Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

I am soooooo excited! A friend and I went to hear Bryan Stevenson (author of Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption and founder of the EJI and related museums) last Tuesday at Clowes Hall. The Christian Theological School in Indianapolis sponsored it and all tickets were free. The place was packed! I was so glad! But they didn’t have his book on sale and he didn’t do any signings, so that was a bit of a disappointment for me. Although his presentation was from a religious perspective (as I expected…) he was definitive in encouraging the “faith community” to do much more than just sit around and talk about ‘helping’. His suggestion was to start programs helping released prisoners adjust back into society as productive citizens. His stats were appalling. The U.S. is just not right! Overall, our society is ridiculous, IMO, when it comes to incarceration and a lot of other stuff… Don’t get me started on racial bias and discrimination related to arrests, convictions, sentencing, and/or murder by police… UGH!

Then I received an email message Tuesday that Ibram X. Kendi is speaking at the Madam Walker Theater here on campus next Tuesday, October 19. Tickets are free! That will get me to finally finish reading his book, How to Be an Antiracist! And, I got two tickets so my friend and I can both attend! Whoo! Whoo! I don’t know if he’ll be signing books or anything, but I’m taking mine just in case!

I sat last Sunday reading Orson Scott Card’s Children of the Mind and came across the following phrase at the bottom of page 54, “pop goes the weasel.” Not necessarily meaningful, except for the fact that one of my buddy reads for October is James Patterson’s Pop Goes the Weasel! I had to stop and note that. It was just too weird! LOL I even thought this would make a good Question of the Week except that if others are like me, I typically stop and note such coincidences, but then rarely remember them for long…

Since National Hispanic Heritage Month is technically September 15-October 15 in the U.S., that is almost finished… I did read some more in Eva Luna by Isabel Allende. But am not yet finished with it. I admit I do not find it very compelling… I will definitely read at least one more of Allende’s books, but really hope I can discover a Latin American author whose writing I can truly enjoy! I did read The House on Mango Street and really enjoyed it and I own a copy of Caramelo and plan to read it in 2022.

And…October is Domestic Violence Awareness month in the U.S.! I can’t honestly say I “enjoy” reading any books about this, but…at least we can honor the fact that some people make it out of such situations alive and are able to deal with their past horrid experiences enough to have a decent future! But especially to have the utmost compassion and unconditional positive regard for those who remain entrenched in misery… I guess one of my examples of success is The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls I’m so happy for people who conquer their roots and so hopeful for those who have not yet done so…

Last Friday I posted the fact that in the U.S. Monday, October 11, 2021, is Indigenous People’s Day! (Known only as “Columbus Day” in the past…) My phone’s electronic calendar listed it as both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Yes, incorrect punctuation on People’s…). I don’t recall it ever saying anything other than Columbus Day in the past, so perhaps there is some progress toward a more realistic historical perspective? Let us hope! I didn’t feel I could read a whole book this past weekend to honor this day, but I did manage to begin my (partial) reread of There There by Tommy Orange which I will use to fulfill prompt #49 A DNF from your TBR list. I didn’t actually “DNF” it, I simply abandoned it at the time to read other things and never managed to finish it, so although I was halfway through it I am rereading the whole thing. From what I’ve read of Columbus, he had no altruistic motives but rather was escaping many debts owed with no means to pay them. When he didn’t unearth any ‘treasure’ to return to Isabella, he kidnapped natives and sent them back to Spain as collateral. Now, in all fairness, it was a much different time. But…the end result of his actions were not positive for anyone other than himself, and caused much harm to many people…therefore, IMO, he should NOT be venerated! As I heard on NPR yesterday, just because something was acceptable in one place and time, that doesn’t mean it was right!

ADMIN STUFF:
October’s Monthly Group Read is Anxious People by Fredrik Backman and that discussion is here in the Current Monthly Group Read folder! I read this book in April and adored it! I have yet to read anything Backman writes that doesn’t immensely impress me! Anxious to see how others feel about it…

And you can post the book(s) you’ve read to fulfill prompt #13 a locked-room mystery here!

Question of the Week:
Do you read cookbooks cover-to-cover like a regular book?
Simple answer: Yes!!
More complex answer: I didn’t compose this question. it was already on our list of possibilities, but it has always intrigued me. Interestingly I love to cook and do so on the weekends. I cooked all the time when I was a full-time stay-at-home mother with my children. And I always cooked the same way my grandmother did…from scratch. (I’m super-picky about my food! LOL) When my ex-husband was still farming, our house was a ‘go-to place’ for single males and others who wanted to stop by for dinner and/or dessert. (I loved baking and did so quite often.) There were only two of us, but I would cook enough for 4-5 people at dinnertime and usually didn’t have many leftovers! But almost always had 1-2 guests! My mother was appalled at the people coming and going through our house, but I loved it!

When my cookbook collection reached 20 or so, I finally encouraged everyone I knew NOT to gift me a cookbook ever again! LOL I culled that collection down to about 10 and would cook new-to-us recipes once or twice a month when I was home all the time. In the 35 years since then I have only purchased two cookbooks, both of which included a lot of information other than just recipes and I joyfully read them all the way through. And now with the advent of the internet, I can simply Google and discover all kinds of recipes! So, yes, now I only want a cookbook in which I am interested in reading it all the way through! As I’ve mentioned before, I am currently hooked on Marcus Samuelsson’s books. His background and experiences are so very diverse as to make anything he mentions intriguing! And his use of different flavors and textures is amazing, IMO!

Popsugar: 45/50
ATY: 48/52
RHC: 16/24
Reading Women: 13/28
Creeping up on these!

