Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2025 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 41: 10/2 - 10/9
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Yae it's finally Thursday and I can actually post instead of have to wait until the next day or the weekend!I have just been so busy with work and school. Thankfully one of my classes is just about over which is nice so that takes off some pressure. It was a hard class but I managed, just not in the way I would have liked.
My nature class is going great. Been loving the books we're reading.
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Book News:
I'm working on my 8th book for the month already. Been reading a lot of cool ones.
People keep asking me how I've managed to read so much (I'm at 151 for the year). It's all a matter of priorities:
- I don't have a spouse or kids so that takes off that responsibility.
- I work part-time and go to school part-time, but it still leaves a lot of me time (and I'm also reading fiction and nonfiction books for class)
- The biggest one though is I've cut TV out. I don't have a lot of interest in shows anymore, nothing to keep me engaged long enough. At most I just watch an hour of something before bed, but that's about it, so taking out all that time for what would be tv, I end up using on books.
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Currently Reading:
Somebody Is Walking on Your Grave: My Cemetery Journeys - Just a short way through, but I like it so far.
American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850-1873 - Long chapters. Barely on chapter 2, but I love this one! So much history that was left out in school so I'm learning a lot.
Turns out this is book 4 in his 'Continental History' series, so I immediately got books 1-3 as I love his current one (the one I'm reading now).
Zorro - Interesting set up as it's done in parts and not chapters. It's also my pick for banned books week.
The Practice of the Wild: Essays - Just on the first chapter of this book so too soon to tell.
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Upcoming Reads:
The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science - Wanted to read this when it was released last year, but I was waiting for the paperback which just came out this month.
Girl Warrior: On Coming of Age - I love Joy's work so I'm excited that she has a new book out!
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Question of the Week
Is there a genre you have discovered you enjoy but you always avoided in the past?
Yes, I find myself enjoying science books this year. So far I've read 12 of them and I'm about to start science book number 13 this month.
I think my issue in the past was just how much I didn't understand it and while I liked the subject in school, it was too complicated. I'm not the math/science type.
However I've been finding science books that do an excellent job at explaining the material without it being technical and overly complicated, so that's made a huge difference.
Happy Thursday, all!Had another test in my math class this week. And now I get to sit and sweat until Monday, trying to figure out how well I did, haha...
It's finally getting colder here in Idaho. It finally feels like fall. While I dislike the shortening days and am not looking forward to winter, I do like the cozy vibe of this season and the changing leaves on the trees.
Also, I'll be attending a Renaissance Faire this weekend. Looking forward to it!
Books read this week:
Galapagos -- weird, post-apocalyptic, and darkly funny. Just your standard Kurt Vonnegut novel…
Music for Tigers -- lovely read about a girl who discovers her family are caretakers for one of the world's last Tasmanian tigers!
The Marquise and Her Cat -- this one’s title has changed since I first downloaded it -- it was originally published as Puss without Boots. And as the original title suggests, it’s a retelling of Puss in Boots, just with a female protagonist and a love triangle thrown in. Okay, not great.
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax -- I read part of this book years ago and remember finding it charming. Listened to the audiobook and it’s a delight. A bit dated (it was first published in the 1960s) but still fun.
Spy x Family, Vol. 13
Spy x Family, Vol. 14
Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 1
Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 2
Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 3
Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 4
Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 5
The Kaiju No. 8 binge is a buddy-read with a friend of mine. Neither of us wants to wait for the next season of the anime so we’re reading the manga instead, haha…
Currently reading:
The Best of Catherynne M. Valente, Volume One -- WILL finish this one of these days...
A Gathering of Saints: A True Story of Money, Murder and Deceit
What Stalks the Deep
Outside
The Last
QOTW:
I used to write off all romance -- probably not helped by the fact that my brain saw any romance novel as "tacky paperback with a swooning lady in the arms of a shirtless dude on the cover." But now I'm finding the romance field to be more diverse than I assumed it was, and have found myself dipping my toe in. I've even found nerdy romances, romances with plus-sized female protagonists (yay representation!), and of course romantasy.
FINALLY, temps and humidity have dropped in NYC and look to remain low - 60s and 50s - for the next week or more. Until Tuesday night, we were still in the 80s with high humidity - ugh. I'm loving this mornings 54F. Maybe the trees will start flaunting some color in Central Park now. It's been solid green.Big News: I finished ATY this past week! 62/62! In looking over the books read, only a couple dropped below 3 stars, most in 4 stars with a healthy number of 5 stars. I don't plan prompts until I near the end, just fit whatever I'm reading - and at least 95% come from my existing TBR which I think keeps the quality high.
PS 47/50
Finished:
The Launch Party - fit PS prompt space tourism - and it truly does. Really fun scifi retelling of Christie's And Then There Were None - set at a luxury resort hotel, first on the Moon. Talk about locked room murder mystery!
The Tattoo Murder Case - last ATY prompt - translated east asian novel - excellent
A Natural History of Dragons
The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2024: S.A. Cosby Edits the Newest Entry in the Renowned and Popular Story Series, Dive into the Year's Best in ... and Suspense - not a dud in this. These are great collections!
Currently Reading:
Where They Last Saw Her
Three Junes
Second Sight
Human Rites
QOTW: Over the years, mostly thanks to my IRL Feminerdy Book Club, I've acquired a stronger liking for Fantasy and SciFi, but also those genres have become more diverse with many crossing genres into crime fiction for example - to the point that you will see a book nominated for an Edgar as well as a Hugo in the same year.
Mar-Oct. Purchased 32/56June-Oct. Library 20/30
VPL: 17/24
So... I was trying to do a book fast, but then I got more books out from the academic library AND two bookstores. *sigh* In more book news, we have a festival of books this weekend which I'll be attending a few events from. And then next weekend is the Dewey Readathon!!
