Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
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2017 Weekly checkins
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Week 19: 5/5 – 5/11
This was a slow week hoping to get better next week. I think I'm close if not on target though to finish before the end of the year.For my children's lit challenge I did better. I read him a book recommended by an author he loves (emailed Robert Munsch and he recommended The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins) and I took out 2 Pete the Cat books from my library that were also available on audio so he could listen while we looked. Trying one without the physical book was a disaster because he's 2, he needed the visual.
QOTW:
I was a voracious reader as a kid and read a lot of series like the babysitters club, animorphs, goosebumps, sweet valley high. I also loved typical kid classics like Alice in wonderland (still my all time favourite!), Judy Blume, Beverly cleary, eb white. But one that I loved that nobody seems to have heard of is The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi about an upper class girl who has to travel from England to America on a ship that's not meant for passengers. While on the journey the crew mutinies against the cruel captain and she has to decide whether she is with or against them. It's so good!!
Tara wrote: "But one that I loved that nobody seems to have heard of is The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi about an upper class girl who has to travel from England to America on a ship that's not meant for passengers. While on the journey the crew mutinies against the cruel captain and she has to decide whether she is with or against them. It's so good!!"I had never heard of that book until I was an adult, but it does sound good! :)
I'm up waaaaay too early because my cat is a little jerk. This wouldn't have been so bad but the toddler threw a fit of epic proportions when we moved her from the car to the bed last night and woke her in the process. Poor bub - she was clearly overtired and irritable but didn't know how to deal with it. I got a bit of reading done last week. I plowed through the audiobook for American Gods - I read it a good ten years ago but my book club is discussing it next month and my library hold was about to expire. Oddly, I recall loving it and this reread by audio was only meh for me. I'm redoing the old challenges and put this under 2016's fall challenge, a book and its sequel. Anansi Boys is on hold and will hopefully come in soon.
I kept bumping into references to the Dark is Rising series, so I read Over Sea, Under Stone. It's my book I loved as a child - and I still enjoyed it, though as an adult I noticed that Jane's a bit of a wimp and she wimps out of several more exciting parts of the adventure, which sucks as she's the only girl.
I'm not sure what led me to put The Darkest Fire on hold anymore but it was awful. Short, thankfully. So it went under 2015's book with bad reviews and there were several one star reviews that I very much enjoyed reading when I was done. I might give a full length book in the series a try before giving up, but man was that a bad intro to a series.
And finally, I listened to The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories and I can't believe it's taken me so long to finally read this. Loved the stories. The Yellow Wallpaper was probably the best written but I think I liked some of the others even more. In general, her examination of the realities of women's lives, relationships and motherhood blew me away. I'm using it as my Book Riot's book of stories by a woman prompt.
Currently I'm reading Fifteen Dogs as my mom-human perspective book and still have two Gogol short stories to go. I also listened to the first 15 minutes or so of The Shipping News but I'm not sure the audio format is working for me for this book. I'll give it another try but I may need to find an ebook copy.
QOTW: My all time favs were the Emily of New Moon series. I got them as a Christmas gift and there's a picture of me surrounded by unopened gifts reading them. As a slightly older child I loved the Pern series. I read a lot of historical fiction - Little House on the Pratie led to an obsession with covered wagon travel and I'd read anything about that era of history. I also liked any book where a character gets plunged back in time. I reread things over an over as a kid but often can't recall titles - I remember one where a girl goes to spend a summer with her father, his new wife and baby twins and had to watch them and another book with a princess where I can see the cover in my mind but can't recall anything else about it! Whenever I come across a book I read and remember from childhood, I buy a copy for the girls. Can't resist.
Had a pretty good reading week finishing two books and I have two in progress. Finished Made You Up for the unreliable narrator prompt. The first 80% of the book I didn't like. The last 20% was okay but not enough to make up for the rest of it. But, a lot of people gave it high ratings so don't go off me.
Finished Binge for my audiobook prompt. It was read by the author Tyler Oakley the youtube "star." I enjoyed this listen. He's very enthusiastic so his book was a mix of serious, funny, and the high and low points of his career online. Very good choice for this prompt, for me.
Started UnDivided - I'm 60% finished with this one but it doesn't count for the challenge - just my goal of finishing series. I'm enjoying it - I just also seem to be getting distracted while I read - stupid Facebook.
Started Carry On. I tried to read this book when it was first published. The Harry Potter similarities was too much for me at that point. I started it again this week and now I'm 28% finished with it and I'm past that frustration. Using this one for Mentioned in another book - Fangirl. I'm actually switching back and forth between listening to the audio (which is great) and reading the ebook.
A very, very good reading week (although this week felt like it took forever work wise) - but this weekend I want to tackle spring cleaning so the reward will be reading time if I finish up quickly!
16/40 & 0/12
QOTW I remember reading Nancy Drew, Box Car Children, Goosebumps (but that took a lot of begging to get my parents to get it for me), & Black Beauty.
Hi everyone, I keep having slow weeks. Probably because I keep having busy weekends.
The only thing I finished this week is Oryx and Crake which doesn't even fit in the challenge. It probably would have if I read it earlier, but any prompt it fills I've already covered and I don't think I can do any useful shifting around.
Currently I am reading Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype which was the last book for Emma Watson's book club. My library's digital hold system had a problem and it didn't go on hold when it became available so I sat around waiting for two months before finally deleting and re-holding. Got it the next day, go figure. I'm trying to push through as fast as I can, it's not really my style. There's some good advice for women in it, but it's it's so wrapped up in this flowery psychobabble that it's really unpalatable. I think i'm going to do some shifting around and move Americanah to a book where the main character is a different ethnicity than you, and slot this one in as a book by a person of color. The next book on my reading pile also has a subtitle and doesn't fit anywhere else in the challenge.
still at 38/52
QOTW: I was a pretty avid reader even as a kid. I loved Bruce Coville, he was my gateway into sci fi. But I was also horse crazy so I loved The Saddle Club and Thoroughbreds series. I read almost anything, though, so I also read the standards like Babysitter's Club, Little House on the Prairie books, Madeleine L'Engle, the Wizard of Oz series, Narnia. I remember loving the Island of the Blue Dolphins and the sequel, plus The Giver. I also picked up pretty much anything that had a horse on it.
Hello from wet Montréal,We had so much rain recently that there is flood all around the province. Like we never seen before. Can't wait for the sun.
Last week I finished:
The Book Thief and I will use it as the prompt for a country I never visited (Australia). I just liked it ok.
En as-tu vraiment besoin ? for the career prompt. It's a bit of a stretch, but it's about what to do with the money that you earn. Savings, kid's school, insurrances etc... It was another ok book because I lnew most of the stuff already.
I am now starting Eragon for the mythological creature prompt.
