Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Happy Thursday!!  Welcome to February!!!  But how is it February already???  wasn't it just October??  Also, this week feels like it's been three weeks long and it's not even over yet.  What is going on with the passage of time???

I currently have NO snowcover, so my snowdrops poked their noses up out of the soil yesterday.  I know gardeners all know this, but maybe other people do not: snowdrops (and some other early blooming bulbs) are unusual because they have a sort of antifreeze in their plant cells, so they can come up in the midst of a winter wasteland, get snowed on, get iced, whatever, and they are fine.  Mine will slowly grow taller and bloom in a few weeks.  If they get buried in a heavy snow, they might get a little tattered where they were weighed down, but they recover.

I made some spaghetti sauce in my crock pot yesterday, with meatballs, sausage links, mushrooms, and two large cans of tomatoes plus some seasoning like garlic, onion, a shot of red wine, some pesto, etc ... and I let it cook for 10 hours. And I wasn't crazy about it. It just didn't taste vibrant, and it was oddly peppery (I did add some black pepper, but not THAT much!). I need to ask my mom what she used to put in her sauce when I was little. That's the real problem here, I was trying to reproduce a favorite meal from my childhood, and it wasn't the same. Maybe I don't like sauce that's cooked for 10 hours? Is there something else I could have added to it to make it more vibrant?



Admin stuff
Our February group read is Lucky Leap Day, discussion happening right here:  
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Kimberly is our discussion leader for February!!   Let us know if you would like to lead a discussion for March or April or any future month.

The final poll is now open to choose our April group read, which could fulfill "A book with a neurodivergent main character" - this poll will be open for two weeks - vote here:  
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...




This week I read 4 books (2 for this Challenge) & DNF'ed one book.

The Mysteries by Bill Watterson - Ashley Marie posted about this book and I immediately put it on hold at my library.  The artwork was phenomenal, but the message was kind of the same message I see often in "grown up picture books" so it felt powerful in the moment but now it's kinda forgettable.  No challenge category.

Ten Birds That Changed the World by Stephen Moss - I have NO IDEA why I put this book on hold last year, but I did, and my hold came in, so I listened to it, and I was not impressed.  Moss has an irritating personality - either you will love him or you will be annoyed.  And these were not ten birds that changed the world, they were just ten birds Moss felt like writing about.  TBH I didn't even read the whole thing, after a few chapters I started skipping around a bit.  No challenge category.  This book irritated me so much that I didn't even want to use it for any of my reading challenges.

Ilium by Lea Carpenter - My first 2024 publication! I must have read about this one in the Millions Most Anticipated or Lit Hub, and then put it on hold at my library as soon as the title popped up in their catalog.  One of my focuses this year is to read books published in 2024, and this is my first of the year.  It was okay.  It's moody and cool-girl, but you really have to suspend your disbelief. This wasn't the twisty tale of espionage that I was hoping for.  I thought I'd use it for "year ending in 24" but then I realized I wasn't quite sure what "ilium" meant (I know Ilion but I wasn't sure about Ilium which - as it turns out - is the Latinized version of Ilion), so I ... looked it up in the dictionary! I checked off "single word you look up in the dictionary" with this book, and also "one word title" in AtY.

Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo - This was so sweet and fun!!  I had picked this up as my K-Pop book, but it turns out it takes place in 24 hours (plus a few chapters afterward that are basically an epilogue), so I'm checking off "takes place in 24 hours" with this one, because the backup books I penciled in for K-Pop are currently more appealing to me than the books I penciled in for "24 hours."


And I DNF'ed
The Auburn Conference by Tom Piazza - this is a Tournament of Books choice, and I know a lot of readers enjoyed it and found it amusing, but I was just BORED.  I think I'm not enough of a literary nerd for this one.



Popsugar 20% 10 /50
Must Reads 50% 5 /10
AtY 23% 12 /52



I have my February library loans and holds all carefully timed and curated for the next week few weeks, with a focus on reading for Black History Month, and I'm excited to dig in!!  So naturally the Universe threw me a curve ball.  I have had Fourth Wing on hold for several weeks now, there were over 50 people ahead of me so I figured I'd be lucky to get the book in April or May ... guess what just came in on hold for me yesterday???  Yep.   I guess none of those 50 people were members of my specific library branch that happens to own a copy  so I unexpectedly LEAPfrogged the list. There was no way for me to be able to predict this!  So, next week I'll be finding out what all the fuss is about with this book!! I hope it's a fun and fast read.





Question of the Week
Would you rather read one long (900ish-pages) book or three shorter (300-ish pages) books?


I'm Team Short Book!!   

I like reading, I read all the time, but I read for the ending.  If I have to wade through 900 pages to get to the ending, I'm probably going to be antsy.  Plus, I like the little thrill of checking off titles I've read.  AND, most importantly: if the book isn't great, at least it's only 300 pages of not-great rather than being stuck with 900 pages of not-great.

Nadine in NY wrote: "And I wasn't crazy about it. It just didn't taste vibrant, and it was oddly peppery (I did add some black pepper, but not THAT much!). ..."

Did the meatballs and sausages have pepper in them too? I don't really know what US sausages are like but a lot of the UK ones have pepper in. I always do the holy trinity of celery, onion and carrot, and brown it off first in a pan before slow cooking. I'd probably add a bit of sugar, depending on the tomato acidity and a stock cube. I know a lot of people swear by Worchester sauce in a spag bol, or miso paste, something to give it that extra umami.

Happy Thursday, all!

Is anyone else having freakishly warm weather? It's up to the 60s here in Idaho, when it's supposed to be the dead of winter. It's kind of scary, actually...

Also I think I've finally settled into the groove of school. This semester is my first in-person class, and I'm enjoying it much more than I expected to. Yesterday was our first workshop session, where we critique each other's writing, and I feel like I got some valuable feedback.

Books read this week:

Sweet Bean Paste -- for “book recommended by a librarian.” This book both made me crave some dorayaki (pancakes with red bean paste) and tear up over the real-life tragedy that this book touches on. It’s GOOD.

XOM-B -- for “book whose title begins with X.” A bonkers premise (robot uprising meets zombie invasion) that could have been cheesy campy fun but ended up just dull. One of those “obviously written as a movie script first” books.

Witchmark -- for “an LGBTQ romance.” Nicely done fantasy novel with a subtle but sweet romance.

In Calabria -- for “the 24th book by an author.” (I just guesstimated on this one, hehe…) Not as memorable as his most famous unicorn book, The Last Unicorn, but still gorgeous.

PopSugar Challenge -- 17/45
PopSugar Advanced Challenge -- 2/5

DNF:

One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon -- ugh, this was boring. The author felt the need to ramble on topics that were only slightly related to the space race, and got repetitive after awhile. Dropping.

Currently reading:

Rabbit-Proof Fence -- for “non-fiction book about Indigenous People”
The Deep Sky -- for “book set in space”
Orbital -- for “a book that takes place over the course of 24 hours”
Illuminations -- for “a book by a self-published author”

QOTW: I would rather read three 300-page books than a 900-page book. The days when I had the patience (and time) to commit to that long of a book are over. And honestly, few books NEED to be 900 pages.

The weather's gone mild again but the house feels freezing for some reason. I don't think nature knows what to do with itself, I saw some daffodils flowering a few days ago. I'd expect snowdrops or crocus, but it seems far too early for daffies.

Feeling very urgh about job hunting so been distracting myself with creative writing. Maybe I'll actually finish this novel?

Finished:
Dead Letter Days by Kelley Armstrong for self-published author. A Rockton novella told from Dalton's POV, I kept getting confused thinking it was the usual narrator for this series. Nothing amazing but gave a bit more insight into Dalton's past.

X Marks the Spot: The Story of Archaeology in Eight Extraordinary Discoveries by Michael Scott for starts with X and ATY (X connection). Considering I picked this up just for the title, this had plenty of fascinating facts. Like I didn't really know about the Rosetta Stone before except it was something to do with language, so I'm glad I read this. Exactly the sort of non-fiction I enjoy on audio, where I can easily dip in and out.

Role Playing by Cathy Yardley for video games. I just felt like some low effort reading at the weekend and this was cute. Maybe the first time I've actually read one of those freebies you get with Amazon Prime each month.

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire for ATY (Ben & Jerrys flavour). If you put a dinosaur on the cover, I want plenty of dinosaur! I mean I still love this series, but the dino content was disappointing. What I did like was the continuation of Antsy's story. Does anyone know if this is the end of the series? Because it kind of felt like an ending.

Currently reading House of Flame and Shadow (and a bit miffed to find it's crossing over with the ACOTAR series) and listening to Womb City.

