Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
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2017 Weekly checkins
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Week 11: 3/10 - 3/16
Yes, a very busy week here too. Big deadline at work but I'm hoping this weekend is a good reading one. I just want to sit on the couch and read. Does that make me sound lazy? eh, so be it! I finished Trust Me, I'm Trouble. I went in to this series thinking it was just a duo-logy but that ending was a cliffhanger. So now I have to do some research on it and see when the next book is coming out.
I started My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry - and by started I mean that I read one chapter!
11/40
QOTW I don't think I have any winter in to spring books. I just love reading contemporary books in the summer because they are so light and I can breeze through them!
Hi everyone! It seems everyone is having a busy week this week :( Unfortunately, I have too, and of course I want to read the most when I'm busiest.
I got around to finishing one book this week. I finished The Pianist: The Extraordinary Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939–45. I don't know if I'm going to use it for a prompt, because I already have a book slotted in for "book set during wartime". The author wrote his experiences with such detachment (in a good way) that I kept having to remind myself that this really happened to him and he wasn't just telling a story. It was amazing.
A coworker of mine loaned me The American Heiress. Again, I don't know if I'll use this one for a prompt. It doesn't seem to fit any. I'm not really sure if I'm liking it yet because the main character is so insufferable I can't stand it. I actually dislike all of the characters except one. However, I'm only one-fifth of the way in so I'll give it a chance.
QOTW: When it starts becoming spring-like, I tend to lean more towards contemporary books. I'm hoping I get to read Everything Leads to You because I've heard such good things about it!
Slow week by me too.Still, I finished two books for the challenge:
1)A Man Called Ove which would work as a title with a character's name, cat on the cover, written by an author from a country I've never visited (Sweden), an eccentric character. I really enjoyed the book, just haven't quite decided where to place it on my challenge list...
2) AWOL on the Appalachian Trail The book fits wilderness, audio, a book with pictures, and for me: A bestseller from a genre you don’t normally read. I mostly listened to it on audio while doing other things. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I'd read it rather than listened to it. It took me quite a long time to get through it.
I did also read and finish two arts and crafts books Making Beaded Jewelry: 11 Free Seed Bead Patterns and Projects and 17 Flower Craft Ideas: How to Make Paper Flowers, Easy Fabric Flowers and More both of which were quick reads and both of which have subtitles. I have not yet done any of the projects, but I've got a humongous bead supply, and was tempted by some of the bracelet patterns in the beading book.
I also started The Lives of Stella Bain in hard copy and The Midwife's Revolt on Kindle. Hope they'll be finished for the next report in.
As for the QOW: Nope, I don't read by the season. Just pick up what strikes my fancy as I go along.
Mod
This week I finished:
Euphoria by Lily King - I didn't read this for the Challenge intentionally, but it was set in the wilderness, so I checked off that category. I LOVED this book!
The Escape by Mary Balogh - this is a historical romance, fulfills the "character with a disability" category (the hero has been injured in the Napoleonic conflict and needs assistance to get around). It was good, but unexceptional.
Also read(but not for a challenge category):
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi - OMG you guys this book was sooooo good!!! All the stars!! (But I can't find a challenge category for it.)
March: Book Three by Congressman John Lewis - such a powerful graphic novel series, very moving, brought tears to my eyes!
Phoenix Without Ashes by Harlan Ellison - another graphic novel, I hesitate to even bother mentioning this one, because it was more like an idea for a story rather than an actual story. Not recommended.
QOTW I do sometimes take the time of year into account when choosing which book to read, but I don't really re-read often so there's not anything in particular that I feel driven to read for spring. Except picture books related to Ireland for St Patrick's Day! (But I don't think that's what you had in mind!)
The Last Snake in Ireland: A Story about St. Patrick
Fiona's Luck
O'Sullivan Stew
Brave Margaret: An Irish Adventure
Fair, Brown & Trembling: An Irish Cinderella Story
The Cow on the Roof
Fin M'Coul: The Giant of Knockmany Hill
Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato
Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka
and, of course
Tales from Old Ireland
Hello readers!This week I finished three books, but only two for the popsugar challenge.
The first book I finished, which I don't have slotted is The Pearl by John Steinbeck. It was my first Steinbeck since I read The Grapes of Wrath in high school. I couldn't find any prompts to put this in, so if anyone has any ideas please let me know!
The next book I flew through, even though it was 600 pages! I read it in a day! Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. It is mixed media, so it is really easy to read and get through. This book was outstanding! I'm not even a sci-fi reader but I couldn't put it down. Looking forward to reading the second in the trilogy (?) when I finally get it from the library wait list!
The last book I finished just this morning. It is James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. Loved this book! It was so cute and I enjoyed it so much. I can't believe I've never read any other of his books before!
QOTW: I don't really have any spring books. I'm not a mood reader really so the weather outside doesn't tend to change what I read when. I can read light and fluffy all year and same for dark!