Now I'm trying to find this awesome metal bookmark with rainbow stamps on it that I just bought. I've misplaced it. *sigh*
Condorcet and Modernity
Democracy and Difference: Contesting the Boundaries of the Political
Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives
Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist
Started: The Wave in the Mind: Talks and Essays on the Writer, the Reader and the Imagination
There were a bunch of books I started but DNF this past week, but I'm not even going to bother mentioning them.
QotW: I read Love Lettering, a romance which I usually avoid. It made me think maybe the genre isn't so bad...
Hello everyone! It's been an eventful week. Our neighbor's tuxedo cat has been a frequent visitor to play with our cats and snack. Long story short, she had 6 kittens in our house, and they're now residing in our bathtub. (Our boys are fixed, so they are not subject to caternity suits!)I'm at 92 books for the year, 45/50 for the Popsugar, 49/52 for the Booklist Queen.
Finished:
My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter, poetry by Aja Monet.
Still reading:
City of Refuge, Starhawk's sequel to The Fifth Sacred Thing, for a dystopian novel (BQ) and a dystopian with a happy ending (PS). People from the free state of Califia have infiltrated the dystopian Southlands to build a hidden refuge of peace, prosperity and beauty to recruit the Southland people to their side.
Up next:
Very Fine People, essays on contemporary politics by A. R. Moxon.
Question of the Week
Is there a genre you have discovered you enjoy but you always avoided in the past?
As a teenager in the Dark Ages, I read a few romances, found them formulaic with submissive women and pushy men. In the last few years I've started reading contemporary romance authors, and WOW! Consent shown as sexy. Fully developed characters, including POC. Queer love. Social issues worked into the plots. Humor and fun. And so many more authors to discover!
Good morning, everyone! Happy Thursday!This has been a pretty tough week. I’ve been dealing with migraine headaches since Monday, which has kept me from accomplishing a lot of the things I really wanted to take care of this week.
I did have a chance to get my Covid booster and flu shot this morning though. Apart from some soreness at the injection sites, a general feeling of tiredness is the only side effect I’m experiencing.
This reading week was absolutely insane! I have been participating in FrightFall since last Wednesday, and I’ve had a chance to read a ton of books as part of the readathon. I did end up reading a mix of horror novels and nonfiction this week, as well as some comic books and a few newly purchased books. Unfortunately, I did end up DNFing a couple books this week as well.
Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…
Goodreads Challenge: 332/250 (132% — Challenge Complete!)
Mount TBR Challenge: 167/150 (111% — Challenge Complete!)
📚Physical TBR: 120/731
📱Ebook TBR: 36/218
🎧Audiobook TBR: 11/12
TBR Checklist Total: 167/961 (17% complete)
TBR Books DNFed in 2025: 3
I did pick up two new releases this week, which included Lore Olympus: Volume Nine, by Rachel Smythe; and Otaku Vampire's Love Bite, Vol. 5, by Julietta Suzuki.
I also got myself a copy of Nights with a Cat, Vol. 6, by Kyuryu Z. I didn’t know this book had already been published, so I was very excited to find it.
Amazingly, I’ve already had a chance to read all three of these books, so I am still completely caught up on the titles I’ve purchased this year!
“New” Books Bought in 2025: 154
“New” Books Read in 2025: 153
“New” Books DNFed in 2025: 1
“New” Books Checklist Total: 100% complete
Here are the books I finished this week…
Finished Reading (Fiction):
~Home Is Where the Bodies Are — I thought this was a really good story, but it was not the horror story I expected it to be. This book is probably best categorized as a thriller, though I have to confess that (view spoiler) Had I known that this wasn’t actually a horror book, I probably would have saved it for another time, rather than reading it for FrightFall. I did enjoy it though, and I found the main characters really interesting. Content Alert: (view spoiler) 📚: ⭐⭐⭐
~Mister Magic — I honestly did not know what to expect from this book going into it, but thought it was a fantastic read! I really liked the main character, and got very invested in her story…to the point where I read almost the entire book in a single evening. 📚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
~Horror Movie — I found this a very odd book. The book tells the story of the filming of a low-budget indy horror movie that never made it to the big screen, and the major film reboot that has been spawned by online fan interest. Narrated by the last surviving member of the original movie, the book jumps back and forth between past and present, gradually revealing just how horrifying the full story truly is. While I did read this book in a single sitting, I didn’t like it. The pacing was very slow in some chapters, and I did not like the main characters (especially the book’s narrator). I also found the ending very disturbing. Content Alert: (view spoiler) 📚: ⭐⭐
Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
~Destination Truth: Memoirs of a Monster Hunter — I’m a massive fan of the shows Josh Gates has been involved in, so I was really excited to read this memoir from his time on Destination Truth. I thought this was a very interesting read, though I did feel like it was more of a travel diary than a monster hunting memoir. 📚: ⭐⭐⭐
Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
~Nights with a Cat, Vol. 6 — This volume is a great continuation of the series! I love how closely the characters' experiences with their cat mirror my own with mine. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Otaku Vampire's Love Bite, Vol. 5 — This was a fun continuation of the series. I really like the characters and artwork. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Lore Olympus: Volume Nine — This book was a great continuation of the series! I’m looking forward to finding out what will happen next, especially (view spoiler) 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I also read all three volumes of Elvira: Mistress of the Dark. I thought this series was very entertaining. The artwork was also very well done. The comic books do include a considerable amount of crude humor and innuendo, which is pretty on-brand for their main character. That definitely made them more comedic than spooky. The volumes I read include:
~Elvira: Mistress of the Dark Vol. 1 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Elvira: Mistress of the Dark Vol. 2 — Content Alert: (view spoiler)📚: ⭐️⭐️
~Elvira Mistress of the Dark Vol. 3 — 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None
DNFed:
~Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen — This book is an in-depth look at the popularity of Dracula, from the inception of his character through his reign as a horror (and literary/film) icon. I got stuck on the first chapter of this book and just did not have any desire to continue it. While I think the subject matter is interesting, I found the writing very dry. I might give this book another try at some point in the future, but I definitely won’t be finishing it this month. 📚
~The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society — I thought this was going to be a fun read, but I only got one chapter into this book before deciding to DNF. I just wasn’t a fan of the author’s writing style, and didn’t feel like I was going to be able to connect with the main character. 📚
Currently Reading:
~NIV Audio Bible — This audiobook edition of The Bible is read by David Suchet. I currently have a little less than 76 hours remaining. 🎧
~The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights, Volume 2 — I have not made any significant progress on this book over the past week, but I wasn’t really expecting to. Content Alert: (view spoiler) 📚
~Dracula — I started this book right before bed last night, so I’ve only had a chance to read a couple of chapters. It’s been very good so far, and I’m excited to see how it compares to the movie adaptations I’ve seen. 📚
QOTW:
I really avoided the horror genre when I was a kid, because I was a total scaredy cat. I did kind of dip my toe into the horror pool as a teenager, with books by V.C. Andrews, paranormal romances by L.J. Smith and Lynsay Sands, and by watching Ghost Hunters on the SciFi channel; but I didn’t get “into horror” until I was in college.