PS: 7/50 | ATY: 7/52 | GR 12/100

QOTW:
Definitely three short books, most super long books I've read have needed a good edit.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Well, the post-renovation cleaning continued this week. I still do not have a functioning kitchen, but I am planning to rectify that over the weekend. The rest of the house is pretty much done though, so I do feel like I accomplished a good amount this week.

I was also able to do a decent amount of reading since my last update. I managed to finish the Shades of Magic trilogy, as well as some other titles that have been on my TBR list for quite a while.

I am hoping that once I get done with all of the cleaning that I’ll have a little more time to read. There are quite a few books that I would like to get to in February, and I would especially like to finish all of my new purchases before the end of the month.

I did decide to participate in the Winter’s Respite Readathon this month, which is hosted by Seasons of Reading. This is a month-long readathon, and the only requirement is to read novels and novellas. Not all of the books I read this month will count toward this readathon, but that's okay. Quite a few of them will. I've participated in this readathon before, and I really like how laid back it is.

Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…

Goodreads Challenge: 54/400 (13.5% complete)
Mount TBR Challenge: 39/150 (26.0% complete)

📚Physical TBR: 25/402
📱Ebook TBR: 14/233
🎧Audiobook TBR: 0/0
TBR Checklist Total: 39/635 (6.1% complete)
Total Progress Toward 50% TBR List Completion: 39/318 (12.2% complete)

I did order one new book this week. I finally managed to get my hands on a copy of Venomnibus, Vol. 3. I’m really looking forward to starting this book during my annual Venom-tine’s Day celebration on February 14th!

“New” Books Bought in 2024: 20
“New” Books Read in 2024: 14/20 (70.0% complete)

Here are the books I finished this week…

Finished Reading (Fiction):
~From Russia With Love — This is the fifth book in the James Bond series. It has been a very long time since I last watched the movie adaptation, so it’s hard for me to compare the two, but there are a lot of scenes in the book that I do not remember seeing in the movie. I did think the story was really good though. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include references to rape, the killing of animals, and torture, as well as some examples of misogyny and male chauvinism. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~A Gathering of Shadows — This is the second book in the Shades of Magic trilogy. I enjoyed this story even more than the first one. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include references to rape. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine — I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Alison Weir’s writing was fantastic, and I’m really looking forward to reading more of her novels this year. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ Infidelity is very common in this book. There is also a significant amount of male chauvinism, which is consistent with the attitudes of the time period in which the book is set. The book also includes references to rape and suicide. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~A Conjuring of Light — This is the third book in the Shades of Magic trilogy. I really enjoyed this story! I definitely recommend checking out the entire trilogy! Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include torture, and references to rape. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
~Marvel's The Black Widow: Creating the Avenging Super-Spy: The Complete Comics History — This book was a really interesting look at the history and evolution of Marvel Comics’ Black Widow character. This was a very fast read, and included a lot of fantastic artwork. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Art of Doctor Strange — I really enjoyed reading this book! The concept art was fantastic, and I had fun learning more about the creation of the movie. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
~Essential Doctor Strange, Vol. 3 — I really enjoyed the stories in this comic book collection. It was a lot of fun to see Doctor Strange go up against Dracula. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include a few scenes of torture, as well as one story where a minor character uses a racial slur. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Winter Soldier: The Complete Collection — I thought this comic book collection was really good. The artwork and story were great! 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None

DNFed:
None

Currently Reading:
~The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights, Volume 1 — I am currently about 36% of the way through this book, and I am continuing to enjoy it. 📚
~The Complete Works of William Shakespeare — This week I finished reading several plays, including: Two Gentlemen of Verona, Merry Wives of Windsor, Twelfth Night, and Measure for Measure. I also read sonnets 16-70. I’ve really been enjoying my Shakespeare reading so far. The only play I didn’t really enjoy was Measure for Measure. 📚
~Essential Doctor Strange, Vol. 4 — I am currently about halfway through this comic book collection, and should be finishing it over the weekend. I’ve been enjoying the stories so far. 📚
~The Secret Chapter — This is the sixth book in the Invisible Library series. I started this book last night, thinking that I would read a couple of chapters before bed, and ended up reading 40% of the book! I think it’s safe to say that I’m really enjoying this one. 📚
~The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood — I am starting this book today. This is going to be my classic novel for February. 📚
~Carnival — I just started this book this morning, so I don’t have an opinion of it yet. I’m looking forward to reading more this afternoon. 📚
~Jane Austen: An Illustrated Treasury — I’ve had this book forever, and I’m so excited to finally be reading it. 📚

QOTW:
This question made me laugh out loud, because I am currently reading two books that are more than 900 pages, and a few that are around 300.

If I’m participating in a readathon like the Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon, then I definitely gravitate toward shorter books. For day-to-day reading, however, I don’t usually have a preference. I tend to read a lot of books at the same time, so I’m usually reading books that have a variety of different lengths.

Ellie wrote: "Did the meatballs and sausages have pepper in them too? I don't really know what US sausages are like but a lot of the UK ones have pepper in. I always do the holy trinity of celery, onion and carrot, and brown it off first in a pan before slow cooking. I'd probably add a bit of sugar, depending on the tomato acidity and a stock cube. I know a lot of people swear by Worchester sauce in a spag bol, or miso paste, something to give it that extra umami..."


The meatballs do not have pepper, but the sausage might, I am not really sure what's in them - they are sweet Italian sausage, so their primary flavor profile is "pork & fennel."

I did not use celery and carrot and maybe that's what was missing. I did not think of Worcestershire! I add that to beef stew but never thought to put it in spaghetti sauce.

Kenya wrote: "Happy Thursday, all!

Is anyone else having freakishly warm weather? It's up to the 60s here in Idaho, when it's supposed to be the dead of winter. It's kind of scary, actually..."


YES!!! The last three winters have been extremely mild. My plow guy has only had to plow my driveway once this season so far - it's like a New Jersey winter up here! Used to be we had reliable deep snow cover all winter long, but ... not any more I guess?

Ellie wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "And I wasn't crazy about it. It just didn't taste vibrant, and it was oddly peppery (I did add some black pepper, but not THAT much!). ..."

Did the meatballs and sausages have..."

A high quality olive oil? Parmesan cheese? Did you add green herbs- oregano and basil, they can add some sweetness. I've never made homemade sauce. I'd love to, but I'm so afraid it will turn out, like yours, not quite right. And the one time I make it fabulous, I'll never be able to replicate it! lol

Good morning from Columbus! I really don’t think I’ve done anything this week except work and sleep. Sleep and work and then go to my second job and then go back to sleep lol. Also, lots of reading.

Finished:
The Book of Hidden Things not for a challenge, but rereading since I’m about to read another of this author’s books and it takes place in the same universe as this one. It had been a while since I read it and wanted to revisit it. I really loved this, just like I did the first time around. This has dark academia vibes without a ton of academia. A teen boy goes missing when he was out with friends, and when he shows up randomly at his friend’s a week later he claims he can’t remember what happened. He’s gone missing again so the same group of friends are looking for him and uncover that he was into some weird stuff, writing a mysterious book, and was rumored to have magical abilities. Set in Italy, it has that same Italian lit vibe I’ve grown to love over the years. I’m excited to see where the second book takes me.

Murder on the Red River for a read harder prompt. Set in the 70s in Fargo, a native woman helps solve murders using wit and visions. This is a great read if you like PI and mystery stories. I think Roxane Weary fans would especially like this book. I’ll probably read more from this series this year.

Pretty Boys Are Poisonous: Poems for a collection of at least 24 poems. I don’t like poems, I find Megan Fox’s weird public behavior particularly grating, but I like that these short and straight forward. And I also found them relatable. Even with the audio book being very short, I was still bored by the end of it, but as far as my relationship with poetry goes this was at least relatively painless.

The Love That Split the World not for a prompt. This is honestly an unfinished prompt from years ago. I think I started this book like three years ago lol. My read dates on here say is been two but it truly feels like I’ve had this ebook forever. I never read ebooks, but I’d read this during my hair appointments and it took me a very long time to finish. That said, I quite enjoyed this book. I first read Emily Henry when A Million Junes was my pick for book of the month club in 2017. I’ve now read all of her currently published books. I think she’d be a hoot to hang out with because the easy flow of humor in all her writing always makes me laugh. This book was enjoyable, it kind of made me want to move to a small town in Kentucky.

The Girl from the Sea for a read harder prompt. This was a cute graphic novel about adolescence and mythical creatures and relationships. I’m always very drawn to sea side art, books, movies, etc so when I was looking for something to fit this prompt and saw this title I had a “say less” moment.