Read a couple of the shorter reads for challenges this week…

FINISHED:
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous/Beatrice Sparks was good. I did find the writing engaging some 50 years later. I admit when I first read this at age 16 it was still thought to be an actual person’s diary. As I began reading this now, I read about the author and her intent for this. She is a very didactic writer whose sole intention is to scare adolescents away from the drug scene. Admittedly, very pertinent in 1971 when it was first released, immediately following the 1960s counterculture revolution. (And still pertinent now as well…) Being a very NON-religious person yet VERY spiritual, I rather resented the fact that she is evidently mainly motivated from a religious perspective, yet I decided that shouldn’t diminish any positive effects her writing may have…
POPSUGAR: #18-Unconditional positive regard and compassion in dealing with addiction and other mental health issues, #19, #21-Addiction, Classical Literature, Coming-of-Age, Contemporary, Fiction, Mental Health, Psychology, Young Adult, NEW #25, #27, #30-California, Oregon, #34-Unjustified charges and incarceration
ATY: #10-Jan and Marcie were definitely villains and criminals, but Alice was also a criminal in using illegal drugs and selling drugs, #18-Unfortunately, your past can determine your present and future, #23-Addiction, Classical Literature, Coming-of-Age, Contemporary, Fiction, Mental Health, Psychology, Young Adult, #28-The Lovers, Death, Justice, Strength, Temperance, #31, #34, #52-In the end, no one knows the real cause of death.

Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ was a short story collection by a Caribbean author to fulfill Reading Women prompt #24. It was very interesting to learn of some of the societal norms, culture, and folklore of Haiti through these stories.
POPSUGAR: #3, #16, #18-Safety and security for children, #19, #27, #29-Haiti and U.S., #30-Haiti, #34-Unfair and unjust prosecution and incarceration based on superstitious beliefs, #36-705 reviews on Goodreads
ATY: #5, #8-Haiti, #19-Decisions in the present definitely affect the future, #23-Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Short Stories, #25-Partially set on Haiti, #27-Death, Temperance, Judgement, The World, #31, #33, #34, NEW #37, #39, #52- In the end it is in the better interests of the parent(s) to accept their children’s non-traditional choices.
Reading Women: NEW #24

CONTINUING:
Finishing this tonight: How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi so I can loan it my friend Friday evening so she can read it before next Tuesday’s presentation by the author.
So close to finishing this last night, but just couldn’t stay awake any longer…Children of the Mind (Ender’s Saga #4) by Orson Scott Card is my last September buddy read and definitely has gone to unexpected-by-me places! Card just amazes me every time.

Top priority for this coming weekend: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab for our September Monthly Group Read. I slept a lot this past weekend, not feeling the best and by the time I had run errands and cooked, didn’t have much time for reading… ☹
I desperately need/want to finish at least one of these, if possible, in October!
City of Silver: A Mystery by Annamaria Alfieri
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

PLANNED:
For my favorite used bookstore’s book club meeting October 24th,
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman I’ve been wanting to read this one in what feels like forever! Kinda saving this for the Dewey Readathon on Saturday, October 23rd!
One group read for October (For two different Goodreads groups!):
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Only one confirmed Buddy Read for October:
Pop Goes the Weasel (Alex Cross #5) by James Patterson
And the others that are waiting patiently... 😉

I'm still working on The Far Pavilions. I'm almost 2/3 of the way done depending on your definition of almost.

Qotw: No. And honestly that sounds weird to me. I mostly just flip through looking for stuff that sounds good, with ingredients that I'm familiar with, and doesn't look to hard to make.

Happy Thursday! It's been a busy busy week at work. Transferring facilities has kicked into high gear, but my new office still isn't set up and so my computer remains at the old building, which means I haven't been able to listen to my audiobooks while I work. Soooooon. I feel like I've watched a lot of tv this week, mostly because I've gotten home from work exhausted after helping move inventory. Season 2 of the Baby-Sitters Club is excellent!

The first (abbreviated) weekend of my show went well, and we got a good review in a local Cleveland-based magazine. Huzzah! Back at it tonight, and glad too because I missed my friends :)

With this week's busyness in mind, I've only finished one book this week:
Circe - 4.5 stars, and very glad I decided to attempt a reread after DNFing it a year or so ago. This took me all of September and into October, and I don't regret it one bit. If the rumors are true and Miller is working on a Hades/Persephone retelling next, I need it like air!

PS 46/50

Currently:
The Historian - This is pretty good as long as I have stretches of unbothered time where I can pay attention to it, although I wonder about the allusions to Dracula as well as the actual naming of the novel in-text. Seems odd.

Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome - My first Robert Harris book, and definitely not my last. Enjoying this very much. Tiro tells a great story and Cicero is magnetic. Plus, unexpected humorous bits so it's not a dry read at all.

The Fall of the House of Cabal - Howard's signature wit and snark are back once again, but this opening section (according to my Kindle) is an hour and a half long?? I'm not bored, I'm just perplexed lol

Certain Dark Things - I just started this last night and I'm excited to delve deeper, it's got my attention after a few pages...

QOTW: Do you read cookbooks cover-to-cover like a regular book?
Sometimes. It depends on the recipes. And most of my cookbooks are themed, so I have a Little House on the Prairie cookbook, a HP cookbook, a Hobbit cookbook... along with a few "normal" ones.

I finished the challenge this week! And I did it without any overlap with ATY, which might be a first. I think I will go back to overlapping my challenges next year though, will give me a bit more free reading time.

Finished:
The Forevers by Chris Whitaker for prettiest cover. This was beautiful and sad, kind of an On the Beach x Deep Impact scenario, where they're all waiting for the world to end, but also kind of expected to get on with life.

