Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2022 Weekly Check-Ins
>
Week 15: 4/8 - 4/14
It's been a few weeks since I did a check-in and only a few bookscutlery on the cover
None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney. Technically YA but the characters are past high school age. Read it with my students who are in book club and really enjoyed it. The main characters are survivors of serial killers and are asked to help the FBI. It's set in 1980s. She has a book 2 but it wasn't picked up apparently and she'll be releasing it as a serial through her newsletter.
no prompts-fave to least fave
The Lady Gets Lucky by Joanna Shupe. Historical romance. Really enjoyable. The good-looking lady's man and the woman who just wants to be a chef.
What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson. YA. A boy needs to find the drug money his father went to prison for. I can appreciate the quality of this book but it didn't really do anything for me and I'll probably not pick p the second one.
Mod
Popsugar: 33/50
ATY: 41/52
RHC: 12/24
FINISHED:
Writers & Lovers by Lily King ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ King is now one of my all-time favorite authors. This is the third book of hers I’ve read and I loved all three. I can especially appreciate the fact that each one is very different from the other two. Her writing skill kinda reminds me of Taylor Jenkins Reid in that way. (Fulfilled that cutlery on the cover/title prompt!)
POPSUGAR: NEW #14, #36, #40-2016: prompt #14 Read a book you can finish in one day
ATY: #1-Adam-Casey’s landlord, #4-A book whose author is younger than you, #15, #17, #29, #34, #36-Bob and Ophelia, #40-The Lovers, Strength, Death, Judgment, The World, #41
A couple of short children's books as pallet cleansers before Murderbot!
Johnny's in the Basement by Louis Sachar ⭐️ did not work for me at all! It was so nonsensical and absurd that…well…it just didn’t make any sense and wasn’t even humorous to me. I would love to know what actual children think of it! LOL
POPSUGAR: #24, #36, #38-Johnny’s 11th birthday, #40-2015: prompt #6 A book written by an author under 30 years of age-Sachar was 27 when it was published in 1981
ATY: #14-151 ratings, #21-Dog, #25-126 pages, #31-1981, #40-Judgment, The World, #41
RHC: #24-2016 Read a middle grade novel
Wayside School Is Falling Down (Wayside School #2) by Louis Sachar ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ was a good read. I am relatively certain that most children would totally enjoy this! It was silly but also depicted acceptance of all, regardless of our individual quirks!
POPSUGAR: #24, #25-“Benjamin”, #26, #40-2015: prompt #12 A book of short stories
ATY: #1-Todd, #3, #7-the substitute teacher, #21-Shoe, #25-152 pages, #31-1989, #34, #40-Strength, Justice, Judgment
RHC: #24-2018: prompt #15 A book you can read in one sitting
All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ was an amazing read the second time around even if I already knew the (shocking to me the first time around) ending! I just connect with Wells’ writing on so many levels!
POPSUGAR: NEW #5, #9, #22, #24, #25, NEW #27-2018 Hugo Award for Best Novella, #29-I read Artificial Condition in 2021, #31, #40-2015: prompt #7 A book with nonhuman characters, #46
ATY: #2-I read Artificial Condition in 2021, #4-A book whose author is younger than you, #7, #13, #15, 25-152 pages, #36-Something BIG attacked two of the researchers, #40-Strength, Justice, Death, Judgment, The World, #46, #49
RHC: #11, #24-2018: prompt #3 A classic of genre fiction—SFF
Artificial Condition (Murderbot Diaries #2) by Martha Wells ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ was I think even more enjoyable the second time around! Love me some ART!! LOL
POPSUGAR: #9, #22, #25, #27-2019 Hugo Award for Best Novella, #31, #40- 2016: prompt #20 Science Fiction, #46
ATY: #1-Tapan, #2-I first read this in 2021, #4-A book that won the Hugo Award, #7, #13, #15, #25-158 pages, #33, #40-Strength, Justice, Death, Judgment, The World, #44, #46, #49
RHC: #11, #24-2017: prompt #9 Read a book you’ve read before
Rogue Protocol (Murderbot Diaries #3) by Martha Wells ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ was extraordinary! I adore Murderbot’s loyalty to the humans, well, the ones he wants to protect, but even he submits to leaving the two ‘hired guns’ alive in the end. Especially since they can serve as witnesses and confirm the others’ claims. And now back to Mensah! YAY!!
POPSUGAR: #22, #24, #25, #27-2021 Hugo Award for Best Series, #29-I read Artificial Condition in 2021, #31, #40-2015: prompt #7 A book with nonhuman characters, #46
ATY: #1-Abene, #2-I read Artificial Condition in 2021, #4-A book whose author is younger than you, #7, #25-158 pages, #33, #40- Strength, Justice, Death, Judgment, The World, #44, #46, #49
RHC: #11, #24-2018: prompt #15 A book that can be read in one sitting
Exit Strategy (Murderbot Diaries #4) by Martha Wells ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ OMG! I didn’t think there was any way out for Murderbot this time around! His determination, along with that of the human “friends” he has adds up to beating absolutely incredible odds! YAY! I love Dr. Mensah’s apologies and the way they all pitch in to try to help him obtain options for his future.
POPSUGAR: #9, #22, #24, #25, #27-2021 Hugo Award for Best Series, #29-I read Artificial Condition in 2021,#31, #40-2021: prompt #15 A book with a black-and-white cover, #46
ATY: , #2-I read Artificial Condition in 2021, #4-A book whose author is younger than you, #7, #13, #15, #25-172 pages, #40-Strength, Justice, Death, Judgment, The World, #46, #49
RHC: #11, #24-2020: prompt #9 The last book in a series
POPSUGAR: #9, #22, #25, #27-2019 Hugo Award for Best Novella, #31, #40- 2016: prompt #20 Science Fiction, #46
ATY: #1-Tapan, #2-I first read this in 2021, #4-A book that won the Hugo Award, #7, #13, #15, #25-158 pages, #33, #40-Strength, Justice, Death, Judgment, The World, #44, #46, #49
RHC: #11, #24-2017: prompt #9 Read
Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory (Murderbot Diaries #4.5) by Martha Wells ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Dr. Mensah’s first name is Ayda! I like that! And this is a short story in-between installments from her point of view. Glad I read it before launching into Network Effect. Not counting for any challenges.
CONTINUING:
*Network Effect (Murderbot Diaries #5) by Martha Wells
I admit to briefly wondering if Wells could keep me engaged and focused over the course of 352 pages rather than 150+ pages. I needn’t have wondered about that! I wanted to finish this so badly last night and I just kept reading until finally exhaustion forced me to quit and when I looked at the clock I was amazed to see I had stayed up until 1AM! (That is really late for me!)
Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep
*Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson
*Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.
*Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
*Paradise by Toni Morrison
PLANNED:
Fugitive Telemetry (Murderbot Diaries #6) by Martha Wells
Then I’ll have Murderbot out of my system for awhile! 😊
1 more for March Buddy Reads:
*London Bridges (Alex Cross #10) by James Patterson
POPSUGAR April Monthly Group Read:
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
1 for April Buddy Reads:
Mary, Mary (Alex Cross #11) by James Patterson
To complete some 2021 year-long challenges:
1) *Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk
2) *The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
To complete the 2021 Read Harder Challenge:
*Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz
*Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
*Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
Ramadan Mubarak, happy Easter, and chag Pesach samech! It's been a good (if very rainy) week here in Akron. I'm especially surprised and pleased with how the baseball season is going thus far; normally Cleveland doesn't really get going until summer, so a hot start is something new and exciting :D And it looks like the Cavs have a shot at the NBA playoffs, so... yay sports!I only finished one book this week, but it was a good one:
Our Team: The Epic Story of Four Men and the World Series That Changed Baseball - 4 stars. Not for the challenge, but it helped get me in the mood for baseball again :)
PS 25/50
Currently:
The Silmarillion
Wild Sign - catching up on another series!
Skin of the Sea
The City We Became
Upcoming:
A Lesson from Aloes
Beyond Therapy
Foundryside reread
And hoping I can pick up The Diamond Eye from the library when I go to get Portrait of a Thief next week! ALLLLLL the new books!
QOTW: Did you ever binge-read a series through in sequence? If so, what one? Did you enjoy it as much as you thought you would?
Pretty sure I did this several times with Harry Potter once the final book was out. It's the only way I read Lord of the Rings (and watch the films). I've also done it with the Hunger Games trilogy, the Millennium trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and the Jasper Dent trilogy (I Hunt Killers). It was a great way to read all of them, because the last thing I wanted was a break in the action.
I finished The Moonstone as my Victorian era book. I loved itI'm about 1/3 of the way through American Dirt as my book with 2 languages. I'm definitely enjoying the story, but it's not my favorite style of writing.
QOTW: I binge read books 2-5 of Game of Thrones, or Song of Fire and Ice. On the off-chance he ever finishes the series, I'll probably have to binge read them again as I've totally forgotten them, Or not totally, but somewhat. So, I was obviously enjoying the books, but upset that I can't finish them.
I read a trilogy straight through once, but I don't remember the author or the titles. It had something to do with keys and magic and something. It was about 10 years ago, and I really liked those and had to find out what happened.
But, I usually like to take a bit of a break with at least one stand alone in between when I read series (not including series that just have the same detective, which I jsut read in any old order when I feel like it). I haven't read that many, the two above, Lord of the Rings, Outlander, The Kent Chronicles, and I think 3 different series about Australia. And I'm halfway through the Anne of Green Gables series.
I kept the Lord of the Rings books. I'm thinking or rereading them straight through one of these years.
Mod
Happy Easter to those who celebrate this coming Sunday and Happy Ort..."
Wow! You've been reading so much!!
One thing I learned about Ramadan is that it follows the lunar calendar, so while it falls on the same day each year on the Islamic calendar, it moves on the Gregorian calendar. This explains why I'm always surprised when it's Ramadan! Also, in 2030 there will be TWO Ramadans in one year!! that's a lot of fasting ...
Good morning, everyone!It has been an awesome reading week! Not only did I manage to read three recent releases, but I also plowed my way through an entire YA fantasy series that has been sitting unread on my bookshelves for several years.
I’m really excited to have made such great progress on my TBR checklist this week as well.
That being said, I am currently toying with the idea of another book buying ban, because I have added a tremendous number of titles to my TBR list since the last one ended. I haven’t decided whether or not I want to commit to another ban though, because several of my favorite authors are going to be releasing books soon (including T. Kingfisher, Holly Black, and Kerry Greenwood). I guess we’ll just have to see what happens.
Goodreads: 220/200
TBR checklist: 185/1093
Finished Reading:
~Dead Silence
~Splintered
~That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Vol. 9
~Unhinged
~Ensnared
~Untamed
~Reckless Girls
~Gallant — Another favorite new release for this year!
~The Last Spell Breather
DNFed:
Night Watch — While I did think that this book had an interesting premise, I had a really hard time staying invested in the story. I made it about 50 pages before DNFing.
Currently Reading:
~Cluster Dwarf
QOTW:
I like to binge-read series and trilogies whenever possible. Some of my favorite binge-reads are: The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien; The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis; The Murderbot Diaries, by Martha Wells; and The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, by Patricia C. Wrede.
Katy wrote: "I finished The Moonstone as my Victorian era book. I loved itI'm about 1/3 of the way through American Dirt as my book with 2 languages. I'm definitely enjoying the st..."
I'm glad you loved it. I found the story interesting, but the book was way too long.
Dubhease wrote: "Katy wrote: "I finished The Moonstone as my Victorian era book. I loved itI'm glad you loved it. I found the story interesting, but the book was way too long.
Yeah, it was kind of long. But, Dickens is one of my favorite authors so I'm used to a bit of rambling:)
We've actually been having spring weather recently. It was 15 the other day.Finished:
Three Weddings and a Bar Mitzvah
ATY prompt: A book with fewer than 5000 ratings on Goodreads
Popsugar prompt: A book with an onomatopoeia in its title (Ding)
ATY - 16/52
PS- 13/35
Series - 6/13
Clearing my TBR list: 13/40
Currently reading:
Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft - almost 60% done
QOTW: I used to read series exclusively - and YA series at that. I'd find one (Twilight, Hunger Games) and read all the books. I was thrilled when I discovered PopSugar and ATY because prompts help me diversify my reading and discover new authors. I still read series, but I'm reading too many, so I try to rotate around between them. I guess I'm a recovering series reader.
Mod
Today was supposed to be the day that I picked up my college kid to spend the long weekend at home, but she has Covid, so I am very sad, she is not home. She is, however, at her father's house - he had Covid last month so he decided it would be safe to bring her home, and she preferred coming home (either home) to staying in the isolation dorm. I am so glad that she's "home" and so jealous that he gets to see her every night and I do not! And it is so hard knowing my baby does not feel well and I cannot do anything for her.
I am not a Christian, but I do celebrate some of the Christian holidays in a secular way, and every year for her entire life we have decorated eggs on Good Friday. This year maybe we have to break that tradition. I'm hoping she can come here on Saturday, that's when her five days of isolation ends, but yesterday she still wasn't feeling well so Saturday may be too soon.