Dim Sum Palace and another read harder prompt. I didn’t quite realize this was just a children’s picture book but I loved it. As soon as I read through the ebook I couldn’t wait to show my 9 year old because he loves a good picture book. And who doesn’t love dim sum? I might try to find a longer book to fill in this prompt because it feels a little like cheating, but otherwise this was very fun.

Night Sky with Exit Wounds also for a read harder prompt. I knew I was going to have a bad time as soon I saw this prompt but as far as poetry goes I made it through unscathed. I honestly couldn’t tell you about anything I read but I read it and I survived them poems.

Jane Eyre for the classics challenge I’m doing. Rereading a favorite. It’s nice when you’re so familiar with a classic that you can casually listen to it (the audible version narrated by Thandiwe Newton is two thumbs up from me!) without having to worry about missing details because of the way the book is written. Makes me want to watch the version with Mia Wasikowska, my favorite of all the film adaptations lol


Currently Reading:
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible
The World of Winnie-the-Pooh
Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories

QOTW:
Usually 3 shorter books just because I get bored and it looks better for my end of the year goals lol. But sometimes I don’t want a book to end, some of my favorites are very long books.

Challenges:
Popsugar - 1/45; 1/5
Read Harder - 9/24
Classics - 1/12
European Tour - 4/10
12 Friends - 0/12
Yearly Goal - 24/150

Happy Thursday! Key West was absolutely beautiful and a welcome respite from winter in Washington State. I ate some Tuna Chili at the Smokin' Tuna Saloon earlier this week, and I'm going to try to recreate it today. I know it sounds weird, but it was delicious! We'll see how my interpretation goes.

2024 Reading Challenges: I’ve read 43 books so far this year with an average length of 312 pages.
52 Book Club: 14/52
ATY: 8/52 (Winter Challenge - 14/14 – I finished!)
Booklist Queen: 11/52
Diverse Baseline: 3/36
Popsugar: 11/50
Robot Librarian: 14/52
ICYMI Backlist: 1/12

Recently Completed: It was kind of a disappointing week of reading. I didn’t love anything I read. I'm enjoying my current reads much more.

Under the Influence: A not very subtle send-up of influencer culture. Predictable but entertaining… especially if you don’t care for Rachel Hollis ("Girl, Wash Your Face"). This book was written by one of her former assistants. (52 Books #4 – lowercase letters on spine/ATY #24 – secondary color on cover) ★★★★

Goldilocks: Marketed as a blend of “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “The Martian” (both of which I loved!), this one never really came together for me. (52 Books #6 – women in STEM/ATY – DREAMING OF SNOW/Popsugar #18 – set in space) ★★★

The Night Shift: Despite its interesting premise, I got a little bored. That’s not great for a book that’s supposed to be a thriller. (ATY – DREAMING OF SNOW/Booklist Queen #22 – an interesting premise) ★★★

Silver Alert: A Novel: Set in Key West. Quirky characters in a quirky place… but it tackled some serious subjects too. I enjoyed it. (ATY #49 – senior citizen character/Robot Librarian #16 – main character over 60 years old) ★★★★

Everyone Brave Is Forgiven: I absolutely adored Chris Cleave’s “Gold,” but this whole book just fell flat for me. (ATY – DREAMING OF SNOW/Robot Librarian #22 – a character in the armed forces) ★★★

Is Rape a Crime?: A Memoir, an Investigation, and a Manifesto (ATY - ATY – DREAMING OF SNOW) ★★★★

Once an Heiress: I didn’t realize this was Christian fiction when I picked it up. It wasn’t terrible, but I really can’t recommend it. (ATY – DREAMING OF SNOW/Booklist Queen #47 – a genre you don’t usually read/Popsugar #11 – a genre you avoid/Goodreads Giveaway) ★★★



Currently Reading:
30 Things I Love About Myself (ATY #32 – a number in the title)
Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock (Booklist Queen #31 – an ugly cover/Popsugar #14 – recommended by a bookseller)
White Cat, Black Dog: Stories (ATY #16 – “raining cats and dogs”)
Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever
Whalefall (ATY #20 – single word title/Popsugar #24 – 24 hours)
Mariam Sharma Hits the Road (Diverse Baseline #6 – a found family book by a BIPOC author)
Late to the Party (52 Books #45 – about finding identity/Popsugar #2 – a bildungsroman)
Hold Fast (Goodreads Giveaway)

QOTW: I'm team "Short Book." Storygraph tells me that 42% of the books I've read this year are less than 300 pages and 56% are 301-500 pages. Books that are longer often feel bloated to me.

Jennifer W wrote: "Ellie wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "And I wasn't crazy about it. It just didn't taste vibrant, and it was oddly peppery (I did add some black pepper, but not THAT much!). ..."

Did the meatballs and..."



I did add a little olive oil, not a lot since the sausages would add some fat too even though I browned them first. And I added a few frozen cubes of pesto that I'd made a few years ago from fresh basil. Plus some dry oregano & thyme.

It's possible that it needed more olive oil. Or maybe I should have added a little sugar, like some people do.

Dani wrote: "The Love That Split the World not for a prompt. This is honestly an unfinished prompt from years ago. I think I started this book like three years ago lol. My read dates on here say is been two but it truly feels like I’ve had this ebook forever. I never read ebooks, but I’d read this during my hair appointments and it took me a very long time to finish. That said, I quite enjoyed this book. I first read Emily Henry when A Million Junes was my pick for book of the month club in 2017...."


Well!! TIL!!! All this time I thought Beach Read was her first book!!! Somehow I had no idea she had a back list before that.


Ahh, I see how I missed it! Her earlier three books are YA fantasy novels. I've read everything else Henry has published (except her 2024 book) so it's good to know there are three other books I can pick up when I'm just looking for something fun.


I should probably add that I am currently reading People We Meet on Vacation as my book recommended by a book seller!

Finished:

Exiles and Epiphany by Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz (2/5 for both)

The storyline about the Exiles of Vulcan is not very interesting and kind of a downer. The ancient Vulcan history was done much better in the Diane Duane books. I know that the authors wanted to tell a story consistent with Nemesis, but the execution of the ideas just didn't land with me. The 2377 storyline was much more compelling.

Homecoming by Christie Golden (3/5)

It's obvious from this and other Voyager books by the author that she knows and loves the series, and she gets the characters. That said, there are some strange choices made. She references "Threshold" and "Fair Haven" when she could easily have omitted those bits. More frustrating is that she goes ahead with the nonsensical ending of "Author, Author" as presented, which had the holograms on the edge of sentience (or possibly having achieved it) doing mining work.

One other bit that irks me is scattering bits with an unnamed girl throughout the book, including right at the very beginning, that do nothing but show that her stepfather is an abusive ******. It does not connect in any way during the first volume to the Voyager stories, and after one chapter of the second volume of the duology, all it does is show why this character would be a bit more sympathetic toward the Borg. There were other ways this same end could have been achieved without including such nastiness in the story.

It sounds like I didn't like it very much from the above, but most of the book was well done and used the characters in ways that made sense. I'm sure I will have more to say after reading The Farther Shore.

William Shakespeare's Horror Collection: Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, Dracula (first two stories, 3/5 and 4/5)

These are great for anyone wanting retellings of classic stories. Frankenstein is shorter and more streamlined in its telling than Shelley's version, which I appreciate. Maybe the original is better than I give it credit for, as the book will be forever marred by how it was presented and taught in my senior English class. The Jekyll/Hyde story is not one that I was very familiar with, only knowing that some experiments made one man transform into a darker version of himself and back again. I found it appropriately chilling and entertaining. The Dracula story is very good after two acts.

Question of the Week:

If they are equal in quality, then it makes little difference. Even a 900 page book is usually broken up into smaller sections or chapters, so if someone wants to read about something else for some variety, it is easy enough to do that.

Another way to look at it is: would you rather read a trilogy or three standalone books? It will probably depend on your mood and general reading preferences. Sometimes, you want a more developed story, and sometimes, you want something shorter.

Nadine - I'm glad you are shocked that it's February already.

Here, January seemed to have 50 days in it between the snow, freezing rain, and lack of light (spoiler - I do not enjoy the sun setting at 4:30 in the afternoon)

I am behind in reading. My plan was to read 4 books in January and 4 books in February. But the Name of the Rose is soooooo long. And inter-library loans never gave me my series book of January. So, to catch up, I need to read 6 books in February.

Fortunately, I've made strides in some of them and I have a 3 day weekend.