I and my kids are on our way to Florida today! Getting out of the snow and cold for a couple weeks. I finished 2 books this week Hidden Figures for the group read which I was interested in (loved the movie) but didn't find very compelling. Also finished Alice I Have Been for a book that takes place over a character's life. It's a historical fiction about Alice Liddell (alice in wonderland) from her perspective from when she was a child including the fateful canoe ride where wonderland was born, to her later years. It was interesting but I highly recommend reading the author's note at the end as well as doing some outside research and reading about it.
QOTW
no specific books that I return to but I find I like to read fantasy in the winter and more chick lit easy reads in the summer. Think Sophie kinsella and Emily giffin
Hello all! I finished 4 books this week, one for each challenge I'm working on, but I think I am officially Taking A Break From Books for the next few days. For Popsugar, I finished the audiobook of Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race as our group read about an interesting woman. I really enjoyed this! Brings me to 13/40 for this challenge.
For Read Harder, I finished Black Powder War for my fantasy novel. Still loving the Temerarie series! Now at 9/24 for this challenge.
For Around the Year, I finished Why Won't You Apologize?: Healing Big Betrayals and Everyday Hurts. This was pretty meh for me. Now at 13/52 for this challenge.
For Modern Mrs. Darcy, I read The Bestseller Code: Anatomy of a Blockbuster Novel, which I LOVED and was fascinated by. If you're at all interested in what causes certain books to become mega-sellers, I'd highly recommend this! Brings me to 4/12 for this challenge.
I also DNF'd a romance novel, How to Deceive a Duke, which just wasn't quite right for me. If you like alpha heroes, though, this might be good for you.
I only finished one book this week.Me and Mr. Darcy - For my Book that always makes me smile. It's a quick read for me and I knew I could get through it in no time.
I've made progress with my book with multiple authors. Some of the short stories are better than other. Good ones I buzz through and not so great ones, take me a bit more time.
I also finished a number of chapters in Soldier Dogs. I'm hoping to have this one done this weekend.
No progress in It. It's such a large book, I really just need to spend a Sunday afternoon and get a good chunk read.
As for the QOTW, Secret Garden is actually on my reading list (I've actually never read it before)! Maybe that will be my book to distract me from It this weekend.
I'll update for my week shortly but just a quick question for Nikki: In which category did you put Illuminae?I just took it out from the library this morning.
Hi all, normally I don't check in until Friday. But I'm reading a longer/slower book right now so I doubt I'll finish by tomorrow. My week's been alright, finally easing in workload for the first time since I got back from vacation a few weeks ago.
This week I read:
We Were Liars for my unreliable narrator prompt. I picked it because it was a group read, even though I never follow the discussions. I just figured it was a hard prompt to find because you often don't know a narrator is unreliable until the end. It's kind of a spoiler to even really know from the getgo that they ARE unreliable, since most books that's a revelation. But oh well. It's finished, it was alright. I didn't love the narrator. I felt sympathy for her, but not empathy if that makes sense. She went through rough stuff, but the way she spoke and the story treated her just made me feel kind of irritable towards her.
Garden Spells which was mentioned in last week's thread a few times. I really liked it, but I'm not sure I can fit it into a prompt. It was a sweet story and a quick read, though, so I don't mind if it doesn't fit.
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly which I was counting for my book about food. (which is why garden spells won't really fit). I suppose it could also be a book with a subtitle, but I've got another book on hold at the library that's for a book club that I was already going to count for that. Honestly though, I like doing reading challenges but I don't like feeling like I can't read stuff that doesn't fit a prompt. So I just read what I feel like, and try to fit what I can.
I'm currently reading The Shining which will be my book set in a hotel. I've never actually seen the movie or read the book before. But it's so ingrained in pop culture, there's a weird sense of familiar-but-not-quite to it. It's a little bit slow going, I have trouble with Stephen King. It's going better than The Stand, at least.
I'm also currently listening to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe for the audiobook prompt. I can only listen to audiobooks while drawing or painting or doing cross stitch. I can't listen while doing nothing, or while working, or I'll either zone out or tune it out. So it'll probably take me a while to get through. I picked this one because Lin Manuel Miranda narrates it, and someone in another group said it was great. I like it so far.
think i'm at 19/52 overall.
QOTW: I don't think I have books I read in seasons. I just tend to read whatever I feel like, when I feel like it. I do re-read a lot, but it's on a whim, not because it's the right time of year for it.
It was a good reading week for me - I had some down time last weekend and managed to finish 6 books this week.I read Charlotte's Web as a book from a non-human perspective.
I also read Istanbul Express, which I think might be my espionage thriller. It's a novel about an intelligence agent assigned to Turkey in the wake of WWII.
Right now I'm reading Speeches and Letters of Abraham Lincoln for a book of letters and The Queen's Lady (for another challenge).
