book set at a luxury resort
Over the Influence: A Memoir- this is a pretty unvarnished look at being a young girl in the music industry, and I admire how open she is about the missteps that were made both by the people who should have been protecting her career and by herself in her personal life. I wish we'd gotten a little more reflection or insight, but she's still so young. Maybe in another 10-20 years, she'd have had more time to reflect.
-no prompt
Currently reading:
The Last Graduate- picked up a new copy from the library, so can start this again!
Slow Noodles: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes- I keep putting off reading the next chapter cause I know it's going to get sadder
QotW:
I think if I'm relaxed around you, I'll probably be a little late. But if I don't know the area I'm going very well, I wind up being very early- because I have a horrible sense of direction, and assume I will make a wrong turn or get lost. So I build in "getting lost" time, and then show up early.
Quick check-in for me. Finished one book (and used it for an open prompt!). I'm at 8/40 and 0/10 for this challenge and 18/85 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge.Finished:
* My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry written by Fredrik Backman and translated by Henning Koch, which I used for "a book that is considered healing fiction."
Currently Reading:
* The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries edited by Michael Sims;
* Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour;
* Misfortune Cookie by Vivien Chien; and,
* She Memes Well written and narrated by Quinta Brunson.
QotW:
Are you an arrive 15 minutes early or an arrive right on time person or an arrive 5-10 minutes late person? I'm probably a little early to right on time most of the time person (though I was SUPER late to an outing with a friend over the weekend because I got caught in traffic and had to go with a back-up route to get downtown to meet up with her). I'm usually so consistent that when I got stuck in traffic heading to an appointment with my coach and arrived at her office right on time, she and her assistant were both like ARE YOU OK?!?!?! the minute I walked in because I arrived right on time instead of a few minutes early and then we all had a laugh because I wasn't late for the appointment...just late for my normal early arrival 🤣 I'm apparently her most punctual client 🤣
I read Murder at Chateau Sur Mer as my book with a happily single protagonist (or whatever). It's part of a series and they're all pretty formulaic. But, if you don't want anything too deep, they're a quick fun read.I've started The Chef as my book about a food truck. It's OK so far I guess.
QOTW: It depends. I walk to work, so there's not much worry about getting caught up in traffic, so I'm pretty much a right on time for that. Everything else I try to be about 15 minutes early because that gives you time to run into a little bit of something that slows you down. And I'm a 3 hours early to the airport kind of person.
Happy check-in! It's been a few weeks.Finished Reading:
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY anniversary TBR for over a year)
This was interesting and maddening.
Hello Darkness Vol. 1 ⭐⭐
A horror comic anthology that had a short story from a series I'm reading. I did not like the rest of the volume.
Dinosaur Sanctuary Vol. 6 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY translated from Asia)
More please. I love how this series is a collaboration of a manga artist and a paleontologist.
Bridge to Terabithia ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY character dealing with death)
Another classic/banned book down. Surprisingly this fits the run club prompt.
Hera ⭐⭐⭐ (ATY under 10 letter title)
Hera is definitely a complicated character in Greek mythology.
PS 20/50
ATY 31/52 Anniversary 2/10
Goodreads 92/250
QOTW:
I like being on time because I know a few people who are rudely early. Mostly I avoid setting exact times for things because I don't want to rush or be late.
My library hold of Sunrise on the Reaping came in!! I spent the past 3 weekends at home reading/recovering from oral surgery so I decided not to do that with a fourth weekend. Now that my sutures are out and I feel human again, I wanted to go out on Saturday. I played bingo with a friend, and we had a lucky night! I did spend Sunday reading Sunrise on the Reaping.Finished
Sunrise on the Reaping (a highly anticipated read of 2025). Oh, this was incredible. I completely lost track of time while I read. Putting this book down wasn’t an option so I read it in a day. I’m very glad I reread The Hunger Games and Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes before I read this book.
Reading
I Was Anastasia
Floating Hotel
Furies: Stories of the Wicked, Wild and Untamed
QOTW
I’m usually an arrive early person. I get nervous when I see I’m going to arrive right on time. There are a few exceptions, like for close friends and family (and my hairdresser who is always running behind), but I still try and arrive on time for them.