Series - 0/12
Nobel laureates - 0/5
Mysteries/Thrillers - 2/13

ATY - 2/45
PS - 2/30

Currently reading:
The Fisher Maiden - 55% done
The Name of the Rose - 77% done
The End of Her - Just started

Buddy Reads:
This Present Darkness - 40% done

QOTW: Definitely shorter books. Aside from fulfilling my Goodreads book goal and PS/ATY goals, shorter books are often more "fun" or at least simple. Longer books IMO tend to be award-winning (i.e. difficult subject matter) or epic (30 characters and a bunch of fantasy place names to keep in your head). Plus if you aren't a super fan of a shorter book, at least you can move on to a better book quicker.

I personally need to look at page numbers when ordering books from libraries. The number of times I get a book and stare at it with disbelief at how thick it is happens to me far to often.

Good morning! I'm going to try to get this posted before I have to log in for work for the day. Getting to work from home part-time has been wild- no 30min+ commute each morning?? Getting to clean a little between meetings?? Having an actual lunch where people can't interrupt and make you work through it? Wild. Was this what it was like for people during COVID?

I've been having the worst sleep lately, so I need to figure something out. Maybe a long walk if it stops raining so I'm tired enough to sleep through the night.

Finished:
The Cat Who Saved Books- I thought I was going to love this book- talking cats, used bookstore, thought it's be an easy 5 star. But there was just something missing for me. Also it felt a little snobby about "the right kind of books." It was ok, just not what I was hoping for
-35 A book with magical realism

Currently reading:
House of Flame and Shadow- I didn't think I'd get this from the library for a few weeks, but Libby came through on release day! My friend and I are both reading it, and are trying not to spoil each other.

Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant- I'm listening to this memoir and it is interesting, but I'm not that motivated to pick it up each day. He has an interesting story to tell, but the actual memoir is just ok. If I had another audiobook to pick up, I'd probably pause this one, but I'll keep listening for now.

Here Be Icebergs- I'm trying to read more short story collections this year. The first story was pretty good

QotW:
I think I fall in the 3 shorter books category. That gives you more chances to try out new authors, and hopefully find new favorite reads. That being said, I love the sense of accomplishment when you finish a chunkier book. I still point out The Priory of the Orange Tree at stores to remind my friends I've read it.

Actually last year I read so many very short books- less than 200 pgs- that this year it was a goal to read more chunky books. I don't want to be so focused on the quantity of books I read that I shy away from longer books.

Hello! It is very mild here as well. We set a record high yesterday and we're supposed to get almost to 50 again today. But it is sunny so I will take it. We had a heavy frost last night so the neighbor's roof looks like it has snow, but then the grass reminds me we really don't.

Read This Week:
Paladin's Grace / Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher. Finished book 1 and then tore through book 2. I had forgotten some of the details of the resolution of Grace's story, and seeing what's to come in book 4, I'm glad I did a reread before diving into the new one. Still love these books. Not for prompt.

Let's Make Ramen!: A Comic Book Cookbook by Hugh Amano. Holdover from last year's Read Harder prompt for reading a cookbook cover to cover. I didn't enjoy this one as much as Cook Korean!: A Comic Book with Recipes, mostly because of how it was structured. The ramen book was laid out with here's the way to make a bowl, and then separate sections of how to cook each component. So you learn what a bowl of ramen should have on page 24 and then spend the next 140 pages with recipes for the broth, tare, noodles, meat, and toppings. The broth and tare recipes make large volumes and require all day (or multi-day) cooks, making it very unlikely I'll ever make my own ramen bowl from scratch. Not currently using for PS prompt, but could be for #31, Title that is a Complete Sentence.

Persona 5, Vol. 3 / Persona 5, Vol. 4 by Hisato Murasaki. Next two books in the manga adaptation of the Persona 5 video game. I particularly liked in book 3 how they incorporated some of the puzzles in the palace into the narrative. Just met Makoto and Akechi, so things are getting going. Both volumes work for PS #17, set in a travel destination on your bucket list. I think it'd be neat to go to Tokyo.

Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo by Grant Faulkner. Finally finished! I really enjoyed the varied pep talks and appreciated that the end has a section of "if you're feeling X, try these pep talks for it!", tailoring a list of which ones work for creativity, self-doubt, all sorts of things. Using (for now) for PS #4, About a Writer, because it is, mostly. You are the writer. :)

PS: 5/50 RH: 1/24 ATY: 7/52 GR: 17/125 TBR: 4/24

Currently Reading:
The Ice Beneath Her by Camilla Grebe. I'm now hate-reading the rest of this. The characters are all doormats who don't know how to stand up for themselves. I know I can find out who the dead body is (and who the murderer was) with a web search, but I only have two hours or so left. Not my style of book at all.

True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee by Abraham Riesman. I was looking at my NetGalley dashboard and saw that I had a feedback score of 40%, which didn't seem right. Turns out I'd gotten this and another book from them for the Hugos a few years ago. I read the other from the library, but had never read this one. So when I was mad at the Ice book on Monday, I started this instead. I knew nothing about the origins of Marvel comics, just that Jack Kirby is always credited in the movies as the creator of Captain America. This is not the book to read if you idolize Stan Lee. Or maybe it is. He comes off very badly. I have made it to the 80s and Stan has moved to California. I'll probably finish it before the other one.

Revision and Self-Editing for Publication: Techniques for Transforming Your First Draft into a Novel That Sells by James Scott Bell. Next writing book. I've tried and failed to read this one in the past, so we'll see if I make better progress on it this time.

QotW: Would you rather read one long (900ish-pages) book or three shorter (300-ish pages) books?
I love reading long books when they're interesting. I tore through The Priory of the Orange Tree and A Curse of Krakens. But At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor took me two months.

If the characters are interesting, the plot is compelling and the narrative lively, I'll gladly read a 900 page book. I always want more story if I enjoy the characters. But if the writing is not engaging or the characters are idiots, give me the shorter version.

Erin wrote: "Good morning! I'm going to try to get this posted before I have to log in for work for the day. Getting to work from home part-time has been wild- no 30min+ commute each morning?? Getting to clean a little between meetings?? Having an actual lunch where people can't interrupt and make you work through it? Wild. Was this what it was like for people during COVID? "

Working from home is so amazing. I don't clean between meetings, but I have done laundry or loaded the dishwasher. And yes, eating lunch at my kitchen table where no one can interrupt my reading is glorious.

Happy Thursday!

Finished:
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn- 4 stars - for a book where someone dies in the first chapter. I enjoyed this, and I could totally see it working as a movie or a TV series.

Spinning by Tillie Walden - 4 stars - for a memoir that explores queerness. This would also work for a book about women's sports. It's a graphic memoir about the author's younger days as a competitive figure skater and synchronized skater, and also about her struggles with coming out and figuring out her own identity.

Comics & manga:
Rainbow Days 07
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 4
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 5
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 6

I am currently at 9/50 prompts filled for PopSugar (9/45 and 0/5).

Currently reading:
XOXO by Axie Oh - reread for a book starting with 'X'

Upcoming/Planned:
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams for a second-chance romance
Call Us What We Carry: Poems by Amanda Gorman for a collection of at least 24 poems

QOTW:
I am usually in the three shorter books camp. I don't necessarily shy away from longer books, but I really have to be into it to read a book over 500 pages.

Happy Thursday!!!!

And happy me checking in on Thursday!!

I've had the page open since before I had to leave, and after just finishing up some Bingo admin I remembered and here I am! A miracle!

Weather is pretty mild but the wind is still quite chilly; not a fan.

Are you all ready for another instalment of 'Can't Carmen ever catch a break?' xD

So, picture this. It's 1am, Saturday. I am about to head off on my weekend at Disney, which I really, really need after my mom's 'stuck with' comment and the despair of my sister and her ex.

1:15, the bus leaves, my two paid for seats are actually mine. I post a pic of me being on my way. I try to stuff a bag in the overhead, but give up, so I try to shuffle to the window seat.

And mess up my knee.

It made an audible sound and I thought I was gonna die. I couldn't move it, I couldn't stand on it, and I was this close to throwing up from the pain. I was very glad to not be wearing my thermal shirt. Eventually I managed to sit down; first thing I did was pop painkillers and message my dad and friend. I didn't dare to get up to go to the toilet all trip, because I didn't want to know if my knee would give out until I was in Paris. Better to need help when the bus is stationary and doesn't have anywhere else to go for a while, than while it's moving on the highway.