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green for a book my best friend would like. This reminded me a bit of the podcasts on random subjects my partner listens to, so I recommended he listen to the podcast that inspired the book, and voila I ticked off my last prompt! Though this prompt made me feel this weird social pressure to have a "best friend", I'm usually OK in my little household bubble, but this made me feel like I suck at friendships.

Currently reading Far from the Light of Heaven and listening to The Test.

PS: 50/50 | ATY: 44/52 | GR: 102/100

QOTW:
No, I just read the recipes that I intend to make. Sometimes I read the extra waffly bits while I'm making the recipe if I have to stand round waiting for things, but honestly I prefer cookbooks that get to the point.

I am off work today to go yard saling with my mom. It is a big event here, so it will be an all day thing.

I finished:

Lonestar Sanctuary: This was a book that I inherited from my grandmother that thought I might enjoy. It wasn't bad. It just had way too many things going on. There were so many dimensions and side-plots that it felt pretty ridiculous.

Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law: The good chapters of this book were really good, and the no-so-good chapters of this were just pretty dry. Still a good book for me.

Follow Me: This was decent. There were a ton of suspects, which I always enjoy, but the character development could have been better executed.

Friends Like These: I figured this one out very early. This seemed like a lot of other books that I have read. There was nothing special about it.

Currently reading:

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life: Very little progress here.

Last Girl Ghosted: I'm about an hour into this audiobook and it hasn't grabbed me yet and it is quite long. I may not stick it out.

We Are All the Same in the Dark: This book grabbed me right away, even though it is very weird, but then I put it down for a while to finish another book, and when I came back to it, I feel like it lost a little bit of its magic for me.

Cul-de-sac: I'm a sucker for a slow build with multiple suspects and this one isn't disappointing so far.

QOTW:

No. I tend to be a fairly picky eater, so while I love cookbooks, I skim for something that looks delicious, rather than read everything.

Lynn wrote: "I am soooooo excited! A friend and I went to hear Bryan Stevenson (author of Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption and founder of the EJI and related museums) last Tuesday a...

... Then I received an email message Tuesday that Ibram X. Kendi is speaking at the Madam Walker Theater here on campus next Tuesday, October 19. Tickets are free! "


Wow!! You're getting some fantastic speakers! how awesome that tickets are free!!!




Go Ask Alice by Anonymous/Beatrice Sparks was good. I did find the writing engaging some 50 years later. I admit when I first read this at age 16 it was still thought to be an actual person’s diary. As I began reading this now, I read about the author and her intent for this. She is a very didactic writer whose sole intention is to scare adolescents away from the drug scene. Admittedly, very pertinent in 1971 when it was first released, immediately following the 1960s counterculture revolution.


I read this as a kid, a few years after it was published. Somehow I understood that it was fiction. And it did NOT scare me away from drugs - she totally failed there!! I guess I missed any religious angle in the story, I don't remember that, but as a kid I missed a lot that I notice now.




Question of the Week:
Do you read cookbooks cover-to-cover like a regular book?
Simple answer: Yes!!
More complex answer: I didn’t compose this question. it was already on our list of possibilities, but it has always intrigued me.


LOL this was my question! I put it on the list when I first became admin, but somehow I've never chosen it for a QotW.


Because I DO read some cookbooks cover-to-cover, and I was curious if anyone else did, and I'm so glad to find at least one kindred spirit :-)


I mean, I don't read EVERY cookbook cover-to-cover, but some, I do. It depends on the book. The very BEST cookbook for this was Tomato Blessings and Radish Teachings by Edward Espe Brown. I think of Brown every time I get my knife-sharpener out. I'm probably not as good as he is at sharpening it, though.


A few years ago I finally caught a clue and started borrowing cookbooks from the library. What game-changer!!! This allows us to try all sorts of new recipes (and my kids are the kind who like different meals - if I made something a month ago and then make it again, there's the whining: you make this "all the time"). When I got my bread machine, I started borrowing every bread machine cookbook I could find in my library system. I reviewed each one diligently on GR. I fell in love with two of the books and bought them. (Reader, I bought the book!) Every week or so, I am still trying a new bread recipe from my 2 books, and it's been over a year now. That's a lot of different kinds of bread!!!

Happy Thursday!!

I read every day and I feel like I'm making very little progress.  This week I finished 1 book, not for this Challenge, so I remain 43/50.  I'm not worried about finishing the Challenge in time, I'm sure I will (even if I'm reading my last book at the eleventh hour), but I'm frustrated at my general reading pace.  I'm used to finishing several books every week!  What has happened to me??  

I need to chill.  I have several books that are "almost" done - next week maybe I'll have lots of finishes!

Anyway, on to my book:
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead- this is getting mixed reviews, and I don't understand why, because I LOVED it!!  I mean, I'm usually all "give me the plot" and this was a meandering book with A LOT of character but not a lot of plot, but I still loved it. Whitehead created such fantastic characters.  I miss spending every evening with Ray Carney now that I'm done and it's returned to the library (one day late - oops).

I am ALMOST done with the audiobook of Nine Perfect Strangers, and I'm also reading A Slow Fire Burning at night, and they are ... really similar books:  lots of women, mystery, some unlikeable characters ... so I'm getting them confused.  I usually try to make sure the books I read simultaneously are different enough that I can easily keep them straight, but this time my library holds worked against me.  There have been so many similarities that actually have me wondering if Hawkins indulged in a little -- well, I don't want to make accusations, but it's raising my eyebrows. I wouldn't be surprised to find Hawkins was "inspired by" Moriarty's book. It's especially ironic since one of the characters in Hawkins book is an author who's been accused of plagiarism.



QotW

see my answer up above!

Happy Thursday, y’all.