I am still pretty picky about the types of horror that I want to read (and watch), and I don’t like when gore is included purely for the shock factor, but I’ve read (and watched) a lot of things that would have been completely outside my comfort zone when I was younger. I do tend to gravitate towards books about monsters (whether they are supernatural or human) and the paranormal, but I also enjoy well-written psychological horror as well.
While I didn't actively avoid it, now I also read a lot more nonfiction than I did when I was younger. Most of the nonfiction I read as a child and teen was for school, though some was for fun, and I took an extended break from it after graduating from college. Over the past 10 years or so, I’ve really gotten into reading nonfiction though…especially biographies and autobiographies, history, science, and true crime.
Hello and happy Thursday! The weather has finally broke and I’m wearing leggings and a sweater. What a relief lol. On Saturday we went to a farm for pumpkins and other fall activities and I was so hot, I ended up with a migraine and all around feeling miserable. This weekend we’re doing a kids Halloween event at the zoo and then I have a work trip to the renaissance festival and I’m excited to not sweat either day 😅Finished:
At the Mountains of Madness: A Graphic Novel not fully for a challenge, I’m still working on The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft for the read harder challenge but I also wanted to look at the graphic novel as I was listening to the audio to help visualize some of the scenery. This is not my favorite Lovecraft story, but I love his style and how much dread a lot of his stories invoke.
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward same as above
Yellowface for a book that starts with Y. This book has been at the top of my mental tbr pile for so long, I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. I really enjoyed this book and I weirdly enjoy rooting for someone to get away with their crimes lol.
The Call of the Wild a book where nature is the antagonist. I think I mentally conflated this book with a different survivalist story but I guess it worked out haha. I like books where animals are the protagonist so this was fun, quick read.
Currently Reading:
The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft
The Silent Stranger: A Kaya Mystery
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible
Challenges:
Popsugar - 28/40; 2/4; 2/3; 3/3
Read Harder - 16/24
Classics - 8/12
European Tour - 8/10
12 Friends - 6/12
Yearly Goal - 119/180
QOTW:
I think I’m finding light hearted romances less annoying as I age
Laura Ruth wrote: "Hello everyone! It's been an eventful week. Our neighbor's tuxedo cat has been a frequent visitor to play with our cats and snack. Long story short, she had 6 kittens in our house, and they're now ..."OMG - that's hilarious! A new definition of fostering -- and I do hope the neighbor is taking on the responsibility as soon as the new family can be moved.
The weather is finally cooling down, though not as much as I would like. But it no longer feels like summer, so that's something.One week in, and I'm already behind on my MKAL, most because one of the balls of yarn had an accident, and I've had to waste knitting time untangling and rewinding it (still not done OTL). Fortunately I have a long weekend, so I'll try and get caught up.
Finished:
Creature Clinic - A fun twist on 'world of monster' narratives.
Automatic Noodle - I liked this, but not as much as I thought I would.
Medusa - Mostly I enjoyed this, though certain things got to be a bit much. But considering the target audience, it makes sense.
Hunger's Bite - A good read for the season! The author included character playlists in the back, and page commentary on his website. I didn't realize it until after I'd finished, but I used to read his webcomic back in the day.
Monster Locker - Not really my cup of tea, but I liked the Hispanic heritage elements.
Currently reading:
Awakened
Northwind
Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon
Explainers: The Complete Village Voice Strips, 1956-1966
QOTW: I've developed an appreciation of memoirs over the years, mostly due to graphic memoirs.
Happy Thursday! Finished:
A Steeping of Blood by Hafsah Faizal - 3 stars - not for a prompt. Another sequel where I probably should have reread the previous book. It wasn't bad; it wraps everything up, but it's a lot darker and I just wanted more heisting. I did enjoy the mix of vampires and gaslamp fantasy, though.
Comics & manga:
Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 31
Tamon's B-Side, Vol. 8
Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 44
Flip by Ngozi Ukazu
I am currently at 45/50 for Popsugar (37/40 and 8/10). So close!
Currently reading:
A Philosophy of Thieves by Fran Wilde - not currently for a prompt. Enjoying this a lot so far; it's a sort of sci-fi, dystopian story where rich people hire thieves as entertainment.
Upcoming/Planned:
Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie - for a classic you've never read.
Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz - not currently for a prompt.
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine - for two books with the same title.
Emma by Jane Austen - for a book by the oldest author in your TBR pile.
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest - for a book you have always avoided reading. This is the book that's been on my TBR the longest, so I figure it's the one I've been "avoiding" the longest.
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley - for a book that reminds you of your childhood. This was the first book I remember getting from a Scholastic Book Sale, the first fantasy book I remember reading, and became my comfort read as a kid.
QOTW:
I do like more horror than I ever expected. I used to never touch nonfiction either, if I could help it, but I've been reading more lately.
Meant to get frost here too. I'm heading to a local pop culture/anime con for the weekend. Looking forward to that. Reading was minimal this weekColin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World by Mark Waddell (PS 18. A book containing magical creatures that aren't dragons ) This one isn't going to be for everyone (just came out 2 days ago. I missed the deadline with the arc because. well i have too man) If you're a Buffyverse fan, this is like following Lindsey of Wolfram and Hart getting promoted. It's dark. Colin is not a good person but it was fun
Ash's Cabin by Jen Wang yeah no. I did not get what I'm meant to. Ash, a non-binary young person, asked permission to go to their grandfather's ranch one last time before their uncle sells it and then disappears to find Grandpa's cabin to live in the woods forever. But the problem for me was the family is trying to adjust to their new name and sexual identity and no one is bullying them so what is Ash hiding from? It's never clear WHY they want to do this so all I saw was someone worrying a loving family by running away.
Fall Through: A Graphic Novel by Nate Powell and here's the second graphic novel this week that was just not for me. A punk rock group whose lyrics cause them to shift thru the multiverse sounded fun. I found it to be pretentious and confusing.
QOTW
Honestly...not so much. I have loved mystery, Sci-fi, horror and fantasy since I can remember. Mom started me on mysteries and she loved SF too (didn't read it though) about the best I can say to this question is I can now tolerate some romances (but only if it doesn't have an alpha male and women who give up everything for luv...shudders) and a few memoirs.
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My new mattress arrived on Monday and now all I want to do is snuggle in and read. My body apparently also thinks I need to sleep more, now that I've got a comfortable sleeping surface, so I've been doing a bit more of that as well, lol.
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Popsugar Challenge Completion: 14/26, 54%
📖=book 💻=ebook 🎧=audiobook 🌠=rating
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📖 🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠Popsugar Challenge 3: Space Tourism.
I finished reading The Butcher's Masquerade by Matt Dinniman for Popsugar Challenge 3: Space Tourism. I really enjoyed how it was still able to carry some humour throughout, but also presented things in a continuously dark and even sad nature. It really starts to hit with it's anti-capitalist, anti-colonial messages. I do love that the main characters are starting to find ways to strike back not only within the dungeon, but also out in the rest of the "civilized space system" and corporations. Things feel like they're going to be really heating up in the next volume. I'm excited to read the next book, however, since they're such thick volumes, I've decided to focus on some of my other TBR's, particularly the spoopy ones for the month of October.
📖 🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠Popsugar Challenge Advanced Medium 3: A Book of Interconnected Short Stories.
Switching gears for spoopy month, I read FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven for Popsugar Challenge Advanced Medium 3: A Book of Interconnected Short Stories. It was a far cry from what I was expecting and I was a bit trepidatious about its interview style format. It turned out to be a very interesting mode of storytelling, with many different characters' points of view, some of which directly contradicted each other. It was a great opportunity to experience the Unreliable Narrator popping up between one person's accounts vs the next. As such, there's a lot of mystery still as to how and why certain events occurred with many questions left unanswered. I feel like I want a version of this story that fills the blanks, although my own imagination is more than up to the task, even knowing that my interpretation of something could still be completely different from another readers' point of view. The more I think about it, the more fascinated I am.
📖Popsugar Challenge Advanced Medium 1: A book with a left-handed character.
Today I started reading Starter Villain by John Scalzi for Popsugar Challenge Advanced Medium 1: A book with a left-handed character. I'm not very far in, but so far it's been a pleasant read. I appreciate the good cat representation so far, along with the main character's interactions with them. They're presented as an actual, important part of his life, rather than just part of the environment's backdrop. I'm also enjoying the conversation style. It's fairly laid back with plenty of room for clever quips and various types of characterizations.
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Happy Thursday! 2025 Reading Challenges:
52 Book Club: 47/52 (Connections Challenge: 15/21, October Mini-Challenge: 0/3)
ATY: 44/52 (ATY Anniversary Challenge: 8/10, ATY Fall Challenge: 32/36)
The Book Girls’ Guide: 58/74
Booklist Queen: 47/52
Popsugar: 48/50
Goodreads Fall Challenge (Bookmarks): 6/12 - I'm irritated that some of the bookmarks that have already been announced can't be acquired until October 15th.
My Ever-Growing TBR: 119/316 – 37.7% (My goal is 33.3%.)
Recently Completed:
🐈⬛ Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free ★★★★★
🐈⬛ The Academy (Goodreads “Community Picks” Bookmark) ★★★
🐈⬛ The People We Keep (BGG Decades #10 – set in the 1990s/Popsugar #40 – about chosen family/Goodreads “Heart Warmers” Bookmark) ★★★★
🐈⬛ Solito: Read with Jenna. (BGG ICYMI Backlist #10 – published in 2022/Goodreads “Hispanic Heritage” Bookmark) ★★★★
🐈⬛ Bewitched by Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Halloween Tale ★★★★
🐈⬛ Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend (ATY Fall #15 – author’s initials in GHOST STORIES) ★★★★
🐈⬛ Booked on a Feeling, A Sweet Mess #3 (52 Books Connections #15 – recommended based on review of previous book) ★★★
🐈⬛ My Roommate Is a Vampire ★★★
🐈⬛ Midnight at the Blackbird Café ★★★
🐈⬛ Hello Beautiful (ATY #9 – longlisted for Tournament of Books/BGG Read Around the USA #10 – Upper Midwest) ★★★★
🐈⬛ The Girls Who Grew Big ★★★★
QOTW: I feel like I've always read across genres, but memoirs are fairly new for me. I enjoy them much more than I expected.
Theresa wrote: "Laura Ruth wrote: "Hello everyone! It's been an eventful week. Our neighbor's tuxedo cat has been a frequent visitor to play with our cats and snack. Long story short, she had 6 kittens in our hous..."LOL - I think it's going to be a joint custody situation. We've gotten very attached to the mama cat, and it's going to take our combined efforts to find forever homes for the kittens when they're old enough.
I gave up on Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil on around page 30. I usually give a book 100 pages, but I want to finish the challenge by the beginning of December and I'm falling a bit behind.I'm now reading The Red Queen as my second book of 2 with the same title.
QOTW: Hmm. I've always been a fairly eclectic reader. As far as fiction goes, I always say I'll read anything but smut or gore, and I don't see me changing my position on those 2 genres any time soon. As far as non-fiction goes I'm more focused, pretty much only reading biographies, geographies or general history. (I'll also ocasionally read some science/nature and religion books). But, in the past, I've tended to shy away from autobiographies or memoirs. I've read some for the challenge in the last few years, and while I'd still prefer a biography, they have grown on me a bit.
Nadine in NY wrote: "When I was a teen I used to read Stephen King, because that's what every teen read in the 70s & 80s, and then I got tired of it, it was too ... too something. Too sexist? ridiculous? boobilicious? in your face? idk. So I decided I didn't actually like horror. ..."Stephen King has always been extremely hit or miss with me. Some of his books I really really like. And some of them are just, what was he thinking? And it's funny because I recently noticed that I gave Under the Dome 5 stars and I remember the book and I was kind of like scratching my head as to why. But, i think it's because I watched the first season of the show, thought it was stupid, so figured I would just read the book as opposed to another season, and it benefited my comparison, LOL.
Happy Thursday! I can't believe how fast the year is gone and that we're already looking forward to the next list! I'll just be happy to finish this one. I'm so close!Finished 40/50
Revolutionary Girl Utena, Vol. 3: To Sprout (not for challenge): I mean, I can't help myself. I have to finish the series! I can read one volume in one sitting, so it's not like it's distracting me too much!
Currently Reading
That Hideous Strength for "book by oldest author on your TBR". I am SO CLOSE to finishing this. I'm hoping to finish it tonight.
The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it for "book featuring an activity on your bucket list". This is GREAT. I'm taking it a bit at a time because it really lends itself to daily readings.
QotW
Haha! Probably classical. I don't think it hit me until junior year of high school just how nerdy I was, but I did really get captured by classic lit, especially Russian classics. Otherwise, as an adult I find myself reading more autobiographies than I ever used to. I'm the type that gets really interested in people and the lives they live, so if there's a person who interests me who's written about their life, I find myself automatically interested, while before I tended to only read fiction books.
Oh, and don't get me started on religious works. The person I was 10 years ago wouldn't be caught dead reading what I'm reading now. Funny how things change! XD
Hi all. It's been a bit of a weird week. I've been having physical and emotional side effects from a medication change. Not horrible, but enough that I'd rather not be experiencing these things. Germs are going around, I could have subbed every day this week, and at multiple sites. I did sub one day, but then my car was in the shop for 2 days, and I didn't feel like going today (see above). If they ask me for tomorrow, I'm also going to have to decline because we have a Girl Scout event on Saturday and I won't be up to it if I spend tomorrow in a school.
We got a new fish tank set up this week. Just a couple of guppies and mollies, but they're pretty and I like it.
It's definitely turned cold here. I think we topped out at 50 today. The heat in my house has been kicking on all day. Ugh. I hate cold weather. I can deal with shorter days, snow, change of seasons, etc, but the cold is not my friend! (and yes, I'm aware that here in NY, they are a package deal and will come whether I want them or not...)
I've actually been doing quite a bit of reading this week. I finished 2 books. Both of them involved ghosts and people from the past. Very odd, as I would not normally go for the ghost/haunting plotline...
The Uninvited Guests for under 3 stars. I really liked this! The characters were despicable. The events were implausible, and I loved just about every minute of it!
The Winter Garden which I'm using for chronic pain, though she doesn't really exhibit it (but she *tells* us she can't function like she used to, and then goes galivanting across the English countryside). I usually really love dual timelines, but I have some gripes about this, especially the inclusion of a ghost... It wasn't bad, it just wasn't what I was expecting.
I've started several other books, but I haven't really made much progress in them. I've returned all the books that were due, and now all the books I have out have renewals, so I don't have a deadline forcing me to decide what to read. I feel both free and aimless!
QOTW: Not really. I'll give most anything a shot here and there.
This week has been busy and exhausting. I finished no books including the ones I'm supposed to discuss at book clubs this weekend.Currently reading and need to finish for the aforementioned book clubs:
Man's Search for Meaning
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
QOTW: Not really. I read a fairly wide variety of genres, both fiction and nonfiction. The few I avoid....I avoid because I don't really enjoy them much. This is mostly sci-fi/fantasy
Happy Thursday!We keep setting records for warmest days ever in October, until today. It was 3 this morning and I had to defrost ice off my windshield.
I finished no books this week, but I did manage to move most of them along. And it's a 4 day weekend, so I'll have more time to read and have more to show for it next Thursday.
I finally finished Wednesday. I loved the last episode. No spoilers. Thing has always been one of my favourite side characters and the finale warmed my cynical little heart.
The kids always want to watch horror movies all October. We watched Jaws, which was more thriller than scary.
eries - 7/10
Reading Across Canada - 8/10
Nobel laureates - 3/5
PS - 35/40
Regular ATY - 37/40
Anniversary ATY - 8/10
Summer Challenge - 5100/5000 - Completed!
Currently reading:
Interior Castle - 45%
Selected Poems of Gabriela Mistral - 60%
The Troop - 60%
Here's to Friends! - 90%
Kingdom of the Wicked - 25%
Buddy Reads:
Library of Souls - 20%
QOTW: I agree with Nadine about horror. I love Grady Hendrix who always puts so much humour in his books and interesting characters. (Sometimes Stephen King uses stock characters.) I was amazed that Mona Awad is considered horror as well.
I thought I hated SF, but some of the books I love (like Madeleine L'Engle) get put under there.
Joanna wrote: "QOTW: I've developed an appreciation of memoirs over the years, mostly due to graphic memoirs...."My introduction to graphic novels were 2 memoirs: Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic and the under appreciated beautiful The Best We Could Do. I've since read Marjane Satrapi - The Complete Persepolis and Embroideries. What other graphic memoirs do you recommend?
I too think my appreciation for memoirs increased after reading those graphic one's I have. I've got one about Nina Simone on my TBR - had hoped to buy it at a bookstore but no one seems to have it though I haven't asked for it to be ordered. Will try that before reverting to Amazon. Like supporting indie bookstores.
It's been a blur of a week for various reasons - bleh! I finished one book, which checked off another prompt. I'm at 17/40 and 1/10 for this challenge, and 57/85 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge. Finished
* Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which I used for "a highly anticipated read of 2025." It was a NetGalley backlist title, so I need to write up a review now.
Currently Reading:
* The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries edited by Michael Sims;
* All Fours by Miranda July;
* The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly: Life Wisdom from Someone Who Will (Probably) Die Before You by Margareta Magnusson, which I should finish this weekend;
* Joyride: A Memoir by Susan Orlean, which is my latest Giveaways win;
* Be Gay, Do Comics edited by Matt Bors, which is my Banned Books week pick; and,
* The Confidante: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Helped Win WWII and Shape Modern America written by Christopher C. Gorham and narrated by Ann Richardson. It's one of my book clubs' picks for October. I may switch over to the ebook version because I'm not crazy about the narration. I ended up speeding it up to 1.25, which has helped. I almost never do that but I have got to get this book read before my book club meets next weekend!
QotW:
Is there a genre you have discovered you enjoy but you always avoided in the past? I used to avoid romance novels due to preconceived notions about them, dismissing them as fluffy wastes of time that would rot my brain. Thanks to doing reading challenges the past several years, I discovered what I was missing out on and now greatly enjoy having romance novels in my rotation. I've found that I like reading a book that I know will have a happy ending, so I'm glad I didn't skip those romance-related prompts. As a fun coincidence, I visited Turn the Page Bookstore in Boonsboro, MD for the first time this weekend...which is owned by Nora Roberts! I picked up a signed copy of Winter Wonderland: Gabriel's Angel / A Will and a Way since I figured I had to get something she had written in the romance genre while I was there 😁
Happy Thursday, everyone! I'm continuing to prioritize Hispanic books and authors for Hispanic Heritage Month. I only read 2 books this past week, and they were both huge door-stoppers! One was far more enjoyable than the other, however.2025 Reading Challenges
Barnes & Noble- 50/52
Booklist Queen- 49/52
Buzzword- 9/12; Cover- 9/12
GR Bookmarks- 4/12
Finished
The Savage Detectives- picked this up for Hispanic Heritage month and because I needed to read a book with more than 627 pages for a September mini-challenge. Although I didn't finish it in September, I started it then, so I'm counting it, haha. The first section started off fast-paced, but the second section was long and meandering and after 500 pages of nothing, I was just waiting for the end. The third section picks up where the first section left off, and I was finally able to finish it! ☆☆☆
52 BC September Mini-Challenge #1- The BIGGEST book of 2025
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny- this audiobook came in for me on Libby shortly after it was published. Overall, I really enjoyed. It mixes literary fiction, with a love story, and magical realism superbly. Now I have 3 Booker shortlisted titles read, and 3 more to go. ☆☆☆☆
52 BC October Mini-Challenge #2- Trick or Treat? A sugary sweet character or a mischievous character?
Currently Reading
Jawbone
Elena Knows
QOTW
I tend to avoid fantasy. I just prefer my fiction grounded in the real world. However, there have been some Fantasy books that turned out to be pleasant surprises. When the Tides Held the Moon and The Wild Huntress were both highlights for me this year. I've also fared better with light fantasy-adjacent novels, like magical realism.
I haven't read much Horror either, but I'm trying to take advantage of the season to change that! Most of the horror books I read this year didn't scare me-- not that I'm complaining! -- so I'm trying to find something truly terrifying just to experience the genre properly.
Happy check-in! We got to celebrate my grandmother's 98 birthday last weekend with her favourite chocolate cake. Now for Thanksgiving weekend. Does anyone think there's a better store bought pumpkin pie than Cosco?Finished Reading:
Thief of Night ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (PS last sentence)
Duology ender for Holly Black's adult urban fantasy about a world where shadows can be sentient and controlled. I definitely enjoyed this more than the first book and I'm a little sad it's over.
Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer: The Lost Summers ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Two short stories one set during season five of the show where the gang goes to New Orleans for summer vacation, and the second following middle aged Buffy who is a watcher now.
Goth Parenting: The Dark Joys of Raising Baby Bats ⭐⭐⭐
Lots of cute puns in this comic.
Worth Fighting For ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mulan retelling set in modern day, where Mulan must assume her father's identity to partner with a whiskey company that's in financial trouble.
Mate ⭐⭐
Well Ali Hazelwood is always too funny not to read her books but I did hope for the main character to die quicker from her terminal illness.
Goblins in the Castle ⭐⭐⭐
A cute middle grade to cheer up from all the dark books that have come in from the library.
PS 47/50
ATY, Anniversary, Summer Completed
Goodreads 239/250 Bookmarks 4/12
QOTW:
Poetry. I hated it in school when you had to find the meaning line by line and weren't allowed to not like it.
I've realized that poetry that follows a rhythm like song lyrics are preferable.
