Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Jacqueline wrote: "Humpty Doo eh Jen?"

yup... such a posh place.

Monkiecat wrote: "finished:
Lady Knight family read aloud
Sacred River: A Himalayan Journey (local author- very local, autographed copy)
Before I Fall ? maybe will fit so..."

loved Before I fall so perhaps recommended?

It's almost time for Dewey's Read-a-thon, so good luck to everyone participating!

I hope to make a dent in my library books, and with some luck I'll get to cross off some Popsugar prompts!

This week I didn't finish any book. Still reading the ones I started last week. So my book count as of now stands at 7/50 completed and 2/50 currently reading.

Am I the only one so old fashioned that she has a problem with people using the word reading when they are actually listening to a book?
I don't know why I just don't get audio books since I am actually really good at remembering stuff I hear but I just don't consider listening to someone else read as reading. Great for those who can't read or to follow along when learning a new language but not reading.

Same, Jen! I listened to an audio book while reading along, so it counted as reading to me, but just listening? Every time I see someone call it reading, I twitch, haha! I’d get too hung up on my page count anyways, so I try not to mind having trouble with listening to audiobooks myself.

Jen wrote: "Am I the only one so old fashioned that she has a problem with people using the word reading when they are actually listening to a book?
I don't know why I just don't get audio books since I am ac..."

you are not the only one, and it's not an old-fashioned thing since my 15 yr old feels the same way.

It's funny, I am very visual, and listening to a story is very hard for me, but I love audiobooks! I listen to them whenever I am in a position where I CAN'T read, such as driving or mowing the lawn (basically, when "normal" people would listen to music). I do use the word "reading" when I refer to audiobooks too, just because we don't have a better word for it. ("Listening" doesn't work, because we certainly don't say we are "looking" at a book when we are reading - looking and reading are two different things.)

I don't consider it "cheating" (as my daughter does) because it's harder work for me to listen. Reading with my eyes is effortless. And either way, my brain converts the input from my eyes or my ears into the story in my head, so it counts.

I love Aussie place names Jen. The name Humpty Doo has always got me smiling. I travel a lot and I live at Warren an hour and a half full speed past Dubbo. There are a lot of weird and wonderful names out here. And some weird ways to pronounce placenames too.

And I don’t say read when it comes to audiobooks. I say listen or I’m being read to. I don’t think it’s cheating. I listen when I’m vacuuming, driving or cooking. Or when my eyes hurt and I can’t physically read.

Very late check in. Hope all are well.
Last week I read Beartown

Going to check off 'A book with an animal in the title'

It is the second book about sports that I have read this year, so I think I have that prompt covered. It was not an easy read but I did like it. Fredrik Backman always makes me cry.
31/52


QOTW
I follow John Scalzi's blog 'Whatever' and a couple accounts on twitter. J.K. Rowling for one, along with a few scifi authors. On a side note that shows my age, I remember exchanging e-mail with Bruce Sterling back when the internet was so shiny and new that a "fan email" must have been a novel thing.

Just counted. I'm two books/weeks behind. Not that I haven't read a bunch, I just keep going off the list. Nobody else does that, right?

Perhaps I should refer to "Bend Books to your Will" and slide a few more check marks into my List.

Rebecca wrote: "Just counted. I'm two books/weeks behind. Not that I haven't read a bunch, I just keep going off the list. Nobody else does that, right? ..."

LOL oh noooo I neverrrr do that ;-)

Nadine wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "Just counted. I'm two books/weeks behind. Not that I haven't read a bunch, I just keep going off the list. Nobody else does that, right? ..."

LOL oh noooo I neverrrr do that ;-)"

That's what I figured ;)

Listening to audiobooks seems like reading to me. It’s certainly more like reading than listening to podcasts (though there are some narrative ones that are similar) or listening to music and radio. My brain does the same work of converting language into an understood narrative whether the language is written or spoken.

Jacqueline wrote: "I love Aussie place names Jen. The name Humpty Doo has always got me smiling. I travel a lot and I live at Warren an hour and a half full speed past Dubbo. There are a lot of weird and wonderful na..."