QOTW:
I was an avid reader as a kid. My teachers had to confiscate my books because I was reading even during classes.
The Witches was one of my favorite books. I was reading it every 3 or 4 weeks.
Annabelle, Où Es Tu? was another one. It's a choose your own story where you travel through time to save a little girl. I will probably use this one for the prompt about a book that I loved as a child.
Good morning!I seem to be in reading mode now, so was able to finish a few books this week:
The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman by Margot Mifflin - This is a true story about a pioneer girl who was captured by native Americans and later "rescued." It's not at all clear she wanted to leave, but her story was co-opted to serve the purposes of the people telling it. I may use this for prompt 7 (a story within a story) because half the book addresses how Olive's life story became a variety of different stories and how Olive, to protect herself, was probably complicit in its misuse.
Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry by Harry Kemelman, which is set during Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. I'm using this for prompt 38, a book that centers on a holiday other than Christmas. I was very disappointed in this mystery, which had been on my TBR for a long time. There were no important female characters, but there was a lot of stereotyping of women.
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. This fits prompt 3, a book of letters. It's witty and filled with warmth -- I really enjoyed it.
QoTW - I read The Princess and the Goblin over and over again in grade school. Another favorite was the illustrated classics condensed version of Little Women, which I read until the pages came out of the not-very-sturdy paperback binding. I knew the illustration on the page where Beth dies, so I always skipped that page when I came to it. One more and then I'll stop -- I loved, loved, loved Many Moons by James Thurber. I bought it for my own kids but also so I could reread it! It's wonderful even for adults.
Our weather has been so weird that even the meteorologist in the morning show lost his composure when doing the weather and started laughing. It's not really that usual to get (a bit of) snow in the middle of May...I finally started some new books. I wanted to listen to something while doing chores but our library didn't really have that many audiobooks available (via online service) and even fewer that I found interesting, so I had to pick a war novel by a very profilic author from whom I had never read anything. He is a veteran and his stories are usually (always?) based on real events and interviews of other veterans. This one is called "Kontio's Guerillas" and it's about a mission in "Viena Karelia", the area between the White Sea and Finland. Actually I really didn't know anything about the warfare in that area, as it's mostly wilderness with some villages, and there were no real front lines. One of the soldiers is also a Skolt Sami (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skolts) who is an excellent tracker, after living his whole life in that area. (Some footage from 1941 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYzwy..., the woman is a Skolt, and the soldier with the reindeer is a Sami, too.) That area is, or was, also important culturally because Lönnrot collected most of runes for The Kalevala in his travels there, and there were rune singers there until the early 20th century.
Another book I started when I needed something to read on a bus is a cozy mystery, set in the 1960's, I think, and in a fictional town in the area where I was born. The murder happens before a book club meeting and the murderer is one of the participants. They were reading Crime and Punishment. What makes it also interesting, is that the author is a retired metropolitan bishop (Orthodox). (There is also a Lutheran minister who writes mysteries, though she became famous after her sex reassignment operation.)
QOTW: Probably the first book I read after I learned how to read was Uncle Fedya, His Dog, and His Cat by Eduard Uspensky; it was probably my favourite book that was read to me. After that I started reading a Swedish Lotta series, I remember cycling to the library almost every day during the summer after 1st grade and returning the old and borrowing a new book, and then I did the same the next summer. But by then I had already started reading detective stories, first by Mika Waltari, his Inspector Palmu books were my first "adult novels", then Sherlock Holmes, which became my favourites, and of course Christie. After that I started to become interested in history and was reading stuff ranging from Ancient Egypt to WWII. When I was 12, I read Gone with the Wind (over one weekend) and it has been my favourite novel ever since.
I finished 3 books this week, which is great since I finished 0 the week before.7. A book that is a story within a story: Possession by A.S. Byatt
This was a book I marveled at more than I enjoyed, although I did enjoy it. What A.S. Byatt was able to do--merging genres, time periods, her fictional literary world with the actual literary world, etc had me in awe. It's been on my To Read shelf forever, and I'm so glad I finally read it.
11. A book by an author who uses a pseudonym:Villette by Charlotte Bronte aka "Currer Bell"
This was painful and horrid. But I bought the book years ago and had started it, but I put it down and never got back to it. I used this challenge to finally read it once and for all, and now I can officially move on from Charlotte Bronte's works, which I've finally come to terms with the fact are not for me.
39. The first book in a series you haven't read before: Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee
The was a delightful surprise! A bisexual Asian (half Vietnamese/half Chinese) female protagonist, a black trans character in a prominent role, a Latina best friend, blurred lines between good and evil, a cute ff romance. This is why YA is so important. Not a perfect story, but it was cute and got so much right.
Nothing is currently in progress. I'm waiting for books from the library that are currently "In Transit".
29/40 and 1/12
QotW:
I never considered myself a reader as a kid. I remember thinking it was a chore. But when I think back, if something grabbed me, I read voraciously. I loved Beverly Cleary, The Boxcar Children, Mrs Pigglewiggle. But it wasn't until I was in 8th grade and picked up a copy of John Grisham's The Firm that I really caught the reading bug and made that transition between "kids" books and "adult" ones.
Mod
I had a good reading week, I finished three books and DNFed one book (my first DNF of the year!), all for the Challenge. I'm now 41/52.
Book I DNFed: The Gray Man by Mark Greaney - this was going to be for the "espionage" category, and it certainly would've fulfilled that category, but the book was absolute trash. I gave it 100 pages and skimmed the rest. Ugh.
Books I finished:
The Mark of the Horse Lord by Rosemary Sutcliff - this was my book I loved as a child (apt, considering the QotW!). It was just as fantastic and powerful as I remembered it.
Business Cat: Money, Power, Treats - this was my "cat on the cover" book. It was a lot shorter than I expected, so I effectively read it in one day. As a non-cat owner, this one was just okay for me.
Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones (I guess I had a cats and dogs and horse thing going this week! LOL I didn't realize the animal theme until I listed them all together here!). This was my "non-human perspective" book (also, recommended by Neil Gaiman, so it would work for "rec by author" too), and it was great, very moving. I even got a little choked up reading it, and that rarely happens to me.
QOTW In my early reading years, I loved:
The Three Investigators mystery series
The Oz books (although not necessarily in order - I had not yet figured out that some series should be read in order)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
The Black Stallion (and all other Walter Farley books)
The Mark of the Horse Lord (see above!)
White Fang by Jack London
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë - I bought this at one of those Book-Mobiles, I had no idea what it was, but I loved it - it's one of the few books I ever re-read. It had a big 9 on the back cover, which I thought meant it was for ages 9 and up - like me! - but now I realize it must've meant GRADES 9 and up!