Life update: I bit the bullet and called our GP (UK family doctor) surgery to ask for a review of my treatment plan. I ended up getting a referral to an ENT clinic - an NHS one this time because my employer's health insurance only pays for the first 12 months of a condition, which is pretty standard. I've been told to expect to hear from them by the end of May, which is actually pretty similar to the wait for the private consultant I saw before. Meanwhile, my daughter has split from her partner, which means I'll be babysitting more, at least in the short to medium term. I adore my grandson, but it's difficult caring for him when I'm not feeling well myself, so I hope my daughter can find other solutions soon. Reading update: I finished The Vital Abyss as my audiobook for the week, and My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future for "a book about an activity on your bucket list" and the GR Essential Reader bookmark. I didn't enjoy My Black Country and was annoyed enough by it to leave a longish review.
I also DNF'd the audiobook of Gliff because the narrator had a very flat style that I couldn't get into. I really must start listening to the sample before I use my Audible credits on narrators I don't know! Fortunately I really like the narrator of my current audiobook, Der Tod in Venedig (Death in Venice).
Stats:
Finished for the PopSugar Challenge: 1 this week, 19/50 total
Finished for the Star Trek Series Challenge: 0 this week, 6/18 total
Finished for the GR Bookmarks Challenge: 1 this week, completing the Community Favorites Challenge for 6/6 total
Finished outside the challenges: 1 this week, 5 total
All books finished this year: 2 this week, 30 total
DNF or paused: 1 this week, 8 total
Currently Reading:
Uhura's Song for the Star Trek Series Challenge and a book where music is important to the plot - I am absolutely loving this one
The Valmiki Ramayana Vol. 2 for bedtime spiritual reading and a classic I haven't read
Der Tod in Venedig as my current audiobook, although it would also work for a classic I haven't read, since I will finish it before the Ramayana
Before the Coffee Gets Cold for the healing fiction prompt and the April group read. I was excited to discover a new genre, but I am struggling with the style of this one so far, I must admit.
Was tun, wenn jemand stirbt: Handbuch für den Trauerfall for practical reasons
QOTW: Living in London, the rule of thumb is that any journey takes about an hour, and travel delays are a constant threat. I always build in 10-15 minutes of contingency time, so when things go smoothly, I am early and will find somewhere to wait and read for a while. It being London, though, things often do not go smoothly, and my contingency time may get eaten up or not be enough. I don't consider people late in London until at least half an hour past the agreed time, and I expect the same latitude myself for social arrangements, even though I try not to need it. Even official services here will usually allow you at least 10 mins or so before they mark you off their list and make you rebook.
Mod
oh noooo!!! Are you allowed to go to outdoor places at least, like a park? Maybe dad can take her for her ears?
Mod
Congrats on your finish. I've checked off most of the easy ones now, and there are a few really tough ones left. What did you use for food truck??? That might be my biggest stumper right now. I keep hoping I'll pick up a romance or a mystery that just happens to involve a food truck!! I've read a few in the past, it's possible!!
We've had a couple of "nice" days over here, which is to say, mild in temperature, but gloomy when not flat out rainy. Things are supposed to cool down again, which I don't mind as long as it also brings back the sun!I managed to get a gift crocheted for my niece and in the mail in the nick of time, and now I'm trying to catch up with the various Alongs that I put on hold while working on that. All of that was good for my audiobook reading, but not so much the rest of it.
Finished:
Return to Sender: A Novel - A netgalley read. I'm so glad that they added a browser reader! I really don't like reading that much on my phone, and the Adobe reader could be hit or miss. As for that actual book, I enjoyed it. I was already a fan of the author's graphic novels, and it's good to see that the same storytelling translate into prose.
The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science - I'm a little mixed on this one. Sometimes the humor hit just right, and other times it was a bit too much. Still, the overall story was fun, but I don't think I'll be checking out the sequel.
A Soft Place to Land - (PS two or more books on the cover) This one was just okay. I feel like the MC had to do way too much to win back her friend in the end, which kind of soured me on the rest of the book. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a good job for the most part, but committed my biggest audiobook pet peeve: treating dialogue tags as a separate sentence.
Currently reading:
The Sound of Music Story: How A Beguiling Young Novice, A Handsome Austrian Captain, and Ten Singing von Trapp Children Inspired the Most Beloved Film of All Time
The Sound of Music: The Complete Book and Lyrics
Thirst
Wish Monster
Vanya and the Wild Hunt
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War
QOTW: Definitely 10 - 15 minutes late. Even if I try to be early, something seems to crop up that delays me.
Friday check-in for me.Finished
Dataclysm: Who We Are Kind of interesting - he looks at data from OKCupid to see what lessons he can get from it, but already felt amazingly dated. No prompt.
All the Way: My Life on Ice Just picked this up from my stacks for a plane read, but found it quite engrossing - a memoir of the first Inuit player to make it to the NHL and what he overcame. Used for 2015 prompt list which was a book you own but haven't read yet.