QOTW: I don't read books by season, rather just by mood. That being said, of the books on the spring list, The Secret Garden would be my go-to, I love that book. Anne of Green Gables is on my TBR, but I seem to have misplaced my copy so until I find it, that one is on hold.
I finished The Late George Apley for book with a name in the title. I never did shake the sense that things seemed familiar. But if I read it 30 years ago I understood a lot more of it now. And in a very real way it made it a different book for me because I was able to bring more life experience and just general increase of knowledge to bear on my reading.I started Wolf Willow by Wallace Stegner for a book set in the wilderness.
I am at 23/52
QOTW: No -season of the year doesn't affect my choice of books . Out of that list though, I have had Middlemarch on my TBR list for a while.
Fannie wrote: "I'll update for my week shortly but just a quick question for Nikki: In which category did you put Illuminae?I just took it out from the library this morning."
Hi Fannie! You're gonna love it! I slot books into multiple categories until I narrow one down near the end of the year. This one has a lot of prompts it can fit into!
A book with multiple authors
A book involving travel (space travel, but it counts!)
A book from a nonhuman perspective (has some parts with perspective from the artificial intelligence machine, AIDAN)
A book by an author from a country you've never visited (Australia)
A book with pictures (loosely!)
The first book in a series you haven't read before
A book about an immigrant or a refugee (space refugees!)
Let me know how you like it!
It's almost spring! I finished 4 this week, although only one for my Popsugar list.
The Gunslinger for the "Movie in 2017" prompt, although the movie will be called The Dark Tower. This series gets so much praise, but I did not enjoy the book. It was boring and confusing at the same time. And Roland was not a super interesting character to me. I think I like books with a whole cast of characters that interact and play off each other more.
The Price of Salt for the Read Harder "LGBT romance" prompt. It was good, but not quite what I was looking for. I think I have a hard time relating to books where midcentury gender norms are so prominent.
The Glass Castle which I believe will also become a movie this year. This was really good, but so hard to read. I read it over 2 days, and the whole time I was just angry at all the adults in the story for letting the kids be traumatized so unnecessarily.
And, the audiobook version of Still Life, the first in the Inspector Gamache series (but I already did that category). I've read one of the later books in this series and think she improves over time a bit. The mystery was decent and I liked the setting but the supporting characters were pretty one-dimensional.
QOTW: This is the first year where I've read much during the academic year, usually I only read during the summer and school vacations. So I don't know if I have a "spring reading" pattern!
I managed to finish 5 books this week, but only 1 was for popsugar, though :-)✅ A book with a subtitle - Dovne piger syer med lang tråd : delvist sandfærdige erindringer ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Most of the others were actually part of series - I didn't even realize, that I had so many series going, haha... But I am glad to have gotten a little further with them now!
QOTW: I don't consider the weather, when I pick books, but if I am going on a trip, I might save one, that I am particularly looking forward to, for that event :-D
I'm on Spring Break this week so I've been reading a lot with some room painting in between.The Bad:
Teacher Misery: Helicopter Parents, Special Snowflakes and Other BS. Thought I was going to use it as the career advice prompt but it was all look at the horrible stuff teachers have to put up with and no good stuff or how to deal. Also, there was a chapter about silly answers to test questions and one of the answers in the middle of the chapter was about a student cutting themselves and that's not a silly answer, that's a cry for help and she just stuck it in the silly answers chapter and that lost me. It fulfills the subtitle prompt but I think I will still read something else.
The Last Star by Rick Yancey. I liked this YA series, but I didn't really like this one.
The Essential 55: An Award-Winning Educator's Rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child by Ron Clark. I found the whole tone to be condescending and he has a rule that a teacher should have an arbitrary rule and I can just imagine that not going over very well with my teenage students. Did not like but I guess I can use it for the career advice book. I'm having trouble with this prompt.
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. This was a reread for a book club because it’s becoming a movie. Six years ago, I gave it 3 stars, I’d probably give it 2 now because I really don’t like the main character. My students who have read it, love it but they hated the movie.
The Good:
Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat by Chrissy Teigen. This has been sitting in the "save for later" part of my Amazon cart for a while because cookbooks are expensive but I got a notice that it was less than $20, so I bought it. I find Teigen funny and I'm counting it as the book about food. Also, I've already made a couple of the salads and they were delicious.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. It’s a memoir about growing up in poverty with neglectful parents and parent who is an alcoholic. Fulfills the becoming a movie in 2017 prompt.
I’m thinking of pulling out Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace for the more than 800 pages category because I’m having trouble with this one. I’ve started this book multiple times, last year I got about 200 pages in. I find it somewhat pretentious and overwritten but it’s supposed to be an American classic. But I may give up again and try to find a Stephen King I haven’t read because he’s usually good for a long read.