As a slightly older kid, I loved:
House of Stairs by William Sleator
The Moon by Night (and every other Madeleine L'Engle book I could get my hands on)
The Iron Doors Between by James L. Summers
A Gift of Magic by Lois Duncan
Every Andre Norton book my library had (the ones I remember best are Lavender-Green Magic and Forerunner Foray)
The Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov (it was just a trilogy back then, additional books were added later, and I keep meaning to go back and read the entire thing start to finish including the Robot books)
The Shadow of the Torturer series by Gene Wolfe
This was a great question! Thanks!! I had a nice time skipping down memory lane to dredge up those titles :-)
We have a blue sky in Michigan today so it's a delight after our long gray winter/spring.I finally have progress to report. This week I finished A Gentleman in Moscow for "takes place in a hotel." This was the pick for one of my IRL book clubs (meeting tonight). I had the library book and kept falling asleep and was running out of time so I got the audio from Audible and enjoyed it more. It is a very long book (it's 463 pages which is not terrible but seemed longer). It seemed to go on and on without much conflict seemingly making for a relatively boring story: what's the point? I'm meh about it. Gave it 3 stars.
That puts me at 14/40 and 1/12 putting me officially four books off pace to finish the challenge as well as hit my annual book goal.
It's our busy time at work so I've had a few late nights working and the nonlate nights I am just trashed so haven't been getting my 1-2 hours of dedicated nightly reading.
Also, I haven't had the patience/focus for reading in recent weeks. I have a stack of books on my nightstand that are in various stages of completion. Last night I picked Glennon Doyle Melton's Love Warrior, which I purchased for myself as a Christmas gift. Hoping that one is a fast read and gets me back on track. It likely won't fulfill any prompts for me but if it gets me out of my rut, it'll be fine.
Hoping to turn to The Book Thief for the group read after that.
Question of the week:
I too was a voracious reader in childhood. My mother had to force me to leave the house and go outside to play (she too is a big reader).
Like Sara, my favorites were the Little House series (which my mother read aloud to me) and the Boxcar Children books, which I read myself. I also devoured every Judy Blume book I could and still have my copies of most of them.
Non series books I liked included Bridge To Terabithia.
Been on holiday, so not checked in for a couple of weeks. But, rather than catch up what I read on airplanes, I'll just do what I read this week.I read March: Book Three for a book recommended by a librarian.
I read We Should All Be Feminists that I bought on holiday.
Currently reading:
The Birth of the Modern: World Society 1815-1830 for 800+ page book (I'm on page 650)
Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love (not sure if this will fit the challenge)
The Joy of x: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity (for the math geek in me)
QOTW: My all time favourite book, from the time I was 9 years old, is Caddie Woodlawn. I was a huge reader, but this is the book I have always returned to read again and could not wait to introduce my daughters to this book as well.
This week I finished listening to Windflower by Laura London, finished reading The Night circus for the 2nd time by Erin Morgenstern, I finished listening to The Selection by Kiera Cass and started listening to The Elite by Kiera Cass. I also read Alex & Eliza by Melissa De La Cruz. I finished The Daughter by Jane Shemilt. I'm now reading House of Names.
Hello from San Diego! I’ve been in southern California all week on business, but I fly back to Texas this evening. I didn’t get much reading done last weekend; it was our first nice weekend in ages, so I spent a lot of it outdoors with friends. And though I usually am able to get good reading time in during business trips, that wasn’t the case this time, unfortunately. I got through 3 books this week, none of them for PopSugar, so I am still at 27/52. I read:
Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews. This is an easy read with a “spirit of the holidays” theme. It’s easy to picture this as a Hallmark movie. I like the characters in the book – it is the 3rd book in Andrews’ Savannah series. The first is still my favorite, but this is a quaint addition that adds to the development of the MC’s boyfriend.
Paper Towns by John Greene. I liked this one – a coming of age story about a high school boy and his next door crush. The deeper theme is our expectations of people’s behavior based on how we view their personalities.
Rock Bottom by Erin Brockovich. This felt like an adaptation of the movie about her life, except it takes place in West Virginia and involves coal mining. It wasn’t that great of a read.
QOTW: I read constantly in grade school. I was one of those kids who stayed up reading with a flashlight under the covers. I read all of Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume's books multiple times, with Beezus and Ramona and Superfudge probably being my favorites. As I got a little older, I read the entire Nancy Drew: #1-64 series.
Hello from Cleveland! I finally kicked my awful spring cold, so it's been nice to do some more reading without feeling terrible the whole time!I listened to The Vegetarian by Han Kang for a book with a main character with a different ethnicity. (I am white, and all the characters are Korean.) This book won the MBI prize last year and got a ton of hype but I found it very meh. I "got" the social commentary part and it could've been really interesting, but it was just too weird. I'm not sure if I would get more out of it if I knew more about Korean culture, but her other works sound...out there as well, so I think it's the author. I was really disappointed in the narrator as well. I appreciated he was of Korean-American and could pronounce all the Korean words/names correctly, but his acting left a lot to be desired. He couldn't really do character voices and just sort of spoke dialogue louder, and in scenes with several people talking, it could get very confusing!
I also read Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov for a book with an unreliable narrator. The subject matter was definitely unsettling, but it's referenced so much in pop culture that I wanted to read it for myself. It was a very thought-provoking character study, but it was too long and too flowery for my taste. Nabokov says in the afterword that it started as a short story, and I think it would've worked better in that format, or maybe just a novella.
Finally, I listened to Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer for the first book in an unread series. It was SO good! I have to be careful with scary stuff because I'm a wimp, and this was just the right kind of psychological horror for me. (I know it's really scifi, but it felt like horror.) The narrator did an excellent job as well. I was really disappointed when I finished because I was still on hold for Authority, but then it became available that night! I'll be really curious to see how the creepy vibe translates into the movie version.
QOTW: Wow, I totally forgot about Avi, but I loved his books! I loved The Boxcar Children (and played pretend with them all the time) and then Nancy Drew when I was a little older. Animorphs was a favorite as well, and then Tamora Pierce's work, though I found her too late in childhood to read everything, as I aged out. The Pendragon series was awesome in middle school, though I aged out of that a bit too when it was finally finished, but I can't wait for my future child to binge it in one go! I do miss being a YA reader and just being able to browse the teen section and find tons of things that sounded interesting.
Maybe this isn't the best place to ask, but I've been trying to remember another childhood favorite book - it involved a father, son, and daughter. The father is killed and the son captured (by...someone) while the daughter escapes. The captors dig two graves, so each child thinks they're alone. It starts in the woods and then moves to a beach. No clue on title or author but I've been going crazy trying to remember it! (The only other thing I can recall is having to look up the word "crude," so I'm guessing it was MG or one of the first YA books I read.)
A novel set during wartime: Alex and ElizaQOTW: My most favorite childhood book is The Mouse and the Motorcycle. Whenever the class went to the school library in elementary school, I would always pick it out.