Aussie place names are good, but I like the fascination the UK has with all the bottoms. Every second small town seems to be called something-bottom.

Yeah Pommy place names are funny too. Boggy Bottom is a good one. Knob End is good too. Upper and Lower Slaughter. Two of the prettiest villages in England with the most gruesome name lol

Only read one book this week Purple for the 'Favorite Color' prompt. Another book that got mostly good reviews that I just could not get into and gave it 1 star. It was about 4 teenagers surviving in London after a purple storm came and took everyone but teens and senior citizens. A different type of story but not my thing.

Hoping to like the upcoming books I will read for the Dewy Marathon happening now. I'm currently reading Titanic: Legacy of the World's Greatest Ocean Liner

QOTW: I only use Twitter to follow authors and the only well known one is George Martin and he doesn't tweet much. I follow Pippa May Luke Romyn Claude Bouchard and other lesser known because they follow me. I do follow Mandy Hale on twitter and Instagram in which hers is my favorite with the 'single' books and quotes/inspiration.

Jacqueline wrote: "Yeah Pommy place names are funny too. Boggy Bottom is a good one. Knob End is good too. Upper and Lower Slaughter. Two of the prettiest villages in England with the most gruesome name lol"

Grosmont...... of course the s is silent...... where they film Heartbeat.

I don’t technically consider audiobooks “reading” but I still say I read whatever particular book I listened to because it’s makes more sense in passing conversation. I spend most my time in the car, cleaning, or baking so audiobooks work better for me 🤷🏼‍♀️

A better reading week for me.

Totals so far: 21/40 and 2/10 total 23/50

Finished this week:

For the prompt to read a book you borrowed or was given to you as a gift, I read Epic: The Story God Is Telling and the Role That Is Yours to Play. It was ok, but just ok. I prefer some of John Eldredge’s other books. Wild At Heart was great. This is a quick and easy read that reminds us that we are created for relationship and that our primary relationship is with Christ.

Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch I read this series years and years ago, then stopped because after a while stories start to feel the same to me. I needed a book to fulfill the prompt to read a ghost story in AtY52, so I decided to read the next book. It was better than some of the other books in the series. I like the story in this one and felt it had the feel of some of the earlier stories. I like having the elder William living in the same village now. It's added a new avenue for stories to the series. These are light reads set in a quaint English village. The first book in the series, Aunt Dimity's Death, is charming and makes you smile with satisfaction at the end.

Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir I chose this book to fulfill a prompt to read a book that I expected to make me laugh. It did do that in places; however, the profanity was so prevalent that I found it difficult to read and impossible to enjoy. While the book is intended to be humorous, it is sophomoric in nature. Having said that, there is a chapter where the author shares something very personal and difficult to go through, and I intend no disrespect towards her in that regard. We often deal with a difficult situation by using humor. I appreciate her sharing that journey.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Poignant and joyful. Although this is a work of fiction, I enjoyed reading about this period of time when the USA interned the Japanese and Japanese-Americans during the WWII. Ok, that seems weird. What I mean is that the subject isn't written about often, so it was nice to see this piece of history in the story. The story seemed possibly if not likely to have occurred during this time. The war-time story flowed better than the current day (1986) story, but the son learning about his father's past added to the enjoyment of this book.

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared This isn't really my type of read, but several people told me it was hilarious. It is funny in a silly kind of way. I'm glad I read it. I needed a laugh out loud story.

L is for Lawless I finally came back to this series after a break of several months. I liked this book. It had a change of setting and had Kinsey in a different set of circumstances from her usual stories. It was a nice change.

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith I was surprised by this book. I was expecting a book specifically about the murders committed by two FLDS members. What I got was a complete history of violent history of both LDS and FLDS and several narratives of abuse of women and murders within this society that have occurred during its history. It was obviously well researched, and I found it equally interesting, education, and horrifying.

Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks: A Librarian's Love Letters and Breakup Notes to the Books in Her Life Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartache In The Stacks: A Librarian's Love Letters and Breakup Noes other Books in Her Life,

You are exactly what I needed when I needed it. I snort-laughed, guffawed, wheezed, and shed tears of laughter on your pages. You brought me joy and soothed my soul after a bad week and a worse movie (I’m looking at you Avengers: Infinity War). I checked you out from my local library but have already ordered you. Soon, I shall place you in my bookcase behind glass doors so that you will be forever protected. I will read you again.

I did get tired of the profanity. In some places, it served to emphasis an emotion; in other places, it was unneeded profanity.

Currently Reading:

I've started The Shadow of the Wind and am fascinated with it so far.Joel C. Rosenberg

I also started The Cafe by the Sea for a lighter read.

QOTW:

I follow Lisa Wingate on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, Joel C. Rosenberg on Twitter and get his emails, and C.J. Box on Facebook andTwitter.

Charlsa wrote: "A better reading week for me.

Totals so far: 21/40 and 2/10 total 23/50

Finished this week:

For the prompt to read a book you borrowed or was given to you as a gift, I read [book:Epic: The Story..."

This is not an attack against Charlsa it is just my opinion on the book. The first book sounds awful. If someone gave me that I'd unfriend them immediately. Not everyone's primary relationship is with Christ. There are many other religions and many who hate organised religion because of all the harm people who follow it have caused in its name. It would be my idea of hell to read this one and I have read a variety of religious texts in an effort to understand other people. It sounds preachy not informative and that just gets my back up. To each their own but bleugh shudder.

I'm at 37/50 for the challenge, which I've been stuck on for a while as I've been reading other books I'm more interested in. ;)

This week I finished The Shadow of the Wind, which was a reread after it had been a favorite novel from reading it a few years ago. The audio version isn't quite as captivating as reading those beautiful words, but it's still a great book. I also finished Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future, which was just ok. I listened to The Last Black Unicorn, which was pretty funny. It was an honest glimpse into Tiffany's life. I listened to I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which was of course great writing, but sometimes too much detailed description of things. She shared some pretty painful memories though, and I really admire her. I also listened to The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was decent, but most classics don't hold my attention very well.

I'm currently listening to The Story of a New Name, which is the sequel to My Brilliant Friend that I enjoyed last month. I'm also still getting through the hard copy of Witnessing Whiteness: First Steps Toward an Antiracist Practice and Culture, which is slow reading, but important information. And I have The Courage to Hope: How I Stood Up to the Politics of Fear on my kindle, which is a pretty infuriating story about what Shirley Sherrod went through.

I think I'm following a few authors, like Brene Brown, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Walidah Imarisha, but there might be others I can't think of.

Completed this week:
Little Fires Everywhere Finished 4/20/2018, 4 stars, a book that was being read by a stranger in a public place
Othello Finished 4/23/2018, 4 stars, a book mentioned in another book (mentioned in Little Fires Everywhere)
The Library at Mount Char Finished 4/24/2018, 4 stars, a book that involves a bookstore or library

Currently reading
The Blind Assassin
Dark Places

QOTW: Do you follow any authors on social media?
I follow some authors on Goodreads, but no one on social media.

Cendaquenta wrote: "Well, it has been a busy week! (And will continue to be!) I'm currently in London on a week's holiday - travelled down on Wednesday, visited the Harry Potter Studio Tour on Thursday (which was fabu..."



Cendaquenta,

hope you had (are having) a fabulous holiday in London! Visited it for the first time in Dec/January and loved it. Want to return soon and will put Daunt on my must see list. If you like chocolate, Burnt Sugar is amazing. Enjoy the shows!

Chinook wrote: "Listening to audiobooks seems like reading to me. It’s certainly more like reading than listening to podcasts (though there are some narrative ones that are similar) or listening to music and radio..."

I agree! Reading is about interpretation, imagination, enjoyment, learning, escape, understanding. It seems so narrow to say one must hold a book in their hands and use their eyes to do those things. It's definitely not cheating to listen to an audiobook.