Happy Thursday! Is anyone else having trouble getting notifications on this page? On my break I tried to mark this to receive notifications so I'd be reminded to post, but it kept saying there was an error, and it looks like it's not working on the desktop either...Another weird week at work. some restructuring, doesn't affect me directly but it makes everything feel unsettled.
Tomorrow, someone I volunteer with is putting on a pumpkin carving/scary movie night at an art house she works out, so a few friends are going. It's bring your own snacks and drinks, and I have some odd bottles of wine I've picked up at work that I can share, so it should be a nice start to the weekend!
Finished:
Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere- this was ok, I think I'd have liked it more if I knew the writer's stand up before
-cult prompt
The Graceview Patient- I did not like this. All atmosphere, no plot development, no character depth. Nothing happened until the last 15 pages
-no prompt
Bones of the Coast: Tales of Terror from the Pacific Northwest- I picked up this graphic novel of short horror stories off kickstarter years ago. The stories are too short to really get into, but lots of interesting ideas and art styles. I would check out the authors/artists' other work
-no prompt
Mate- I really liked this! It's Ali Hazelwood back in her werewolf world, so if you know what you're getting into, it's a fun time. My friend and I both got this from Libby right as it came out, and then read it right away. (view spoiler)
-no propmt
Currently reading:
Somebody Is Walking on Your Grave: My Cemetery Journeys- I'm listening to this and it's fine. I don't love the narrator, she makes everything seem vaguely ironic. I want to be listening to Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature, but it's not available on libby yet
Witchcraft- I got a preview of this book through netgalley (it was not marked as a preview, I find that very annoying), but was just able to get a copy through hoopla, so I can finish it and write a review
QotW
I used to never pick up short story collections, but over the last three years or so I've been reading them a lot more. And then for nonfiction I used to only pick up one or two a year, but I've started to really enjoy nonfiction audiobooks, so have been listening to many more in the 3 years or so
Life update: I've been feeling close to the end of my tether the last few days and am hoping that a good rest over the weekend will help. The basic problem is that I'm juggling entirely too many things for my ADHD brain - trying to complete work projects before I leave, getting house repairs organised, arranging for our pension, and more. I almost had a breakdown yesterday after my husband interrupted me during a high-focus work task to dump a lot of house-related info and requests on me, and then while we were still trying to sort that out, our current pension fund rang with a "courtesy call" where they wanted to go through the same things we discussed last time and which they also provided to us in writing already. It felt very infantilising and at the same time a little spammy. While I don't think I was outright rude to them, I definitely wasn't as courteous as I normally try to be with customer service people, either. After that I told my husband that I wasn't going to deal with paying the council for the building control application until today or Monday, because if I had tried to make another phone call yesterday, I'm pretty sure I would have had hysterics at the poor person on the other end. Fortunately, he understands these things and didn't try to push me.Reading update: I didn't have much luck with books this week, which didn't help with the mood either, now I think about it. I finished two:
Der Tränenpalast, which I really didn't like, but wanted to finish so that I could tick off a prompt on the German Challenge.
Motus for NetGalley, which I also didn't really like. It's a debut novel by an author who has won two awards for short stories, so perhaps his next one will be better as he gets used to the longer form.
I also DNF'd Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things because the sense of humour just wasn't for me.
Stats:
Disability Pride Challenge: 0 this week, 4/5 total
Readers of the Wild Moor: 0 this week, 24/30 total
Queer Reads Bracket Challenge: 0 this week, 4/6 total
Horror Subgenre Challenge: 0 this week, 8/11 total
The German Challenge: 1 this week, 2/10 total
Politics & Philosophy: 0 this week, 4/15 total
Anti-Capitalist Inspiration: 0 this week, 7/30 total
All books finished this year: 2 this week, 130 total
DNF or paused: 1 this week, 22 total
Challenges completed this year:
PopSugar, Pride Season, Star Trek Series, GR Community Favorites, GR Seasonal, GR Summer
Currently reading:
Ice - NetGalley. I'm getting back into this now and curious to see how it ends.
I'll Find You Where the Timeline Ends - NetGalley. So far this is just okay, but I'm not very far in yet.
The Mind of the Maker - Reading About Writing. This one is great.
Across the Green Grass Fields - next in the series
The Valmiki Ramayana Vol. 3 - spiritual reading
Journey to the West (Chinese Lore podcast) - Discord book club
QOTW: Horror was like this for me. I thought I didn't like it because I don't enjoy horror films, but it turns out horror novels are more varied and do include quite a lot that I like. I especially like the ones that are adjacent to another genre that I like, such as SF or historical fiction.
Ron posted: "The biggest one though is I've cut TV out. I don't have a lot of interest in shows anymore, nothing to keep me engaged long enough. At most I just watch an hour of something before bed, but that's about it, so taking out all that time for what would be tv, I end up using on books."I know that this is the biggest problem for me right now. I need to make the same decision that you made...but so far I haven't.
Mod
Hello,I finished 2 books this week:
by Laura van den Berg and
by Steven Galloway. I was able to use Cellist for prompt number 31: A book where music plays an integral part of the storyline. As always, I'm contuining with my Hooked on Books Challenges. They're having a 24 hour read a thon on the 31st which I will be participating.Question of the Week
Is there a genre you have discovered you enjoy but you always avoided in the past?
I have not found this. When I was younger I loved the romance genre. I avoid this genre now (maybe because of the unrealistic nature of genre, LOL).
Happy Friday! Love the chilly weather. Much preferable to the 80 degrees we had earlier this week.I went into the office yesterday for the first time in many weeks. We are required to get flu shots because I work for a hospital, even though I work 95% from home, and the other 5% go into an office that's nowhere near a patient facility. I got my flu shot on site, as well as Covid and RSV. My husband's immune system is suppressed, so I felt like I should get all the shots, The flu arm was not sore at all, but the Covid and RSV arm was definitely a little sore during the night. Not as bad as the Shingles vaccine last year though, that one was so painful I had a hard time sleeping.