I stepped up my reading game this week but I had to use some juvenile books to do it. I was surprised I read as many as I did considering my sister came to visit (she is a person who does not like to read). It helped that for most of the week it was nice and sunny and I seem to do my best reading sitting in the camping chair or sprawled out on my Mexican blanket on the lawn. Finished:
Bossypants for the prompt "a book with career advice" which might be stretching it a little but I couldn't put it under "a book written by someone you admire" like I thought I MIGHT be able to do. I have a hard time admiring people in general but the book didn't help. The book was okay, not great and not laugh out loud funny. I thought I would be able to relate a little more to her but that ended up not being true almost at all. I really love her humor on SNL and 30 Rock but she is so self deprecating in the book and fishing for compliments that it turned me off.
Igraine the Brave I did this one as the audio book prompt. Since I don't have a commute (I am a stay at home mom) and can't seem to follow along with audio books while I do chores and I accidentally dropped my MP3 player in the toilet I haven't been doing as many of those recently. I really liked this book and passed it on to my 9 year old. It is a bout a family of magicians and knights who have to fight someone who is trying to steal their magic books. I got a good chunk of cross stitching done during this book. I also didn't notice but there is a cat on the cover so it could also be used for that prompt AND the author is German and it was translated (if that helps with any prompts for any one).
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing for the prompt "a book I loved as a child". I was going to read Superfudge but it was already checked out or something because it wasn't at the library! Why I don't have my personal copy is beyond me! I think it might be at home in Idaho? Any way, still love this book, still so funny, but now that I am a parent I see it differently....the parents in this book need to learn to better discipline their kids but if they did then I guess their wouldn't be much of a story....so mixed feelings.
Password to Larkspur Lane for "a book by an author who uses a pseudonym". Nancy Drew wasn't my absolute favorite growing up but I DID like mysteries. These stories don't usually stick with me except that I always remember how perfect Nancy is- annoying but not horrible.
Starting this week Keturah and Lord Death I am hoping it fills the prompt "a book that is a story within a story".
Progress: 16/40 and 1/12
QoTW: My favorite books as a kid were Little House in the Big Woods, Charlotte's Web, Ramona the Brave, Little Women (but I read the annotated version), Judy Bloom's Fudge series, and Pippi Longstocking. As a slightly older kid I was introduced to series so I feel in love with The Disappearing Stranger and all the books from that series, Mandie and the Forbidden Attic and read as many as the church library had, the Baby sitters Club, and Christy Miller Collection, Vol. 1. My dad was the one who introduced me to my favorite genre- historical fiction- with the American Girl series.
Sheri wrote: "Hi everyone, I keep having slow weeks. Probably because I keep having busy weekends.
The only thing I finished this week is Oryx and Crake which doesn't even fit in the challenge. ..."
Haha... I'm also reading Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype. So, I haven't read too much , but the psychobabble..... I highlighted this from The Four Rabbinim
"The third Rabbi carried on and on about what he had seen, for he was obsessed. He lectured and would not stop with how it was all constructed and what it all meant....and in this way he went astray and betrayed his faith."
I have the thought that maybe she might turn out to be the third Rabbi here, obsessed, lecturing and carrying on about what it all means, when really not much that I've read so far means anything at all to me.
But thats just me, and I haven't finished yet so....
I haven't updated in weeks, I'm pretty sure it will be a miracle if I finish even one challenge that I've started.
I've finished All the Ugly and Wonderful Things for advanced #11( difficult topic). It was an excellent book and the relationship between the two main characters was definitely uncomfortable. I can see why everyone has been talking about it.
#6( one of four seasons in the title) Summer House with Swimming Pool. I listened to this on audio, and I have to say it was a really disturbing experience. I actually purchased the kindle version because I feel compelled to read it and see what I missed. I kept tuning out only to be brought back to reality by the narrator spewing vulgarities. No. Words.
#16 ( published in 2017 )The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane. Amazing!! I definitely recommend this to any historical fiction fan. Very well researched and just great characters and a great story in all. I learned a lot about a culture I had never even heard of.
#15 (subtitle)Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. Definitely 5 stars!!! I'm not a fan of non fiction but this was so well written and definitely a great lesson on Japans role in the war and the camps our soldiers were held in.
#19 ( about food ) Art of the Pie: A Practical Guide to Homemade Crusts, Fillings, and Life. Its about making pies.....and pie crusts.....and life. Don't ask how I ended up reading this.
#18 ( never fails to make you smile )Beezus and Ramona. Listened on audio with my daughters and they loved it too. Such a cute story, I loved these books when I was young.
I think thats all of them since my last update. I'm currently working on
#8 (more than 800 pages) 11/22/63.
#12 ( genre I don't normally read :poetry )Brown Girl Dreaming
#25 ( book I loved as a child ) Misty of Chincoteague
#26 ( author from a country I've never visited : Australia) The Dry
So I think so far my totals are
PopSugar 10/40
Advanced 3/12
Book riot 8/24
Around the Year 12/52
I've completely gone against my plan and I'm using books as crossovers between challenges now. I'm pretty sure Book Riot will be a bust :-(
Favorites from my childhood: Anything by Judy Blume, Beverly Clearly, Laura Ingalls Wilder. The Witch series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Trixie Bleden and Nancy Drew. Black Beauty, The Black Stallion series, and Summer Pony. A Little Princess. Way too many to name, always had my nose in a book when I was younger.
Hi all!A bit of a slow week for me. I finished 1 book:
Cinder - I had been contemplating whether to read this or not, and I didn't think I would like it much. I did! I'm not crazy over it, but I like the idea.
I am currently reading The House of the Spirits. I'm really liking it but it's taking me a while, and this week is a particularly busy week for me.
QOTW: I used to love reading anything by Enid Blyton, Goosebumps... I'm really struggling to remember more, but I suppose all the usual kid's stuff!
Week 19 - 24/40 & 6/12 (30/52), currently reading 4Hooray for a better week! I have really picked my books back up & have mad progress on all fronts this week. I feel so much better now! :)
Not for the Popsugar challenge, but I finished Double Fudge with my son this week, so I am happy about that. It was the 5th & final book in the Fudge series by Judy Blume. Just last night, we also read Stink: The Ultimate Thumb-Wrestling Smackdown and started Stink and the Shark Sleepover, both my Megan McDonald. I counted Double Fudge towards my Goodreads reading goal for the year, but didn't count the Stink books, because they were so short and had so many illustrations, I didn't want to count them in the final count for the year.
Moving on the the Popsugar challenge, I finished listening to The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold for prompt #6 on the advanced list, a book from a genre/subgenre you've never heard of - bildungsroman.
I did not finish my other two books that I've been working on for a while, but I did make progress on both. I am now almost 60% finished with In The Neighborhood: The Search for Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time by Peter Lovenheim for prompt #15, a book with a subtitle. I should definitely finish it by our next check-in, but I'm hoping to get it finished this weekend.