Turns out: knee could take weight, thank fuck. Walking was painful and uncomfortable, but doable if I went slow and careful. Bending my knee was mostly a no go due to pain and swelling. Stairs were an experience, but nothing compared to going to the bathroom and getting in and out of rides xD (I really, really needed those disabled toilet railings; couldn't go up or down without them, which was fun, cuz my friend's toilet (I was staying at hers for the night) of course didn't have them, so I had to figure out a way to do it without. I am still laughing at how I managed, I'm sure it must've looked ridiculous xD)

My mood didn't falter, however, and I had an amazing weekend despite the pain. I met Toulouse and Berlioz!!! Sadly got Elsa twice, and there were no autographs which I'm still bummed out about. Eventually the pain in my left groin was a bigger issue than my right knee, as it had been compensating. Then my calves became immovable chunks, my left foot was blister heaven, and my shins joined the party, too. Let's just say that stopping for dinner on the way home on Sunday didn't go very smoothly. I initially wanted to eat my food inside, but then figured I should eat on the bus as I couldn't properly gauge how long it would take me to get back to the bus xD

So for two days I walked, went up and down stairs, in and out of rides, and never properly crashed. My knee wobbled a couple times, but I could always keep myself upright. I get to the bus stop, my dad is waiting, reaching in to take my bag off of me, I lean forward on instinct .... and crash to the ground. I was on the stairs and couldn't catch my balance on my other foot so down I went. Woops.

The next morning the doctor could see me immediately and I got the verdict of a stretched inner ligament. He said it could take weeks to heal and for me to become stable again, and to remain careful cuz if I crash again, I might tear it. It's been days since I saw him and I'm still not stable and it still hurts and honestly it's so unfair, haha!

Watched
I watched QUEENPINS on the way home, and really enjoyed it! Inspired by real events, it's about women setting up a huge coupon scam and making millions.

Yesterday I saw ONE LIFE in cinema, which is about Nicholas Winton, the man who played a huge role in getting hundreds and hundreds of kids out of Prague right before WWII. Really moving.

Also finished Percy Jackson season 1 (can't wait for season 2, hopefully with a bigger budget for longer episodes and more Percy sass!), and we are 2 episodes away from finishing House season 7.

Read
Officially nothing yet, but I am 140 pages away and determined to finish it before bed tonight so fingers crossed!
Song of Silver, Flame Like Night
It's YA, but doesn't overly read like it for which I am grateful. Of course there is a romance I could have done without, and some weird little continuity things that don't add up (like bending down twice within half a page, as if the author forgot the character already did that, or contradicting what she'd just said), but all in all I am really enjoying it and have not yet regretted buying the pretty special edition sequel on Tuesday!

QOTW
If you'd asked me when I was a kid, I'd've said 900 page without a doubt. The bigger the better! I raced through them, so 300-400 page books were a day's reading. These days my brain is a dick and huge books scare me, so right now I am most definitely picking 300 pages!

Melissa mentioned Priory however and I raced through that when it came out! I still have several tomes laying around and I'm sure I'll get to them, I just need to be in a proper reading mood to dare open them. The only reason I picked up Song Like Silver is because I needed a first in a series for my own readathon, haha!

Carmen wrote: "Are you all ready for another instalment of 'Can't Carmen ever catch a break?' xD..."

Oh poor you. Knees are such a nightmare when they go. I'm glad you still managed to enjoy yourself despite the pain.

Erin wrote: "Getting to work from home part-time has been wild- no 30min+ commute each morning?? Getting to clean a little between meetings?? Having an actual lunch where people can't interrupt and make you work through it? Wild. Was this what it was like for people during COVID?"


Yes! Working from home is awesome! I never fully appreciated how much more relaxing my life could be if I didn't have to commute each day - that little bit of extra TIME made all the difference. Plus, once kids went back to school, I was home when my kids got home from school, and I could take a fifteen minute work break to listen to them talk about their day right then in the moment when they were excited to talk about it - that was priceless.





Erin wrote: "That being said, I love the sense of accomplishment when you finish a chunkier book. ..."




LOL there is something to be said for that!!! But I read The Count of Monte Cristo a few years ago, and that gave me a LIFETIME of sense of long-book accomplishment.

Melissa wrote: "Let's Make Ramen!: A Comic Book Cookbook by Hugh Amano. Holdover from last year's Read Harder prompt for reading a cookbook cover to cover. I didn't enjoy this one as much as Cook Korean!: A Comic Book with Recipes, mostly because of how it was structured. The ramen book was laid out with here's the way to make a bowl, and then separate sections of how to cook each component. So you learn what a bowl of ramen should have on page 24 and then spend the next 140 pages with recipes for the broth, tare, noodles, meat, and toppings. The broth and tare recipes make large volumes and require all day (or multi-day) cooks, making it very unlikely I'll ever make my own ramen bowl from scratch...."

I felt the same way about that book!! The art was great, the history of ramen in the beginning was really interesting, but the structure of the rest of the book and the way the recipes were written basically ensured that I am NEVER going to make ramen. I'm not running a restaurant here, I dont' have the space to do all that.




The Ice Beneath Her by Camilla Grebe. I'm now hate-reading the rest of this. The characters are all doormats who don't know how to stand up for themselves.


LOL I read your description and immediately decided "I never want to read the book," but when I went to check if it was on my TBR, I discovered that I DID read that book, and forgot. I gave it two stars. I was underwhelmed, but not as annoyed as it sounds like you are hahaha

Happy Thursday once again!!! I got back from a mini vacay to Orlando on Monday and now I feel like I need to catch up. Last week I didn't have time to post but I finished The Closet Vol. 1 not for the challenge. I enjoyed the story but I didn't like any of the characters except for the son.

FINISHED:
Animal Farm for PS Prompt #12 This was a re-read for me. I believe I read it in high school and vaguely remembered it. I'm happy I read it but I didn't understand the symbolism and the irony of it all.

Deaf Utopia: A Memoir - And a Love Letter to a Way of Life for PS Prompt #9 I enjoyed this memoir because even though I'm not Deaf I was immersed in Deaf culture growing up. My church I went to had a Deaf ministry and one of my best friends was hard of hearing. Nyle is also gay and I love that representation as well.

Currently Reading:
The Reformatory and Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot

QotW: Would you rather read one long (900ish-pages) book or three shorter (300-ish pages) books?
I'd rather read 3 shorter books for sure!! I need that instant gratification. I used to enjoy longer books but now I'm just like let's get the show on the road.

Carmen wrote: "Happy Thursday!!!!

And happy me checking in on Thursday!!

I've had the page open since before I had to leave, and after just finishing up some Bingo admin I remembered and here I am! A miracle!

..."




oh nooo.

I have somewhat dicey knees thanks to some injuries from a misspent childhood on horseback (and the accompanying falls OFF the horse) and every once in a while, a knee just ... goes out. And I KNOW that pain of trying to use the toilet! It's so difficult to get down without immense pain!!

Nadine in NY wrote: "oh nooo.

I have somewhat dicey knees thanks to some injuries from a misspent childhood on horseback (and the accompanying falls OFF the horse) and every once in a while, a knee just ... goes out. And I KNOW that pain of trying to use the toilet! It's so difficult to get down without immense pain!!"

The most 'wobble-wobbles' (as I call them, as my knee feels like it's going left and right and back) I get are when getting up from the toilet. I need to stretch my leg out to sit down and to 'propel' myself upward, but if I don't time the setting my leg straight down right, there it goes xD and god forbid I try to turn to grab some toilet paper ajsdhkasf

but yeah bending is so much more painful than stretching, which means I am super careful sitting down. Stepped over a cat the other day, and had to bend my knee farther than it would go, and that was Not Fun xD

Right, today is Thursday. For some reason I keep thinking it's Friday.

Not much is going on in my life. Just more of the same.

Onto the book stuff since I've got nothing else to talk about.

I got a couple new books yesterday despite my plan of a book ban. Yikes!

Currently Reading:

Midnight Sun- Currently on page 262. I like this book a lot more than I thought I was going to despite my love for all things Twilight. I knew early on that this was basically Edward being depressed and what not, but it's a lot so that's really the only issue I have. I just want the guy to be happy with his life.

Fire and Flood: A People's History of Climate Change, from 1979 to the Present - This is among my top 3 favorite books of all time. I can't get enough of it to the point this is my 4th time reading, but the difference now is I'm doing a read-along with the audio book which has been great.

Currently on page 47 of my re-read.

One in a Millennial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In - I had heard about this book last year, but totally forgot when it was going to be released. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across it this month, the month it was released.

I'm currently on page 90.

