Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Happy Check-in Day!

It’s nearly the middle of March, and we are about 20% done with this year’s challenge. Woo hoo! Have you knocked out some prompts already that you are relieved to have behind you? Are there any that you are intentionally saving for later in the year (even if you are dying to start the book)? I am glad to have my book based on a life span done (that was a whopper), and I am holding off on my mythological creature book (The Last Unicorn) though I can’t wait to read it!

I have just about decided to give up on winter ever materializing here. It is going to be 70F (21C) today. Then I check the forecast for the weekend…lo, and behold there’s a chance of snow on Saturday night. Which means? No bananas in the grocery store again. Non-Americans…do you find that certain foods disappear when there is bad weather on the way? In many US cities (especially here in the south) even a hint of snowflakes means milk, bread and eggs are all gone (french toast anyone?). And in my local city? Bananas.

For those who may have missed the announcement, the winning selection for April's group read is We Were Liars.

On to weekly status!

Completions:
It’s been a rough few weeks with little progress on my reads. I finished a reread of The Secret Garden this week. It’s one of my favorite books (and one of the few I read every year or two). It’s the perfect book for spring. I don’t plan to use it for a prompt since it’s a reread, but I will reevaluate later in the year if I’m desperate to fill a prompt :)

Currently reading:
I was fortunate enough to win a copy of The Alice Network from a Goodreads giveaway. The book will be released in the US in June. It’s a great read so far, and it could fill quite a few prompts: book published in 2017, espionage thriller (that’s where I currently have it slated), book set during wartime, book set in two time periods.

Still working on The Count of Monte Cristo and The Arabian Nights.

That puts me at 12/40 and 4/12 (16/52).

Question of the week: Have you ever found something strange tucked inside a book – library book or one of your own? Or have you ever left something unusual inside one of your books?? **Edited to add - or in a used book you've purchased, a book you borrowed, etc**

Check out this interesting article where librarians give their most unusual findings: Ask a Librarian: What’s the Strangest Thing You’ve Found in a Library Book

I can't compete with that list (and I would seriously contemplate tossing a book that I found pickles, bologna or shrimp in - yuck). But I did recently find a airline ticket stub from one of my dad's many business trips during my childhood (it was probably in a book I borrowed from him). I still use it as a bookmark (like father, like daughter).

I found myself doing some serious rearranging this week. Also my natural promiscuity is emerging - if you count listening to Thomas and the Bible, I'm up to 6 currently reading!

Currently reading
Bloodchild and Other Stories
Summer of Night
Pulp Sonnets!
Good Charts: The HBR Guide to Making Smarter, More Persuasive Data Visualizations
Reaper Man (couldn't resist after finishing Guards! Guards!)
King James Bible

QOTW: That article looks interesting, and yes, tickets make great bookmarks!

I'm a bit of a germophobe, so the occasional food stains and crumbs I've found in library books have put me off - but I can't say I've found anything particularly strange.

I finished up Trust Me, I'm Lying and read the short novella to it Down to the Liar. I'm using this for espionage thriller. I want to finish the series with Trust Me, I'm Trouble before moving on to any other books.

I have my published in 2017 book next with My Not So Perfect Life - very excited to read that one.

My progress is slowing down too with it being busy at work (blah) and wedding planning (yay!) that I'm just too tired at night to pick anything up. But that's ok because summer is right around the corner and that means pool days with reading and I'll pick up my pace then.

QOTW I, too, found an airline ticket in my copy of The Notebook. I remember buying it a an outdoor flea market. Other than that its usually just people's library receipts.

Hello fellow readers!

This week I finished two books. The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly and The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh. Both 4 stars.

The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate is the second in the series (not sure if there will be more?) and I found it just as cute as the first one. It's a middle-grade book so it's an easy light read.

The Hungry Tide was my first time reading Ghosh. I loved it. I think I will read more by him soon. I had the coolest reading experience with this one. I am an Uber driver, and yesterday I picked up a guy who is from India (the book is set in India). I told him that I was reading it and he then proceeded to give me SO much background information on India and the religious and political leanings there. It was so interesting and really added to my reading experience for this book!

QOTW: I have never found anything of significance in any book, unfortunately. I think it would be fun!

This week I finished one book.

I read the The Iron Duke for the steampunk novel prompt. The steampunk elements were interesting but the romance was not my cup of tea at all.

QOTW- I have an unappetizing answer. I once found a hair inside a used copy of Madame Bovary that I purchased from Amazon. Unfortunately, it didn't look like the kind of hair that grows on your head. I could have dealt with that okay, but as it was, the book ended up in the trash. Yuck.

I finished four this week but it was overall a very meh reading week.