As for A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (prompt #35, a book set in a hotel), I am still only about 10% of the way through it, but that's progress from where I was stuck for a couple of weeks, so I'm happy with it. I think it is going to be a good book, but it's just taking me a while to get into it.
I also started listening to The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan for prompt #12 on the advanced list, a book based on mythology. I think I will be able to finish it either today or tomorrow.
I have also opened up Lending a Paw by Laurie Cass for prompt #10, a book with a cat on the cover. It is the first book in a cozy mystery series, and I think it will be a quick read, once I actually get started. I may be able to finish it by our next check-in, also.
QOTW: I LOVED reading as a kid, just as much or even more than I love reading now. I loved Ramona, Fudge, the Babysitters Club, Ralph S. Mouse, the Boxcar Children, Stuart Little, and all kinds of books. I also read my mom's old copies of the Bobbsey Twins books, and those were a lot of fun. When I got a little bit older, I liked to read Sweet Valley High & R.L. Stine books, but pretty much if you gave me a book, I wanted to read it! :)
Hi everyone! I finished 2 books this week, but unlike last week, when that felt like almost nothing, this week it felt like I'd climbed Everest! Finished
The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir for the Popsugar Advanced Challenge prompt of "a book about a difficult subject" - For the advanced challenge, I've decided to use ARCs whenever possible, and this book was stunning. It's out next week, so hit up your holds list ASAP. 1/12 for the advanced challenge.
Fingersmith for Popsugar's prompt of "a book with an unreliable narrator" - I'd hoped to finish this in April, but twas not to be. This was also excellent! Highly recommended. 23/40 for this challenge.
DNF
A Spy in the House - This was going to fulfill my "espionage thriller" category, but it lost me in the first two chapters with some extremely clunky writing. I'm thinking I'll try The Sympathizer here instead.
Currently Reading
Exit West for Around the Year's "magical realism" prompt - Liking this a lot so far. Taking it slow so I can sit with it longer.
Poems of Akhmatova for Read Harder's "poetry in translation about something other than love" prompt - So far this has been like most poetry is for me: very uneven.
QOTW
Loved all the Little House books! I think I've read every book in that series at least 12 times - for my favorites, it's probably 20+ times.
Sheri wrote: "Hi everyone, I keep having slow weeks. Probably because I keep having busy weekends.
The only thing I finished this week is Oryx and Crake which doesn't even fit in the challenge. ..."
Oryx and Crake is on the Suggested Reading list at the end of Station Eleven, so you could slot it as Book Mentioned in Another Book (if you were doing the Advanced List).
I finished a few this week:Cinder I loved this book and ended up going out and buying the rest of the series so I could keep going.
Leaves of Grass I honestly hated this book, I know it's considered a Classic but I just couldn't get into it
The Black Key I'm glad that I have another series complete. This one was better than the second one, but I'm still glad that the series is over
Currently reading Gift from the Sea and should be done it today
QOTW:
Oh my, I have to remember all the books I loved as a kid? I love Christopher Pike, LJ Smith, Goosebumps, Little House on the Prairie, Anne of Green Gables, Chronicles of Narnia, Bridge to Terabitha, Charlotte's Web, Little Women, Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins. I'm sure there's more but that's all that's coming to me at the moment.
Hello everyone! I had a pretty good reading week, and I'm flying to Memphis this weekend, so I expect to make some more progress on the plane. I do enjoy the enforced reading time of plane flights. Also, people bring me beverages! (I recognize that I fit in the seat, unlike many, many people, don't get airsick, and don't have to fly with children. My sympathies to anyone who has to deal with any of those and fly.)I'm at 23/52, having finished three books this week. Wittgenstein's Mistress (interesting woman) turned out better than I expected, although I'm still a little irritated by how intensely "experimental fiction"-ey it was. Probably this is my grad school trauma manifesting. :-D
Swamplandia! (recommended by a librarian--my mom really liked this book) I very much enjoyed this for most of the book, but the ending was really lacking. It was so abrupt and resolved almost none of the questions I wanted answered. I would like to elaborate more, but that would involve spoilers so I will refrain. I'd still recommend it, though.
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 5: Super Famous (main character different ethnicity) I love Kamala, so I enjoyed this, but it didn't suck me in quite as much as previous volumes.
I also started Bellweather Rhapsody (book set in a hotel) and Lincoln in the Bardo (Bangsian fantasy--genre I'd never heard of), both of which I'm thoroughly enjoying.
QOTW: I'm a librarian's kid, so there were always lots and lots of books to choose from and I read A LOT as a child. I read a ton of Tamora Pierce and now find her books extremely comforting if I'm going through a difficult time. As a younger child, I loved Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life, which is a profoundly strange but delightful book. Also, I still have my copy of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, which made me spend a lot of time climbing jungle gyms and pretending they were the riggings of ships and I was Charlotte Doyle. Ah, memories.
Chinook wrote: " I also listened to the first 15 minutes or so of The Shipping News but I'm not sure the audio format is working for me for this book. I'll give it another try but I may need to find an ebook copy. ."I can't imagine
The Shipping News working well in audiobook. It was an engrossing print read though!
Goodreads ate my post 😑Hello from Columbus! This last week was my daughter's 11th birthday and her party so I didn't get to everything I had intended to.
I finished The Subtle Knife as my steampunk pick. The Golden Compass was a pick earlier in the challenge, I'm not sure where I can fit The Amber Spyglass in the challenge but either way I'll get to it sometime before Pullman's new book comes out. I love love love these books. In fact, the aforementioned daughter was almost named Lyra but her dad was a buzzkill and wouldn't let me do any literary names.
Hallelujah I finally finished Vanity Fair as my 800 pages pick. It almost took a full month to read but I really enjoyed every bit of it. Thackeray was a snarky asshole and even out of its context you could tell he's making fun of society. I wish the book had ended more like the movie, but alas.
On a whim I decided I'd participate in Nylon's new book club so I downloaded Marlena from audible. I almost got this book from BOTM but wound up picking something else that month. I'm glad I ended up not missing out on this book because I really enjoyed it. It was heavy and so reminiscent of my teen years. I think I'm using it as my difficult topic pick but I might move it later.
So that brings me to 24/40; 3/12
QOTW: I loved reading as a kid. The boxcar children, goosebumps, any and all American Girl books, this series called Replica by Marilyn Kaye, narnia books, those dear america books were my jam when I was a kid. I read pretty much anything. But neither of my parents were particularly bookish so I never had that introduction to the classics. So now I've made it a point to build up my daughter's library to include the puffin classics (I'm a sucker for a pretty cover) and other similar titles.
Angie wrote: "Possession by A.S. ByattThis was a book I marveled at more than I enjoyed, although I did enjoy it. What A.S. Byatt was able to do--merging genres, time periods, her fictional literary world with the actual literary world, etc had me in awe. It's been on my To Read shelf forever, and I'm so glad I finally read it.."
I remember when reading it that it was somewhat of a slog at times, and after a while I skipped over the interminable flowery poetry, but ultimately found it a compelling read. Then as time went by, I found myself remembering and reveling in more and more aspects of it until it became a favorite. Sometimes a book needs to live with you a while after reading before its wealth is truly revealed. And how disappointing was the movie in comparison!
Hi everyone. The sun is actually shining today here in Yorkshire so maybe summer is finally on it's way.This week I finished A Conjuring of Light. I'm sad that this series is over but I wasn't a massive fan of the third book. I'd love for some more books set in the same universe, if V.E. Schwab happens to be reading!
Zombie Apocalypse! Acapulcalypse Now! was my book in a hotel. After being so undecided about what to read for this prompt, I ended up sing the keyword "hotel" in my library's search engine. This title popped from the page and made me giggle so I gave it a go. I think ten years ago I might have loved this book, now I just thought it predictable and full of clichés. This is why I don't pick books up on title alone!
I'm currently reading The Book Thief for the May read along. I have actually already read a book for the war prompt but this title slots into lots of other prompts for me as well.
QOTW: I've always been a reader. Always. Whilst honourable mention has to go to Roald Dahl and Frances Hodgson Burnett, my absolute favourite as a child was Ballet Shoes. I loved it from the first read. It's the most battered, re-read, well-loved book on my shelves.
When I was older I was very much into cheesey series like Babysitters Club, Sweet Valley High, Fear Street etc. which is kinda strange because I don't really read anything remotely similar these days. I might have to give one of them another go for old times' sake
Miriam wrote: "Been on holiday, so not checked in for a couple of weeks. But, rather than catch up what I read on airplanes, I'll just do what I read this week.Currently reading:
The Birth of the Modern: World Society 1815-1830 for 800+ page book (I'm on page 650)
Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love (not sure if this will fit the challenge)..."
If you haven't used the family member in the title prompt yet, it would definitely work for that.
Mike wrote: "Oryx and Crake is on the Suggested Reading list at the end of Station Eleven, so you could slot it as Book Mentioned in Another Book (if you were doing the Advanced List)."Thanks for the recommendation, I already filled that one too haha. I'd read Wuthering Heights which was mentioned in We Were Liars, plus other books. I'm getting near completion so it's harder to fit books in that i'm just reading anyhow, most the rest of the challenges I'm having to look for specific books to fill them.
I love oryx and crake! It's the first in a series of you haven't filled that but I'm sure you thought of that one. It's speculative fiction so maybe genre you haven't heard or or rarely read? Although I don't know that it was a best seller (I think the latest one was, Madd Adam). Margaret Atwood is fascinating and I just love her. I'm reading Alias Grace for a book written by someone you admire.
Tracy wrote: "Haha... I'm also reading Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype. So, I haven't read too much , but the psychobabble..... I highlighted this from The Four Rabbinim "It just goes on from there. i'm 100+ pages in. The annoying thing is, it's got some good advice in there...it just is buried under all the nonsense.
Tara wrote: "I love oryx and crake! It's the first in a series of you haven't filled that but I'm sure you thought of that one. It's speculative fiction so maybe genre you haven't heard or or rarely read? Altho..."Yeah, I've filled all of those. Well that, and I've read tons of speculative fiction so the genre I've never heard of/don't read wouldn't work haha.
I'm really far ahead on the challenge, so I don't really NEED it to fit. It's just annoying because it took all week. Past weeks I usually managed to finish SOMETHING for the challenge around whatever non-challenge book I finished.
I am doing a Challenge Happy Dance here in NYC! I've now read 26/52 books and I'm about 5 weeks ahead of my personal schedule in doing so (goal was to finish half the books by June 30)! WooHOO!It was a banner week for finishing - especially after a 3+ week 'challenge vacation' followed by barely finishing a book a week (I'm a fast steady reader - I usually manage at least 3 books a week). Finished:
Three Bags Full - my audiobook - I don't often listen to books, mostly because I enjoy audio best if they are re-reads and who has time for re-reads? I had a lot of solo driving this past weekend, the rental car played cds, so took the opportunity to listen to this in audio - which I've owned for years. Loved this book in print - a mystery where a shepherd is found murdered, and the detectives who solve the murder (and a few other mysteries) are his herd of sheep! Told entirely from the sheep's POV. Did not enjoy it nearly as much in audio form -- not sure quite why -- the narrator was wonderful, did a great job of distinguishing the voices, etc. Perhaps the reason I was driving was part of the problem (not a happy occasion), but I really think the problem was that when reading the print version, you remember they are sheep, but when hearing it - it's a person's voice so you miss some of the quirkiness. Also works as a book from a non-human perspective - I do really recommend reading it in print - it is a hoot.
Commonwealth - read as my book taking place over a character's lifetime - opens at Frannie's christening and continues through the next 50 or so years of her life. Basically it is the story about how a meeting of a man and woman during a christening leads to the break up of two marriages and families, and the impact that has on all of them, leading to the kids especially forming a a group (a 'commonwealth' so to speak) that is incredibly loyal to each other against all odds. Enjoyed this a great deal, a lot more than State of Wonder, although not nearly as much as Bel Canto. Fast read, you do get caught up in the lives, events, and relationships presented, but interestingly it's a very meditative read at the same time. This is one talented writer. I originally slotted it for a story within a story (because there is a story within the story about an author publishing a book called "Commonwealth"), but after reading it, personally I think that's a very weak fit.
The Bear and the Nightingale - this was my book based on mythology (Russian) - and it is wonderful! Highly recommend - a young girl is born to a boyar in the northern countryside of medieval Russia. She has unusual skills and abilities and eventually is branded a witch after saving her village in a wonderful David vs. Goliath scene. Really strong female character, one who decides to fulfill her destiny even though it is against the expectations and norms of society. I'm not summarizing this very well but read it! Awesome first novel by the author who will be publishing the sequel in 2018. I think this probably qualifies as a YA - not sure - but I'd certainly give it to any 16 year old and above to read. Book works for several categories: published in 2017, involving a mythical creature (there are lots), first in a series not read before, or takes place over character's life span, in addition to based on mythology.
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life- yes I finally finished this! It is a collection of essays created from a writing workshop given by the author. Nothing earth-shaking or particularly new shared, especially if you have heard writers speak about their process, but the author is very funny, and it really sheds light into her own life as a writer. Used for my book mentioned in another book (in So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading), but would work for others - career advice, red binding, for example. I really enjoyed this, especially when I finally realized the best way to approach it was to read a couple chapters at a time, as if you were attending the author's writing workshop every few days.
That puts me at 22/40 and 4/12. Yippee! (dance dance dance!)
I'm really happy to be ahead as I still have some challenging reads coming up, particularly non-challenge reading (I've decided to re-read Proust - or rather re-read some Proust and finally read all of Proust, including those volumes I've not read). That's a project that will take me some time to accomplish but I need to make some headway now. Oh and I'm reading in it in English translation -- what volumes I've read before have been in French. I don't believe my French is up to Proust any longer, LOL.
RIght now my challenge read is Yes, Chef - for book by someone I admire, world class Chef Marcus Samuelsson. I live near his restaurants Red Rooster Harlem and Streetbird NYC, am a regular actually, and have had the opportunity to meet Marcus while dining. From the first sentence, you hear his voice - it is like he's sitting across the table in his restaurant and telling his life story to me. I started it late last night and I'm already 1/3 done.
QOTW - Well Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and The Happy Hollisters were my obsessions as a kid and led to my love of mysteries. However, a book that I absolutely adored that no one has ever read or heard of is The Sherwood Ring - It is the early 20th Century, and a young woman sent to a haunted country house only to meet one ghost after another who has a story from the American Revolution to tell. It was already OOP when I stumbled on a copy in the school library in junior high. I must have checked that book out a dozen times to re-read it, until I went to high school. Never saw it again except at a library used book sale, and I passed it up! Boy did I regret that! At some point about 10 years ago, I decided to google it and lo and behold it was back in print! I immediately bought a copy and re-read it last year for the 2016 challenge. It was just as charming and delightful as I remembered. I passed it on to several friends who all loved it as much as I did. My suggestion: find a copy and enjoy!
Slow week here. I read Right Ho, Jeeves - not for a prompt, just fancied some light relief Wodehouse style.
I'm currently reading Uprooted for my book featuring a mythical creature, it's good so far. And also From the Beast to the Blonde: On Fairy Tales and Their Tellers for a book with pictures.
So I'm still on 22/52
QOTW: I read non stop as a child, some of that voracity is what I'm trying to get back to! I read lots of the popular series at the time, Sweet Valley teens and then Sweet Valley High, some Nancy Drew (not as big a thing here in uk but I got a few from the library) etc etc. As a younger child I loved Enid Blyton - Famous Five and The Adventure Series mostly. I also loved the Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon books. I think I read everything Judy Bloom wrote, and a lot of Paula Danziger too - I had a particular fondness for 'Its an Aardvark eat Turtle World'. When I was 13 or so my mum gave me Wuthering Heights and it's been a much loved favourite ever since, though what I was getting from it at 13 I've no idea!
Oh, just remembered I loved the My Naughty Little sister books as a younger child too. And The Worst Witch.
Re: Possession Theresa wrote: "I remember when reading it that it was somewhat of a slog at times, and after a while I skipped over the interminable flowery poetry, but ultimately found it a compelling read. Then as time went by, I found myself remembering and reveling in more and more aspects of it until it became a favorite. Sometimes a book needs to live with you a while after reading before its wealth is truly revealed. And how disappointing was the movie in comparison! "The movie was dreadful and part of the reason I didn't read this book for so many years, I think. But I thought the book was brilliant, which was interesting since I didn't really care for any of the characters, but I got sucked in somehow.
olá, from rainy Albufeira, Algarve-Portugal.This week I finished 2 books:Servidão Humana for the prompt a book recomended by an author that I love, and Os Memoráveis, a red spine book, and with a story passed on a holiday(25 April).I'm finishing O Grande Gatsby for excentric character.
Hi everybody, Busy couple of weeks so I am actually updating on two weeks' worth of reading. I finished:
A Room of One's Own : I got to the car dealership (to replace a headlight and do a tire rotation) and realized I had no book. So I downloaded this onto my phone using Overdrive and managed to enjoy my three hours of waiting. I had never read Virginia Woolf before and found her unexpectedly readable. I think I'll try one of her novels at some point.
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon: This was awesome! I really liked the story and now I really want to see the movie. If you like adventure and narrative nonfiction, you should check this out.
QOTW: When I was really young, I struggled to learn to read (like they put me in remedial reading class), but once I got it, I was a very avid reader. I read a lot of Nancy Drew, Harry Potter, A Series of Unfortunate Events, the American Girl books, a series called History Mysteries that I think was published by American Girl, the Royal Diaries, and Dear America. I was very into historical fiction when I was younger. I remember loving Ella Enchanted, and PS Longer Letter Later too. The sequel to that, Snail Mail No More, was not as good.
This week I finished Bitter Is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office. I used this for my "book with a red spine."QOTW: I read a ton when I was younger. Nancy Drew. Little House on the Prairie. The Babysitter's Club (Which my 3rd Graders are reading in a graphic novel format!) Sweet Valley. Among the Hidden. Dear America. American Girl books. (Especially Kirsten) Wayside School. The Doll People. The Borrowers. The Littles. Harry Potter. I was big on reading historical fiction when I was younger. Today, I enjoy murder mystery/thriller-type books. The list could go on....
Rebecca wrote: "Hello from Cleveland! I finally kicked my awful spring cold, so it's been nice to do some more reading without feeling terrible the whole time!I listened to The Vegetarian by [aut..."
I lived in South Korea for a decade and I still found hat book super weird - but other Korean books I've read were also similarly weird, so I think it might be a trend in Korean literature.
I had a pretty good reading week, though I had to go off the challenge list for a while. I've been enjoying most of the books I've chosen, but I picked a lot that were dark and/or sad, so had to throw in a few I was sure were going to be upbeat. This week I crossed three things off my list:
The Mermaid's Daughter was my choice for a book with a family member's title in it. I was left not feeling sure how I felt about the book. I enjoyed it in parts, but as a whole I was pretty neutral.
Illuminae was my first book in a series I hadn't read before. I enjoyed the unique formatting and different points of view in this book (though it was at times a struggle to read as an ebook with the formatting) and would definitely consider picking up the rest in the series.
Lastly, I read Salt to the Sea which I really enjoyed as my book about a refugee. I read through this one pretty quickly and it kept my attention.
19/40, 24/52
QOTW: I was a big reader as a kid and remember checking out a lot of the Nancy Drew books from the library. I couldn't name a particular book, but I really liked mysteries and horror and such.
Hi Everyone -Beautiful day in Southwest Michigan. I read one book for the challenge this week.
18. A book you've read before that never fails to make you smile Anne of Green Gables
Mod
I love your profile photo!! What kind of dog is that? Great ears :-)
This week I finished two books, but only one for the challenge - I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella. I have put this is "uses a pseudonym" prompt. I listened to this on audio and really enjoyed listening to it. There is something about a British woman cursing that just makes me laugh.QOTW: I was a very big reader as a child. The main series I remember loving as a child were the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book. I remember just devouring these books. I brought them everywhere!