I live in an uber-conservative area, so I got to spend this week listening to people complain about how Indigenous Peoples Day is "ruining" Columbus Day and what a great guy Columbus was and cancel culture and all the rest. Bleh. I hate that we've been taught from one flawed historical perspective for so long that it's made our society resistant to any kind of change for the better.

Books read this week:

The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick's Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption -- I only paid slight attention to the Michael Vick case when it happened, but reading this book both infuriated me and warmed my heart. It’s heartbreaking at times, but it’s also sweet and heartwarming, and does a lot to improve the reputation of pit bulls.

The Odd 1s Out: The First Sequel -- I enjoyed the first book enough that I decided to check out the sequel, and it’s just as funny as the first. I should check out his YouTube channel, hehe…

Iron Widow -- HOLY HECK. I never knew “feminist giant mecha sci-fi” was a thing I needed until now! This book is fantastic, and if anyone out there loves sci-fi and needs to still fill the “book by an Internet personality” prompt, this is a great read!

Just Try Not To Die -- the story of an everyday Joe who become a vampire hunter. The writing isn’t the greatest and the author is obviously trying really hard to channel Terry Pratchett, but this was still an entertaining read.

The Legend of Auntie Po -- the plot feels a bit unfocused, but this is still a great story about a Chinese family working in a logging camp in the 19th century. It touches on the rampant anti-Chinese sentiments at the time, as well as how stories can help us through tough times.

DNF:

Hollow Kingdom -- I don’t have anything against profanity or crude humor, but when it shows up practically every other sentence (the main character’s name is literally S*** Turd, for crying out loud), I get tired of it. Also said main character, a crow, was not a convincing animal protagonist, at least in my opinion. I know crows are smart, but come on...

Currently Reading:

All Creatures Great and Small
The Postmortal
The Monsters of Rookhaven
The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights

QOTW:

I normally don't, but this year I actually read a cookbook for the "book in a format you don't normally read" prompt -- Heroes' Feast: The Official D&D Cookbook. It helps that it had exquisite art and some fun story and DnD-cultural bits mixed in with the recipes.

Well, I took a souvenir home from that 2-day congress: a cold! So hello remote working, liters of ginger tea, mountains of tissues and hello sleep. I’m better now and we’re off to Switzerland this weekend to enjoy some fall weather in the mountains. I have 2 weeks off from work and this is my first trip since over a year. Really looking forward to be away from home a.k.a. the office *smile*.

35/40
Finished
Nothing

Currently reading
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
I really enjoy it. Whatever you think of Obama as a president: he definitely is a good writer.

QOTW
Nope. I check all the pictures and recipe names. I only read articles I’m interested in. And recipes I want to make.

I reported the spam comment.

Katy wrote: "I'm still working on The Far Pavilions. I'm almost 2/3 of the way done depending on your definition of almost."
You made me laugh! 😊

"Qotw: No. And honestly that sounds weird to me. I mostly just flip through looking for stuff that sounds good, with ingredients that I'm familiar with, and doesn't look to hard to make."
Again, you made me laugh...'cause yeah...I am 'weird'! LOL 😉

Shannon wrote: "I reported the spam comment."



it's starting to seem like spammers are excited about our Thursday check-ins too ;-)

Hi all,

Been doing lots of home improvement this week! Had plumbers here all day yesterday to fix a shoddy water main that our terrible addition plumbers put in. Sigh. Also got some trees taken down and stumps ground, and a huge maple thinned out so it's less likely to be a storm problem. Have carpet people coming out soon too!

This week I finished:

Crazy Stupid Bromance - this was kinda meh for me. It felt like it was trying SO HARD to prove it was better than other romances, while still having annoying tropes and bad communication. Arguing about how toxic the friend zone is doesn't make it any less problematic when the main dude has been lusting after his supposed best friend the entire friendship. Even if it's been mutual, still kind of dilutes the "i swear, men and women can be best friends without it being sexual!" message. Also the main dude is a computer programmer and his hobbies are listed as building lego and watching geek tv. Nothing wrong with that, I'm a graphic designer and a geek. But he's constantly described as being super muscular while never once having him do any amount of exercise. I mean I run, or go on long walks, do barre, do strength training and I wouldn't describe myself as "muscular". Muscles take a lot of work to build and maintain, and generally a special diet to get the "ripped" sort of look. Also this isn't really the book's fault, but the lead shares a name with my boss, so reading sex scenes were kind of cringey in my head. Anyhow this was my dream job book, the woman owned a cat cafe. Although I felt like it wasn't really a cat cafe, it was a coffee shop that had a single shop cat and occasionally held cat adoptions. To me, a cat cafe is a place where there are many cats and the purpose is to go to hang out with them. Most the us ones they serve as a place to meet cats for adoption, cats are provided by a local shelter.

anyhow, this means I finished the challenge, woo!

Weird Al: The Book - had randomly requested this from the library, and they bought it recently. I kept skipping my place to try to finish the challenge before reading random stuff. I liked it, I've always been a fan and it was fun to read some more about his life.

Alta - re read just for fun

currently reading:

Sanctuary - another re-read

The Lightning Thief - audio re-read

Freshwater - i know this is short, but i'm stalled on it. I heard such good things about it, feeling kind of bad that i'm just not liking it. I think it's just...not in a format I can sink into. The first person talking from the gods in the main character's head is kind of confusing, and it seems like it kind of jumps around in time in a way that isnt' always clear. I'll try to finish it, but i've been in more of a re-read mood right now.

QOTW:

Not really. I read Maangchi's Real Korean Cooking: Authentic Dishes for the Home Cook all the way through for a reading challenge, but that's basically the only one. I might read the story involved with the recipe i'm currently working on, but for the most part I'm not that much of a foodie. i like going out to eat at places with fun food, and I like baking. But food isn't a topic I particularly am passionate about, especially as a reading topic. Most the time i don't even mess with cook books, i just find recipes online that look good. I have a handful just because I like the bakers who wrote them and want to support them more than to actually use them. (such as Kim Joy from bake off and Claire Saffitz, formerly of Bon Appetite) but i still haven't actually read them.