This week I read 1 book, which did count for this Challenge, so I am now 25/50
Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future by Elizabeth Kolbert - This was excellent, a must read! Five stars! I picked this to read for "man-made disaster" and I was a bit worried that it wouldn't fit. I needn't have worried! She even uses the phrase "man-made disaster" in the book.
QotW
I'm not really a binger, I can't binge books or TV shows. The closest I get is watching the same series every night (but only one episode at a time or I fall asleep), or reading a few graphic novels in a row, but never a full series. I like that I can remember all the details easily from issue to issue, but after a while I just get bored with the same thing, and it's not really fun for me.
I did buy all of Gene Wolfe's books in his New Sun / Long Sun / Short Sun series, and I plan to start re-reading them all in order, but ... it's April now and I still haven't started. I WILL though!! I've got a notebook ready for my notes and everything. But I will read other books in between and concurrently, I couldn't dedicate myself to reading ONLY that for the rest of the year.
I think when I first discovered MurderBot, the first three novellas were already out, so I did read them pretty close together.
I bought The Cloud Roads and it's been sitting on my pile of "owned but not read" books for quite some time now - at least two years. Someday ...
Happy Thursday! The weather here has been nuts! Last Thursday was almost 80* then it has been on and off snow/hail ever since. Finished:
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Have you ever loved a book so much that you are sad it ended and had to stop yourself from turning back to the first page and reading it again?? This was that book for me. I have not loved a book this much in a long time. I hardly ever re-read books but this one is on that very short list. I laughed, cried, said out loud "oh my god!" Brilliant.
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. I still don't know what category to post this one too. It doesn't seem like a fit for #Ownvoices SFF book. It was only ok. I just didn't get the point of the book, but I didn't DNF so that was good.
Currently Reading:
Deacon King Kong by James McBride. I enjoy books that immerse you into the world of the characters. You start to feel like you belong in their inner circle. There are a lot of characters so sometimes it is difficult to remember who is who but still a good story that I am enjoying so far.
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I picked up this book and read the first few sentences about a dozen times (I am still book-drunk from Project Hail Mary). I finally broke through the first few pages. Once I got past page 15 or so it calmed down a little. Her writing is overly descriptive in the beginning - establishing characters is important but I don't need multiple paragraphs explaining the importance of something (I get it...now move on).
QOTW:
Great timing for this question! If you asked me this 6 months ago my answer would have been "No, if a series is already out with multiple books it seems daunting to try and catch up on a series that already has many books published."
However, I did find Tana French's Dublin series to be interesting and have considered starting those. I also binge read series as they are published if I can get started on the ground floor. I love the Cormoron Strike series from Robert Galbraith and read those as soon as they are published. I also enjoy The Hawthorne Legacy series from Jennifer Lynn Barnes - but I started those with the first book and kept reading.
Finished: Kant's Conception of Freedom: A Developmental and Critical Analysis Woefully dry, my attention flagged in and out of this one.Call Us What We Carry Made me wish I had written more during the pandemic. This girl is going places!
The Anthropocene Reviewed Some of these reviews had me laughing out loud. Thoroughly enjoyable. The podcast is good too, but I prefer the medium of books, so glad he converted them.
Started: Emile, or On Education Interesting how much is still relevant from 300 years ago!
Qotw: It seems like I binge-read series all the time when I was a kid. That was the advantage of reading a series. Ones that stand out in my memory are: Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon, The Dark is Rising, and A Wrinkle in Time. More recently, I have read Harry Potter with my family and re-read all of Rick Riordan's books (well minus the Norse Gods and Apollo.)
I took Monday off, since it was my birthday, and somehow that's made this week way busier. I mostly spent my birthday cleaning and meal prepping, but I'm hoping this weekend I can focus on doing some things I really enjoy, like watching my favorite movie and playing some new games. We'll see--life always seems to get in the way in one way or another!I'm also on the struggle bus because I'm (once again) getting really frustrated about how much of my life is required to be work. I love what I do but I hate that it feels like I have so little autonomy in my day-to-day. So many requirements and goals and check-ins. I'm just over it!
I'm cranky today and I miss reading lol.
Finished:
Nada
Currently Reading:
Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People
Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight
Daughter of the Forest
Everything Bad is Good for You
QOTW:
Ah, series. Like Nadine, I'm not much of a binger. I do sometimes binge-watch, but never to completion. The closest I've gotten to binge-reading a series was at the beginning of the year with the Guardians of Childhood series by William Joyce. But even then, I stopped and read other books in between, and it took a lot of effort to get myself to go ahead and finish it. NOT because I wasn't enjoying it, I just...don't finish things lol. I'm sure there's some psychological reason behind it, but who knows.
I'm glad I did finish it, though--it was really good! But my current approach with series is waiting until all the books are out and then trying to fit them all into PS. It's only sort of worked--I can't actually find spots for all 5 Guardians books. And I've put the last Winternight Trilogy book on my PS list the last two years and have I read it? Nope. Again, there must be a *reason* I struggle so much, but I don't really know what it is lol.
Greetings from NYC! It's been nerve-wracking the last few days, as the world knows, especially while the suspect in the mass subway shooting was at large. But we New Yorkers are intrepid, today he's in custody, the sun is out, birds are singing, trees are budding and we forge on. I'm at 29/50! Quite pleased with my progress. Now though need to target deliberately more of the prompts than just seeing if my reading fits.
Finished - alas none fit PS for me:
Madame Bovary - the Lydia Davis translation - is fabulous, very close to the experience of reading in the original french.
Passenger to Frankfurt - from 1970, Dame Agatha gives us a bit of espionage not detective, calling to mind Hitchcock's North by Northwest and The Lady Vanishes.
Sleep No More: Six Murderous Tales - short story detective bonbons from P.D. James.
The Lincoln Lawyer - first in a series, and really excellent. I hear there is a Matthew McConaughey movie and a coming series on Netflix. Will have to watch!
Evans Above - classic style British Cozy set in Wales, and just charming.
Currently Reading:
Fatal Identity
The Paris Architect for PS sister city prompt - Paris
The City of Brass - Feminerdy book club May read
Longterm read alongs:
The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777
A Clash of Kings
QOTW: I have and usually it's when I decide I need a comfort revisit to a favorite and find myself re-reading the series --- such as Stephanie Laurens 2 to 4 book subseries within her bigger historical series. Those are more like skimming them though. Currently I'm re-reading Harry Potter, but it's the british edition paperbacks. I decided it was time to supplant the movie versions with the real book versions - and it's been a joy to rediscover so many forgotten scenes and details!