The book is great so far, my only complaint is Ch2 because all the author talks about in that chapter are (view spoiler)[boys and relationships (hide spoiler)] which I find to be very boring since I can't connect to it. I mean yeah that stuff is fine or whatever, and I had my situations too, but I'm not one for that stuff in general so it lagged on too much.

Another complaint I have with this book is how long the chapters are. I'm a short-chapter type of reader so I always check how many pages are before I read the book and if they're long then I lose interest.

Still though this is one book I'm sticking with. Despite my complaints, it's a fun book.

*****

QOTW:

Would you rather read one long (900ish-pages) book or three shorter (300-ish pages) books?

Definitely a shorter book reader. I struggle reading books over 310/320 pages long so anything above those are tricky. I miss the days when I could sit through pages over 400, but those days are long gone. Now I just don't have the patience because I want to get to other books just as badly.

Carmen - this whole story is wild. I swear knees are the worst designed part of the human body. Didn't you have problems that last time you went to Disney too?

Nadine in NY wrote: "I made some spaghetti sauce in my crock pot yesterday, with meatballs, sausage links, mushrooms, and two large cans of tomatoes plus some seasoning like garlic, onion, a shot of red wine, some pesto, etc ... and I let it cook for 10 hours. And I wasn't crazy about it. It just didn't taste vibrant, and it was oddly peppery (I did add some black pepper, but not THAT much!). I need to ask my mom what she used to put in her sauce when I was little. That's the real problem here, I was trying to reproduce a favorite meal from my childhood, and it wasn't the same. Maybe I don't like sauce that's cooked for 10 hours? Is there something else I could have added to it to make it more vibrant?..."

I'm sorry your meat sauce didn't turn out better. From your description, it sounds fantastic!

PS: 30/50
Robot: 25/52
Educator: Complete!

Read: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi for prompt about a pirate. I liked this one pretty well, but don't care enough to read the sequel.

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library I originally got this one for multiple POV's and then read one that already counted for it. But I still wanted to read this one. It was cute!

This is Marketing: You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn To See

Legends & Lattes for prompt cozy mystery. Again, I enjoyed it, but not enough to read the prequel.

The Giver for prompt Bildugsroman.

The Mysteries I too read this because someone had mentioned it on here. I didn't really like it. But it was still fun to see him doing something new.

Started: Nikos Kazantzakis: A Biography Based on his Letters for Robot challenge title with no e in it. This was a bit of a slog at 600 pages. I gave up partway through.

Bridge Just started this one for prompt about a 24-year-old. It's great so far!

QotW: Theoretically, I like long books, but they can be a bit of a slog (See above Kazantzakis.) I like finishing books too. But I prefer pacing myself by number of pages than number of books which is why I never do the Goodreads challenge.

Kenya wrote: "Happy Thursday, all!

Is anyone else having freakishly warm weather? It's up to the 60s here in Idaho, when it's supposed to be the dead of winter. It's kind of scary, actually...

Also I think I'v..."

Yes, here in Utah too. I feel guilty enjoying it, but it's so nice to be outside again!

Hey I might be getting back into the swing of things. A bit. Woohooo! Soon I hope I can do more than quickly skim the thread.

I haven't looked much for a replacement second job, but I'm not pressuring myself too much. If I get too stressed I'll just curl up in a ball and hide from the world, and that won't help. Plus I keep falling asleep at random times. Stress is great, isn't it?

Apparently I didn't finish anything this week.


Currently Reading
The Smartest Kid in the Universe


QOTW:
Three short books! There have been long books I've enjoyed, but the risk seems steeper and I'm not much of a gambler.

@Nadine: yes, January flew by! Seems wrong that its already February

We are getting serious rain in Los Angeles. Which of course means (a) it's a miracle I made it to work with all the "we don't know how drive in the rain" LA drivers, and trying to maneuver around floods and spun out drivers and (b) my students are all "sick" and pestering me with emails about the make up work (I teach high school).

Didn't finish any books this week but like 7 in progress and 2 more about to be started so February will be a big completion month.

Reading:
the Secret Adversary
Beowulf
The Echo of Old Books (not enjoying)
Dear California
The Restaurant At The End of the Universe (re-read and hilarious)
X Saves the World (yes! I found a book that starts with X and it's really funny!)
Demon Copperhead

About to start:
Before We Were Yours
The Girl Who Reads On the Metro

QOTW:
Team 900+
When browsing bookshops and libraries I'm drawn by the thickest tome I see. This year I plan to finish To Paradise (about 600 pages), London (700) and The Mists of Avalon (800).

Dubhease wrote: "Carmen - this whole story is wild. I swear knees are the worst designed part of the human body. Didn't you have problems that last time you went to Disney too?"

The worst part is, I don't know which trip you're referring to (as I go a lot) but I can name several issues, yes, haha! This is the first time because I messed up my knee, though! Stupid dark buses xD

I wholly agree on knees, though! What a mess!

The weather has been relatively mild, though that just means in the 40s instead of 30s. People have already started turning in squares for the community quilt project, though by my estimate we'll need at least 80 for a decent-sized blanket. So we'll see how that goes.

Finished:
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians: I will admit, I read this mostly because the title bruised my pride, and I wanted to see how the story justified having librarians of all people be the bad guys. The story makes it work, mostly because most of the humor comes from that kind of reversal (for instance, the place the good guys come from considers stairs to be more technologically advanced than elevators). I don't think I'll continue the series, as I am definitely not the demographic for this book, but I was able to use it for the Unreliable Narrator prompt.
The Librarianist - For the most part I liked it, but when all was said and done, it was kind of lackluster. The most interesting parts were in the present, and one of the flashbacks felt like it could have been another book entirely.
Squire & Knight - A fun, quick read. This would work for the Cozy Fantasy prompt, or a Book about Dragons, but I used it for Recommended by a Librarian (both PS and RH).
Boys Weekend - There was potential here, but it tried to do too much and thus didn't really end up paying off any of the plot threads in a satisfactory manner. On the plus side, I was able to use it for a Book by a Trans or Non-binary Author.

Currently reading:
Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths
The Bee Sting
Dayswork

QOTW: I'm team shorter book all the way! While I don't like to rush through a book, I dislike spending too much time on any one book, too. (Which is why I like audiobooks, you can automatically see the time commitment needed.) So I never would have picked up The Bee Sting if it wasn't on the Tournament of Books shortlist, just due to its length (though family dramas aren't my favorite either).

Nadine in NY wrote: "Happy Thursday!!  Welcome to February!!!  But how is it February already???  wasn't it just October??  Also, this week feels like it's been three weeks long and it's not even over yet.  What is goi..."

On spaghetti sauce: it took me about 3 years (!) to finally figure out my signature spaghetti sauce. So you're just starting on your spaghetti journey. Have fun!

Got a cold last weekend, so I was sneezing, sniffing and coughing my way through the weekend. I didn’t feel sick, it was just uncomfortable. I still sound like a sea dog, but that’ll pass. I hope.

Work is crazy, I’m doing 2 jobs now because I got on a new task, there is no one yet to fill in some of my current tasks and my co-worker has dropped out. I hope there will be a replacement for some of my current tasks by the beginning of March.

PS: 3/50
FNL: 3/40
Total: 5/52

Finished
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
PS #13, a book originally published under a pen name
Loved this one. Especially the identity struggle when you rise above your parent’s social class through education. It’s hard to find out what really is you and what is wannabe-you.

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn - ⭐
Not for PS
I’m not suited for books on self-search, self-whatever, going-back-to-nature, self-healing and then everyone swarming over it ‘o, it’s so inspiring!’. Please, just get yourself together and move one with your life.

Currently reading
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

QOTW
It all depends on the book. Some 900-ish books feel like 300 pages and some 300-ish books feel like 900 pages (The Salt Path I’m looking at you). It’s the story that matters.

Joanna wrote: "The Librarianist - For the most part I liked it, but when all was said and done, it was kind of lackluster. The most interesting parts were in the present, and one of the flashbacks felt like it could have been another book entirely...."



Yes! The Hotel Elba, right?! That was great, really engaging, and I would have liked more of that, but ... what the heck was it doing in THIS book?

Harmke wrote: "So you're just starting on your spaghetti journey. Have fun!..."




Hahaha!! My spaghetti journey! :-)


And by the way to all who commented: I asked my mom what she used to put in HER sauce, and she said what I described sounded a lot like it. So my journey has begun on the right path! I just need to tinker ... Next time I will try a higher tomato:meat ratio, and a shorter cook time.

I'm feeling better after being sick last week, so was able to make some progress again these last few days. Am getting off a frustrating work day, so may just curl up and read for the rest of the afternoon (or probably just an hour or so, because adulting). I have no energy left to deal with stuff right now.