This week I finished the audio version of The Color Purple. It was fantastic, and my favorite was the middle section. I slotted it as a book that has been banned from the advanced list.I just now finished The Sun Is Also a Star for the group read and also the prompt about a main character who is an immigrant. I really liked it too, and it was nice to speed through something quick. I am into week 3 of reading Independent People and closing in on the end, but didn't quite make it.
QOTW: I read like crazy as a child. One favorite series among many were the Anne of Green Gables books. I'm excited for the new series, Netflix, I believe?
Hi everyone!This week I managed to finish three books, all of which I really enjoyed, bringing me up to 45/52 (40/40 and 5/12):
I read A Head Full of Ghosts as a book recommended by an author you love. It was recommended by Stephen King, and didn't disappoint.
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis was my 2016 bestseller. I tried to start The Girl on the Train for this prompt, but had to DNF about 1/3 of the way in - just couldn't connect with the characters. But Hillbilly Elegy was fascinating and really well written, so I'm glad I switched.
I read Siddhartha for the "character's lifespan" prompt. I was wondering if it might be a stretch for that prompt, but after reading, I think it fits well enough, and I really enjoyed it.
I'm currently trying to work my way through It Can't Happen Here. It's kind of a dense read and I don't think it fits any challenge prompts, but I'd had it on hold at the library and it took 4 months to get it, so I'm reading it!
QOTW: Another voracious child reader here! I did read and enjoy a lot of the usual suspects like Little Women, Little House on the Prairie, Babysitter's Club, Saddle Club....
But as for a book that really sticks out as an ultimate favorite? One I carried everywhere and re-read about a thousand times? Probably A Wrinkle in Time above all, but I should also mention that I fell in love with pretty much everything Madeleine L'Engle wrote, as well as The Hobbit, Wise Child, Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind, and Misty of Chincoteague.
Hi all,A bit late today!
I'm now at 25/40 so far.
I finished my book by a person of color....The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag.
It's great and sad, all at the same time. This boy lived in a gulag in North Korea for 10 years, he made it out.... and here's his story.
But the personal story he tells is so surprising, it really is fairly amazing he around to tell it at all.
I've just started my book becoming a movie in 2017; Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race. And it's good so far. A bit guilty, should've read this earlier...
QOTW: Addicted to series! I loved them. Personally, The Baby Sitters Club, Sweet Valley Twins, and many others. The Sweet Dreams romances -- I've read almost all of them. And... not just mine. I also foraged amongst my sister's items -- Saddle Club, The Gymnasts, Fear Street. My mom must have given us old copies of The Bobbsey Twins (loved them). I also read many ballet series: Maggie Adams, Saddler's Wells series. I was a voracious reader!
Greetings from japan! I just joined this group this past week, and was shocked to realize that 17 books I'd already read this year all fit a category--what luck! I recently finished The Queen of the Tearling to fit the red spine task. It turned out to be a decent beach read, and I liked the twist of princess = death sentence (by inevitable assassination), but I found the world-building too vague for such a complex setup, and didn't like how magic solved the main character's problems.
I also finished the audio of The Hate U Give which I plan to slot in the "author of color" category. Definitely recommended, for adults and teens! I liked how she took a really volatile subject and broke it down, while keeping the nuance. I did think it felt quite long for a YA book, though (some of the teen conversations about the merit of cooked poptarts or the hottest Jonas brother drag on and on, grrr), and I worry that the large amounts of pop-culture will date the book rather quickly.
Currently I'm reading 2 books:
Perdido Street Station for the steampunk category -- it's overwritten as hell and the atmosphere is a level of groutesque that will probably turn some people off, but I'm half way in and it's gotten pretty gripping.
The Secret Garden for the "loved as a child" category. I had gotten the audiobook on sale a while ago and it was the perfect way to re-experience this. I'm laughing while I read because it's basically "baby's first gothic novel" with the lonely empty house, grumpy servants, the wuthering wind on the moors, long-dead mothers, family secrets, and mysterious wailing in the corridors at night. I always had a secret crush on Dicken ;)
QOTW: I was a voracious reader. I once won a "breakfast with Avi" competition at my school by reading the most Avi books, and he signed some for me! (My favorite of his was The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle). Also loved The Chronicles of Narnia, Misty of Chincoteague, Kidnapped, Big Red, and anything by Lloyd Alexander -- especially the Vesper series like The Illyrian Adventure. I also got in trouble for reading things my teachers thought were "too adult" like The Clan of the Cave Bear, Mother Earth Father Sky and Jurassic Park. My mother was amused.
It is getting cold here in Brisbane. A winter chill is in the air and there is nothing like curling up under a blanket in a book with this weather.I finished Automated Alice which was my steampunk category.
I also finished my book of letters - The Spy about Mata Hari. It was a VERY quick read at only 186 pages long. This might also be ok for the story within a story category.
I am hoping to finish my book recommended by a librarian choice which was My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry. Not sure after that. I might have a break from the challenge for a bit as I am ahead of schedule.
QOTW. I read a lot but went through phases with authors - L.M Montgomery, Virginia Andrews, Stephen King, Jean Auel. The interesting thing was I didn't really have (and still don't) have a favourite genre.
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Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher (other topics)In Cold Blood (other topics)
Dragon of the Red Dawn (other topics)
In The Dead of Winter (other topics)
The Ghost Belonged to Me (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Richard Peck (other topics)Fredrik Backman (other topics)
Shel Silverstein (other topics)
May Sarton (other topics)
Roald Dahl (other topics)
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Books I finished:
Katherine by Anya Seyton for my book about an interesting woman. Started out strong, but the second half wasn’t quite as good.
Mulan: Five Versions of a Classic Chinese Legend, with Related Texts for the book based on mythology. Meh. The original poems were interesting, but I could have done without the plays based on them.
Currently reading:
The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart for the book that’s been on my TBR the longest. My dad has been trying to get me to read them for more than 20 years! I finally succumbed :)
Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff. I moved my Washington biography to the 800 page prompt so I could use this one as the book that takes place over a character’s life span. I have about 5 hours left on the audio.
The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny – this is sort of on hold while I listen to the Cleopatra biography (which is due first).
23/40 & 6/12
Question of the week:
What was a favorite book of yours as a child? If you were not really a reader as a child, have you found a book more recently that you think you would have liked?
I read common children's classics like Little House on the Prairie, the Boxcar Children, the secret garden etc, but the one book I really remember reading to the point that it was falling apart was Me and Katie about a girl who is trying to shake off her annoying little sister (who always excels at everything) by taking on horseback riding (her sister was terrified of horses). Of course the little sister decides to tackle her fear and hi jinks ensue :) Not the most literary choice, but I loved it :)