Killers of a Certain Age Had to read this in a rush when I realized it was due back at the library the next day, and had a hold that meant I couldn't renew. Had a lot of fun with this story of 4 female assassins in their 60s, having to pull one last pre-retirement job, when their organization comes after them instead of letting them retire. Will read the next. Used for happy single female protagonist, discussion on why in that topic thread.
Currently Reading
The Mercy of Gods
Behold the Dreamers
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed - only 20% done and my book club about it is tonight - eep!
QotW
A few minutes early when I'm meeting with someone, but if it's just my schedule (i.e. getting to the office in the morning), I can sometimes be quite late. Oops!
Crazy weather for us too. We've had dust storms like crazy, temps in the 80s (F), and then we've had rain since 10 PM last night.I don't see the point to having seasons anymore. They don't act the way we expect them to anymore based on basic human terminology which seems irrelevant at this point. It's either summer 3 out of 4 times a year or it's dust.
Nadine in NY wrote: "What did you use for food truck???.."I read The Pushcart War which was an easy read and had me chuckling at times.
Congrats, Doni, on finishing the challenge. I am a bit envious, and I will push over the summer to finish earlier than the Dec. 31 semi-finish of last year.
Happy Well, I have hit a reading slump, but my reason is that my upcoming train trip across country and Japan visit is in less than 2 weeks. My mind just can’t settle as I try to figure out everything that I need to do.
And, then there is the garden. I need to finish putting all my transplants (tomatoes and peppers – yet to be bought) and seeds (beans) in the ground. But, first I need to prep the plots, which means needing to buy more soil.
Edit: Finished the tomato/pepper plot and ready to transplant. Got soil for bean plots and have broken up the soil in them. Will put the new soil mix down on Sunday and plant the seeds just a few days later than I should have.
I did harvest lettuce today, but I also need to thin the radishes and add soil to the potato stalks. Oh, and put up trellises for the cucumbers and beans.
I know that I have another week to work on these things, still….
And, then there is the trip…the AAA agent had planned that I would take the shuttle to the Atlanta airport and catch a cab to the Amtrak station in downtown Atlanta. So I made the reservation which leaves Augusta at 5a and gets me to the airport at 7:45a with the Amtrak train leaving downtown at 9a. It looked OK to me until I started learning that getting from the airport to downtown at that time might take a long time due to rush hour traffic. There is a local transport train that leaves the terminal but it only gets me to within a mile of the Amtrak station, which I could walk but my anxiety makes that sound impossible. The alternative to walking is to take an Uber/Lyft, which I know nothing about. Yikes!
Edit: I made a decision to leave Augusta on the shuttle at 3a. That will give me about 3 hours to get downtown. And, since I will be arriving at the airport at 5:45 (before the 7a rush hour), I should be able to get downtown easily by Uber. Now to download the Uber app and figure out how to use it.
Finished:
How to Age Disgracefully – PS #9 (menopause). Gave it 4* as an enjoyable read, but it might get down rated to 3* later. Fun, but not more than just enjoyable.
Currently Reading:
The Beginner's Photography Guide: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Manual for Getting the Most from Your Digital Camera – 27%. Did the first exercise.
A People's History of the American Revolution: How Common People Shaped the Fight for Independence - Kindle. 13%. Probably will read in this one on my trip. Goal: 25%
After Alice Fell – PAS. Kindle. 66%
Born of Water – PAS. Kindle. 50%
The Novice's Tale – ATY #1 (cover shows something starting with A, T, or Y), PAS. 21%
Just Starting:
My Father's Notebook – PAS. 2%
Twenty Blue Devils – PAS.
On Deck: (owned)
Kate: The Journal of A Confederate Nurse – PAS. Taking this one with me.
The Pony Wife – PAS
The Brass Verdict – PAS
Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All - ATY #30 (monster), PAS, PS #44 (book I have avoided). Might take this one, too.
PS 17/50
ATY 11/52, Anniversary 7/10, Winter 11/15
GR 59/200
QotW:
I am nearly always early. As others said, I sit in the car and read until about 10 minutes before the scheduled time.
And, as someone else noted, my friends start calling me if I haven’t gotten there early even though it is still not yet the scheduled time!