Sheri wrote: "Freshwater - i know this is short, but i'm stalled on it. I heard such good things about it, feeling kind of bad that i'm just not liking it. I think it's just...not in a format I can sink into. The first person talking from the gods in the main character's head is kind of confusing, and it seems like it kind of jumps around in time in a way that isnt' always clear. I'll try to finish it, but i've been in more of a re-read mood right now...."


I gave that book five stars, but it IS a very odd book, and I can completely understand why you're struggling. There's not a ton of plot, and it doesn't really make sense, so if you're not feeling it, you're not feeling it. I read it with the idea that it's SFF, but the author's note indicates that it's written as realistic fiction, which ... I didn't know what to make of that, and I was glad I didn't discover that until I was done.

Happy Thursday! I am so excited to finally go on my first vacation (and out of state!) since 2018! COVID-19 halted some vacations I had planned because usually I travel out of state (if not out of the country) at least once a year.

I booked a trip to Disneyland for my boyfriend's birthday this year. I haven't been in 20 years! He has been more recently (probably 10 years ago). We found a screaming deal on Costco Travel - I am so excited to finally take a vacation.

Finished:
Nothing

Currently Reading:

The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim. I struggled to find "a book related to 'the end'" for ATY I probably started 2 or 3 books and finally landed on this one. Mostly because it was readily available from the library on audiobook. I am also using this for "Book with the prettiest cover" because I love the color scheme. I don't love the narration but the story is good so it is holding my attention.

Anxious People - still reading this one for the monthly book selection. I haven't been reading as much lately as I would like to but hopefully will get some good reading done this weekend.

QOTW:

I usually just look at pictures in cookbooks. I am becoming a better cook in the last few years than I ever have been before. I didn't even know how to cook chicken until I was in my mid-twenties. I don't usually use cookbooks per se, I like food blogs when I am in the mood for something.

Hi all! Been a beautiful week here in NY with sun and above average temps! Leaves are trying to change to fall colors, but they must be confused with this weather. I took today off for a scheduled mental health day, so I slept in and plan to spend the afternoon reading. Though I woke up with a sore throat, so that makes me a little nervous.

Last night I finished The Night Watchman for a book by an Indigenous author. I really liked the book, but I don't think it'll stay with me.

Most of my reading time went to finishing that up this week, so I need to get back to The Hunger and Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness before they come due at the library. I also started The Diary of a Young Girl for a book everyone has read but you and The Lost Apothecary for a book your best friend would like.

QOTW: Nope. I believe there are cookbooks that have histories and family stories in them along with the recipes, but all of mine are just straight up recipes.

Speaking of cookbooks, there is a growing sub-genre of foodie graphic novels! I really enjoyed Let's Make Ramen!: A Comic Book Cookbook, it was very interesting, and I learned a few things, although we didn't try most of the recipes since they were meat-based.

Nadine, I think that's part of what's throwing me. I read that the author considers themselves to be very similar to how the character in the book is presented? So it's hard to really treat it as just standard fiction/sff. Might also be a "come back in a different frame of mind" book.

Lynn wrote: "I am soooooo excited! A friend and I went to hear Bryan Stevenson (author of Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption and founder of the EJI and related museums) last Tuesday a..."

So exciting! I'm a huge Bryan Stevenson fan and highly recommend checking out the memorial and museum in Montgomery. :)

We are one week into October, and I'm starting to get anxious about not finishing all the challenges. I am starting to focus more on books especially for a certain prompt, and a lot of them aren't part of my TBR list. Oh well.

QOTW: No, I never read cookbooks. I flip through them for good recipes, but other than that, no.

PS: 31/50
RH: 7/24
RW: 1/28
GR: 390/365
HP: 62/62
ATY: 17/52

Currently Reading:

Out of Character
The Witch Elm
The Maidens
High Five to the Hero
The Library of the Dead
The Samurai’s Garden
History Smashers: The American Revolution
The Message in the Hallow Oak
Mystery of the Ivory Charm
The Scarlet Slipper Mystery
Cool for the Summer
All the Young Dudes

Finished:

One of Us is Lying
The Last Garden in England
HEX
Get Well Soon

Kenya wrote: "Happy Thursday, y’all.

I live in an uber-conservative area, so I got to spend this week listening to people complain about how Indigenous Peoples Day is "ruining" Columbus Day and what a great guy..."

Yikes - that's awful! Hope you can keep your distance from those people and they get better soon... :/

Hello! It finally has started to turn cold. We had a wet and windy day yesterday, which has accelerated the leaves falling. There's talk of a frost on Saturday morning, which I hope isn't true, because my pepper plants are still producing. But on Sunday, when it was still gorgeous out, husband and I went downtown to find a taco place we remembered from Texas (yay Fuzzy's!), and walked along the Mississippi after. It was a lot of walking (we had to walk to Fuzzy's too), but looking at today's gloom, I'm glad we did.

Finished This Week:
Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by B.J. Fogg. I don't remember how I learned about this book - I suspect a work mailing list - but I finally got to the top of the waiting list at the library and got the chance to read it. The basic premise is that to start a new behavior, you don't change your motivation, because motivation is finicky. You change your ability to do it, by making it very, very easy to do. Instead of saying you're going to exercise every day for 30 minutes, you do two pushups each time you use the bathroom. And then you celebrate that you did it. After a bit, you can increase what you do, but you won't feel like a failure because hey, only two pushups. Not for PS prompt.