Challenge Progress: 17/50

QOTW
I'm on team short book, too.

Read
Jonathan Livingston Seagull - for this challenge
I Like to Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution - for this challenge, thought-provoking read
Julie of the Wolves - for this challenge, somehow a book I missed while in that target age
Letters from Cats: Hilarious & Heartfelt Notes - not for a challenge
Dark Times - for this challenge, middle grade(ish) book, fun read

In Progress
Still working through the collected stories of Pushkin and The Girls of Summer (This latter one is a challenge book and on the fence of being a DNF for me, but as I'm truly interested in the topic I'm slogging through it trying to get past the dry writing style.)
ETA: Forgot about Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

I think that catches me up from pre-sickness. I hope all of you are staying healthy!

Nadine in NY wrote: "Happy Thursday!!  Welcome to February!!!  But how is it February already???  wasn't it just October??  Also, this week feels like it's been three weeks long and it's not even over yet.  What is goi..."

That's so cool about the flowers! As a desert rat who has only seen snow a few times in my life, I had no idea! Nature is wild!

Happy Thursday!

The weather has certainly been interesting lately. It’s warmed up to spring temperatures (yuck!). January and February should not be in the high 50s or anywhere close to 60 degrees. Today it’s raining and warm again. (double yuck!) I’m hoping the temps will drop back to winter 30s again soon because I saw a freakin’ fly in my house. Wednesday, I heard a cricket! I long for no bug weather. It let’s me tolerate the nasty things during summer.

Our library director is retiring around July. There are only two people applying for the job. My colleague and someone else. I guess the county messed up the job advert saying it was only for Masters degree only, but it’s not the case. We have such a small population and the Nevada statutes say we can have someone that does not have a Masters in Library Science. It’s preferred but not necessary.

Other than that, I’ve found a new Chinese drama that has hooked me good. It’s called Scent of Time and it’s streaming on Max. It’s about a woman in Ancient China who lied, cheated, and stole her way to get married to the person she wanted all the while helping her father destroy her love rival’s family. She ends up dying with a last wish of changing her horrible behavior. She gets her wish and wakes up on the night of her wedding. The rest of the story is her trying to fix her mistakes. On Tuesday, I was on episode 16. Wednesday I was on episode 20 something. Today I’m on episode 28/29 of 30. Ziggy decided it was time to go to bed. It was almost 11 pm. I will finish it tonight.

That show is the reason I haven’t been reading a lot. I have three NetGalley books that come out in February that I should finish: The Book of Doors (15% in), Kindling, and Heartless Hunter.

As of Tuesday, I now have 16 NetGalley books that span from February to September.


Popsugar: 7/50
Finished:
Spinning ps 41, ps 7 -- A graphic memoir about Tillie’s journey as an ice skater, her coming out, and becoming a young woman dealing with her emotions and the people in her life. It was okay. It was depressing to read because it focused mostly on all the negative aspects of her life. Occasionally, there would be a split-second moment of happiness but not very often. I used it for ps 41⭐⭐⭐

Reading:
The Book of Doors ps 27, ps 35

Aty: 9/52
Finished:
The Bride & the Exorcist Knight, Vol. 1 -- aty 1⭐⭐⭐
Spinning – aty 20⭐⭐⭐

Reading: None that I’m aware of

Goodreads Challenge 69/400
Finished:
Bitty Bot's Big Beach Getaway
Spinning
The Fiancee Chosen by the Ring, Vol. 1
The Fiancee Chosen by the Ring Vol. 2
The Fiancee Chosen by the Ring Vol. 3
The Fiancee Chosen by the Ring Vol. 4
The Fiancee Chosen by the Ring Vol. 5
Sweet Rein, Vol. 1
Sweet Rein, Vol. 2
Sweet Rein, Vol. 3
The Bride & the Exorcist Knight, Vol. 1
Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 1
The Crown Prince is Too Sweet on Me!
The Pregnant Contract Bride: I was bought by an infatuated CEO and fell pregnant with his love child! Vol.1
The Caged Princess and Her Passing Knight
Timeless Valentine: Age Gap Instalove Romance
Daddy’s Billionaire Investor
Faking It with her Crush

Reading:
The Book of Doors


QOTW:

It depends on the book. If it's fast paced and action packed or i'm super invested in it then even 900 pages isn't enough, but if it drags for literally 300 pages before it gets good (I'm looking at you The Historian) then give me a short book.

Hey there and happy Thursday. It is currently rainy and gross where I am.

Currently Reading


Next


Finished
⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐
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DNF's

I tried. I really did. Ugh so boring.

New Movies Seen
50/50
Tried to watch The Green Knight based on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight but the cinematography was too dark. Couldn't see anything.

QT TV Show
Ted Lasso.

Question of the Week
Would you rather read one long (900ish-pages) book or three shorter (300-ish pages) books?
I do NOT like big books and I cannot lie. LOL. I get world building and epics and sometimes a book is worth 900 pages but it's not worth the risk to me. Plus I am impatient and lazy and I don't like carrying around a 70lb book.

Challenges
PS: 10/50
ATY: 11/52
Overall: 11

Hello hello, and happy Thursday!

It's been a fairly mild week here as well. Husband came down with a cold over the weekend but otherwise things are much more settled down compared to the past few weeks, and I'm looking forward to the end of February and my weeklong trip to Arizona :) I've never been west of the Mississippi, let alone seen the desert, so I'm excited. Mom and I have put together an itinerary for the week and as long as we steer clear of a few touchy topics, I think it'll be a fantastic time.

Finished this week:
If We Were Villains - 4.5 stars. This was everything I wanted The Secret History to be and I loved it! Book with an unreliable narrator

Elatsoe - first DNF of the year. I’m hoping to try it again eventually, but for right now it’s not grabbing me.

Millennium Approaches - part 1 of Angels in America. This has got me contemplating a single month’s subscription to the National Theatre at Home. I have the HBO miniseries with Meryl etc, but I HAVE to see Andrew Garfield and Nathan and that incredible angel with the massive puppet wings.

PS 5/50
ATY 7/52
Mount TBR 3/48

Currently:
A Drop of Venom - a brand new Medusa retelling, excited to get started tonight!

Red Seas Under Red Skies - rereading! Always fun to reread a favorite with a group including friends reading for the first time.

Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman - got through another bit of this over the weekend.

The Ninth Rain - back burner. I’m not ready to put it back on the TBR just yet.

QOTW: Would you rather read one long (900ish-pages) book or three shorter (300-ish pages) books?
Depends on the book! I'm planning on tackling Anna Karenina this year, but if given the option between that and the next three InCryptid books, right now I'd probably reach for InCryptid.

Happy February 1 everyone! Tomorrow here in the US is that crazy thing called Groundhogs Day - you may have seen a Bill Murray movie set then and in this town in PA called Punxatawny? Being there for Groundhogs Day is a bucket list jaunt for me -- one of these years. Anyway, I've been fond of this silly day for some time, long before the movie (I mean seriously, there will always be 6 more weeks of winter ... just check your calendar for the 1st day of spring.). Why? Because I had friends who had a Groundhog's Day party for a couple of decades, rather than New Years or Christmas or even Hannukah - they each had different beliefs, were basically athiests,and felt we all needed a party in the dreariest part of winter here in NYC - beginning of February. It was a blast with great food, conversation, cocktails and cheered everyone up. The final one was held the year Feb. 2 fell on the day that the NYTimes had a Science Section in the paper (Thursdays maybe?) and did a full 2 page spread all about groundhogs, Punxatawny, Punxatawny Phil, and the tradition of seeing his shadow (note: Staten Island, one of NYC's boroughs, has a Shadow Seeing Groundhog - forget his name). They decided that was the right time to end the tradition of the party given Phil, Punxatawny and the whole seeing shadow on Feb 2nd had been legitimized by the NYTimes, no less.

To books and challenges. 14/52 ATY 6/50 PS - definitely see how the more specific and out of my usual reading PS prompts are this year if I'm not able to put every book I happen to read to work to fill a PS prompt. ATY is proving to be far too easy in a way.

Finished:
Intrigue in Istanbul ATY Istanbul is one of 25 most beautiful cities
Miss Aldridge Regrets - ATY related to sea - set on Queen Mary in 1936 - fyi this would be a fun Black History Month read as it discusses mixed race and passing in England and US at that time.
The Secret Adversary ATY intelligence - espionage and criminal mastermind.

Currently reading:
The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World. - basically done but not quite.
The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters
The Cybernetic Tea Shop
The Mimicking of Known Successes
Murder Casts a Shadow - set on Groundhogs Day!

QOTW:

Doesn't matter to me how long or short a book is. I like a good busty book and read several every year. If they are over 900 pages I do have to plan when to read it with work and other obligations, and often read a few shorter reads at same time. Especially with NF including biographies and such. All those 19th Century doorstoppers by Dickens et al. were written and published serially after all and thus adapt well to reading that way.

Anything up to about 500 pages is just a regular read, under 300 short reads, and under 200 a one sitting read. The average length of books I read on a regular basis is 350 to 400 pages.

Reading for me is about the journey more than just the ending, or the characters, or the whole thing. I do not want to know the ending. I resist reading ahead in books to see if some survives or if I guessed right on the murderer or whatever. I like experience it as the author intended. I know a lot of people who peek at the end of books which would ruin it all. I remember how breathless I was when I read those last 2 sentences of Circe which I had not expected and just were perfection, blowing me away. That moment would never ever have happened if I'd peeked ahead.

But this is about book length. I am not in a hurry to see how books end most of the time. I'm not reading for the ending really, but for the whole experience. In fact there are times when I really don't want it to end (and others of course where it doesn't end soon enought, LOL).

Happy Thursday, although it keeps feeling like Wednesday to me.

I have been listening to a lot audiobooks and my headphones decided to crap out on me. Only the right side was working and so this morning I traded it out with a newer pair and that one only the left side works!!!!!!! I wish I could put them together and have a working pair.

We had this "storm" warning yesterday that projected much needed rain and what we got was a foggy light rain for half of a day!!! I have actually stopped washing laundry unless necessary, like this morning when my nephew wet the bed and you have to wash those right away. Were hoping that there will be more rain this weekend. Since we have showers forecasted thru to Monday morning. The problem with the forecast is that I live 20 miles away from the nearest area they use.

Nadine: I tend to have flavor issues when using the crockpot. I find that I have to "over-season" things or it can come out bland or odd tasting.

I had a pretty good reading week. I had two books due and was power reading to finish them. I got one done in time and the other the next day, so close!

2024 Challenges:
Popsugar: 8/50
ATY: 14/52
Robot Librarian: 13/52
A to Z: 10/26
Physical TBR: 0/92
Kindle TBR: 0/111

Goodreads: 17/50

Book Clubs:
PS Monthly: 18/50
Reese: 27/91
Oprah: 11/100
Jenna: 6/61
OSS: 6/39

Finished:
4 finished, 3 Completed Popsugar

VenCo
PS#35, ATY#8, RL#20, AtoZ
This was great! I don’t know why I took so long to read this. I guess I just wasn’t in the reading mood b/c I kept getting distracted. But, today I forced myself to just sit down and read it…and I am glad I did.

Silent Spring
ATY#24, RL#4 (NF 300’s)
This was not exactly what I thought it would be. I had this recommended to me YEARS ago from a friend and finally read it b/c I found an audiobook. It is quite dated (as to be expected) and mostly talks about DDT and its harmful effects. This of course we know now was banned many years ago.

Leaping Beauty: And Other Animal Fairy Tales
PS#1, ATY#1, RL#27 (short stories), AtoZ
This was a cute retelling of many children’s stories.

That Left Turn at Albuquerque
PS#47 (It technically has 25 letters but I don’t care, LOL)
ATY#49, RL#23 (religious/spiritual character, AtoZ
This was the book I grabbed off the shelf at the library and saw that in two years it had never been borrowed and so I took it b/c I felt bad for it. It is a crime mystery by an author that is kind of famous and was a good book. It seemed to take me a lot longer than I thought it would since it was only 272 pages. I found myself just moving thru it in a normal pace with it never really having that point where it picks up and gets really good but, at the same time it wasn’t a slog either. I don’t think I have ever read a book like that.

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Currently Reading
Pillow Thoughts
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home
Chain-Gang All-Stars

On the Backburner
Libby
Ayesha at Last

Physical Library Rentals
This Might Hurt
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird
The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai
Family Lore
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Immortal
Kiss the Girl
XOXO
Hula A local book set in my hometown! It looked good so I thought I'd give it a try.
Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones I was soo happy to find this in the library.
The Ones Who Don't Say They Love You: Stories
Winter Garden Picked this one up thinking it was one I missed from her....but, nope I read it, it just had a different cover when I read it. So back it goes to the library.

Library Holds
My Name is Barbra
The Women
Both of these I will be waiting quite a while for.

Magazines: (1/148) Finally read one, yeah!
Read since last check-in: 1

Question of the Week:
I am definitely in the 300 page club. Sometimes even the ones over 300 take me forever. I like the satisfaction of finishing a book and the shorter ones get you there faster.
I have read a few longer books and every time I have found that they lose you for a while and then hopefully start to get good 50-60% in. I always have this feeling like they needed a good edit and then it would've been better.

Theresa wrote: "Happy February 1 everyone! ... I resist reading ahead in books to see if some survives or if I guessed right on the murderer or whatever. I like experience it as the author intended. I know a lot of people who peek at the end of books which would ruin it all. I remember how breathless I was when I read those last 2 sentences of Circe which I had not expected and just were perfection, blowing me away. That moment would never ever have happened if I'd peeked ahead..."

I just had this experience with Venco! If I had peeked ahead (something I don't do) it would have totally ruined the ending.

But how is it February already??? wasn't it just October?? Also, this week feels like it's been three weeks long and it's not even over yet. What is going on with the passage of time???
I haven't vibed with a sentiment this hard in a while. THis week has been a year in itself with tomorrow going to take a full month of time to get thru.

Somehow January was the month to hide from reality in books and I read 20. 14 were for the challenge so I'm at an unprecedented (for me) 28% percent done. I'm gobsmacked.


Bedknob and Broomstick by Mary Norton (PS A book set 24 years before you were born ) Ah things written in the 40s. (Shockingly with all my historical mysteries I had NOTHING for this year) there is always that how much casual racism/misogyny will I encounter in something this old? In a word a shocking amount. One whole bed travel trip is to bad black stereotype island (that I suspect was considered a bit awkward for its time because 20 years later it was gone from the movie as far as my memory goes)

In Real Life by Cory Doctorow (PS A book that centers on video games) This graphic novel wasn't bad but had some well meaning but awkward themes.

Have You Seen My Sister? By Kirsty McKay (PS A book with a title that is a complete sentence) I might move this over to neurodivergent (main character has dyspraxia) if I can't find something in my tbr pile (I have others that are sentence titles) I enjoyed this YA missing person mystery

Ill-Fated Fortune: A Magical Fortune Cookie Novel by Jennifer J. Chow (PS A book with magical realism) This is an arc I needed to get through. I liked it but there are some really repetitive parts where you want to punt the m.c.

QOTW Team short book all the way. 10 years ago I probably wouldn't have had a preference but the older I get the less I want long books. I'm now to the point on Netgalley and GR giveaways where I check every page count before I throw my hat in the ring. It has to be something I really want to go over 400 pages.

That was the case with what I'll be reading for the BIPOC horror. I got an arc of Tananarive Due's The Reformatory It came right before my big health issue and I feel bad at missing my review deadline before it released. On the other hand it was over 500 pages which i missed because I like the author and went for it. That is slowing me down have to admit

Theresa wrote: "(note: Staten Island, one of NYC's boroughs, has a Shadow Seeing Groundhog - forget his name)."

I grew up there. It's Staten Island Chuck!

Jen wrote: "Theresa wrote: "(note: Staten Island, one of NYC's boroughs, has a Shadow Seeing Groundhog - forget his name)."

I grew up there. It's Staten Island Chuck!"

Thank you! It was escaping me! My friend will be seeing him tomorrow to report for NY1 News. I was wondering if I would need to watch the news tomorrow morning to remember.

Nadine in NY wrote: "I made some spaghetti sauce in my crock pot yesterday, with meatballs, sausage links, mushrooms, and two large cans of tomatoes plus some seasoning like garlic, onion, a shot of red wine, some pesto, etc ... and I let it cook for 10 hours. And I wasn't crazy about it. It just didn't taste vibrant, and it was oddly peppery (I did add some black pepper, but not THAT much!). I need to ask my mom what she used to put in her sauce when I was little. That's the real problem here, I was trying to reproduce a favorite meal from my childhood, and it wasn't the same. Maybe I don't like sauce that's cooked for 10 hours? Is there something else I could have added to it to make it more vibrant?"

I spent years trying to get my spaghetti sauce to taste right, and in the end I finally figured out I needed to add a couple of bay leaves to make it taste 'right' (aka like how my Mom makes it)