Nadine in NY wrote: "Congrats on your finish. I've checked off most of the easy ones now, and there are a few really tough ones left. What did you use for food truck??? That might be my biggest stumper right now. I keep hoping I'll pick up a romance or a mystery that just happens to involve a food truck!! I've read a few in the past, it's possible!!I'm reading The Chef by James Patterson. The title had me concerned at first, but yes, it's a food truck, not a restaurant. I'm not the biggest James Patterson fan, but it's an easy read.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Hi all! House of the plague here. Kiddo had a stomach bug over the weekend and then my BF and then I caught covid earlier this week. Now kiddo tested positive. She's actually act..."Yeah, we can go to a park or playground. And I *might* be able to pawn her off on grandparents?? *She'll* be fine after the 5 days or whatever it even is anymore (the school said she could go back once she doesn't have a fever and symptoms have improved- based on that metric, I never really needed to hold her out in the first place!). I don't know. We'll see how cooped up we both are after a few days! lol
Hi all! My little baby has moved up to the toddler room at daycare (because he's a toddler) and I'm mostly ok. Finished:
City of Ink: I really enjoyed the end of this trilogy but I wish there were more books in the series
The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance: are you worried about the phosphorus leaching into the environment from farming run-off? would you like to be?
Dreadful Company: such a fun series of paranormal mysteries
QOTW: I am by nature a 15 minutes early person (I live in fear of being late) but with a small child it's not always that simple lol
All I finished this week was a graphic novel (mostly because I was readying to present my sabbatical research which went well) Les Normaux: A Graphic Novel by Janine Janssen which wasn't a bad gay romance from a webtoon.QOTW
I try to be on time. I often fail.
Congrats on fiinishing, Doni!! I doubt I'll get there this year, purely because I loathe researching books, and I am for example very unlikely to come across two books with the same title naturally xD I am thinking of expanding the prompt to just two books with the same word in the title hahah
Mod
you're so busy! What's your plan for your garden while you're away? Do you have sprinklers set on a timer?
I would take the shuttle to the Atlanta airport and catch a cab to the Amtrak station in downtown Atlanta.
So you're going to the airport to get to a train? Where are you flying out? I'm surprised because I thought Atlanta was a major hub.
Mod
oh hugs!!! they grow up so fast!!!
They do grow up so fast. My nephew recently turned one and it's like, 'where did that year go?!'
Nadine in NY wrote: "What did you use for food truck??? That might be my biggest stumper right now."I haven't read it yet, but one of the books I need to read for a local book award involves a food truck, Mabuhay!. It's a graphic novel. so I'm looking forward to it.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Bea wrote: "And, then there is the garden. I need to finish putting all my transplants (tomatoes and peppers – yet to be bought) and seeds (beans) in the ground. ..."you're so busy! What's your ..."
Yes, my sprinkler goes off every 3rd day. Also a friend will be coming by once a week to water my indoor plants and will check the garden.
I will be catching the Amtrak train in Atlanta GA, but I do not want to park in downtown Atlanta for 2 weeks. So I will be taking an airport shuttle from Augusta GA (leaving my car there) to the domestic terminal at Atlanta...and catching an Uber from there to the train station.
Mod
you're s..."
but you're going to Japan? at some point Amtrak won't make it lol Are you taking the train to another airport?
Mod
I read The Pushcart War which was an easy read and had me chuckling at times."
That looks super cute and I've never read it. I see it was originally published in 1964 and then re-released in 1987 and based on reviews, they updated the text in new editions to say it took place in 1986?
Mod
I haven't read it yet, but one of the books I need to read for a local book award involves a food truck, Mabuhay!...."
Oh that looks cute too!!!
Okay now I've got three possibilities for this difficult category (third one being Geekerella). Thanks!!!
Since we're talking about it, I'll point out that The Way You Make Me Feel and Wonton Terror both involve food trucks, but I've already read them. (I did put them on the listopia)
Bea wrote: "Happy Thursday Friday!Well, I have hit a reading slump, but my reason is that my upcoming train trip across country and Japan visit is in less than 2 weeks. My mind just can’t settle as I try to ..."
Exactly how I felt about Age Disgracefully, which I also finished this week for the same prompt.
Mod
I have read them all, too! People can hate all they want, but you mentioning a new book coming in that series has me genuinely excited!! I guess I know what I'll be reading on the plane xD So fun, I read Inferno on holiday back then, and now I'll be doing the same!"
I guess I didn't know people "hate" Brown...
Nadine in NY wrote: "Bea wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Bea wrote: "And, then there is the garden. I need to finish putting all my transplants (tomatoes and peppers – yet to be bought) and seeds (beans) in the ground. ....."I take the train all way to LA; there for a few days and then catching a cab (Uber) to LAX and flying out from there...then back to LAX with a stay overnight and flying out to New Orleans. There a few days and then train from there back to Atlanta. It is a train/plane vacation!