The Lion's Circle by Amelia Ellis. This was my pick for a Crime Novel in translation for Reading Women, and it also worked for PS #15 Black and White Cover. Written in German, but set in London. It's the first in a series, and I'm still amazed my library has them all. The mystery was actually decent - main character is a private investigator hired by a rich guy to look into an old manor house he inherited from a friend that the prospective buyers have said is haunted. It goes from there into places I didn't expect, with one cult ritual I really shouldn't have read just before bedtime.

PS: 44/50 RH: 18/24 RW: 21/28 ATY: 49/52 GR: 148/150

Currently Reading:
The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich. Reading for Indigenous Peoples Day and Read Harder's set in the Midwest. About a third of the way through.

Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi. Another novella for the Hugos, but I'm having difficulty getting into it.

QOTW: Do you read cookbooks cover-to-cover like a regular book?
Normally no, but I read Cook Korean!: A Comic Book with Recipes last year (around this time, even) for Read Harder's prompt. Reading Women has a prompt about a cookbook this year, but I think the book I have picked out is more a food book than something with recipes on every page.

I do have a cookbook that I should read cover to cover, though. Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-free Living: 1 is half guide, half recipes, and I think reading the guide half would be beneficial. I have made some of the recipes, and they oddly worked. People loved the mac & "cheese" but the "alfredo" sauce was very bland.

Ashley Marie wrote: "Happy Thursday! It's been a busy busy week at work. Transferring facilities has kicked into high gear, but my new office still isn't set up and so my computer remains at the old building, which means I haven't been able to listen to my audiobooks while I work. Soooooon. I feel like I've watched a lot of tv this week, mostly because I've gotten home from work exhausted after helping move inventory. Season 2 of the Baby-Sitters Club is excellent!"
Your employer OBVIOUSLY doesn't have their priorities straight! You should have the equipment to listen to audiobooks!

"The first (abbreviated) weekend of my show went well, and we got a good review in a local Cleveland-based magazine. Huzzah! Back at it tonight, and glad too because I missed my friends :)"
That's marvelous! What is the show?

"With this week's busyness in mind, I've only finished one book this week:
Circe - 4.5 stars, and very glad I decided to attempt a reread after DNFing it a year or so ago. This took me all of September and into October, and I don't regret it one bit. If the rumors are true and Miller is working on a Hades/Persephone retelling next, I need it like air!"
Yeah, I'm not big into mythology at all, but her writing just drags me right in and doesn't let me go! 😀

"Currently:
The Historian - This is pretty good as long as I have stretches of unbothered time where I can pay attention to it, although I wonder about the allusions to Dracula as well as the actual naming of the novel in-text. Seems odd."
I have a copy of this but am hesitant about reading it... Not sure I would enjoy it at all...

"Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome - My first Robert Harris book, and definitely not my last. Enjoying this very much. Tiro tells a great story and Cicero is magnetic. Plus, unexpected humorous bits so it's not a dry read at all."
I had a couple of his on my TBR listing, but not this one! It's there now, however!

"QOTW: Do you read cookbooks cover-to-cover like a regular book?
Sometimes. It depends on the recipes. And most of my cookbooks are themed, so I have a Little House on the Prairie cookbook, a HP cookbook, a Hobbit cookbook... along with a few "normal" ones."
I've been tempted by themed cookbooks such as those, but haven't yet purchased one... They sound fun!

Lynn wrote: "I didn’t actually “DNF” it, I simply abandoned it at the time to read other things and never managed to finish it, so although I was halfway through it I am rereading the whole thing. ..."

I love how you qualify this. Usually when I DNF a book, it is not necessarily because I have decided not to finish it, but because I get distracted by something else.

Started: Think about It! Philosophy for Kids: Big Ideas, Simply Explained Oct. 8. At first, I thought it was somewhat inadequate because it is so heavily entrenched in the analytic philosophy tradition. But now, I think they're doing a pretty good job. Not sure any kid would want to sit down and read it, though. Maybe a 12-year-old.

Qotw: My husband does and I think it's weird. I think it's even weird to own a cookbook. I get most of my recipes from the net.

Greetings all! Now that we seem past the humidty and heat of summer here in NYC --- which lasted until the beginning of October mind you --- I feel energy returning, and even restlessness to be more active. And so exciting - I've been out to dinner inside restaurants I have not been to since before pandemic! Friends where in town for business...dinner happened. It was divine. Still not quite up to going to the theater or such yet -- too many people.

I made some progress on PS - I only have 5 books left to read, including the longest in pages but I already started that one. I'll easily finish by year end.

Finished:

Normal People by Sally Rooney - my dark academia read. While a strangely compelling read that I managed in one sitting, I ended up not liking it that much. I do however recommend it to book clubs because I've had great discussions about it in virtual groups. Isn't it interesting how some books that you may not particularly like or recommend are actually really good discussion books?

We Should All Be Feminists - essay on Adichie's TEDs talk in 2012.
Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions - essay of a letter written to a friend with a new daughter. My problem is that when Adichie decided to adapt this for publication, she should have made it for all children not just girls -- it all applies. Very little needed to be changed to adapt it.
Notes on Grief - one of the best essays on grief, mourning, and memory I've ever read, with the added overlay of exactly how pandemic restrictions affected saying farewell to a loved one. Specifically reflecting Adichie's grief on her father's death from complications related to kidney failure, it is deeply moving and relatable.

Dubious Documents: A Puzzle by Nick Bantock - my shortest book on my TBR - all of 16 pages. I adore Nick Bantock's work! This is gorgeous artwork, and a fun puzzle that occupied a couple hours over 2 days. I think it would be a lot of fun to do with another person or two. Here's a picture of what it all looks like:



Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - continuing my HP re-read - I really was surprised how much I'd forgotten or maybe just how much the movie adaptation has affected my memory of the books.