I am currently engaged in a leisurely re-read of A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin with friends - to have some in depth discussions and refamiliarize so that when The Winds of Winter is finally published, the books will be fresh in my mind not the wonderful HBO series. It's really paying off both in reminding me of just how much more there is in the books and also picking up on so much I missed the first 2 times through.
I've also re-read Fellowship of the Ring and would again.
But I rarely binge read new-to-me author series -- 3 in a row is usually my limit - because the writing - as in style and plotting and such - start standing out as too predictable: here's where the first x scene will occur, the scene will evolve in y way. Author weaknesses start overriding the flow of the story for me.
That said - there have been exceptions to the 'only re-read binging' rule: 2 new-to-me series I binge read in the last couple of years: Ilona Andrews' The Hidden Legacy Series -- fab and the perfect escape needed that week. Also the complete Debora Geary Modern Witch series which alas is OOP and generally only can be found in pdf on various free websites - I tracked each one down using google and had a wonderful 10 day wallow during the pandemic.
Had a week with ups and downs... but all in all things are okay here. Not much to report, heh...Books read this week:
My Best Friend's Exorcism -- for “a book set in the ‘80s.” Man, is this book loaded with 80s references… and makes for a surprisingly cutting commentary on the Satanic panic of the day. And it’s a surprisingly powerful story about two girls’ friendship and the lengths one will go to in order to save the other.
The Toymakers -- for “book that takes place during a holiday.” Haunting, enchanting, and emotional. If you liked The Night Circus, you’ll enjoy this one!
City of the Plague God -- for the advanced prompt “a book with two languages.” A fun YA romp from the Rick Riordin Presents series, featuring Mesopotamian mythology and ancient gods and monsters wrecking New York City.
Under the Whispering Door -- for “a book with an onomatopoeia in the title.” Dangit,, TJ Klune, did you have to yank my heart out twice in one reading challenge? Suffice it to say that between this book and The House in the Cerulean Sea, I’m a fan now.
Regular Challenge -- 42/46
Advanced Challenge -- 6/10
Not for the challenge -- 16
DNF:
Leviathan Wakes -- was going to be for the advanced prompt “a book with two languages.” Just could not get into it, despite loving sci-fi. Make me care about your invented world and your characters, writers…
Persephone Station -- was going to be for “a sapphic book.” I’m starting to think that Children of Time and the Wayfarers series have ruined space opera books for me. PLEASE make me care about your character before you throw them into endless action scenes.
Currently Reading:
Indistinguishable from Magic -- not for the challenge
The First Sister -- for “a sapphic book”
Interference -- for the advanced prompt “a duology (2)”
Way Station -- for “a book about a secret”
Sourdough -- for “your favorite prompt from 2016 (a book with a blue cover)”
QOTW:
After reading Archangel I ended up binge-reading the whole series because I loved the worldbuilding. Some of the books were better than others, but on the whole I enjoyed it!
Hi everyone. I handed in my notice at work yesterday! It was nerve-wracking but I feel so relieved now it's done. It is going to suck not working next to the library any more lolThis week I finished Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night. I have mixed feelings about this book. I love Antarctica books usually but the commander of the expedition drove me crazy with his poor decision making.
Currently reading: Harrow the Ninth. I have no idea what is going on so far
QOTW: I get most of my books from the library so I read them as they're available which isn't always great for binging. I have in the past though.
Mod
maybe you dont' want things to be over, because then you'll have nothing left to look forward to?
I'm like that after authors die. I can't stand the thought of no new books from them, so I can't seem to bring myself to read the last books published by Gene Wolfe, Sue Grafton, and Ariana Franklin
It's a dreary, freezing rain/wannabe snow day in the PNW today. I wish I didn't have to work so I could just curl up with a book. I am currently at 31/50 for the Popsugar challenge (28/40 and 3/10).
Chilling Effect - 3.5 stars, a book by a Latinx author. It would also work for the book that features two languages, as there's a ton of Spanish. I chuckled at a lot of the pop culture and video game references, but mostly this was pretty average for me. I did like the characters and will probably read the sequel at some point.
Komi Can't Communicate, Vol. 18 - 3 stars, not for the challenge. I like this series in general. This book was actually pretty average for the series, but the previous volume was just so good that this one felt like a step backward.
Currently reading:
Beach Read - not for the challenge as of right now. It's a little more serious than I was expecting, but so far I'm enjoying it.
QOTW:
I don't especially like binging TV, but I sometimes binge books, and especially comics and manga series from the library. I will definitely binge trilogies or novella series, but for longer series it depends on what else I have going on. I do have plans to do a big catch up on a number of longer series, probably once I complete this year's challenge -- start over, reread any volumes I've already read, and then read the new-to-me ones. That will probably keep me busy for a couple of years....
I think the last non-manga series I binge read was Penric and Desdemona, a novella series by Lois McMaster Bujold. I'm pretty sure I read all 11 of them in the span of a week or two. Prior to that, it was the Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. Those were amazing (and Hugo winners, if anyone's looking to fill that prompt still).
Hi all, Happy Easter, Passover, Ramadan, Spring, and all other holidays!
I took tomorrow off, going to visit my in laws for the weekend for Easter. My parents are still in Florida until May.
Been doing a little better this week. Still coughing, which is frustrating. Wish it would just go away. Seems like this has been going around, other people I talk to say they had it or know others who had it, just a persistent cold. I'm guessing between all my stress, migraines, and immune system that doesn't know how to react to illnesses anymore so it just keeps lingering.
This week I finished:
The Wolf and the Woodsman - I liked this over all, it reminded me of Spinning Silver and The Bear and the Nightingale. I don't think i LOVED it like those though. It was a bit too grim, and not quite as fantastical. There was a good while where I thought it was just going to all end terribly. It was still really well written, I just found it a bit too heavy for something that I would say I LOVE. I've re-read both the others, and I would read them again in the future. I'm glad I read this, I'd read more by the author, I don't know if I'd read it again.
Legends & Lattes - This was so good! It felt very cozy fantasy to me. An orc gets tired of adventuring so decides to open a coffee shop in a town where no one knows what it is. She attracts a group of people to help her out, very found family. Sweet and charming and just a big hug of a book. I really hope he writes another! My only real qualm with it is that I hate coffee, and I frankly don't buy that EVERYONE who tries the gross bitter bean water just loves it at first sip. Especially since while they were doing lattes, there was no mention of sweeting it with sugar ever. Even coffee lovers usually admit it's an acquired taste, and most got into it heavily doctoring it with lots of cream and sugar at first, before being able to appreciate it black. And even the Viv had only ever drank it before, not actually brewed it, so this is a group of inexperienced people brewing and roasting it, all producing brews that don't make people gag. But whatever, it's fantasy. Maybe it's magic bean juice that doesn't taste disgusting.