The bad:
Firstlife by Gena Showalter. I enjoyed her other YA series (The White Rabbit Chronicles), they were fun reads. This one was kind of a mess. It was about 2 warring factions in the afterlife but the worldbuilding was lacking and we never found out why they were fighting and it was not a very good read. But it did tick off the first of a series category.

and

I also read Allegiance of Honor by Nalini Singh. I really enjoy this series but this one felt like outtakes from all the other books. Plus, it doesn't check off any category

The good:

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly. I will say that I enjoyed the movie more mainly because the book seemed to jump around too much for me. I did love learning the little things like about Miriam Mann. I've already ticked off the interesting woman category but I think I'll use it for written by a POC category.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. My sophomores finished this up this week. I reread all the books I teach in class each year. TKAM is my favorite and it fits the childhood favorite category. I've probably re-read TKAM and The Outsiders more than any other book.

and

Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas. Loved it. If you aren't a romance reader, I would recommend almost anything by Kleypas for the genre you don't normally read category.

Currently reading: Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley. And I'm enjoying this one so far, so maybe it'll be a better reading week this week.

QOTW: I've never really found anything super interesting in books. I will use whatever's at hand as a bookmark - well, not food but pretty much anything else that flat.

In Denmark the weather rarely get that bad, that groceries become a problem - I can't remember it ever happened... A workers strike, perhaps, but not the weather :-)

This week I finished following:
The Subtle Knife
The Briefcase
A Town Like Alice

So now I am at 24/52

QOTW: Only ever found shopping lists, receipts and things like that. But I will keep looking :-D

My first time deciding to check in. (:

After finishing Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy early this (which I really didn't enjoy but was determined to finish) I've been sticking to some quick, easy reads.

The Girl on the Train, which I liked but found a little too predictable for a mystery.

Cinder and Scarlet. I intend to finish the rest of the series even though I've already filled my season prompt.
They do serve as part of a challenge I decided to set for myself of reading more "newer" YA series. It's a genre I really enjoy, but I find myself being far too choosy about actually picking any of them up, unless they're being made into movies.

I'm looking forward to the April group read. I actually had plenty of possibles for the Unrealiable Narrator prompt but some rearranging made room for the group pick.

QOTW: I've never found anything weird in a book, but I did find an actual bookmark in a school library book ages ago. I still have and use it.

I managed to get two books finished this week, which is an improvement to the previous two weeks. Still going slowing through the Flannery O'Connor stories, but even that is progressing.

Completed:
Born a Crime (a book by an author from a country you've never visited)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two (a bestseller from a genre you don't normally read)

In progress:
The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor (a book that's been on your TBR list for way too long) - 30% finished
Code Name Verity (a novel set during wartime) - just started

On deck:
Beezus and Ramona (a book you loved as a child)

18/40 and still considering doing the Advanced Challenge

QotW:
I've found a bookmark or two. But I get most excited when I find marginalia or passages that are underlined. I hope not to find them in library books because writing in library books is a definite no-no, but I don't mind it in used books. When I bought books in university, I sought out the used books with marginalia over brand new books.

Hi everyone! I'm in the same boat as Sara: it's been sooo nice here lately (which I love and hate at the same time - I love winter!), but this weekend we're supposed to get two inches of snow. My sinuses and allergies have been off the wall.

This week I finished Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend for "book from a nonhuman perspective". It wasn't bad, it ended up being a 3 to 4 star read for me. It probably won't leave a lasting impression on me, though.

I also just started The Pianist: The Extraordinary Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939–45. It could fit with "book set during wartime", but I have many other books slotted for that prompt. Besides, I'm pretty ahead of my reading goal, so I might just read this one for fun.

That puts me at 12/52, I believe!

QOTW: I think the only thing I've ever actually found in a book was a racecar magnetic bookmark, which was pretty cool!

Not a lot of reading done the last couple of weeks. Only completion I have is Son of the Black Sword, which I listened to as an audiobook. I'm counting it as my "a book with a family member in the title). So I'm at 10/52.

Still working on As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto: Food, Friendship, and the Making of a Masterpiece and Tesla: Man Out of Time, and I'm about to start Hidden Figures for the group read.

QOTW - The only odd thing I've found in books is old greeting cards. People seem to like using them as a book mark. Also, I accidentally lost a birthday check by using it as a book mark once. The library called me when they found it, thankfully.

Hello everyone! I finished 4 books this week.

For Popsugar, I finished No Fond Return of Love for the "book by an author from a country you've never visited" (England) prompt. This brings me to 12/40 for this challenge.

For Around the Year, I finished But What If We're Wrong? Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past for the "book from the 2016 GoodReads Choice Awards" prompt and Oreo for the "book by a person of color" prompt. I loved the first and decidedly did not love the latter; I'm not a fan of satire. I probably would have DNF'd it if I hadn't been reading it for a work assignment. Now at 13/52 for this challenge.