Seneca Falls Inheritance - fabulous historical murder mystery involving an inheritance set against the back drop of Senecal Falls in 1848, just after the law passed allowing married women to retain property ownership and the first Women's Rights Convention. This has lurked unread on my bookshelves since the 1990s -- and no not the oldest on my TBR - I had one a couple years older I read months ago.

I also had a DNF yesterday -- The Maple Murders which I had borrowed to read for a challenge in another group. UGH. Too arch and clever and trying too hard -- very irritating and way too teenage angst for me. 30 pages in I tossed aside and found something else for that challenge to get from NYPL. This is notable because I rarely, oh so rarely, DNF a book.

Currently reading:

Neanderthal Seeks Human
Harry Potter and the Goblet of FireHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Becoming George Sand

QOTW: No I generally do not, though a close friend does. There have been exceptions -- cookbooks that also have a great deal of text:

Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia - as much travel essay as cookbook
Fool's Gold Cookbook - a novella is included among the recipes.
New American Table - Marcus Samuelsson includes many stories and essays about the recipes and cuisines and his concept with the recipes.

Hi everyone. It is so cold here recently it feels more like winter than autumn. The trees are still green though. I started the BSC season 2 too. It makes me feel thirteen again lol

I seem to be in a rut of picking books about horrid people recently. After Kill Your Friends last week I swung around to the extreme opposite with Howards End. Less murder but still just awful people. I'm glad it was a quick read.

Currently reading: White Teeth. Not sure if it is my cup of tea yet. It is a big book to commit to if I'm not into it.

QOTW: Confession time - I don't cook. The only cookbooks I own are a Ladybird First Cookery book from when I was about five and a chocolate dessert book from when I did Food Tech GCSE twenty years ago.

Happy Thursday! Tomorrow is our last day of quarantine, and I'm happy to say that we're all doing much better! What a ride! I totally believe the vaccine kept our symptoms low and saved both my elderly grandparents' lives when they caught it last week. Please get vaccinated if you can!

Your comments remind me of how I read The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness this year, and, yes, it totally opened my eyes to the HUGE problem in our country's jail systems. It is not right, not right at all! I'm a huge proponent of rehabilitation vs incarceration. These people need help, not prison (especially since most of them are only in there for drug-related, non-violent crimes)! If you haven't read this book, I recommend it to you too.

I'm also happy to see Columbus Day replaced with Indigenous People's Day. They are the true Americans and deserve so much recognition and support, especially after all we've done to them. I won't celebrate a holiday based on invasion and slavery, but one that celebrates a people and their culture, I can accept, even if it's not my own culture or people. Again, I read The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present this year, and it was SO GOOD at helping me reframe my meager understanding of our nation's history to one that's more unbiased and whole. Hugely recommend that book too.

Finished 41/50

Dawnshard for "book in a different format than what you normally read". Loved the story, but I'm glad to be done with this prompt. Paper or nothing! Rawr!

Currently Reading

The Eucharist: Sacrament of the Kingdom for "book with less than 1,000 reviews on GR". This was lent to me like two years ago. YIKES!!! Finally getting to it now. It's good but very dense!

QotW

Uh....sort of? My husband and I have a plethora of cookbooks that people just give to us. So, since I'm the pickier eater, I sit down and leaf through each one marking the recipes I think I'd like. Then every week we choose a book at random and try a new recipe in it. So...I mean I'm not really READING the cookbooks, but maybe that counts? Lol.

Sheri wrote: "Hi all,

Been doing lots of home improvement this week! Had plumbers here all day yesterday to fix a shoddy water main that our terrible addition plumbers put in. Sigh. Also got some trees taken d..."

The Weird Al biography is one of the best I've read. He and the author make it a ton of fun but still informative. :)

Ellie wrote: "I finished the challenge this week! And I did it without any overlap with ATY, which might be a first. I think I will go back to overlapping my challenges next year though, will give me a bit more free reading time."
I am so impressed! YAY!!

"Finished:
The Forevers by Chris Whitaker for prettiest cover. This was beautiful and sad, kind of an On the Beach x Deep Impact scenario, where they're all waiting for the world to end, but also kind of expected to get on with life."
This is on my TBR listing and looks intense!

"The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green for a book my best friend would like. This reminded me a bit of the podcasts on random subjects my partner listens to, so I recommended he listen to the podcast that inspired the book, and voila I ticked off my last prompt!"
YAY!

"Though this prompt made me feel this weird social pressure to have a "best friend", I'm usually OK in my little household bubble, but this made me feel like I suck at friendships."
I felt rather the same way, since my "former" BFF of 30 years and I broke up last year. It seems strange not to have an "official" BFF! LOL

"Currently reading Far from the Light of Heaven"
this reminds me a bit of Project Hail Mary, at least the initial plot.

"PS: 50/50 | ATY: 44/52 | GR: 102/100"
Definitely lookin' good!

"QOTW:
No, I just read the recipes that I intend to make. Sometimes I read the extra waffly bits while I'm making the recipe if I have to stand round waiting for things, but honestly I prefer cookbooks that get to the point."
I love your term "waffly bits"! LOL 😀

Happy Thursday! This week I finished:

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois Yes it's very long, and yes, it's worth it. I listened to the audio since I'm hesitant to read super long books in print. It was excellent 5 stars

Made in China: A Memoir of Love and Labor Good memoir from a unique perspective (that we get to read about, at least). 4 stars

Adrift: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea I read this because I'm co-writing a story with my dad based on one of his sailing adventures 40 years ago. The writing was not great... way too many sailing terms that go over most readers' heads. It's an interesting story, but the movie version was better. 3 stars

The Animators This was for the Tournament of Favorites we have going on in a Tournament of Books group. I enjoyed it, but it likely won't stay with me too long. 4 stars

Intimacies I really liked this. Another unique perspective and it explored some interesting themes. 5 stars

I'm currently reading The Woman Warrior and Ponciá Vicêncio in print, and listening to Under the Whispering Door.