6 of us played ping pong after work, an event that my manager set up. If you want people to come into the office these days, you have to entice them. It was a lot of fun, except for the part where we had to walk through Times Square to get there. I hate Times Square so much, and had not stepped foot in that vicinity in years. There was one block where the sidewalk was really narrowed due to something set up in the middle. Yuck, no fun at all. The arm soreness did not set in until later, so I was able to play without issue. Except for the issue where I am terrible at sports.
Finished:
What Kind of Paradise
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Currently reading:
Katabasis
I Regret Almost Everything
QOTW:
I never used to pay attention to what kind of book I was reading. If it sounded good, I read it. I do read more widely now, but that's mostly due to increased variety of genres and quality books within those genres that are available. I have yet to be convinced on self-help, though.
Mod
We've been doing a Spooktember/Spooktober movie theme too! We've cut back on TV time so we haven't seen much yet. All September we've been watching the kdrama Strangers From Hell, and I expect we can finish that tomorrow. Tonight we are watching the original Blair Witch. Next Friday we've got The Substance on deck, although there's been some discussion about whether that might be TOO disturbing.
Mod
I'm reading that right now!! (Literally "right now" - I'm taking a break from reading to come check GR.) What did you think of it?
I'm 30% done with it and so far it's been just "she dated this guy and then dated this guy and then dated this other guy and her bestie dated this guy and this guy and this guy" and holy cow is it about anything else??? Adichie is a great writer, so it's flowing right along, but I'm also bored out of my mind.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (other topics)What Kind of Paradise (other topics)
Katabasis (other topics)
I Regret Almost Everything (other topics)
State of Paradise (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Laura van den Berg (other topics)Steven Galloway (other topics)
Nora Roberts (other topics)
Susan Orlean (other topics)
Matt Bors (other topics)
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The leaves are starting to fall fast enough that you can just sit out in the backyard and watch them (and hear them hit the ground, too, it's a constantly gentle rustle). My raspberries are still going, but they are slowing down. There was a frost warning for last night, so that might be the end of the raspberries, I haven't gone outside yet to check on them. I threw a sheet over my basil, and pulled it off this morning and I didn't feel any frost.
It's that time of year when we need to find space for all the houseplants indoors again!
***** Admin stuff *****
The October group read, which could fill "A book containing magical creatures that aren't dragons" is: The Fellowship of the Ring. You can join the discussion here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
The November group read (which could fill "book about a food truck") will be A Psalm for the Wild-Built. That's a popular author in our group - let us know if you would like to lead the discussion!!
The December group read, which could fill Prompt #25, A book where the main character is an immigrant or refugee, will be: Everything I Never Told You. Let us know if you'd like to lead this discussion.
That's a wrap for our monthly group polls for 2025!!
On Oct 1st, Taylor teased us on Facebook about early reveals of the 2026 list, and it's been silence since then. She definitely succeeded in getting me (and probably a lot of other people) to check the PS FB group every day!!
This week I finished 3 books
The Five Wolves written & drawn by Peter McCarty - this graphic novel was from NetGalley, it publishes next week, and I absolutely LOVED it. I'm a long-time fan of McCarty's art in picture books, and I was thrilled to see an all-ages graphic novel from him, it's an ambiguous and ridiculous story that is more about the journey and not so much about the destination. (And it took him 30 years to finish it!!)
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir- this was on my list of books I must read in 2025, and I guess I'm glad I read it, but I doubt I'll continue the series, because reviews indicate that the next two books are even more confusing than this one was! This book took me over a month to listen to! I checked off "SFF novel written by a woman" in AtY with this book.
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker - this was NOT what I expected! It was a lot more terrifying and gory than I thought it would be. This was not just psychological horror, this was real horror, with both ghosts (who can eat people) and serial killers. All that said, I also thought it was very good, although I'm still feeling a bit shell-shocked by it. TW: most of the characters die. This book got me the "spine tingler" bookmark in the GR Fall Challenge.
I LOVE the cover but honestly I have no idea what it is I'm looking at. Is that a bat and some sort of flowering vine? Is that a real plant or just an artist's recreation of a vaguely plant-like thing? I tried googling to learn more about the art and I learned that the British cover is a bottle of cleaning spray, so boring (and there was another cover by Elena Masci showing a beautiful Asian woman in cleaning gloves holding a bat (which I think COMPLETELY misrepresents the book - Cora spends most of the book thinking about how NOT beautiful she is, and she's definitely not gazing prettily while holding a damned bat); the publishers decided not to use that one because it was too YA-coded). For once the US has the superior cover!! After much googling I finally found the designer's name for the gorgeous cover: Tara Scarcello. But even knowing her name, I was not able to find more information. Book covers are such amazing works of art, why is it so hard to find info on the artists?? (In fairness: the designer's name IS on the back leaf of the book's dust jacket, but my library put tape on the protective cover RIGHT where the name was, and it's in the tiniest print, my old eyes could not make it out through the tape.)
Popsugar 100% 50 /50
Must Reads 70% 7 /10
AtY 92% 48 /52
AtY bonus 100% 10 /10
2025 pub 100% 50 /50
NetGalley ratio 97 %
Question of the Week
Is there a genre you have discovered you enjoy but you always avoided in the past?
When I was a teen I used to read Stephen King, because that's what every teen read in the 70s & 80s, and then I got tired of it, it was too ... too something. Too sexist? ridiculous? boobilicious? in your face? idk. So I decided I didn't actually like horror.
Years go by. A few years back, I started noticing that A LOT of my favorite books were showing up on "horror" lists. What was going on??? I actually LIKE horror now?
As best as I can tell, the genre has changed and expanded. It went from over-the-top slashers and monsters, to some really thought-provoking and mind-twisting stuff that talks about our modern social issues and is not necessarily (although sometimes can be) terrifying or gory.