For Modern Mrs. Darcy, I finished One Night Only: Conversations with the NHL's One-Game Wonders for the "book about a topic or subject you already love" prompt. If you like hockey, you'll probably like this book! Now at 3/12 for this challenge.

Currently Reading: I'm about 70% done with the audiobook of Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race and about a third of the way through Why Won't You Apologize?: Healing Big Betrayals and Everyday Hurts. I'm liking both! I'm on a nonfiction kick right now, so I'm trying to shift around my TBR to take advantage of it while it lasts :)

I only finished one book this week - Everfair. I highly recommend it. It's a steampunk set in the Belgian Congo and if you like diversity in your reading, this one has tons. It would also fit a book that takes place during war and potentially featuring disabled characters.

I'm currently about two hours from finishing The Fifth Season, a third of the way into The Strangler Vine and half through Step Aside, Pops: A Hark! A Vagrant Collection. The girls have both been sleeping badly, which means so have I. And when I'm very tired I tend more to random interneting and podcasts, since they don't require sustained concentration.

QOTW: I spent ten years living in South Korea and travelling regularly in Asia, so I shopped a lot of used bookstores and picked up free books from guest houses. So I've come across bus, train and plane tickets, receipts in languages and alphabets I don't know, postcards and event ticket stubs, even some photos.

The funniest thing I left in a book and rediscovered in money. For about five years I lived in Korean neighbourhoods in Seoul and during the week I'd spend almost no money. Korean restaurants are super cheap and so I'd go Monday to Friday on about $20. Then on the weekend, between eating and drinking in the foreign neighbourhood, taxis, museums and events or trips away, I'd spend $200-300. But since in Korea pay cheques are monthly, every so often there would be a fifth weekend on a pay cheque. All my extra pay I sent home to pay off student loans and so in order to not be caught short and have a boring weekend stuck at home, I'd hide stashes of cash around the house.

But one year the Korean currency was redesigned. About three years later I found $400 of old money stuck in a book. By then I'd moved into the foreign neighbourhood and my expenses had increased substantially, so it was an awesome find. I have no recollection of ever sticking that much cash into a book, but yay!

Chinook wrote: "About three years later I found $400 of old money stuck in a book. By then I'd moved into the foreign neighbourhood and my expenses had increased substantially, so it was an awesome find. I have no recollection of ever sticking that much cash into a book, but yay!"

That's a great find in a book! I've found $20 in an old purse before, but not in a book :)

Bonjour tous,

No book for the challenge to report this week. I manage to finish the second half of Fool's Quest. They often separate a book in two when they translate it and I hate to wait months to continue to the next chapters. That's why I am reading more in English these days.

I am now reading A Closed and Common Orbit and I don't know if it will fit any prompt. I liked so much the first book. I forgot my book at home today so no reading for me during lunch-time... :(

To answer your question Sara, I'm waiting to read Death's End. I LOVE this serie and don't want it to end. It will fit more than one prompt.

QOTW: Once, an acquaintance come to me with a picture asking me if it was my kids on it. Indeed that was one of my family picture. She was volunteering at our kids library and found it in a book. My son and I use photo for bookmark.

Good morning everyone! (Or good afternoon... or night)

I finished a few short reads this week.

Humans of New York: Stories for "a book with pictures". Loved this as I knew I would. I cried, I laughed, I wondered. Such a beautiful book, highly recommended.

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I have listened to parts of the Ted talk, but I picked this one up for International Women's Day yesterday. A really lovely quick read. I adored her take on feminism, and I might just buy a copy to highlight my favorite quotes.

Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists and Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide. If you're a Harry Potter fan you HAVE to pick these up. So much background information and J.K. even provides some of her own thoughts.

I have never noticed a lack of certain things due to weather in my city. I live a little north of Seattle - so maybe being near the water makes a difference?

QOTW: I don't recall finding anything particularly extraordinary in a book. I do however, LOVE finding notes from people who have given the book as a gift. Makes me wonder about who they were, when they gave it to them , etc.

I haven't been reading, so there is nothing to say about that.

Sara wrote: Non-Americans…do you find that certain foods disappear when there is bad weather on the way?"

No, don't remember it ever happening. Only if some factory is experiencing problems but that has nothing to do with weather, really. Maybe if some kind of warning is issued then people might buy water (we usually drink tap water) and some other stuff but that's about it. I don't even know what would constitute "bad weather". Extreme storms, maybe?

QOTW: I found a note to the next reader inside one library book, it had an email address, so a reader could answer it. I think it was about a year old, or maybe not that old. I thought about answering but then I think I just put it back and returned the book, can't remember. I think I have also left one magnetic bookmark on a library book because i can't find it anywhere... :-(

This week I finished China Dolls and it was really good. I liked the alternating points of view of the main characters; the historical setting was really well researched but it sometimes felt like details were thrown in or famous people were name-dropped just for emphasis. Plot and characters were excellent though.