Mambo in Chinatown - bought this on a deal ages ago because I really liked Girl in Translation and then never got around to reading it. I shouldn't have sat on it, loved it! I did swing dancing through college and loved it. Did ballroom dancing with my husband a few times and we had a lot of fun. We just can't justify the ridiculous prices for private lessons, and they really push hard for those at the studios. The group lessons were very much meant to funnel you straight into private lessons and into the competition scene that we had no interest in. But it was fun to revisit the world in the book.
Currently reading:
The Only Good Indians - giving Stephen Graham Jones another chance. It's not really grabbing me yet. But I'm trying to stick with it.
Terminal Uprising - audio book. I really liked the first, second is continuing to be fun.
QOTW:
I do binge series, or I have in the past. I have to be careful getting Into Valdemar books haha. I've casually decided to read Arrows for the Queen and the next thing you know I'm down into Owl Knight. Since I got into challenges I do it less, because that'd mean a month or more of not reading anything for a challenge, unless I do it at the end of the year. Sometimes still will do it with a trilogy or a shorter series.
Mod
This week I finis..."
wow wow wow so much job upheaval in our little group lately!!!! Best wishes in your new job.
Hi All, I read 2 books for the week.1. Capote: A Biography not for this challenge.
2. Dial A for Aunties at this point not for this challenge but I may use it for a duology since the second book just came out.
QOTW : I do occasionally binge series. Not as often as when I was younger. The last series I binged was the Winter Street series by Elin Hilderbrand last December. In December I read Christmas stories & I was having a hard time finding them. Years ago I binged the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series till I had one book left, then I didn't read it till she published another one. I did the same thing with the Maggie Hope series.
Mod
yes, that's it exactly! that's why I don't binge books.
glad to hear they captured the suspect
Mod
I wasn't crazy about that one either. I thought Places in the Darkness was extremely similar and much better, so if you're still looking for a murder mystery in spaces stations, give that a try.
Mod
LOL I don't know if that's true! And a latte is not black, it's got milk in it. I detest sugar in my coffee. I'll use cream if that's all you've got, but I prefer a dash of whole milk in very strong, very dark coffee. When I started drinking coffee, I just drank whatever was on hand, which means it was regular strength. The older I get, the stronger I brew it. I don't ever remember putting sugar in it, but I suppose I might have.
Hello! It's been a very stressful week. My cat spent three days at an Emergency Vet over the weekend and has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Prognosis is 6-9 months, maybe a full year if things go well. She's been home since Monday, but is not interested in food and I worry we won't come close to 6 months at all. She's 12, and has been largely healthy her whole life, so I am not okay with this.It's been very hard to concentrate on anything as a result. It was only someone wishing me Happy Maundy Thursday that made me realize it was Thursday. All my reading is rereads, so no progress made on the challenge.
Finished This Week:
On the Edge / Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews. I was trying to remember Gaston's origins after he appeared in the current Innkeeper, and decided a reread of The Edge series was in order. It looks like I only read each of them once, and never reread them. I still think Bayou Moon is much too long, but it was good to read them again.
Currently Reading:
Fate's Edge by Ilona Andrews. Next in The Edge series. I'll likely finish tonight. I knew this one had a lot of Jack and George, but didn't remember much beyond that. Gaston is in it a lot too, which I had completely forgotten.
Appeasement: Chamberlain, Hitler, Churchill, and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie. Still intending to finish. Still in Tea with Hitler.
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison. Listening to the audiobook. Got some more of it finished by listening while driving to and from the vet, but haven't really had the brain capacity to concentrate on it since Friday. At the coronation, so probably a quarter of the way?
QotW: Did you ever binge-read a series through in sequence? If so, what one? Did you enjoy it as much as you thought you would?
I do this all the time, and have for most of my reading life.
With the pandemic, I've taken a few of my favorite series and reread them from start to finish, complete with all the short stories, novellas and "world of" books that are connected. I did that with Kate Daniels, Incryptid, October Daye, Innkeeper, Hidden Legacy, The Others, and Murderbot (twice). I'm doing it right now with The Edge series, and I've been eyeing the Raine Benares series on my shelf.
A few times, when reading a new series, I would finish the last book and immediately start over from the beginning of the series. I've done that with Enchanted Inc, Raine Benares and October Daye.
-the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews (starts with (Magic Bites)
-the Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews (starts with Burn for Me)
-the Innkeeper series by Ilona Andrews (starts with Clean Sweep)
-The Edge series by Ilona Andrews (starts with On the Edge)
-the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire (starts with Rosemary and Rue)
-the Incryptid series by Seanan McGuire (starts with Discount Armageddon)
-the Murderbot series by Martha Wells (starts with All Systems Red)
-the Raine Benares series by Lisa Shearin (starts with Magic Lost, Trouble Found)
-the Enchanted Inc series by Shanna Swendson (starts with Enchanted, Inc.)
-The Others series by Anne Bishop (starts with Written in Red)
-the Black Jewels series by Anne Bishop (starts with Daughter of the Blood)
-Trinity Street West by Justine Davis (starts with Lover Under Cover).
I also usually like to reread the series when a new one is released to remind myself of the world and the characters, but when the series is especially long (or the books are), and it's been a while since I last read it, I'll avoid reading the new one because rereading would be a large investment of time. Some examples of this:
-the Cast series by Michelle Sagara (starts with Cast in Shadow). I'm stuck at book 10, Cast in Flame
-A Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R. Martin (starts with A Game of Thrones). I only have A Dance with Dragons to go.
-the Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep (starts with Spider's Bite). I'm stuck at book 13, Spider's Trap
-Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (starts with Outlander). I'm stuck at book 3, Voyager.
Weirdly, I don't think I've ever done a full start to finish reread with the Redwall books (by Brian Jacques, starts with Redwall) and I adore that series. I guess because the series jumps around in time that rereading all of them in order isn't as required.
Happy Easter to my friends who are celebrating! Pascha for us is next week, so we're just ramping up the festivities. Currently Reading
A Little Life for "book written by a Pacific Islander". I'm nearly done. This book is so good but wow the trigger warnings! Definitely a book to be careful with.
QotW
I think the last time was when I read through Tsubasa:Resevoir Chronicles and xxxholic. I adore those series'. The art is so beautiful and the story is pretty wild!
I am getting so close to my much needed 4-day weekend. This has been a wild day. This place always keeps me on my toes. I bought myself a Kindle Paperwhite yesterday with a pretty case, and I basically just want to read for the rest of my life.This week, I finished:
The Surgeon and The Apprentice, because I am currently binge-reading this series in order haha.
The Initial Insult: This was quite strange, but I enjoyed it. Looking forward to getting my hands on book 2.
Currently reading:
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The Sinner
Mothertrucker: Finding Joy on the Loneliest Road in America
The Shadows
When the Stars Go Dark
QOTW:
I am constantly doing this. I reread series all the time. Right now I'm rereading Harry Potter and the Rizzoli and Isles series. I'm about to reread the Mercy Kilpatrick series. I have reread Karin Slaughter, Linda Castillo, JA Konrath, James Patterson, Alex Kava, Brenda Novak, a ton of YA series. I like rereading things before new ones come out and I just like revisiting stories that entertain me. I would also like to binge-read the Jeffery Deaver Bone Collector series, but they are a little harder to get my hands on for free.
Happy Christmas! ;) So we got hit with the side of that blizzard/storm that came up from Colorado. Fortunately it seems they over prepared us for bad weather and the storm ended up being milder. We still have shoveling but oh well we hadn't put the shovels away yet anyways.We'll be celebrating Easter with a ham dinner. Hope you all enjoy your various celebrations. Also there is a big recall for Kinder brand chocolates in Canada over salmonella, I don't know if it effects other countries, in case you haven't seen and bought some for kiddos.
Finished Reading:
Verity ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (2015 mystery/thriller)
I had seen good reviews of this when it first came out years ago so I was glad that it lived up to the hype. There were great unlikable characters, and a good mystery. Good option for the BookTok prompt.
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories ⭐⭐⭐
These are all retelling of Perrault's fairy tales. I'm not really familiar with the originals but this had some strong stories and some weak ones.
The Lives of Saints ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I tried to read this when it first came out but I was in a mood so... This is for fans of the Grishaverse.
Unmanned ⭐⭐ (2022 social horror)
This was a disappointment. The author of Saga and a dystopian world where all but one man died should have been good. This is about 20 years old and it shows. The main character is also so whiny. The ending had a few glimmers of hope that's why it's a two rating and I'm hopeful that the next collection is better because all the characters are established so there will be page space for plot.
PS 2022 30/50
PS 2015 29/50
Goodreads 88/200
Currently Reading:
This Is Paradise: Stories
To Marry and to Meddle
QOTW:
I have done this a lot in the past but lately I haven't because I've been focused on knocking off prompts. I do reread series before new books often.
We've had snow and rain most of the week, so our false spring is over. Desperately need the water for my drought plagued state, though.I've been suffering with chronic sinus infections since December, which has really messed with my reading. Can't focus with these headaches. Hopefully we'll figure out a solution soon.
Finished
Three Blind Mice and Other Stories by Agatha Christie - 4 stars, not for challenge
My monthly Christie. This was an audiobook and the readers were the actors from the TV series (David Suchet, Hugh Fraser, etc). I recently saw The Mousetrap in the theater, and it was interesting to read the story "Three Blind Mice" which was the inspiration.
Goodreads: 29/100
Popsugar: 12/40, 3/10
QOTW:
Harry Potter re-read on audiobooks
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series by Stieg Larsson
Can't think of any others that were completely finished by the time I started reading them so that I could binge the entire series, but I'm sure there must be others.
When my best friend started drinking coffee for health reasons, she began by putting a packet of hot chocolate mix in it while getting used to it. She now drinks it black.I have never liked the smell of coffee or anything mocha flavored, so I haven't cared to acquire a taste for it. I'm really happy with tea.
Melissa wrote: "Hello! It's been a very stressful week. My cat spent three days at an Emergency Vet over the weekend and has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Prognosis is 6-9 months, maybe a full year..."I'm so sorry about your cat. They are such amazing creatures.
Hi all! Been a busy week around here. My kiddo turned 4 last weekend, and with a Covid scare at the sitter's we had to cancel the kid Birthday party, but still held the family party. My boyfriend and I got her a bike with training wheels, and I'm pretty sure she thinks she will die if she doesn't keep riding it! On the plus side, we have a very tired kid most evenings! Though it's supposed to snow again this weekend, nothing much, but enough to keep from bike riding. Otherwise, fighting with insurance and whatnot, but it's a little less stressful than it was. I didn't finish anything this week, barely read at all with everything going on. I hope to finish The Bluest Eye by next check in because that's when it's due at the library. Read a couple of pages in For the Wolf last night before bed, too soon to tell.
QOTW: I barely ever read series, so no. I'm not a binger of TV, either, except sports- I can watch sports for hours. I'm on my 3rd baseball game of the day!
Nadine, sorry your daughter has covid and that she's not feeling well. I hope she feels better soon, but at least she doesn't have to be isolated. Melissa, best wishes for your kitty. It's hard.
I love the smell of coffee, can't stand the taste at all.
Why yes, yes I did forget it's Thursday. I also haven't been reading much and I totally blame those clueless, adorable pirates. I may or may not have a crush on Blackbeard. I went around cancelling subscriptions last week when I put in my notice but I can't quite HBO Max yet, because Our Flag Means Death is my comfort at the moment.Finished:
The Last Chance Library - Nice little book was nice during a stressful time.
All the Queen's Men - Queen Elizabeth solves more crime. Takes place in 2016 so trigger warnings for talk of the American election.
Currently Reading:
Portrait of a Thief - Chinese American students are recruited to heist some Chinese art from western museums and return it home.
QOTW:
I like a nice binge sometimes. I did spent the better part of a year just reading Christie, mostly Poirot in order. I got stuck on the short stories at the end and then I have Curtain. I kinda don't want to read it and be done. I did really enjoy binging Tommy & Tuppence in order, that was just 5 books. Murderbot was also fun. I'm sure there have been others.
Mod
I am so sorry, that's difficult news.
Mod
Happy Birthday to the kiddo! Four is a Big Girl age!!!
Good Afternoon,I didn't get much reading done on my books. Sunday I had to drive to my nephew's 2nd birthday. it was a long. There wasn't any time to read for most of the day.
I did make it up on Monday because I was thrashed from the drive and the screaming toddlers and the loud people. I hate peopling on my days off. I people all week, I need my weekends to charge my peopling battery back up.
I finished:
Kiss Me, Cowboy. Palmer typical romances. Great for braindead reading to recharge the thinking batteries too.
A Venom Dark and Sweet It was good. The dual pov was different from the first book. This is the second half of my Popsugar duology prompt.
I'm planning to restart reading:
Okay I returned GGGTM 3 to the library because they were on sale on kindle. So now I can read it whenever I choose.
I am reading:
How to Date a Superhero it's very interesting. its new adult instead ya. The characters are in college.
I also started The Duke and I. I forgot how funny it was. I binged the second season the saturday of it's premiere. does that make sense? anyway all 8 episodes in one glorious sitting.
The A Crash of Fate is still in the running as is The Complete Maus.
I have no idea what I'm planning to read. It's a mystery to me.
QOTW:
I do sometime binge a series in order. they are mostly light novels and manga if i do. you definitely have to do those in order. l get burned out and quit sometimes as well.
Good morning. It still feels like summer here in Australia, and I'm more than ready for the cold weather to come. I haven't finished anything this week - a bad head cold meant I went to comfort reading on AO3. So, just a short check-in. Currently reading: Native Tongue for book with two languages. I have about 100 pages to go, so should finish this weekend. Still not sure what I'm thinking about it - excellent concept but it might go into linguistics too much? I'll see how I feel at the end.
QOTW - I've binged Traci Harding's The Ancient Future/Celestial Triad trilogies (really six books in one series) a couple of times. They're comfort reads as well, though I don't know that I still have copies. I might buy them for the Kindle. I've also binged The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on more than one occasion. Those I still have, but they're so old they're falling apart. And now I'm thinking of books I should buy...
Very Important Luggage Update: our bags arrived Sunday night! My week was relaxing: sitting (and sleeping) by the pool and reading, (outlet) shopping (we found a bookstore and I only bought 1 book!, have to go back), oh, and eating of course. Those plates you Americans serve… I can run all day on just 1 plate - smile. Can’t get used to it. Anyways: paradise. 4 more days left.
PS: 10/40
Total 2022: 15
Finished
Wolgakinderen by Guzel Yakhina - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
PS #9, A book about a "found family".
Loved it! I love Russian literature, it’s mysterious. Nature, supernatural and reality are coming together and tell you a story. Through the eyes of Bach, a teacher, you read about the roaring years in Soviet-German territory from 1917 to 1938. The contrast in the development of Bach and the 'great leader' is beautiful.
Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly - ⭐⭐⭐
PS #34, A book set in Victorian times
Nice read at the pool about the Woolsey-sisters and -mother during the American Civil War. Or should I say the story about Jemma, a slave girl looking for her freedom. I loved her storyline best.
Currently reading
Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism by Anne Applebaum
Up next: The Address by Fiona Davis
QOTW
I have binge-read (as in: read in order without any other book in between, not as in read in order in one sitting, I cannot do that like some others here) The Cemetery of Forgotten Books (by Carlos Ruiz Zafón) as number 3 released. I thought I had to re-read the first 2 books to better understand #3. It wasn’t necessary, but it was fun. This year, I’ve read #2 en #3 of the Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. That’s kind of binge-reading for me.
Progressing right along here.For the prompt A book with an onomatopoeia in its title I read Woof by Spencer Quinn. This is a middle grade mystery from the point of view of the dog so it's very ADHD and it's entertaining enough but I wouldn't want to read more (all the series has onomatopoeias in the title)
For the prompt A book with a character on the ace spectrum I read Eye Spy by Mercedes Lackey. I loved Lackey's Valdemar universe as a kid but haven't visited in decades. This was not a good homecoming. It was more lessons in civil engineering. You don't learn the protagonist is ace until 220 pages into a 320 page novel so this is lousy ace rep. If I find a better one sometime later I'll sub this out.
And I excavated this one from the big pile of discarded books on cd from my library. I used to like this series but Sour Puss by Rita Mae Brown was straight up one of the worst things I've read in forever. It's in my review but the ending is ludicrous and I'm still hung up on the fact this took 100 pages (of like 275 pages) of mystery to even have a crime happen. The rest was mostly all the author's research about grapes/wine making. That and the fact the protagonist's hot take is women get into prostitution because they enjoy sex and obviously don't hate it because you don't work jobs you hate...
QOTW No I don't binge series. I've tried it a time or two. I get bored easily. Even if I like the characters, I need breaks from them (ditto my tv shows so sorry for the streaming sites that want me to consume stuff that way)
Nadine in NY wrote: "did buy all of Gene Wolfe's books in his New Sun / Long Sun / Short Sun series, and I plan to start re-reading them all in order, but ... it's April now and I still haven't started. I WILL though!! I've got a notebook ready for my notes and everything. But I will read other books in between and concurrently, I couldn't dedicate myself to reading ONLY that for the rest of the year. ..."You need to start! Just set a certain number of pages a month...doesn't need to be a lot.
These aren't binge readings really because it is staggered with lots of other reading. More like a course of study for discussion.
But I am proud of you planning and setting up to do it!
Mod
You are right! I'll never do it if I don't start. I just read the first page, the first step on my long journey to revisit these worlds.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Theresa wrote: "You need to start! Just set a certain number of pages a month...doesn't need to be a lot...."You are right! I'll never do it if I don't start. I just read the first page, the fir..."
Yay! I hope to join you at some point. Right now I have 4 ongoing read-alongs, 3 of which I need to wrap up ASAP.
I haven't had time to read everyone's prompts but I wanted to put up my update for now.I had another slow week. But I'm hoping this weekend I'll make a little more progress since the kid will be at his dad's and I don't have to work. I've got a bunch in currently reading but, I think I can finish a few this weekend.
I actually saw about an hour of sunshine today! April is taking this April Showers business to heart this year!
2022 Challenges:
Popsugar: 31/50
ATY: 29/52
A to Z: 22/26
50 States:
2021.....30/50 (Have until end of June)
2022.....10/50
Read Harder: 10/24
Goodreads: 66/100
Finished:
3 finished this week, 1 for Popsugar
City of Girls
ATY #40, AtoZ
This was a decent book but, I’m not sure if my love of her memoir clouded my expectations of this novel from her.
To Make Monsters Out of Girls
Another book of poetry. This should be my last one for a while…I’m kinda over it for now.
I’ve now read five books by Amanda Lovelace and still really only liked the first one I read, The Princess Saves Herself in This One.
The Empress of Salt and Fortune
PS #27, ATY #48
This was good but, I’m still glad it was a novella…less pressure.
Currently Reading
At First Light
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate
Lord of the Flies
The Secrets We Kept
Burning the Breeze: Three Generations of Women in the American West
Our Stories, Our Voices: 21 YA Authors Get Real About Injustice, Empowerment, and Growing Up Female in America
QOTW: Did you ever binge-read a series through in sequence? If so, what one? Did you enjoy it as much as you thought you would?
Yes, yes I have.
At the end of 2019 I binged the entire series (21 books) of Robyn Carr's Virgin River books in 3-4 months.
Then last year I read the entire Longmire series from Craig Johnson. It wasn't all in a row, mostly because of library holds but, they were the main goal along with Popsugar.
I've also read the Harry Potter series in a row when I had my class on it, which was the second time I'd read them. And I think I also binged the original Twilight series.
Doni wrote: "Qotw: It seems like I binge-read series all the time when I was a kid. That was the advantage of reading a series. Ones that stand out in my memory are: Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon, The Dark is Rising, and A Wrinkle in Time. More recently, I have read Harry Potter with my family and re-read all of Rick Riordan's books (well minus the Norse Gods and Apollo.) ..."Oh, this made me realize that when I was a kid I LOVED the Goosebump books and I had almost all of them. Pretty sure those were the only things I was reading at that time.
Theresa wrote: "I'm at 29/50! Quite pleased with my progress. Now though need to target deliberately more of the prompts than just seeing if my reading fits.I'm right there with you...I'm 31/50 and have hit the point where I now need to deliberately find a book to fit the prompt. I have a few already chosen but, now I need to stick to it and I can hopefully finish in the next few months.
Melissa wrote: "Hello! It's been a very stressful week. My cat spent three days at an Emergency Vet over the weekend and has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Prognosis is 6-9 months, maybe a full year..."I'm so sorry to hear this, Melissa. Sending you and your fur baby all our love <33
I moved to Michigan last summer. There are so many advantages to living here - being much closer to my family and friends, a job that is less stressful and work from home, a more interesting city with a lot to do. The new delightful thing I have discovered is an independent bookstore! I’ve never lived anywhere with an indie bookstore. I am still trying to limit my book buying so my TBR doesn’t get overwhelming again and I stick to my budget. But there are a few books I know I want to own because I love the author and/or the series. It was so exciting buying those books from an indie bookstore!! Finished
Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie. I kept scream-thinking, “Justice for Bob!!” for most of this book. Bob is a terrier and a Very Good Boy who was accused of leaving his ball at the top of the stairs, causing Miss Arundell to fall and nearly die. Fortunately, Poirot figured out that Bob was framed. And then went on to find the actual guilty party. But I was mostly relieved that Bob was exonerated. I thought this one dragged in the middle somewhat. It’s a lot longer than a typical Agatha Christie book.
Reading
The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson
An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn
QOTW
Yes, I have binge-read many series. I’ve done this with the usual suspects - Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Percy Jackson, Lord of the Rings. The most recent binge-read for me was the Parasol Protectorate series, and I had a blast with that. I adored that series so much! There were books I liked more than others, but overall I really, really enjoyed the experience.
There are other series that I binge-read that I didn’t enjoy as much because the books were inconsistent (I’m looking at you, Shadowhunters), but I’ve used those as learning experiences. I either quit the series or space out when I read the books if I'm not loving the reading experience.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Shannon wrote: "Again, there must be a *reason* I struggle so much, but I don't really know what it is lol..."maybe you dont' want things to be over, because then you'll have nothing left to loo..."
I definitely think that plays a part in it--I don't like when things are over. But it's also a little because usually the further you get in a series, the higher the stakes, and the more my anxiety grows. And typically by the last book, I've had to deal with at least one major character death and know that more are coming (this obviously depends on the genre), and I really hate that sense of impending doom. It makes me not want to finish because I don't want to be forced to mourn the loss of characters I love.
That's a huge reason I never finished Harry Potter. I got tired of constantly feeling stressed out and worrying about who she was going to kill next.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Witches (other topics)Malibu Rising (other topics)
The Cast (other topics)
Exit Strategy (other topics)
Rogue Protocol (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jodi Picoult (other topics)Kiran Millwood Hargrave (other topics)
Robyn Carr (other topics)
Craig Johnson (other topics)
James Patterson (other topics)
More...
As soon as I felt ‘recovered’ from the pure exhaustion of my full-time job and long daily commute, I evidently contracted what I will term a “stomach bug” from somewhere and was ill for two days with that! Yikes! But I was able to keep reading through most of this past week, so that’s a good thing!
ADMIN STUFF:
Sherri is our “guru guide” for April’s discussion of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson for prompt #26 A book with a misleading title, in honor of April Fools’ Day! Thank you, Sherri! I am looking forward to this one. I have no idea what to expect… Well, other than a mystery! You can post any other book you've read to fulfill this prompt here.
Thank you to those group members who voted selected Piranesi by Susanna Clarke for our July 2022 Monthly Group Read to fulfill prompt #47 A book featuring a parallel reality. Are you the “terrific team leader” needed to guide this discussion?
The comprehensive listing of Monthly Group Reads for 2022 is here.
We will need a “vivacious volunteer” to lead June’s monthly group read discussion of Beloved as well as a “terrific team leader” to guide July’s monthly group read discussion of Piranesi!! Please message either Nadine or myself to help with this!
Question of the Week:
Did you ever binge-read a series through in sequence? If so, what one? Did you enjoy it as much as you thought you would?
The first time I ever did this was with the Harry Potter series which I have now read straight through three times and am itching for a fourth! I loved it! Each and every time!
Then years ago the book club I facilitated read through Marie Bostwick’s Cobbled Court Quilt series, reading one each month. I need to see if there are any newer installments in that one… I really enjoyed that series, very much character-driven writing!
The most recent was this past week…well, over the past 4 days! I received my Bookshop order which included all the remaining Murderbot Diaries installments (#3-6). I kept telling myself that I really should read some other books BEFORE starting (Actually, restarting, since I had already read the first two installments over the past two years!), but… Yeah, there are times when I have absolutely no self-control! As evidenced by the fact that I immediately read the first 4 books over three days! Admittedly, these are all short at just over 150 pages or so, but I am so glad I did read through one after the other, because then I had the details of previous installments in my memory to better understand what I was currently reading. I’m just so very grateful to all of you (and other Goodreads friends/members) who wrote glowing reviews which encouraged me to begin this series! It is definitely one of my favorites! I have decided to try at least one more of her books outside the Murderbot series to see if it will be as enjoyable to me. Can anyone make a recommendation?
Book listing is on posting #3. Once I had completed all the challenge prompt listings, this posting was too large. (I feared that would happen, hence, I reserved posting #3! 😁