It is finally spring. Temps in the 70's. I am loving it. I have been going outside to read.
Finished Searching for Lincoln's Ghost-book set in the decade I was born (60's). I wish I would have waited for the holds on Secret Life of Bees.

QOTW: I don't follow any authors on social media. I do follow some on Goodreads.

Checking in a little later than usual this week!

Finished:
Notes from a Public Typewriter for the book about a bookstore or library prompt. It was really cute and an easy read. Not a fan of this genre, but this book was a fun approach to fulfill the prompt. Totally want to go visit this bookstore in Ann Arbor now!!

Currently Reading:
We're Going to Need More Wine proving to be an interesting book and I don’t mean that in a good way. I haven’t decided if I like book. The story is good but the writing style isn’t my cup of tea so far.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban so good!!!

DTF:
Sadly I had to abandon Letter to a Future Lover: Marginalia, Errata, Secrets, Inscriptions, and Other Ephemera Found in Libraries. The idea of the book was only great in theory. I couldn’t gather enough energy to finish. This is the first time I’ve ever done this!

QOTW:
I’ve been following Jedidiah Jenkins on instagram for a while now, following his journey of biking to Patagonia and his writing process to publish his book about the trip. It’s due out in October and I can’t wait to read it!! I recently started following Rupi Kaur too, but that’s it!

Luna wrote: "Cendaquenta,

hope you had (are having) a fabulous holiday in London! Visited it for the first time in Dec/January and loved it. Want to return soon and will put Daunt on my must see list. If you like chocolate, Burnt Sugar is amazing. Enjoy the shows! "

Thanks, I am doing. Had Hamilton yesterday and Matilda today. Hamilton was absolutely amazing, just as I imagined. Matilda was good but not the best, it was quite pantomime-esque and there were a lot of loud noises and strobe light effects which were a bit overwhelming.

Since I meant to check in last week but totally forgot to, I'm also making this a two-week check-in. I didn' finish anything for the Popsugar challenge this week, but last week I finished 3 books:
-When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir: I wound up using this for "a book by two authors"; I thought it was a really powerful memoir (especially since I listened through the audiobook and that made it more visceral experience for me). Definitely one I won't forget anytime soon!
-The Girl with the Red Balloon: my "book about time travel." I liked elements of this, but overall it fell a little flat for me (and one of the POVs felt unnecessary, which is always a frustrating experience).
-The Alice Network: This was my "book from a celebrity book club"; I knew I wanted to use Reese Witherspoon's book club for this because I adore her, and because quite a few of her recommendations intrigued me. I really enjoyed this book! The two POVs/storylines worked well together and I loved seeing how they eventually came together.

Current Challenge Total: 18/42 for regular and 2/10 for advanced.

Current Challenge Reads:
I just started Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, which I'm either going to use for "true crime" (regular challenge) or "a microhistory" (advanced challenge); haven't decided which one yet. We shall see!

Finally getting around to checking in for week 17. I only finished one book, The Complete Tales and Poems. This was an extremely long term read for me, and is not for the challenge. I needed to get it done so I could move on finally!

I'm currently reading (and listening to) two of the longest books on my challenge list, so they are taking me some time to get through. Thankfully, I was a little ahead on challenge books, so I don't think I'll fall behind.

QotW:
I find that I follow authors on different platforms for different reasons. Here on Goodreads I follow several of my favorites authors, mostly hoping for an update on a new release date. On Twitter I follow a lot of different authors - most of them are indie-authors - with the hope of discovering amazing new talent and supporting fellow authors along the way. On Facebook, I think I only follow Kate DiCamillo, and I follow her because she always has something positive and uplifting to share. And there can never be too much positivity and goodness shared on social media these days!

Late check-in for me this week since I just got home from the Malice Domestic convention yesterday. My Mom and I decided to attend since it was the 30th anniversary and the lovely and amazing Louise Penny was the guest of honor; this was our fourth time attending this conference. We had a lot of fun and ended up coming home with about 40 new (free!) books between us (plus, I bought two and she bought one to get personalized). We couldn't believe how generous the sponsors were this year and are looking forward to making our way through the new TBR stacks.