I also made good progress on Les Mis - and hit a major milestone. I am done with volume 1! Only 900 pages to go....yay....

The only prompt I'm holding back on is the "becoming a movie this year"; I want to be sure the movie actually comes out and there will be more options later in the year.

I don't think I've ever come across anything interesting in a library book, but a bunch of books I've had on hold just came in so maybe I'll find something.

It's still winter here in central NY, but the crocuses are pushing up, spring is coming. It snows all the time here, it was snowing this morning, so no one panics when it snows, and groceries are not affected.

I finished six books this week, two of them for the Challenge. I am now 29/52.

Yes, I'm glad to have a few categories behind me! (Most notably: 800 pager and career advice. I'm pretty sure I've whined about those already!) I'm saving a few for later, because I'm a bit unsure about what I want to read and I'm looking at everyone else's choices for inspiration (or maybe I'll read something else that happens to fit the category - that has happened several times already, to my surprise).

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet - I had super high expectations for this, and I was disappointed.

Running by Cara Hoffman - I really loved Hoffman's style, and I'll be reading more from her.

The Graveyard Book Volume 1 - I had read this book and was curious about the graphic novel version; I had high expectations (it's Neil Gaiman after all!!) and they were not met. This just added pictures to the story, it didn't use the pictures to tell the story in a new way.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson - not a fan

and my two Challenge books:
A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute for "set during wartime" (tho only the first half is during the war). I saw the mini-series ages ago, and it was fun to finally read the book, but the frequent racial slurs were quite discomfiting.

Call for the Dead by John le Carré for "author who uses a pseudonym" - I'm glad I finally read a Smiley book! but my 21st century American brain was frequently confused by the lingo.

QOTW Almost all of my books are from the library, but the only thing I ever find is someone else's library receipt.

As far as prompts I'm glad to have behind me, I'm glad to have knocked out the audiobook, because I've always had difficulty with them. Even if the story and narrator are fantastic, I still frequently space out. And I guess you could say I'm glad to be done with the mythical creature prompt too, as I really struggled with finding a book I wanted to read for that. I went through an entire list of potential books, tried to read them, and just wasn't interested enough to finish any. Then I realized I had been reading Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series in January, and didn't realize at the time that the Greek mythical incarnations of time, fate, death, (Chronos, Lachesis, Clotho, Thanatos,) that the story revolves around could perhaps qualify for this prompt. So I decided to slot one of them in, mark it done, and move on.
I don't have any I'm saving for the end of the year - I'm mostly just going in order. However, while I might not have books I'm saving, I've had books I've absolutely had to read right away - I just had to jump out of order when Norse Mythology came out.

This week, I finished three books:
Norse Mythology, for a book based on mythology, and I absolutely loved it. It was my favorite read so far this year. For me, it was one of those "shirk other responsibilities until the book is finished" books. And I did. Fortunately it was over a non-busy weekend.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. This I used for the first book in a series you've never read. This was a super cute, quick read, and I also really liked it - looking forward to reading more in the series.

Twilight. OK, this one my wife picked for me. We're doing the challenge together, and decided that for certain prompts (book you've read before that never fails to make you smile, book you loved as a kid), we're going to swap and read each other's selections, to give us a chance to get to know what the other has really enjoyed reading. So, Twilight was my wife's "book you've read before that never fails to make you smile". There was a lot of teasing in the house this week because I'd always said I wouldn't read Twilight... something about the idea of sparkly vampires :)

After finishing those, I started The Raging Skillet: The True Life Story of Chef Rossi for the book about food prompt, which I'm currently reading.

Ah, things you've found in books. My wife likes to stash everything in books - it's become a joke in our house that you'll never know what you'll find inside a book when you pull it off the shelf. Cash we'd been hiding from ourselves, notes, receipts, old missing wedding cards, postcards, tickets stubs...
I've never found anything more than an ILL receipt in a library book though.

Julie wrote: "... We're doing the challenge together, and decided that for certain prompts (book you've read before that never fails to make you smile, book you loved as a kid), we're going to swap and read each other's selections..."

That is a very cute idea! And a neat way to get around the "re-read" if you're not a rereader!!

I've been pondering the prompts question and come to the conclusion that no, I'm not really glad to get any over with or saving any for later - part of this is that I'm doing the hallenge by the seat of my pants - I haven't planned out any books and the idea is to just read stuff and towards the end of the year fill in the remaining gaps. It's probably best that I finished the 800+ book already because I'm the type of person who leaves things off until really last minute and am optimistic I can finish but realistically I've got no chance.

So for this challenge, everything seems like a potentially interesting prompt and I feel confident I could fill each one with a great book. I'm less enthused about the Book Riot Read Harder challenge this year. I hate the micro press prompt and I think that finding a book about Denver that I'm super excited about may also be hard.

I have a few prompts I'm putting off just because I haven't found anything on my TBR pile that fits them, and I really want to read books I already have first. I'm hoping that as I read through my pile, I'll find some more that fit into the prompts (like non-Christmas holiday and set in a hotel).

I finished 4 books this week, including one for a PopSugar prompt, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (for #5). It had a big impact on me; it was certainly a powerful memoir. I just finished a book that I won last year and never got around to reading - Sisi: Empress on Her Own, which was really good. I wasn't putting it off for any reason, it just kept falling to the bottom of my TBR. I finally had the chance to bump it to the top because of some of the women challenges I took on for the month. It's historical fiction, but quite a bit of fact-based research went into it, and it's peaked my interest into learning more about that royal family and that period of history.

Right now I'm reading Elizabeth I: Legendary Queen Of England and Guide To The Horses Of The World.

QOTW: I have found receipts and tickets tucked into books. I don't think I've ever found anything especially odd. Usually I might use a scrap of paper, receipt, or brochure if I don't have a bookmark on hand, but if it's not my book I check it to make sure everything is out before I return it.

Here in California, any weather that is not clear skies and sun is considered a "storm", and if there is heavy rain or wind in the forecast--heavens forfend!--people start stocking up. So yeah, this winter the grocery stores were running out of things pretty frequently, what with us having actual legit storms.

This week was all just working on my Big Fat Russian Novel (In the First Circle by Solzhenitsyn) and getting started on All the Light We Cannot See. I'm loving In the First Circle, despite the fact that very little happens, but I'm struggling with All the Light We Cannot See. I find it a little precious and twee (maybe it's just suffering in comparison to the other one?), but I am determined to keep an open mind and give it a proper chance before judging.

I'm still at 9/52.

I haven't made much progress in recent weeks -- in fact, I'm going to have to return a library book without even opening it! -- but I did manage to knock off Maisie Dobbs, which I think I'm going to use for my audiobook.

I'm currently working on Victoria: The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire (interesting woman), Burial Rites (for the BookRiot challenge) and, yes, Bleak House.

But I'm staring at a two-week vacation, and a couple of long flights, so I'll be able to get some reading done!

QOTW: I often find train tickets or boarding passes tucked into books I get from the used-book shop. (I imagine I leave quite a few behind myself...) And a few years ago, I opened a book and found a really lovely note from a friend who had stayed at my place while I was away tucked into a book I had decided to reread. There are probably a few more, he said, in other books. :)

Beautiful spring-like day today in Nottingham.

This week I finished one book and started a few more. Guess I'm a serial starter. I finished The 19th Wife which I'm counting as a story within a story. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and liked it more and more as I read--in fact read the last 120 pages by light of my iphone torch so as not to bother the sleeping person in bed with me. Difficult to tell where the historical ended and the fiction began, but I loved it.

I've never found anything except the occassional receipt in a book. My daughter and I found that list very funny and a little disturbing.

Tytti wrote: "I don't even know what would constitute "bad weather". Extreme storms, maybe?"

The fear here is with snowstorms and being snowed in for a while. It's rare for us to get enough snow at one time to be stuck at home for more than a day or two, but people panic. To be fair, the southern US states don't have much equipment dedicated to snow removal so clearing streets takes time, AND we are notorious for being unable to drive in the snow. Oh, and we also tend to get a lot of ice which is even worse!

Week 10 - Currently at 19/40 or 21/52 (same as last week)

So, I have had a terribly unproductive week reading-wise. I have not finished anything that I was reading last week, and really haven't even made a lot of progress on them since then. I just fell into kind of a reading slump, I guess. Well, that, and my husband's schedule just changed from swing shift (3p-11p) to day shift (7a-3p), so he's home with me every night. Before his schedule changed, my son and I would spend time together every night, but when he went to bed, I would read for an hour or two (sometimes three) on my own before I went to bed. While I'm glad that we both get to spend more time with my husband and see him every evening, I'm definitely going to have to figure out a new way to work in my reading that doesn't feel like I'm just ignoring my family.

So, I'm still reading Stars Above by Marissa Meyer. The next novella in the book is the one about Winter & Jacin, which looks like the longest one, so I want to start that when I have time to read it straight through.

Also still reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, but am only about 15% of the way in.

I mentioned last week that I had stopped listening to Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly, but I did borrow the book from a friend, and started reading that earlier this week. However, I'm starting from the beginning, so I'm only on page 27, I think. Hopefully this coming week will be better for me.

QOTW: I am sure I have found crazy things in books before, but I can't remember anything more than a sticky note or someone else's bookmark.

This week I finished The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo for a book about an interesting woman. It was a slow start for me, but towards the end I really appreciated the stories. I really love books like this, where the author writes short essays about life. Big David Sedaris fan.

I'm now at 13/40 and 1/12.

I'm trying to start reading Uglies again, just so I can get this prompt out of the way. It's slow going.

QOTW: I used to be a librarian in a penitentiary. I've found shanks (inmates cut out the center of the book to hide contraband) and kites (notes about illegal activities). I never found any drugs or cell phones though. Those are very commonly found in library books in prison.

Christy wrote: "Here in California, any weather that is not clear skies and sun is considered a "storm", and if there is heavy rain or wind in the forecast--heavens forfend!--people start stocking up. So yeah, thi..."

This is so true. Californian here too. The rain we had here so far this winter have had people freaking out. Ha!

Hi all,

Hope you are having a super week!
Vancouver has been snowing again.....thanks goodness, we are back to rain today! Phew!

I am 14/40 in the challenge -- but still considering some of the advanced prompts as well (always a possibility).

Earlier this week, I finished my book with a red spine, Don't Look Down. It was fluffy and light.
I will also mention, parts of this book did not make sense! But you know, light chick lit, I guess I can't be too picky...

I had some fun with Dr. Seuss! I picked Fox in Socks for the book you've read before that never fails to make you smile. I have not read this book since I was a child!!!

And now I am working on, Born a Crime.
That's for a book where the main character is a different ethnicity than you. I seem to be on a memiors kick this year :)
Trevor Noah has done an excellent job on this book; I feel like he is directly telling me his life story. So far, it's been really good.

I am not sure about the advanced list. I am thinking of reading In Cold Blood for the book about a difficult topic (serial killers).

QOTW: You are going to LAUGH. I worked a large public library for many years, and for several years I was a book shelver (for at least about 3 years). We found many things in books. Most often, old bookmarks. But one day, we also found a maxi pad, not used, just still in the wrapper. That was a new one!!!

Greetings from Cleveland. It has been spring-like all week, but getting colder every day and will feel like winter this weekend. There was a crazy windstorm yesterday and lost power for about 8 hours. We were very lucky that the only damage we had was our grill falling over and getting a small dent.

I'm happy my 800+ page book is done because finishing The Count of Monte Cristo made me feel pretty accomplished! I'll also be glad when I can 100% check off the 2017 movie prompt; I picked Three to Kill based on a few lists, but it seems like it won't be coming out anytime soon; I'm afraid to pick something new unless it's already out.

This week I read A Conjuring of Light for a 2017 release. I almost never read YA, but I picked up A Darker Shade of Magic and A Gathering of Shadows for the Book Riot challenge and wanted to finish out the series. (And yes, I know the publisher considers this Adult, but it reads like YA.) It was a bit disappointing in terms of cop-out explanations, but overall I found it a satisfying conclusion. I'm only sad because I think with a better editor, the series could have easily been so much better!

QOTW: I don't know how "strange" it is, but I found an email from 2003 in the book I'm reading now complaining about issues with the inter-library loan system. The book has a lot of damage, so I thought it was funny this email had stayed in it for 14 years in pristine condition.

Sara wrote: "The fear here is with snowstorms and being snowed in for a while. It's rare for us to get enough snow at one time to be stuck at home for more than a day or two, but people panic."

We get snow but I have never heard of anyone being snowed in. (I think the army or something would come and help then, they have to be prepared to fight in any weather conditions, which they have also done, from below -40 degrees to probably over +30 degrees Celsius.) The biggest problem is if the electricity is cut for days in large areas because of a storm. Then again, here is a picture of our president on the first day after the elections: http://imgur.com/gallery/Zl1SQ (He also survived the tsunami of 2004 by climbing to a lamp post or something with his son.)

LOL at the thought of seeing Trump shovel snow!

Quick check-in. Nothing finished, but progress made:

Hidden Figures, almost finished. Maybe 75 pages of actual text left (not counting all the annotations, bibliography, etc. at the end)

Started Lab Girl for Disability prompt. Love it so far. I can relate to most of it being a scientist myself.

Started The Outsiders (audiobook) for Loved as a child. Maybe 10% in, but it's pretty short so hopefully can knock it out pretty quickly.

Holding steady at 11/52.

Christy wrote: "I'm struggling with All the Light We Cannot See..."

You aren't alone in that. For every person who loves it, there's someone who just couldn't get through it (I know quite of few of each). I fall in the second camp, and I read a TON of historical fiction set in that time period and location. Maybe someday I will give it another try.