RE: We Were Liars. I read this last year or the year before. I enjoyed it but didn’t love it. My students who have read it, love it though and we actually read a couple of her backlist in book club at school because they loved We Were Liars.
Hi, everyone!I only finished one book this week, but I have several in progress so one of these weeks I'll finish a whole bunch! The one I just completed is The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story, about the recent discovery of a legendary civilization deep in the jungles of Honduras. I'm using it for a book set in the wilderness prompt.
QotW: Changing seasons don't seem to alter my reading choices. Holidays (like Christmas) occasionally get me to read something seasonal, and I read lots of page-turning mysteries on vacation, but I don't read anything particular for the arrival of spring.
Have a great week reading!
Week 11 - Still at 19 of 40 and 2 of 12 (or 21 of 52 total)A slow week for me, too, but at least it was better than last week! I actually finished one book (although it unfortunately did not fix any prompts for the challenge that I could think of), started a new book, and made progress on another one that I had previously started.
I finished reading Stars Above by Marissa Meyer, and enjoyed it. It didn't pull me in like the real novels of the series, but since it was a compilation of novellas to enhance the series, that was to be expected. My favorite novella was the last one, "Something Old, Something New." I can't figure out any prompts for this to fill, so if you have any suggestions, let me know! :)
I have made quite a bit of progress on The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, and am now at about 68% through it. I should probably be able to finish it by the end of the weekend. I'm using this book for prompt #3, a book of letters.
I started listening to the audio version Soulless by Gail Carriger. I'm making decent progress on it, but since it's only something I listen to occasionally at work or in the car, I may or may not finish it before checking back in next week. I hope I do, because while it's okay, I'm kind of ready to be finished already. This book will fill prompt #22, a steampunk novel.
My final book is Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly, and I have not made any additional progress on it. I really wanted to like this book, but I just can't get into it. I may have to shelve it for now and just watch the movie. I was going to use that for prompt #37, a book that's becoming a movie in 2017, but I may have to go with one of my other options instead.
I'm hoping this week progresses better than the past two and that I will have more to report next Thursday!
QOTW: I don't have any sort of spring reading pattern, or any go-to book that I read in the spring. I just read what I want when I have time to read.
Hello! I finished two more books this week bringing me to 16/40 and 2/12.I read:
• Bad Feminist for book by a person of color; and
• Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg for book about an interesting woman.
Being women’s history month I could pretend the theme this week was intentional but in reality it’s just because these were what came up as available on my library hold list. Serendipity!
QOTW: No real seasonal element to my reading plan but I am saving the holiday other than Christmas prompt for October. I’ve tentatively planned to read Something Wicked This Way Comes which takes place at Halloween.
Sara wrote: "Good morning/afternoon fellow book readers!How has everyone's week been? Life just seems to get out of control sometimes which leaves me less time for reading. It's an unfortunate situation when ..."
I’ll have to keep an eye out for The Alice Network. The espionage thriller prompt has been a rather thorny for me, I just haven’t been able to find something that I might like.
QOTW- I like the idea of reading certain types of books in different seasons but I never have. Maybe it’s because in Houston we only have two seasons- hot and muggy and a little less hot and muggy!
This week I read six books.
I read Karakuri Odette Volume 1, Karakuri Odette, Volume 2, and Karakuri Odette Volume 3, for the book that never fails to make you smile prompt, a book with an eccentric character prompt and book that has a title that is a character’s name prompt. I read this manga series some years ago and really enjoyed it. I liked it a bit less this time around but it is still a really sweet and whimsical story about an android going to high school and entering human society for the first time.
I also read The Call of the Wild for a book set in the wilderness prompt. I quite liked this. It was short, well written and helped me cross off a prompt I was dreading.
I also read Sabriel for the book recommended by a librarian prompt. I loved this book back in high school and it is still enjoyable today. It’s good old school ya fantasy with a competent female lead and no love triangles.
And lastly I read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2 for the book with a family member term in the title. I really didn’t like this. It read like slightly feverish fanfiction. I bet it was quite a spectacle as a play though, what with so many special effects and scenery changes. And maybe the actors helped sell some of the dodgier bits.
Also I realized that I am almost 60% done with the challenge already. Boo. Does anyone have any suggestions on what they like to do after these challenges are done? I like how organized this challenge has forced me to be. Otherwise I feel like I dither around aimlessly and can’t decide what to read next.
Good morning! I had to DNF a couple books this week, The Eyre Affair and A Study in Silks; they just were not my thing and I could not see suffering through them. That said I did get a couple books finished this week:
Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening: Highly recommend! Fantastic art and very captivating story. It was billed as steampunk, but I didn't see anything in the book that I would call steampunk. Just good fantasy.
Hallowe'en Party: It's Agatha Christie, so of course it's good. Not one of my all time favorites of hers, but then she sets such a high bar.
The Princess Bride: This was great! I love the movie, but had never read the book. Now I'm rereading As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride.
QOTW: I don't go in for much seasonal reading. In the winter when it's particularly dreary I might seek out something set somewhere warm and sunny, but spring doesn't generally affect my reading.
Hi Everyone -I finished one book this week. In Farleigh Field: A Novel of World War II. I used it for prompt #11 A book by an author who uses a pseudonym. It was a good read, but it had a slow start for me, and the quantity of characters was kind of overwhelming in the beginning.
Other prompts this would work for:
* An espionage thriller (may be a slight stretch, but the one character is trying to seek out war time spies)
*A book that's published in 2017
*A book by an author from a country you've never visited (England)
* A novel set during wartime
QQTW: Not traditionally, but I have Anne of Green Gables on my list for my book that makes you smile. I think its going to be next up to read. As soon as our snow melts :)
Shannon wrote: "Sara wrote: "Good morning/afternoon fellow book readers!How has everyone's week been? Life just seems to get out of control sometimes which leaves me less time for reading. It's an unfortunate si..."
Hi, Shannon! Congrats on being so far along on the challenge. I have a friend who does each challenge twice, and one time she adds a twist, like having all the authors be women or be authors of color. There are also other challenges you can join. The 2017 Reading Challenge, a Goodreads group like this one, has lots of challenges, including the Popsugar one (in fact it's how I learned about this group). You can join at any time. They also have quarterly and monthly challenges that are great to have when you finish this one. Good luck!
This is a 3-week check-in for me. It has been a hectic time with a lot of business travel and personal issues at home, but despite all of that I did find some time to read. It was a necessary escape amid the chaos. And it looks like the business part of it won't calm down any time soon....my boss scheduled another trip for me at the end of the month, which means I am gone for almost 3 weeks straight. Ugh.I only finished one for the Popsugar challenge:
Pancakes in Paris: Living the American Dream in France by Craig Carlson for a book about travel (14). It is a fun memoir about a man who grew up poor in an unstable home, found a way to go to the University of Connecticut and study abroad his 3rd year in France, went to film school in southern California, then decided his life’s purpose was to open a diner in Paris. His feeling was while he was in France the only thing he missed about the U.S. was American breakfasts. It would also work for a book on career advice if you are in the restaurant industry or want to open a business in France (20) or a book about food (19).
I finished the following reads for other challenges:
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris - I thought I would like this one more than I did because usually I love psychological, dark thrillers. Maybe the timing just wasn’t right for me to read it.
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon – The debut work from the Pulitzer Prize winner. A story of an early 20-something discovering himself after college.
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson – A light read originally written in Swedish about a man who was fed up on his 100th birthday and decided to “escape” his nursing home. His life story is told in flashbacks. It is similar to Forrest Gump.
And I’m finally making progress on The Invisible Bridge thanks to the accountability of a buddy read! I should have it completed by next check in.
Hello everyone!Hope you are having a great reading week!
I am at 15/40, and no progress on the advanced list yet.
I finished Born a Crime and it is so far, one of my favorite reads this year. I liked the story! Trevor did not really get into how he got onto the Daily Show, but the book overall was great. It was for my character with an ethnicity that is different than yours prompt.
And now, I'm reading The Futures. It's pretty good so far. One of the main characters is a Canadian, so I like that and he is also from my general area in Canada. I didn't realize this book takes place during 2008-2009, and features the stock market crash..... it's taken me back to a tough time, as it was very turbulent with many job losses.... But now, I'm getting hooked in by this book, because I need to find out what happens to the main characters! I'm reading it for the book that came out in 2017 prompt.
QOTW: Not really. Someone I used to work with said "Oh! I read The Great Gatsby every Fall." But I don't really do that.
Oops, I've forgotten to check in for a while!So this week I finished 2 books. the first was The Sword of Summer for prompt #6: A book with one of the four seasons in the title. I think this was my favorite Riordan book so far. He really captured Norse mythology well, and poorly done Norse myths is a peeve of mine, so extra yay!
The second book was Hollow City for a prompt in the ATY52 challenge. I liked it, but I didn't care for it as much as the first ion the series. I still plan to go on to the next book in the series, even though I can't find a slot for it on either challenge yet.
So, I'm 7/40, 0/12 for Popsugar, and 8/52 for ATY52.
QOTW: I really don't have any seasonal reads, but if I were to start one, it would probably be the Potter books in September when everyone goes back to
Hi everyone!This week I finished two books for the Popsugar challenge:
#1: All the Light We Cannot See - for the prompt 'A book about a person who has a disability'. It can also be read as 'a novel set during wartime', but I've got other plans for that prompt. I absolutely loved this book! I found it to be magical in its portrayal of the main characters' lives. It keeps violence at bay, so when there is violence, it's stark and shocking. I found this to be quite effective.
#2: Murder on the Orient Express for the prompt 'A book that's becoming a movie in 2017'. This was my first time reading Agatha Christie, and I must say I wasn't very impressed. Yes, the mystery is not solved until the very end, and the twist is quite surprising, but the rest of the novel did not engage me. I thought about quitting a couple of times.
I am planning on starting Purple Hibiscus for 'a book by a person of color' and Clockwork Angel for 'a steampunk novel'.
QotW: I don't tend to choose books according to season. The weather doesn't affect me in that respect. However, I do enjoy reading more in spring and summer as the weather allows me to read outside in a park or near the beach!
Hi everyone! This week, I finished three books, bringing me to 28/52:
The Raging Skillet: The True Life Story of Chef Rossi for a book about food. This was a quick and hilarious read (and I got a few recipes out of it too).
The Art of Racing in the Rain, a book from a non-human perspective. I was initially worried it would be too sad for me, but actually, I really loved it.
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, a book with pictures. I'd owned it previously, lost it, bought it again, and flipped through it many times, but never actually read it beginning to end. I'm glad I finally read it all the way through.
Now I'm starting Oryx and Crake for a book that's a character's name.
I'm still working on Stein On Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies (career advice) and Black Elk: The Life of an American Visionary (subtitle). I started them a week ago, and realized they're going to take me awhile - I'm only reading small bits at a time (they're pretty dense).
QOTW: I don't think my reading preferences change much from season to season, but perhaps that's because I live in Arizona, where it feels like we have two seasons: unbearably hot, and comfortably warm. So we don't get that drastic of a change. However, I do absolutely love some of the books on that list. All Creatures Great and Small, The Wind in the Willows, Anne of Green Gables, and The Secret Garden are some of my childhood favorites.
Nikki wrote: "Hello readers!This week I finished three books, but only two for the popsugar challenge.
The first book I finished, which I don't have slotted is The Pearl by John Steinbeck. It was ..."
Illuminae is one of my favourite books too! You'll love Gemini, I can't wait until the last book comes out
Morning!I only really read one book this week; The Nest I used it for the prompt "Recommended by a Librarian" Honestly I hated this book, I found the characters horrible and entitled.
I'm still working on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
I started an easy read in The 6th Extinction not sure if I'll be able to slot it in anywhere.
I'm at 28/40 for the main challenge and 5/12 for the advanced. 27/52 for ATY and 4/24 for BRRH.
QOTW: I don't really pick books based on season, more as to what appeals to me at that moment
Hi all! This week is pretty slow for me at work so I've been sneaking in some audiobook listening while I wait for emails to come through. I started Wishful Drinking that way this morning and may just get to all of it before the end of the day.What I did actually read this week:
The Westing Game for "book you loved as a child." This held up so well! Just as fun to read at 26 as it was when I was obsessed with it at 11. Plus I had forgotten most of the solution so I still got to be a little surprised at the ending.
I also read The Last Girl and finished the audiobook of Born a Crime but both were for other challenges. I HIGHLY recommend Born a Crime on audio for anyone thinking of reading it! Trevor Noah is a fantastic storyteller.
QOTW: I'm not a big seasonal reader, but I do start taking size and weight of books into account since I'll start reading outside on my lunch breaks whenever winter lets go!
olá, today in algarve(Portugal) is a winter day with many rain! isn't my best friend when I'm in a wheelchair. This week I finished the serie Sugar Maple ofBarbara Brettonwith the Filha da Magia, that I'll put in the family member prompt. I'm reading a book of letters and a book with subtitle:A Queda dos Machos.
15/ 52Three more books read over the past few weeks:
A steampunk novel- Karen Memory. This book reads a little like an alternate history of Seattle 1900s. The steampunk elements did not enter the story until a good half way through the book.
A book recommended by a librarian- The Sun Is Also a Star. This is a witty romance that takes place in a 24 hour span of time.
A novel set during wartime- Consider Phlebas. This is a sci-fi space opera. The Idrians are at war with the Culture and a lot of innocent life is lost along the way. The cast is eclectic and the story quite memorable.
QOTW: I'm quite fickle when choosing what to read next, and I rarely read based on season or holiday.
Challenge: 18/52Children's Lit: 10/52
An espionage thriller: I don't know if it's exactly a thriller but I read I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You. It was a nice easy read. The ickies took our family by storm this week, so there hasn't been a whole lot of reading going on.
QOTW: I don't have any books that I read seasonally.
This week I had the opportunity to read three books towards the POPSUGAR challenge as I watched my world get buried in snow (2 feet of it to be exact!)-Grotesque: book by an author from a country you've never visited
-The Perfect Stranger: book recommended by author you love
-The Bell Jar: unreliable narrator
QOTW: I don't really like re-reading books, but in a similar way, in the summer time, I am drawn to more beachy reads. I haven't noticed any springtime themes though!
Good Afternoon. I have been very busy this week. I bake alcoholic cupcakes and in honor of St. Patrick's Day I baked over 100 Irish Car Bomb cupcakes in addition to my day job. I have read 9/40.
I finished one book last week. Escape from Asylum which is the prequel to Asylum. I read it very quickly as it was very engrossing, however I don't know how this is a YA book as it is reminiscent of old Asylums where they experimented and tortured the clients. I used this for my book with pictures.
I am currently reading The Light Between Oceans. I will probably use this for my book by an author from a country I have not visited.
I am also reading The Golem and the Jinni. This book is taking me a long time and will probably be a currently reading for the next few months. It is slow paced so far.
QOTW: I am not a seasonal reader, but I am trying to stay on track with my list and my TBR Twin reads from another group. There are so many books I want to dive into and I will probably give into the temptation sooner rather than later.
I just finished the one book this week - read it in a day, which was The Girls at the Kingfisher Club: A Novel. This was recommended by thegirlintheafternoon over on the librarians thread, and I absolutely loved it. I am about 50% through The Woman in White on audio (I never listened to audiobooks before joining the popsugar challenge, really didn't enjoy the first one I listened to, but I've become a convert - so much more relaxing on my long drive to work and back than the radio. ) Anyway this was meant for the 'bestseller from a genre you don't usually read' prompt. Embarrassed to say I have always believed this book was a ghost story, which I never read. Turns out it's not, and I've seen it described as a mystery novel which I do read but in the sense of detective novels. Anyway a bit of research has shown me that it is called one of the first Victorian 'Sensation Novels' and I definitely don't usually read those so am still keeping the prompt.
I'm about a third of the way through Exposure for my Espionage thriller. I'm enjoying it but also hoping it picks up the pace a bit soon as it's not got very far yet.
QOTW - I have books I always read around Christmas time, but other than that I don't tend to make very seasonal choices. I enjoy if the book and the season or occasion do coincide, but don't tend to seek it out.
Roni wrote: "Good Afternoon. I have been very busy this week. I bake alcoholic cupcakes and in honor of St. Patrick's Day I baked over 100 Irish Car Bomb cupcakes in addition to my day job."Did you make Brown Eyed Baker's Irish Car Bomb cupcake recipe?
Checking in, but I seem to be spending more time planning more challenges and reading about other peoples challenges than actually doing any reading.I started my espionage thriller Dance with the Enemy, not too far into it yet, but it seems like it will be a quick read and interesting.
Still need to do some more work on 11/22/63 for the advanced challenge (>800 pages)
More than halfway through Odd Thomas (First book in a series I haven't read before)
Moving on next to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and The Time Traveler's Wife ( a book on my TBR for too long) and ( a dual timeline)
I've also knocked off 5 books for the BookRiot Read Harder Challenge.
QOTW: I don't read by season unless its for a challenge. I did just pick out a whole list of books for a spring 2017 challenge, and for a book that takes place in spring I chose Charlotte's Web, although I kind of love the idea of The Secret Garden ( one of my childhood favorites).
Hello everyone. I've had a very busy week (with a very spoilt nephew's 3rd birthday) so I have only actually finished one book this week. Although I did make him a The Very Hungry Caterpillar cake so it was booked themed!The book I did read was The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty's Prince which I am sort of cheating with and using it for the book that's becoming a film. I did enjoy it mostly but it seemed like it was a bit rushed to me. Like the author had a deadline to meet and sped through some important parts quicker than she intended. I do look forward to reading the others in series though.
Currently reading Rebel of the Sands. It is definitely keeping me guessing so far, which is a good thing!
QOTW: I don't have a special springtime book, or any seasonal book really. The only thing that comes to mind is The Beach which was my favourite as a teenager and I would read it every single holiday, sometimes two or three times if I hadn't packed enough in my suitcase.
Sara wrote: "Roni wrote: "Good Afternoon. I have been very busy this week. I bake alcoholic cupcakes and in honor of St. Patrick's Day I baked over 100 Irish Car Bomb cupcakes in addition to my day job."Did y..."
Sara wrote: "Roni wrote: "Good Afternoon. I have been very busy this week. I bake alcoholic cupcakes and in honor of St. Patrick's Day I baked over 100 Irish Car Bomb cupcakes in addition to my day job."
Did y..."
I have my own recipe, it does have a base, center and frosting.
Oh boy. These past couple of weeks have been very busy and draining. By the time I realized that I had missed last week's check in, my whole family came down with the flu. Ergo, no check in for last week. So this week will have to cover both.In these two weeks, I have finished one. Raised from the Ground will be used as my book with an author from a country I've never visited. I gave it three stars because, while I do enjoy reading historical fiction, especially when the culture is noticeable, I felt like I was just slowly chugging through the book.