L Y N N wrote: "I guess I didn't know people "hate" Brown..."Welp, sorry! It's like people hating Nickelback. It's never made sense to me, personally.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Bel Canto (other topics)Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books (other topics)
Summer Romance (other topics)
Onyx Storm (other topics)
The Seven Year Slip (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Ashley Poston (other topics)Kirsten Miller (other topics)
Rebecca Yarros (other topics)
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I want to take the time to give a shout-out to all of you for your very kind and compassionate replies to my spewing all my trauma at you! I debated whether to do that, but truly, it was a cathartic release. And just thank you for being so gracious and supportive. Truly, it means a lot… Throughout my life I have met in person with several people whom I met and developed a relationship with online, and we are even closer as a result. That’s how I envision all of you! If we met face-to-face I feel as if it would simple strengthen our relationship. Thank you again!
A list! Six Tales of Mystery and Mishap—all hitting book stores on April Fools’ Day! (I realize that was this past Tuesday, but still…) 😊
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/01/nx-s1-...
There is a 6th installment in the Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon series due to be released September 9, 2025! The Secret of Secrets I have read all of his books, but The da Vinci Code is definitely my favorite!
ADMIN STUFF:
THE JUNE MONTHLY GROUP READ NOMINATION POLL IS LIVE!
This book could be used to fulfill prompt #12 - "A book about a road trip." Take a Road Trip Day is June 20, 2025!
Thus far, nine books have been nominated:
West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
Detour (Transportation #1) by Reesa Herberth
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral by Kris Radish
Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck
When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Peach Pie (Peach Pie Experiment #1) by Erin Soderberg Downing
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien
Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
VenCo by Cherie Dimaline
If you do not see the title you would like to nominate, please write it in. Please check the book's eligibility first! Only books that have NOT been discussed within the past two years (2023-present) are eligible. Remember to consult the listing of these books that are NOT eligible HERE before nominating! :) There is an alphabetized listing by title as well as a chronological listing.
NOTE: This is the NOMINATION round, which is step one. We will select the top results from this round to create a new poll for a Final Vote to select ONE book for the June 2025 group read.
*** This poll will run from March 26th through April 8th. *** You can vote HERE!
THE MAY MONTHLY GROUP READ IS Floating Hotel by Floating Hotel This book could be used to fulfill prompt #3 A book about space tourism. National Space Day is May 2, 2025! https://www.calendarr.com/united-stat... Surely we have a "fearless facilitator" out there to lead May's discussion! Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!
THE APRIL MONTHLY GROUP READ SELECTION IS Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #1) by Toshikazu Kwaguchi, translated by Geoffrey Trousselot!
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...
Which of you is the "humble hero" to lead this discussion? Message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!No one has volunteered, so I'll post some questions. I also do plan to post more questions for the March read... Life has just gotten in the way lately!THE LISTING OF 2025 MONTHLY GROUP READ TOPICS IS HERE!
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QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Are you an arrive 15 minutes early or an arrive right on time person or an arrive 5-10 minutes late person?
I ask because I totally spaced today was Thursday and hence, this posting is really late for today. It got me wondering about your typical arrival time. Are you usually early? Right-on-time? Or late? 😊
Today, I am definitely late!
2025 READING CHALLENGES:
Popsugar: 33/50
Around the Year (AtY): 50/52
AtY 2025 Anniversary List: 10/10 FINISHED
Read Harder: 15/24
52 Book Club: 42/52
2024 Popsugar: 47/50
FINISHED:
*The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was absolutely amazing! Wow! I am so anxious to meet her in April! Very unfortunate that this book reflects much of what is now occurring in the U.S. Perhaps in different ways, but it is that same oppressive prejudice and discrimination pervasive in the current leadership. This book has it all! Spies and espionage. Check! Romance. Check! Betrayal. Check! Relationships, relationships, relationships! Check! Check! Check! Really loved this one!
POPSUGAR: #6, #20, #26, #28, #40
ATY: #2, #3, #13, #15, #16, #19, #23, #24, #37, #41, #48
52 Book Club: #2, #22, #32, #33, #36, #39, #41, #51-400 pages
CONTINUING:
*Stand Your Ground by Victoria Christopher Murray
*The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
*The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley
*The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty
*Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power by RebeccaSolnit
PLANNED: (for the Indy Book Author event in April)
*The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley
*The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict
*The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
*The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis
*The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
*You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley
*The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley
*Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict
*The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict