Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Happy Thursday!  I hope everyone who celebrates had a nice Halloween and/or All Souls.  (My French colleagues had the day off!  I want ALL the holidays!  When my French colleagues or Chinese colleagues have the day off, I want a holiday too!)  Welcome to November!!  Cheers to our members who have been looking forward to Nonfiction November and Movember and NaNoWriMo and Native American Heritage Month.

We finally had our first night below freezing last week - it was so late in the year!  Now we are back up to warmer temperatures.  Winter is coming late this year to our area - which I guess is fitting, because Spring came late this year, too.  And if it sounds like I'm complaining -  yes I am!  I love the warm weather, but I really want several nights below freezing to kill the ticks so I can finally take my dogs' tick collars off for the winter.  (Note: we have now had three nights in a row below 32F, but I still see bugs flying around.  If mosquitoes are still alive, then ticks may still be alive, so I can't take the tick collars off yet!!)



Admin stuff 
I keep forgetting to include this section!!   New month means a new group read - for November, the group is reading Cerulean Sea for the "found family" category.  You can find the discussion here:https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

In December our group read will be Book Lovers for "published in 2022" AND in December we can finally expect to see next year's list!!   I'm trying not to think about it too much because the anticipation just about kills me.



This week I finished 3 books, 2 for this Challenge, so I am now 49/50.  One more left!! 

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - I really enjoyed this, more than any other book I've read by Moreno-Garcia.  It started off kind of slow and did not engage me, and I worried I wasn't going to like it, but it got a lot better. Not for the Challenge.

All These Warriors by Amy Tintera - I ate this book up like a hot fudge sundae.  This was the second book in my duology.  It was light and fluffy and "one special girl saves them all" tropey, but I loved every page of it.

Murder at Cape Three Points by Kwei Quartey - another enjoyable Darko Dawson mystery.  I read the first book in this series back in January (and used it for "misleading title").  At about that same time, I read The Confession of Copeland Cane because it was in the Tournament of Books.  I didn't really enjoy that book much so I really wanted it to COUNT for something so that my suffering was not in vain!  It was set in Oakland (and the setting was fairly important to the story) so I looked up Oakland's sister cities and I found one was Sekondi-Takoradi, in Ghana.  I'd never heard of that city, BUT it is the setting of the third Darko Dawson book!  What a coincidence!!  So 2021 became The Year of Darko Dawson for me, I read the second book in the spring and now I've read the third book, and checked off my second "sister city" category.  


Halloween may be over but our Spooktember-Spooktober viewing continues!  This week we watched The Ring (the Naomi Watts version - a rewatch for me, a new one for Neve, who declared it was "stupid"), The Blair Witch Project (I haven't seen this since it's release, and I THOUGHT Neve would say that was stupid, but I think she was really taken in by it, she said it was really sad - and it is), I finished Happiness on Viki (I'm so sad that it's over!!), we re-watched Donnie Darko (every time I watch that movie I'm surprised all over again by how GOOD it is and how SAD it is), on Halloween evening we re-watched the first Ghostbusters (what a great movie that is!  so quotable!!), and on All Souls evening we went to the theater to watch a special showing of Spirited Away (Regal cinemas have been holding "Ghibli-fest" for the last few years, where they show a Ghibli movie once a month.)

We still have a stack of DVDs from the library so we may have to dabble in a bit of "Spookvember" viewing in the next week ;-) 




Question of the Week
This is a really old suggestion from Theresa:

How many books have you added to your TBR or acquired and read this year because of challenge participant review or group theme, discussion or buddy read? Could be any challenge - PS, ATY, any GR group. How does this compare to how many added from other sources (browsing, reading non-GR reviews, etc)?


So, my answer is: I don't really know for sure, I don't keep track of where I learn about books I add to my TBR (yes it's a stat I do not track!!). The stat I do track: out of 50 books read for this Challenge this year, there are 18 books I probably would not have read if not for this Challenge. Some of them were books already on my TBR, just ... lingering there. Some were books that were not on my TBR to start.

As for how many books I've added to my TBR, in general? I do NOT know! I currently have 2056 books on my TBR list. Of those, 427 were added this year (and that doesn't include books I added to my TBR this year and then read). I added those books for a variety of reasons: another book by an author I already enjoy, a new book that I saw on the Millions Most Anticipated list, a book one my GR friends raved about, a book I found when I fell down some rabbit hole ...

I finished Murder at the Breakers. This is the first book of the series, but the second one I read. I kind of like them.

I read The Horse and His Boy. It was in the FLL so I figured why not. It was alright.

I'm currently reading My Ántonia. Been meaning to read something by Willa Cather for years. Finally got around to it.

Happy Thursday! It's been quite foggy here the past few mornings, which has made the commute something of an adventure 😒 we have another overnight camp lined up for tonight, so I'm looking forward to that - just added the print book I'm reading onto my Kindle so I can read in the dark later. Right now I'm mostly excited for Shania Twain tickets; they go on sale later this morning and the concert is on me and hubby's 5yr wedding anniversary, so it feels like something we should totally do! (Whether I'll be able to snag TSwift tickets in a few weeks is *highly* doubtful, but I'm sure I'll still try that too!)
Edit: Got Shania tickets. Broke but very pleased. TS probably won't happen lol

Last week I finished yet another new audiobook:
Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard - 4 stars. This was a really sweet memoir, and Tom has plenty of anecdotes from the Potter series and beyond. He also discussed rehab and turning things around after he got stuck in a rut toward the end of the book. He reads the audio with plenty of humor.

PS 48/50

Currently:
The Castle Doctrine - I've been slacking but this keeps my attention any time I pick it up, so I'm hoping to wrap it up in another day or two.
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 - Intense. Narrated by a capable cast of 45 covering 500+ interviews and records collected and compiled into a solid narrative by the author. Nonfiction November book #1
The World We Make - I originally started this the morning Only Plane came available, as something to alternate with when things became too heavy, but I suspect now it shall wait until Only Plane is finished; I'm far too invested in that one for tentacles and eldritch horror right this second.
The Wicked + The Divine: Book One - Still liking this one a lot
The Neverending Story - I made progress this week!

QOTW: How many books have you added to your TBR or acquired and read this year because of challenge participant review or group theme, discussion or buddy read? Could be any challenge - PS, ATY, any GR group. How does this compare to how many added from other sources (browsing, reading non-GR reviews, etc)?
Oh wow. I don't keep track of this lol but I'd suspect a decent amount; I tend to add books I stumble across on GR, especially if my friends gave good reviews. Most of my reading life is centered here, although I make a point of following a number of authors and I'll add their newest releases as soon as I see them listed on GR too.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Moving day is this coming Sunday, and I am totally freaking out. I did manage to clean my new house this week, and my packing list is getting shorter, but there’s still so much that I need to get done before the movers arrive! I know it will all come together somehow, but right now it seems like it’s never going to happen.

Despite all of the craziness of moving, this week I did find time to watch The Ghost and Mrs. Muir television series. I’ve loved the movie ever since I discovered it as a pre-teen, I adore the original novel, and now I am obsessed with the tv series! It was fantastic, and I will definitely be watching it again! A huge thank you to Heather L for letting me know that it was on YouTube!

Unfortunately, I have majorly fallen behind on my reading this week. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to read…I just haven’t had the energy. I sat down to read on Tuesday afternoon after cleaning the new house (cleaning day three of four), started the sixth chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and promptly fell asleep while Harry was (view spoiler)[still trying to find platform nine and three-quarters… (hide spoiler)].

Hopefully I’ll be able to get back to my normal reading habits once moving day is over.

Goodreads: 531/200
TBR Checklist: 412/979

Finished Reading (Fiction):
None

Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
~Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard

Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
None

DNFed:
None

Currently Reading:
~Barchester Towers — I’ve read a little over three-quarters of this book so far, and I am thoroughly enjoying it . I’m also really looking forward to re-watching The Barchester Chronicles once I’ve finished the book…and once I’ve located the moving box the DVD is in.
~Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman — This book is my first pick for Nonfiction November. It's pretty big, so I’m currently only about 3% of the way through it. I am finding it very interesting though, and I’m really excited to see Alan Rickman’s thoughts during the filming of the Harry Potter series.
~Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone — I decided to start re-reading the Harry Potter series on Halloween night. As I have every time I’ve read it, I’m loving it.

QOTW:
I have not added any books to my TBR this year for any challenge-related reason. Most of the books I’ve added have been because I’m incapable of controlling myself while in a bookstore (or while browsing online), but I have done some book buying based on recommendations from some of my favorite BookTubers.

I honestly couldn’t tell you the number of books that I have added to my TBR this year, because I’ve also gotten rid of quite of few titles that were originally on there. I do feel pretty confident in saying that it’s a fairly large number, but not as large as in years past. I am pleased that I’ve made some significant progress on reading the books on my TBR this year though.

a book about gender identity

Cemetery Boys by Aidan Thomas. I really enjoyed this book even though I called the "twist" early. I would watch the heck out of a tv series based on this book

no prompts

Shameless Puckboy by Eden Finley and Saxon James. Contemporary romance. Really enjoyable.

Screwed by K.M. Neuhold. Contemporary romance. Fake dating (marriage). My favorite of the series so far.

Hardwood by K.M. Neuhold. Contemporary romance. Mains are in their late 30s/early 40s which is one of the things I really like about this series.

Stud by K.M. Neuhold. Age gap. Contemporary romance. My least favorite of the series so far but I still enjoyed it.

Sign Here by Claudia Lux. Horror about workers in the various levels of hell. I enjoyed it a lot more than the other book I got in October from Book of the Month.

Read Between the Lines by Rachel Lacey. Contemporary romance. It was billed as enemies to lovers on booktok but it seriously did not stay enemies long enough for me (like 2 seconds). It was very much giving like 90s rom com vibes which was nice. I would've given this three stars but there was a third act breakup over stupid reasons and that's annoying.

QOTW:
I actually think I add more books from booktok than anywhere and they aren't necessarily challenge related. Honestly, I just try to fill the prompts organically as I read throughout the year. I do have a handful of prompts that I do keep track of recommendations because they are out of usual reads.

Katy wrote: "I'm currently reading My Ántonia. Been meaning to read something by Willa Cather for years. Finally got around to it..."


I've been meaning to read one of her books for years, too!! And I STILL haven't gotten around to it. maybe next year ...

Ashley Marie wrote: "... (Whether I'll be able to snag TSwift tickets in a few weeks is *highly* doubtful, but I'm sure I'll still try that too!) ..."



LOL my daughter Lily is currently hyperventilating over this!! She's aiming for the Meadowlands NJ concert location, which is a high population area but also has several dates.

K.L. wrote: "Happy Thursday, everyone!

Moving day is this coming Sunday, and I am totally freaking out. I did manage to clean my new house this week, and my packing list is getting shorter, but there’s still s..."


Moving is exhausting!! Enjoy that first book you get to read in your new house.

Ashley Marie wrote: "Happy Thursday! It's been quite foggy here the past few mornings, which has made the commute something of an adventure 😒 we have another overnight camp lined up for tonight, so I'm looking forward ..."

Have fun at your concert! :D

Chandie wrote: "a book about gender identity

Cemetery Boys by Aidan Thomas. I really enjoyed this book even though I called the "twist" early. I would watch the heck out of a tv series based on this book

no prom..."

I think a lot of people called the "twist" fairly early in Cemetery Boys... but I also think the "twist" and that particular subplot were secondary to the character development. It was a good book! Perfect for October and early November.

Nadine in NY wrote: "LOL my daughter Lily is currently hyperventilating over this!! She's aiming for the Meadowlands NJ concert location, which is a high population area but also has several dates."

Best of luck to her! I would've been aiming for Pittsburgh.

So I was one of only two people who dressed up for Halloween at my place of work. I thought about going as something literary... but I ended up dressing up as Weird Al Yankovic. Because I am a dork. XD

Also, my spooky watches this week turned out to be half of Hocus Pocus (people started falling asleep so we didn't finish it) and all of The Wicker Man (the original 1973 version). Man, that latter movie is WEIRD. And Christopher Lee was so young in it... or at least younger than I'm used to seeing him.

Books read this week:

I'm Glad My Mom Died -- holy crow, this was a HARD read. I never watched iCarly, but some of Jeannette’s experiences hit really close to home. I really hope she’s in a better place now and has found some peace.

A Long Way from Paris -- a thoughtful memoir about the author’s experiences living on a primitive farm in rural France. The author does whine a LOT about being fat and her ex-boyfriend, though... I kept wanting to shake her and go "we get it, move on!"

Artemis Fowl -- man, this was fun. Can’t believe it took me this long to start this series…

Hotel Dare - graphic novel. A fun comic about found family, alternate worlds, and magic!

DNF:

The List of Things That Will Not Change -- I could NOT get into this one. Plus, while I appreciate the author trying to show that “divorce =/= bad” for her audience, the divorced parents seem to get along a little TOO perfectly, to the point where it’s unrealistic.

Currently Reading:

Fairy Tale
A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories
Heidi
Ariadne

QOTW:

I couldn't tell you the answer to this question, because I have no idea. I do know that often, if I read the first book in a series for a challenge and like it well enough, I'll move on to the sequels. Winter Tide was enjoyable enough that I read its sequel Deep Roots, for example.

Happy Thursday! I missed last week due to some insanity at our place. We've inherited a part-time resident at our house (a dear friend who needs 24/7 supervision for reasons), so things have been hectic as we adjust to a new routine. BUT I think we're finally in the groove.

Finished 37/50

If I finish this challenge this year, it'll be a miracle. Right, I'll settle for getting the first 40.

Words for Our Lives: The Spiritual Words of Matthew the Poor for "duology (2)". I liked the first one better, but this one was still really freaking good.

Currently Reading

Truly Human: Recovering Your Humanity in a Broken World for "book with a constellation on the cover". REALLY good so far. Nice to find a religious self-help book that's also pro-therapy!

House Divided for "book set in Victorian era". YOU GUYS. THIS BOOK. It's a massive Civil War novel, and it is AMAZING. Not pc because it's told from the perspective of the South (lots of racism/slurs, but the book makes a book to emphasize the wrong perspectives of the Southerners. It's being historical, not glorifying it). But HOLY COW. It's a soap opera crazy drama that's ALSO a war novel that's ALSO really well written. I'm almost halfway through and absolutely sucked in.

QotW

Nope. LOL. My TBR is so long, I RARELY add things from group reads. My real life friends keep me well-stocked with suggestions as it is. XD

K.L. wrote"Unfortunately, I have majorly fallen behind on my reading this week. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to read…I just haven’t had the energy. " Congratulations on the new house. I moved in December last year. I had no time to read because of moving,cleaning,packing,unpacking and Christmas. Luckily I had an epiphany & decided to listen to audio books. I had an audio book going at all times & that helped.

Happy November everyone. I read 2 books for the week.
1. The Last Woman Standing. 2 stars. One of my goals this year was to read books hanging around on my kindle queue forever. Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking when I bought certain books. This had been in my queue since 2016. This is a historical fiction book about Josephine Marcus who was lured to Tombstone, Arizona 20 years after the civil war by Johnny Behan with promises of marriage. The marriage didn't happen even though she ended up living with him. She meets Wyatt Earp while living in Tombstone & romance happens. She ends up with Wyatt Earp. There is more to it than that but that's the nutshell synopsis. I knew nothing about Josephine Marcus or the history that took place in Tombstone. What little I knew about the Earp brothers came from the movies. I felt the author made Josephine into a sex kitten. I also sometimes thought the timeline & history wasn't totally accurate.
2. A Man of Some Repute. 3 stars. A new cozy mystery to me. I did like it & will read the second book.
QOTW: I like this question. I was all excited to track this & pulled out my journals but got bogged down by book 3. I will answer the question this way. Brace yourselves but my actual physical TBR consists of 10 books at this moment. My physical books are always on the move. I belong to BOTM so I usually have books coming monthly. I only buy books that I like but know they will be used in a challenge. I buy a book with a prompt in mind or I buy a book and make it fit. After I read a physical book I immediately give it to a good friend & tell them not to give it back. As I have said a goal this year was to read the kindle books I purchased years ago. I have 4 books on the kindle queue purchased in 2021. I will use all 4 for the 2023 ATY challenge & hopefully they will work for PS too. I get daily deals & book news letters in my email. I use the library & download a small percentage from Amazon Prime reading.

Happy November.

My youngest was born 2 days after Halloween. Halloween 2005 was the worst as I was extremely pregnant and had to take a 3 year old trick or treating. I had to lie down after 3 houses and someone else had to take her to the rest of the street. Since then, after Halloween and the birthday, November is a month of relative calmness before the busyness of December.

I read an awesome Poe short story. I did well in my books - and technically, they are 2 or the 4 books I'm reading in November, so I'm well ahead of the game.

Finished:

The Fall of the House of Usher: An Edgar Allan Poe Short Story
ATY prompt: A book with gothic elements
Popsugar prompt: can't find one

ATY - 46/52
PS- 37/35
Series -12/13
Clearing my TBR list: 35/40

Currently reading:

Hench - 75% done

The Faceless Ones - 45% done

QOTW: How many books have you added to your TBR or acquired and read this year because of challenge participant review or group theme, discussion or buddy read? Could be any challenge - PS, ATY, any GR group. How does this compare to how many added from other sources (browsing, reading non-GR reviews, etc)?

Most of my added books are the next book in a series or a new book written by one of my favourite authors. I did pick up a few books from those GR articles. And I had a friend not on GR tip me off to a book she thought I'd enjoy.

I have occasionally added a book when I've seen it discussed here or in another group.

I finished A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America's Ghosts by Leanna Renee Hieber & Andrea Janes and it really is an interesting read on 'true hauntings' and ghostly tropes viewed through historical and more importantly feminist lenses.

Everything else I finished were graphic novel

The Nice House on the Lake, Vol. 1 by James Tynion IV was quite good, a solid horror entry. I am still salty about my comic book shop messing up the pull list on this one but at least my library had it

Nights with a Cat, Vol. 1 by KyuryuZ a cute wholesome manga about just what the title says living with the weirdness that are cats

The Liminal Zone by Junji Ito a beautifully drawn offering by a Japanese horror master

QOTW Good question. I don't have a good answer. I will say more books were added via Netgalleys arc offerings and freebies from my various newsletters but there were certainly some from these challenges. Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine was one of them that I can remember.

Hello! Our weekend in Duluth had gorgeous weather. We had adventures trying to find a place to eat Friday night, but eventually did find a local place that was very good. Saturday morning, we went for what turned into a three hour, six mile hike to a lighthouse on Lake Superior, and while totally worth it, I mostly couldn't walk for the rest of the day. The trail was, at times, asphalt, packed dirt, sharp pointy rocks, and sand. The sand and the rocks were the worst. We're definitely going back to Duluth in a future mini-vacation, but won't be doing that hike again.

It is also now National Novel Writing Month, and I'm still not sure I'm confident about my plot. 2411 words so far, but I dislike most of them. Also, with a plot that isn't motivating me, not sure how much reading I'll get done this month.

Finished This Week:
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott. Book on writing that I've always heard to be one of the best ones out there. And it was. Written in the early 90s, it contains a lot of what I've internalized about how to win NaNo. It also said to write about your childhood, changing everyone enough so that you can't be sued. (Seriously, there's a chapter on avoiding libel suits.) Not for PS prompt.

Skeleton Song / Juice Like Wounds by Seanan McGuire. Two short stories in the Wayward Children world. The first is Christopher's back story, published last week, and the second is a sidequest story about Lundy's time at the Market, published a few years ago. Christopher's story was lovely, and it was good to see his time with his Skeleton Girl. Lundy's story mostly just reminded me that I'd never reread her book, and I probably should do that.

PS: 47/50 RH: 15/24 ATY: 51/52

Currently Reading:
Nimitz at War: Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay by Craig L. Symonds. Invasion of Iwo Jima has begun! And so have the kamikaze attacks from the Japanese. Oh, and Congress has just created the new five star rank for generals and admirals, which is something else I hadn't realized wasn't a thing until World War 2 (the other being the Joint Chiefs of Staff). Need to finish today. Not for PS prompt.

Twice a Quinceañera by Yamile Saied Méndez. Went looking for something light and froofy and found this. Woman breaks off the wedding at one month to go before the ceremony, and decides that since she's already paid for the food and venue, plus all her relatives are coming from overseas, she's going to throw herself a double quinceanera celebration, as she's turning 30. Set in Utah with a LOT of Mormons and comments on Mormon culture, but nothing vindictive so far. Guessing the author lives there, or did. About a third of the way in, but enjoying so far. Not for PS prompt.

Sweep with Me by Ilona Andrews. Graphic Audio performance of the fifth Innkeeper Chronicles tale, a novella set two weeks after the end of One Fell Sweep. Only three hours on audio, so will finish today. Reread, not for prompt.

QotW: How many books have you added to your TBR or acquired and read this year because of challenge participant review or group theme, discussion or buddy read? Could be any challenge - PS, ATY, any GR group. How does this compare to how many added from other sources (browsing, reading non-GR reviews, etc)?
If we're counting books suggested by others in the discussion threads for each prompt, then the answer is a lot. If we're only counting books that people have mentioned in the weekly threads that sounded good, or books that were the monthly group reads, then the answer is much, much smaller.

There's a few books I read this year because I found the author on social media and wanted to support them: Burning Roses, Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors, plus One for All which I haven't read yet.

Of course, the winner for this discussion would be Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul, which I only heard about because Christy said she was reading it in a weekly thread in January 2021. I very much doubt I would have found this book on my own.

Since we are sharing exciting concert news, I will get to see George Strait in AZ next year!

Finished:

The Story Behind: The Extraordinary History Behind Ordinary Objects by Emily Prokop (4/5)

This is a very easy read, filled with short but interesting chapters. Some objects or ideas are more fascinating than others, but the batting average with this anthology is quite high.

Question of the Week:

I use my Goodreads groups and challenges as a source of potential recommendations, but I do not track where my TBR items come from.

I've finished 4 books so far and we're barely in the third day of November. A couple of books were spill-over since I read them a week before and finished them on the first and second.

These are the ones I read:

Nerd: Adventures in Fandom from This Universe to the Multiverse- This one was fun. It was written by a millennial which I love because I'm always trying to find writers in my age range. The story itself was so relatable given that I'm a fangirl myself.

An American Sunrise- I love Joy Harjo's work. This poetry book did not disappoint.

Roswell: The Ultimate Cold Case: Eyewitness Testimony and Evidence of Contact and the Cover-Up- I loved this book. I've been following the Roswell 1947 case since I was 8. I've met these authors and they are the real deal regarding the investigation of UFOs. The book brought down the entire conclusion of so many years of research. Believer or not it's still a great read.

Catching the Light- A new release by Joy Harjo and this one was great. I loved her simplicity and she was vulnerable with her personal narrative.

Brandon wrote: "Since we are sharing exciting concert news, I will get to see George Strait in AZ next year!"

Have a wonderful time! George sings some of my favorites.

Ron wrote: "An American Sunrise- I love Joy Harjo's work. This poetry book did not disappoint."

I'm looking forward to this one here soon!

I am pleased to say I am fitting more reading in again, though still really busy with work and other things. I also have more culture and social outings filling up my calendar - last night I added to my calendar:

- a Christmas week visit with a friend to the Morgan Library for the Le Petit Prince exhibit then tea in the cafe
https://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions....
We both plan to read The Personal Librarian before that visit.


- early January outing with my Feminerdy Book Club to the NY Historical Society to see 3 exhibits: Salem Witch Trials, Jewish Delis, and Holiday Vintage Trains and Toys. We just read and discussed A Discovery of Witches.
https://www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions...

- Hopper exhibit at the Whitney. https://whitney.org/exhibitions/edwar...
No book link to the Hopper or the Whitney - yet.

It is nice to see a few holiday events being planned too.

And if you need a pop of peak autumn color, visit one of NYC's parks this weekend. Looking left out of my apartment windows is Central Park in a blaze of color.

Drum roll please: I knocked off one of my remaining prompts! Just 4 more to go...

Finished:
In the Distance - prompt reflected image on the cover. Excellent - a western unlike any you have ever read - uneducated iliterate swedish boy arrives alone in Gold Rush San Francisco. Story of myth building and profound isolation, while at same time reminding us of the vastness and majesty of the Old West. Wonderful read.
The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers - has bones of a great read but failed badly.

Currently reading:
Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt

QOTW: one of my goals in all my reading challenges is to read from my numerous and very tall TBR Towers - print and ebook. I don't go looking for and acquiring a 'new' book for any prompt. But that doesn't mean the TBR Towers are shrinking. They definitely grow as I see reviews and discussions here and elsewhere, lists pop up in my newsfeeds, visits to my favorite indie bookstores, etc. I do not track them or keep stats. Never will.

In case anyone is wondering, my GR Want to Read shelf only reflects books I read about on GR.

Cornerofmadness wrote: "The Liminal Zone by Junji Ito a beautifully drawn offering by a Japanese horror master ..."


I didn't know about this book!! I just added it to my cart to buy for my Junji-Ito-loving kid for xmas.

Theresa wrote: "- Hopper exhibit at the Whitney. https://whitney.org/exhibitions/edwar...
No book link to the Hopper or the Whitney - yet. ..."


Raymond Chandler of course!!

I just got back from a long weekend up in South Dakota and I'm struggling this post time with friends and celebrating Halloween. haha. Hoping for a nice relaxing weekend with some books this weekend.

Finished:
Playing Nice by JP Delaney
This was a solid domestic thriller that kept me turning pages and invested in the story. The unimagine situation the narrators are put in in which they find out their son was switched at birth with another is made worse when the other family is way more than they bargained for. The narrators are also both somewhat unreliable which keeps you on your toes even more as read through the shocking situations and information. The ending was excellent as well, it is the best domestic thriller I've read in a while.
Prompt: Two books set in twin towns, aka “sister cities” (London)

Clap When You Land By Elizabeth Acevedo
I love a novel written in prose and this one was simply beautiful. The prose captured grief, jealousy, fear and so many other emotions so beautifully when telling the story of the two girls who shared a father but never knew of each until their fathers death in a plane crash. This story will definitely hit you emotionally, but it is so good and worth it.
Prompt: A book featuring two languages

Currently Reading:
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
Prompt: A book about a “found family”

Overall Progress:
41/50

QOTW:
I couldn’t give you a number, but I’m sure there are plenty I’ve added to my TBR because of this challenge. I would say the number is about the same as ones I've had from other places though. I’m a librarian and basically add books to my TBR as I see them at the library. The TBR list will never end, lol.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Theresa wrote: "- Hopper exhibit at the Whitney. https://whitney.org/exhibitions/edwar...
No book link to the Hopper or the Whitney - yet. ..."


Raymond Chandler of course!!"

Great idea. I am sure I have a couple on my book shelves that would love the attention.

I few years ago I read this short story collection: In Sunlight or In Shadow: Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper. I could always reread a couple of those.

Alex wrote: "Happy Thursday! I missed last week due to some insanity at our place. We've inherited a part-time resident at our house (a dear friend who needs 24/7 supervision for reasons), so things have been h..."

Aw man... I'm glad things have settled down. I wish the best for your friend!

Finished: How to Stay Smart in a Smart World: Why Human Intelligence Still Beats Algorithms Very worth reading.

First Class: The U.S. Postal Service, Democracy, and the Corporate Threat Loved the heroic stories!

From Radicalism to Socialism: Men and Ideas in the Formation of Fabian Socialist Doctrines, 1881-1889 Didn't get much out of it, but this may have been my fault, not the book's.

The Postman Sensing a theme here?

How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community My book club liked this book more than I did... which is fine.

Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers Excellent!

Started: Pragmatism as a Way of Life: The Lasting Legacy of William James and John Dewey Easier to read than many philosophy books.

Kintsugi: Embrace your imperfections and find happiness - the Japanese way This was a random grab next to the book I was looking for at the library. Pretty good so far!

QotW: I love this question! Mostly because it makes me think about my TBR's in a new way. I have tried to start making notes about why I've added TBR's, but the habit hasn't stuck. Out of 157 TBR's I've added this year, maybe 6 of them are because of what other people have suggested in this Pop Sugar community.

There! Now I've added the Ghost and Mrs. Muir that y'all keep talking about, so my total of TBR's is up to 7. ;)

Doni wrote: "The Postman Sensing a theme here?"

What did you think of The Postman? My dad had me read it when I was in high school (before Kevin Costner's movie came out) and I've been thinking about doing a reread.

Melissa wrote: "Doni wrote: "The Postman Sensing a theme here?"

What did you think of The Postman? My dad had me read it when I was in high school (before Kevin Costner's movie came out) and I've been thinking ab..."


I LOVED Brin's Uplift series, it's so under-rated, and I've always thought it a shame that he didn't write any more like that. Oddly, I've never read The Postman.

Good Morning and Happy Thursday!

Yesterday we had our first snow! Wellllll, it was more like tiny hail pellets than snow. Still it was frozen water falling from the sky. It will probably melt today, but It's been a while since we've had precipitation of any kind.

I've been setting my alarm clock back every day by 15 minutes. The time change always kills me. So, I'm prepping for the eventual Fall Back. Thank goodness it will be the last time (besides the Spring Forward). No more of this BS! Woot!

I'm sort of doing NaNoWriMo. I'm not stressing over it. I'm writing book two of my middle grade dog x magical realism x fantasy books. No, the first one is not out there anywhere.

I'm 46/50 on Popsugar and 50/52 on ATY. It's my first time doing either. So I'm pretty stoked about being so close to the finish line.

Finished:

There's Someone Inside Your House
In/Spectre, Vol. 1
Yurara, Vol. 1
Lightning and Romance Vol. 3
Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 1
The Seven Deadly Sins, Vol. 1
The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, A Rún, Vol. 1
The Ones We're Meant to Find
There's a Witch in Your Book
My Boyfriend in Orange Vol. 12
QQ Sweeper, Vol. 1

Continuing:

A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix Technically, I haven't touched it since I downloaded it and read the prologue. Sigh.
Naruto (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 6: Includes Vols. 16, 17 & 18

Planned:

The last 6 books for my challenges between manga novels from above.

QOTW:

I haven't added many actually. K.L. is my little devil on the shoulder. If I haven't heard of/read/or already on my tbr, she is more than likely my source for new stuff.

I get more tbr add-ons usually from my job as a children's librarian. I'm always searching rightstufanime.com for new manga titles and light novels to add to the collection, as well as new ya and juvenile from fantasticfiction.com.

Mandy wrote: "Good Morning and Happy Thursday!

Yesterday we had our first snow! Wellllll, it was more like tiny hail pellets than snow. Still it was frozen water falling from the sky. It will probably melt toda..."


was it the little styrofoam pellets of snow? that's called graupel!!


The time change always kills me. So, I'm prepping for the eventual Fall Back. Thank goodness it will be the last time (besides the Spring Forward). No more of this BS! Woot!

Wait, what? I hate the time change too!! Is it officially ending??? please say yes. I'm so afraid you're going to say "oh I live in Canada where we are doing it right, but the US is still stuck with the stupid system."

OH MY GOD I LIVE UNDER A ROCK

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-s...



ETA: well, okay, maybe I crawl out from under my rock sometimes. The House still has to approve the Bill and then it has to be signed by the President. So we are still in time change limbo in the USA.

Is it really Thursday already? Where did the rest of the week go? We had a warm Halloween here, 70F during the day, low 50s at night. We had snow two years ago, so you never know what to expect. I don’t get trick-or-treaters but did hear my neighbors go out for about an hour.

I finished three books in the past week, none of them for PS or ATY, though they fit other challenges I do.

* A Kiss, a Kid and a Mistletoe Bride by Lindsay Longford — Would fit the holiday or favorite season prompts.

* Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola — Though his third novel, this is often considered Zola’s best and it did not disappoint. I read it over Halloween weekend and it was a good way to end the month. It was quite an easy and fast read. I probably would have finished it in two days instead of three, had I been home Saturday night. Would fit the “Victorian” prompt as it was published in 1868.

* Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie — More psychological than some of her other mysteries, and no Poirot or Marple. Though I correctly guessed whodunnit, I did not get the why. Twisted!

Now to decide what to read next! I’m leaning towards my longest book planned for the month and one of my last PS prompts, The Book of Life.


Progress:
GR: 132/140
PS: 48/50
ATY: 50/52


How many books have you added to your TBR or acquired and read this year because of challenge participant review or group theme, discussion or buddy read? Could be any challenge - PS, ATY, any GR group. How does this compare to how many added from other sources (browsing, reading non-GR reviews, etc)?

Oh, my. I’ve actually taken possession of more books than I thought this year, though not all were purchased, and those that were were on sale for $2 or less. At least sixteen of the books acquired were found in LFLs (there are five in my neighborhood, more in adjacent neighborhoods) and five books were given to me. All in all, though, I only bought two or three specifically for the PS challenge and only one that was recommended by people in this group, The Whale Rider.

ETA: Most of the books I add are by authors I already read, with the occasional addition of books seen mentioned in book/publisher newsletters.


Viewing:
I was so glad to get through the fourth season of “Angel” last week. I did not like what they did to some of the characters. Ick! Now into the fifth and final season and liking it more—love that they brought Spike in!

I ended up watching “Hocus Pocus” 1&2 both Friday and Saturday. I had asked a friend if we had an idea what we were going to watch for a Saturday movie night but received no reply. Knowing my friends as I do, a “Hocus Pocus” double feature was the last thing I expected, so I watched both movies Friday night. I honestly expected we’d watch the new “Thor,” so was a bit nonplussed when I learned we were watching the movies I’d just seen the night before. Had she bothered to answer me, I would have waited on HP 1&2 and watched “Thor” on my own. Hmph!

Nadine in NY wrote: "OH MY GOD I LIVE UNDER A ROCK

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-s...



ETA: well, okay, maybe I crawl out from u..."

From what I remember, the Senate didn't realize what they had passed. It wasn't an actual vote, but passed as part of unanimous consent where no one objected. I'm not sure there was even any debate. It's far too complicated an issue to pass that way, and that's why the House never took it up.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/...

Nadine in NY wrote: "OH MY GOD I LIVE UNDER A ROCK

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-s...



ETA: well, okay, maybe I crawl out from u..."

I live in hope that we do not have any more time change. the p.t.b.s better get they're butts in gear and just give us one time forever!

Mandy wrote: "Good Morning and Happy Thursday!

Yesterday we had our first snow! Wellllll, it was more like tiny hail pellets than snow. Still it was frozen water falling from the sky. It will probably melt toda..."

I really enjoyed a lot of the manga on your list here. Good luck with nano. I'm doing it as well

Heather L wrote: "I was so glad to get through the fourth season of “Angel” last week. I did not like what they did to some of the characters. Ick! Now into the fifth and final season and liking it more—love that they brought Spike in! ..."


What didn't you like? Was it the whole Beast thing? The Cordelia/Connor thing? There are A LOT of changes in season 5, I'm wondering how you'll feel about them!!

Happy Thursday! My halloween was pretty good since I stayed home. Finished carving a jack o lantern which I do every year. I did see a little girl with pretty creative costume. She was a lightup jelly fish. Clear umbrella with light strands and featherly strings. I was impressed.

Challenge Progress 44/50

Finished:

The Trees (PS anisfeld winner) 4 stars. It was simultaneously satirically funny and also very enraging. It's definitely a worthwhile read. As a warning it does deal with lynching and its history in america.

Currently reading;

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels (PS victorian)

Daisy Jones & The Six (PS musical group)

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking (nonfiction November)

QOTW:
I have no idea how many books I have added. I usually add books either based on friends recommendations or from browsing goodreads. I do add books sometimes from browsing the bookriot website. I take the train to work so I have the time to sit on my phone everyday.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Heather L wrote: "I was so glad to get through the fourth season of “Angel” last week. I did not like what they did to some of the characters. Ick! Now into the fifth and final season and liking it...

What didn't you like? Was it the whole Beast thing? The Cordelia/Connor thing? There are A LOT of changes in season 5, I'm wondering how you'll feel about them!!"

Yes, primarily the Cordelia/Connor thing and Jasmine — though I had to laugh at Angel’s reference to Oedipus, having recently reread the Oedipus Cycle (“There should be a play!”). I didn’t like Wesley’s involvement with Lila, either. I’m through episode nine, and saw that Lindsey is about to make a return, and Buffy shows up in the next episode. Won’t be watching it tonight, though, as it’s CBS night. Maybe Friday night.

BTW, trying not to laugh at your DST realization. To be fair, it was mentioned last fall as something they might eliminate, but wasn’t well broadcast when it went through.

Katy — Good trio of books you mentioned. I read Murder at the Breakers this year and liked book one enough that I do hope to continue the series. I read My Antonia in high school and loved it. It’s one I’d like to reread one of these days.

KL — I’m glad you enjoyed your “Ghost and Mrs. Muir” marathon. I don’t read much nonfiction, especially not bios/memoir, but you mentioned two of three on my radar since last week, the third being Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry. Will I ever pick them up? It’s possible. Good luck with your move!

Theresa — The Le Petit Prince exhibit sounds fun, and the three outings in February also sound interesting. I read book two in the “All Souls” series last month, and am about to start book three.

I'm also doing Nanowrimo this year, so reading will definitely slow down. But I've done it enough times to know that I rarely get any significant writing done on my work breaks, so I'm using that time for guilt-free reading. Current wordcount: 3528

I didn't post last week, so here's what I finished in the past two weeks:
True Loaf - A short story that I read more for the pun (which it didn't live up to) than anything else.
Dreaming of You: A Novel in Verse (PS 12 A Book about the afterlife) - This was an interesting concept but the execution fell a little flat for me. I thought there was going to be more between Melissa and Selena, but no. And her significant other is only referred to as You, so I would have preferred their gender be kept ambiguous, otherwise what is the point of casting the reader in this role?
Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots: A Graphix Chapters Book - I spent a couple of shifts at one library relabeling the Bailey School Kids books (we're moving them from Easy Readers to Transitional Chapter Books), so when I saw the graphic novel version at my other library, I had to see how it measured up. Verdict: pretty well.
Ghosts - A reread for Halloween/Dia de los Muertos
Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World - (PS 50 A book set in twin towns/sister cities) I chose this one because I was looking for books set in Rome to go with the books I'd already read set in Paris, and since one of those books (Paris to the Moon) was about an author who moved to a foreign city with his wife and newborn son, this book seemed like a perfect match. As for the book itself, it was all right, but I listened to the audiobook, and the author's voice could get a little drone-y. I definitely ended up tuning some stuff out because of that.

DNF:
Life of Pi - I really do want to read this eventually, but I started it in August and just have not been motivated to get past page 23. Maybe I'll give it another shot next year.

Currently reading:
The Priory of the Orange Tree
My Best Friend's Exorcism
The Last Wish
Secrets of the Looking Glass
Humble Pi: A Comedy of Maths Errors

QOTW: I honestly have no idea, and no easy way to find out, as I finally made a goodreads account this year, and thus my entire TBR is from this year. Some are definitely there because I discovered them while looking for candidates for this and other reading challenges, but I couldn't give you an exact number off the top of my head.

Happy November! Here in Australia, the change of seasons is also coming late. Normally I'm in shorts by now, but I've had the heater on every day this week and we had hail on Tuesday. I have to take the dog I'm pet sitting to the vet this afternoon and go buy my mum a birthday present, but for now I'm stuck at home waiting for a repairman.

I finished two books this week - one for the challenge. That puts me at 48/50!

Finished
My Tender Matador. I had this penciled in for a book by a Latinx author, but ended up reading it for book set in the 80s. It's about the 1986 assassination attempt on Pinochet. Fascinating and very lyrical book, though there were some stylistic choices, like not using quotation marks, that annoyed me.

The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World. Not for any prompt. A bit confusing at times, especially as so many people in the 500s had similar names. An historical era I don't know much about, so that made it more interesting.

Currently Reading
The Woman Warrior. I feel like I need some uninterrupted quiet to really concentrate on this one, and I haven't found it recently. Hopefully I'll be able to sit down with it in the next week.

QOTW
I don't keep a proper track, but I would say LOTS. When we get the prompt list, I like sitting down and planning out the reading. One of my personal goals is to read things for the challenges that I wouldn't normally gravitate to. Probably 30 of the books I've read or plan to read for the challenge I've added to my TBR to fit the prompts or based on other people's reviews for the challenge. And that doesn't count books I added as ideas for the prompts. I'm looking forward to December when I can start getting a new list together!

Cornerofmadness wrote: "Mandy wrote: "Good Morning and Happy Thursday!

Yesterday we had our first snow! Wellllll, it was more like tiny hail pellets than snow. Still it was frozen water falling from the sky. It will prob..."

Good Luck on your nano project as well. Happy writing!

Nadine in NY wrote: "OH MY GOD I LIVE UNDER A ROCK

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-s...



ETA: well, okay, maybe I crawl out from u..."

PBS Newshour's show tonight did an interesting piece on it, if you're interested, the last segment of the show.

I always hate the change, but I like the result, so I would be in favor of keeping it- *dashes under the rock Nadine just vacated!*

Melissa wrote: "Doni wrote: "The Postman Sensing a theme here?"

What did you think of The Postman? My dad had me read it when I was in high school (before Kevin Costner's movie came out) and I've been thinking ab..."

I enjoyed it. If you like apocalyptic settings with an erstwhile hero, you'll probably enjoy it too. (I haven't seen the movie, so can't compare.)

Hi all! Nothing much going on here. Halloween was fun, the kiddo went trick or treating with her dad (I'm still under the weather), and actually said 'trick or treat' and such, which she usually gets shy, so that was impressive.
I'm doing Nano this year, but I don't realistically expect to reach 50k (I'm just past 500..!). It's been ages since I've written anything creatively, though, so words on paper is the real goal.

I finally finished The Turn of the Screw, which took me far too long for such a short book, but... I sick. I'm using it for a Victorian setting.

Just starting The House in the Cerulean Sea for the group read! Come join us! I know many in this group love this book, so I have high expectations. But....

QOTW: I would not have heard of that book at all but in this group. :) I try not to look too deeply into the books you all mention, but sometimes a title is just too intriguing or someone gushes about a book so much that I just have to dig in. :) I don't have the numbers on it, I get more of my TBR from browsing, but you guys rack up a few titles on there, too!

Happy check-in! I got lots of reading done this week but unfortunately, I've been sick with not covid. I didn't end up doing much on Halloween due to that. It's so weird that it's November already.

Finished Reading:

A Confederacy of Dumptys: Portraits of American Scoundrels in Verse ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was the best one yet, because oddly enough it was hopeful.

A Cosmic Kind of Love ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cute rom-com.

Lore Olympus: Volume Three ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Next one please.

Ruthless Fae ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So far this series is very addictive but now I have to wait for the next one.

Soul Taken ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was pretty good although in the grand scheme of the series it was kinda boring. It definitely fit for a spooktober read.

Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Interesting way to share their experience during and after a college shooting in Oregon. Obviously a heavy read.

Sailor Moon Eternal Edition 8 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Major cheer up book.

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My library bought this in time for Nov. 11 I think and it's been on the tbr for awhile.

PS 2022 48/50
PS 2015 50/50 ✅
Goodreads 234/250

Currently Reading:

I'm Glad My Mom Died I've got past the point where her mom died now
Loveless this was a heavier read than I was expecting

QOTW:
Ookay so very confused how some of you have 10 on the tbr. I have over 15 books from the library now. Anyway good for you who are decisive and can keep the tbr in check.
So I can't tell you the number I add from goodreads articles, this check-in thread, challenge ideas and my feed. My want to read and maybe shelves are both just under 400 books each and I'm trying to get them to go down but it's not really working out for me. I also just end up with random picks from the library and things my sister suggests to me too. I'm sure I've added at least 100 this year.