I started Alice Adams for my book with a character's name in the title. I dread picking it up to read so I'm only a quarter through. I don't like to abandon books but I'm so very tempted to with this one. So boring! I would have to find another book that fits this prompt, though, which is most of the motivation to keep reading it.
QOTW: I don't necessarily have a book that I read as winter transitions into spring. I mostly just read what I feel like reading at the time, whether it need be a easy read or if I actually have time and energy for a thought-provoking book.
Finished 2 books for the challenge this week. For prompt #22 Steampunk I read Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger. It took me a little bit to get into it but after a few chapters I was really enjoying it and can't wait to read more in the series.
Prompt #12 for bestseller from a genre I don't usually read (genre I chose was Space Opera) I read Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey. This was another book that took me a few chapters to get interested in but then I was hooked.
QOTW: I do have books that I reread yearly or every couple of years but none of them connect to a seasonal schedule.
This week:3. Book of Letters: Dear Committee Members: Funny book that paints such a clear picture of the main character even though you're only reading his recommendations for past students. It got a little long and by the end I was really over reading recommendations, but still really funny.
39. 1st in a series never read before (juvenile list): Belly Up: Really enjoyed this! A middle reader mystery that actually has a pretty sinister bad guy.
QOTW: As soon as it starts getting even the slightest bit warm I want to read ALL the beach reads! By the time actual beach reading season rolls around I'm over it :)
Cheri wrote: "Shannon wrote: "Sara wrote: "Good morning/afternoon fellow book readers!How has everyone's week been? Life just seems to get out of control sometimes which leaves me less time for reading. It's a..."
Thanks for the suggestions Cheri!
Here with the reading and weather reports. :)This week we had a big snow storm, I think it hit northern US also. Short story, people got stuck for 12 hours in their cars until it was possible to remove the snow on the highway. But it's beautiful and I feel like putting up the Christmas tree again. And we all have a day off the kids and me as I work in a school.
I finish one book last week A Closed and Common Orbit and I used it for the non-human perspective prompt. It was written in the point of view of an AI. I liked that book, but less than the first one. I guess I expected the style of the author.
I went to the library this morning and took Rebecca and Illuminae. Those seem like two very good book. Thanks for your prompt suggestions Nikki.
QOTW: I don't think I have any seasonal reads. Maybe I should do the same as Cristin with the back-to-school books.
I finished 23 Great Stories this week, an anthology of classic short stories. The editor did a great job choosing stories for this book written by a diverse group of authors, and every story was compelling and gave insights into human nature or human relationships or the interaction between humans and society. This book will work for a book by multiple authors.I also finished The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe, which is actually a short story. I listened to this audio recording of it and it gave credence to my suspicion that Poe is better listened to than read. A 5-star story, and it'll work for a book set in wartime.
I'll have to stamp an "N/A" on the QOTW as I live in a country that does not have seasons! I don't think I've even travelled to a country in spring before.
I only finished one book this week, The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny. I'm going to use it for the 'author from a country you've never visited' since I've never been to Canada. I'm currently reading Justice Delayed by Patricia Bradley and I'm going kind of slow. I'm not crazy about it, but I'm determined to finish. Hopefully next week will be more productive!
So far I'm at 10/52. New books:Grief Is the Thing with Feathers - book about a difficult topic. I'm not quite sure what the genre is (novel? Free verse?) but it was very moving and I enjoyed it.
Behold the Dreamers - a book about an immigrant or refugee. This was good but not as good as I expected it to be.
QOTW - I'm not really a seasonal reader but I want to read To the Bright Edge of the World before it gets too warm and sunny!
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Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
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How has everyone's week been? Life just seems to get out of control sometimes which leaves me less time for reading. It's an unfortunate situation when I want so badly to lose myself in a book.
This week I finished two books:
The Secret Garden - a favorite of mine. I don't plan to use it for a prompt since it's a reread (and I already have a book in the "makes you smile" reread prompt).
The Alice Network - This is my espionage thriller, but it would also work for a book published in 2017 (it releases in June here in the US), a book in two time periods or a book set during wartime. I feel like I've done nothing but talk about this book in the last week, but it was a great story. And I know a lot of my reader friends are hungry for more wartime books. This one has a WWI storyline (which I believe is where the historical fiction trend is headed) and would be good for those who liked the WWI story in The Girl You Left Behind.
Speaking of a book set during wartime, the nomination thread is now open for May's group read - go here to add your nomination. I will leave it open until next Thursday.
Question of the week:
I love this list from Modern Mrs. Darcy of books best read in the spring: http://modernmrsdarcy.com/spring-read...
Are there any books that you feel compelled to read as the weather transitions from cold winter into lovely spring?
I love several of the books on her list, and there are several more I want to read. The Secret Garden is my go-to spring book. It is a personal favorite that I read over and over. I just finished an audio reread of it.
Another book I have been meaning to read for years is The Enchanted April.
Happy reading!