Finished:
* ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain -- while I had intended to use this for the "local author" prompt, I think I'm going to use another pick for that since I'm fortunate to have several options in my TBR piles (including one I just started); and,
* ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin -- I didn't find a good match for this challenge, but I'm using it for a BookRiot Read Harder prompt (the first book in a new-to-you YA or middle grade series). It included beautiful illustrations, which enhanced the story.

Currently Reading:
* Foreign Bodies -- a collection of short stories edited by Martin Edwards, which I was able to get personalized at Malice this weekend;
* When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon -- I'm using for a BookRiot Read Harder prompt but don't have a good match for this challenge; and,
* The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey -- I'll use this for the "book by a local author" prompt or "a book set in a country that fascinates you"; I also got this one personalized at Malice this weekend.

My totals remain 24/40 and 2/10 for this challenge; I'm at 57/75 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge.

QotW:
Do you follow any authors on social media? Yep! I follow a ton of authors on Twitter and Facebook (too many to list!). A few of my faves have followed me back on Twitter, which made my day, and I was selected to be a "street team" member to promote a new book and still belong to the FB group that was set up for the team. I also get a little thrill when authors respond to my tweets when I respond to the weekly Goodreads tweet asking what you're reading this weekend :) I also follow several authors on Goodreads, and am fortunate to count a few of them as Goodreads "friends."

As a result of following some of them on social media, I've won free books directly from them! I'll mention three:
* from Sujata Massey, I won an ebook copy of The Kizuna Coast (the most recent in the Rei Shimura mystery series) and one of her short story collections (Convenience Boy and Other Stories of Japan).
* from Hank Phillippi Ryan, I received an advanced reader's copy of Say No More and a copy of Prime Time -- both of which were personalized and she included lovely, handwritten notes in the packages that she sent to me.
* from Laura Lippman, I won a mystery box that contained 12(!!) books culled from her personal collection -- she also included a personalized handwritten note. I got to thank her in person at a book signing event for her latest novel, Sunburn, in February. I'm down to my final read from that box of books.

Megan wrote: "Late check-in for me this week since I just got home from the Malice Domestic convention yesterday. My Mom and I decided to attend since it was the 30th anniversary and the lovely and amazing [auth..."

Wow 40 free books......I am so jealous!

Megan, you can use When Dimple Met Rishi as a book recommended by someone else taking the challenge if that's still open. I loved that book and would absolutely have recommended it to you!

Thank you, Sara! :) I haven't filled that prompt yet, so your recommendation is perfect! I'm about 100 pages in and am finding it a fun read.

I finished:

The Cutting Edge
The latest Lincoln Rhyme thriller. Deaver delivered, as usual; a fast-paced plot with twists and turns at every corner and all the usual suspects, err, characters. Read for the ATY prompt "A book featuring a murder."

Mein Herz in zwei Welten (Still Me)
The third, and final, installment in the Lou Clark trilogy that began with Me Before You. I initially didn't think this book needed a sequel at all, but I really enjoyed the second book, and now the third was the perfect ending. I loved it :) Read for the ATY prompt "A book that was published in 2018."

I follow only a few authors on social media; most notably, Sharon Bolton and Austrian author Ursula Poznanski, and my friend Cathrin Kühl, of course. And the small publishing house Wölfchen Verlag, who recently published an anthology to which I contributed a short story :)

Dani wrote: "I don’t technically consider audiobooks “reading” but I still say I read whatever particular book I listened to because it’s makes more sense in passing conversation. I spend most my time in the ca..."

Pretty much this. Especially for purposes of categorization--when I enter an audiobook on goodreads it counts as a 'book I read', and it wouldn't really make sense to keep separate lists of 'books I read this year' vs 'books I listened to this year', especially in terms of goodreads tracking.

I wouldn't refer to the act of listening to an audiobook as reading, but after the fact it's simplest to say I 'read that book'.

I prefer taking in information/stories visually, but I love audiobooks for when I'm doing chores/cooking and can't be physically reading at the moment.