I finished All the Light and I really did not like it. It doesn't change or become more gripping later in the book, so if you don't like the first part, no sense in continuing.

Ann wrote: "I picked Fox in Socks for the book you've read before that never fails to make you smile. I have not read this book since I was a child!!!

Be still my heart! I didn't read it aloud last week, but I did pick it up and flip through some of my favorite parts . The tweetle beetle battle at the end is my all-time favorite part :)


QOTW: You are going to LAUGH. I worked a large public library for many years, and for several years I was a book shelver (for at least about 3 years). We found many things in books. Most often, old bookmarks. But one day, we also found a maxi pad, not used, just still in the wrapper. That was a new one!!! "

Wow...just wow. Thank goodness it was still in the wrapper!

Tytti wrote: Then again, here is a picture of our president on the first day after the elections: http://imgur.com/gallery/Zl1SQ (He also survived the tsunami of 2004 by climbing to a lamp post or something with his son.)

This is an interesting article about a similar leader: https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-03-0...

Lindsay wrote: "I used to be a librarian in a penitentiary. I've found shanks (inmates cut out the center of the book to hide contraband) and kites (notes about illegal activities). I never found any drugs or cell phones though. Those are very commonly found in library books in prison."

That's really interesting. It brings to mind The Shawshank Redemption, of course :)

Sara wrote: That's really interesting. It brings to mind The Shawshank Redemption, of course :)

That movie is pretty on par with reality of where I worked. Closest I've ever seen to "actual prison" in a film. I had a lot of old "lifers." They love the library.

I haven't checked in in a few weeks because I hadn't made much progress but I finished two books this week. I finished Drums of Autumn to fulfill a book with a season in the title. The other book I finished was the audio version of Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick. I put this in for a book by a person I admire but is it bad that I don't admire her as much anymore after the book? It was a little mundane but she's funny so I'm glad I listened to it rather than read it.

QOTW: It's odd for me to answer this question right now because I'm about to get a little depressing so bear with me. My brother passed away a few months ago and last month I spent many hours at my parents' house going through his books, reorganizing and moving them. I found about fifteen books with bookmarks in them. It was interesting and a happy-sad feeling to see what he had used. There were train tickets from when he lived in England, a plane stub from coming to visit, a list of extensions for his co-workers, post-it notes, and money. And a couple of actual bookmarks. It was just a random little peek into his life.

Not making so much progress here, as I have a stack of challenge books partially started and no attention span for whatever reason.

For this challenge I'm 2/40, and 1/12 :-(

Finished : Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands (#4: an audiobook)
and
Cathedral of the Wild: An African Journey Home (#24: a book set in the wilderness)
I listened to both of these on audio actually. Enjoyed them both.

For the advanced challenge I finished The Elegance of the Hedgehog (#10 a book thats been mentioned in another book) I wasn't a fan .....at all.

Right now I'm about 1/3 of the way through Odd Thomas ( #39 the first book in a series you haven't read before) and I kind of want to DNF and choose something else. I've never DNF'd a book before though so......

For the advanced challenge I cracked open 11/22/63 (#8 a book thats more than 800 pages) and I'm looking forward to reading more of it.

QOTW: only thing I've ever found in books is old bookmarks, usually mine.

It has been a while since I've done one of these weekly check-ins. It is definitely good to be back.

So this week I finally finished the Lunar Chronicles, at least the four main books. The series had be so stressed out the entire time I was reading because I just had no idea how it was going to end. I definitely want to read Heartless as well as the graphic novels but for now I am moving on to other sections of the Reading Challenge. The final book Winter I originally had fulfilling the "Book with a Season in the Title" but depending what other books I find through out the year I may move it to the advanced prompt "book that is more than 800 pages". We shall see.

So I have started The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time which I am so excited to be reading. I saw the play last summer while I was in London and fell in love. I am already about half way through and so excited with how much I love the source material as well as how almost identical the script and book are. This book will fulfill "Book with a Red Spine". I definitely chose this for this week as it is an easier read and I am coming up on finals so school will have me super busy.

QOTW I almost exclusively buy used books and I hate to admit after volunteering at my local library all through middle school and much of high school I haven't actually checked anything out at a library in a while. I did find an unopened condom in a book at my university library once which was... a little weird. I haven't found anything super weird yet in the used books but I do always love looking at different inscriptions people write to people on the front page.

This week I read 3 books so I am now at 27/40 & 4/12

16. A book that's published in 2017 Norse Mythology Really liked this one. I also recognised most of the stories from childhood and generel interest in vikings and Norse mythology; being from Denmark and all. I had really looked forward to it and it was quite fun and well written. My first book by Neil Gaiman will not be my last.
13. A book by or about a person who has a disability Everything, Everything Did not like this one. Predictable and not very wellwritten. Extremely quick read.
22. A steampunk novel Lady of Devices Never read this genre before. Found it quite interesting. Will give it another go but with another author. Did not like this book either. It had the plot to become something really interesting but nope. Felt like the author couldnt make up its mind about what should happen so just smashed a lot of ideas together. To bad.

I have started reading:
15. A book with a subtitle The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America's First Serial Killer
49. A book you got from a used book sale Under the Tuscan Sun
50. A book that's been mentioned in another book The Mysteries of Udolpho
52. A book based on mythology The Song of Achilles

Dont know why I started so many since I have a really busy week coming up. But ill se how far ill get with them.

I tried to start with the 800+ page book but I gave up on it and the next one. So my plan to get that one out of the way backfired. (I complained about it for weeks here so will not say any more)

Hello folks! It's been a while since I've done a check-in, since it seems to take me a long time to finish the books I read. For now, I'm at 5/40.

I recently finished Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, for the book set in two different time periods. I was a little underwhelmed by it, to be honest. I thought the book had an interesting premise, but I never felt the emotional punch I think the author was going for. Still, it was an interesting look into the reality of the Japanese internment camps during WWII; I just thought the story was a bit lacking.

Before that, I finished A Complicated Kindness, for the book that's been on my TBR for too long. Again, I was disappointed. For all the hype and awards the book has won, I didn't really feel like anything happened in the story.

I've just started The Hobbit for my mythological creature book, and I have a couple of other books from the library that I hope to get to for other prompts.

As for the QOTW, I've never really found anything interesting in a library or used book. However, I kind of like the idea of leaving a kind note or inspiring quote in books I return to the library or donate to a used book sale. Not to be cheesy, but the world needs more positivity right now, and this could be my small way of contributing to that.

Nadine wrote: "LOL at the thought of seeing Trump shovel snow!"


hahahahahahaha

Hello there everyone from a surprisingly sunny spring day over here.

This week I've finished three books. Fist of all, Heartless. I can't think about this book without wanting to go into an annoyed rant, so consider this a free pass to skip this next bit. (view spoiler)[As much as I enjoyed the story I was hoping for a more original reason for the female villain's backstory than heart break. I know I should have been prepared from the title but it's just been done to death. Female villains need better back stories that do not involve men. (The closest I can think of is Elphaba in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West but even she gets crazy over Fiyero) (hide spoiler)] *Rant over*

That said, I've just bought the Disney villain's books by Serena Valentino in a World book day sale so finger's crossed I won't be having the same rant over again next week!

My second book of the week was The Christmasaurus which was a weird read because number one, it's March and number two, I am clearly not the target audience. I think 8-year-old me would have loved this book a lot more than adult me, but it was definitely cute and I would recommend it for anyone with kids. Plus I adore Tom Fletcher so this was my book by someone I admire.

My last read (just finished this morning actually) was The Rise of Nine, the third book in the series, which was a huge improvement on the second. There's a long waiting list for the fourth from my library so I hope it comes in stock soon so I can find out what happens.

QOTW: The weirdest thing I've ever found was in a copy of A Room with a View I bought from a second hand book shop. It's a random newspaper clipping taped into the inside cover. It's of no relevance to the book and it isn't even a whole article or photograph, just a snippet of each, so it's always been a bit of a mystery to me. The romantic in me wants to one day discover who put it there and why but I can not for the life of me figure it out. It's playing on my mind now so I might get it off the shelf and have another go at deciphering it.

Other than that I can only think of inscriptions, the best one being a copy of Watership Down actually signed by Richard Adams himself. It was from a charity shop and I had no idea it was there until I got it home and cracked it open to read.

Lindsay wrote: "This is an interesting article about a similar leader: https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-03-0..."

But I wouldn't call ours "humble", by our standards anyway, just a regular guy. We wouldn't like someone who isn't. I mean who else is going to shovel the snow from your own front yard? We don't have workers for that kind of thing. He does have to deal with Putin on a regular basis, so a bit of toughness is required. But he is known for joining an icehockey game on an outside rink with local juniors and allowing a couple of selfies to be taken with partying students on "Vappu" while walking his dog, the now world famous Lennu (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/t...). It was also funny when he called to a radio show about nature last year and introduced himself just by his first name. The radio people just kept speaking to him informally like he was anybody while they talked about flowers and collecting them for school as a kid, even though everyone recognized his voice. (The president is one of the few people who is still generally addressed formally in public.)

Sarah wrote: "Hello there everyone from a surprisingly sunny spring day over here.

This week I've finished three books. Fist of all, Heartless. I can't think about this book without wanting to ..."

I support your Heartless rant! I'm a little embarrassed to say that I didn't even think of it that way, I'm so used to it. But you are so right.