QOTW: I don't own cookbooks since I don't enjoy cooking or using recipes, but I'm jealous of y'all who do. I want to like cooking, but it's so much work... Oh well.

Hey all. I don't even want to think about work. I'm finally home for the rest of the day but OY my feet hurt. Soon, some food and catching up on the Masked Singer and Alter Ego.


Finished:
My Remarkable Journey: A Memoir by Katherine G. Johnson - After reading The Apollo Murders last week, of course I was in the mood to pick this up next! BTW, no, she did not run to another building to use the restroom, but she knew people who did. She just used the closest one to her and nobody ever said anything about it.

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder - I enjoyed it although it wasn't quite was I was expecting. They set up the premise of this mysterious, (literally) underground detective agency in London, where you ask for help by leaving letters in secret places... but then they never do any of that in the book. All of the intrigue is in-house, among the agency. This was entertaining, but I thought it was weird to set up that premise and then not do it. Maybe in the next book.


Currently Reading:
The Plot - Started at bedtime last night, not very far along.

And Then You're Dead: What Really Happens If You Get Swallowed by a Whale, Are Shot from a Cannon, or Go Barreling Over Niagara


QOTW:
Sometimes. I haven't read a cookbook in ages though, since the housemates make me not want to go upstairs to use the kitchen. Shame, I used to love cooking. I don't normally read one if it's just recipes, but more for things like How to Cook Without a Book: Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by Heart and Think Like a Chef.

This is a two or three week check-in:

Women’s Prize for Fiction
The Song of Achilles by Madline Miller. I really enjoyed it and wouldn't have picked it up if not for the challenge. I know it's recommended everywhere but it just didn't strike me as something I'd like to read. Also, Patroclus deserved better.

same astrology sign
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo. YA fantasy. About a quarter in, I was thinking I was over this series but by the end I was kind of invested again and will read the next one.

anonymous author

Emma by Jane Austen. This is a re-read and it's probably my least favorite of Austen's works because Emma is kind of a d*ck.

no prompts

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney. Thriller. I really enjoyed it up until the twists which made me roll my eyes. I feel like every thriller writer feels the need to add in a twist but some of them are ridiculous. I feel like this was a ridiculous one.

Sheri wrote: "Nadine, I think that's part of what's throwing me. I read that the author considers themselves to be very similar to how the character in the book is presented? So it's hard to really treat it as j..."


Yeah, I don't seem to have the ability to get my arms around an obviously fantastical story that is meant to be reality.

And your reply reminded me that I mis-gendered the author. Fixed it!

Jennifer W wrote: "Hi all! Been a beautiful week here in NY with sun and above average temps! Leaves are trying to change to fall colors, but they must be confused with this weather. I took today off for a scheduled ..."



I have woken up with a sore throat so many times in the past year, and each time is a bit of panic, and each time it's gone by afternoon.

Melissa wrote: "... Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by B.J. Fogg. I don't remember how I learned about this book - I suspect a work mailing list - but I finally got to the top of the waiting list at the library and got the chance to read it. The basic premise is that to start a new behavior, you don't change your motivation, because motivation is finicky. You change your ability to do it, by making it very, very easy to do. Instead of saying you're going to exercise every day for 30 minutes, you do two pushups each time you use the bathroom. And then you celebrate that you did it. After a bit, you can increase what you do, but you won't feel like a failure because hey, only two pushups. ..."



I do that! But then after a week or two, I get ambitious, and I add another move. Then a few more. After a few more weeks, the entire thing is a big hassle and I just stop doing it.

Did the book give advice on how to not be your own worst enemy?

Sarah wrote: "QOTW: Confession time - I don't cook. ..."



Oh! I am SO CURIOUS about people who don't cook!!! What do you eat each day ? Do you just get takeaway every night?

Question of the Week: Growing up, I had this cookbook: Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Cookbook: Favorite Recipes from Mickey and His Friends. I never made any of the recipes in it, but it was very fun to read cover to cover.

Lynn wrote: "Ashley Marie wrote: ""QOTW: Do you read cookbooks cover-to-cover like a regular book?
Sometimes. It depends on the recipes. And most of my cookbooks are themed, so I have a Little House on the Prairie cookbook, a HP cookbook, a Hobbit cookbook... along with a few "normal" ones."


I've been tempted by themed cookbooks such as those, but haven't yet purchased one... They sound fun! ..."



We have a Harry Potter cookbook! The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook: From Cauldron Cakes to Knickerbocker Glory--More Than 150 Magical Recipes for Wizards and Non-Wizards Alike) It's my daughter's. It has a recipe for THE BEST chocolate cake. It's our go-to birthday cake now.

I don't cook...but my husband does. I will bake, although I admit I haven't been much this year. I'm not INCAPABLE of it, I just don't like it. And if I am on my own for food, i'll usually either make something really easy like grilled cheese and tomato soup or just get take out.

Nadine wrote: "I do that! But then after a week or two, I get ambitious, and I add another move. Then a few more. After a few more weeks, the entire thing is a big hassle and I just stop doing it.

Did the book give advice on how to not be your own worst enemy?"

When the tiny thing gets too big, go back to your tiny goal. If you've upped it to twenty pushups and now it's something you dread, go back to doing just the two. And always celebrate when you do it.

I just edited my post earlier and fixed the dimensions of the photo I included about Dubious Documents: A Puzzle - I meant to check before signing out but forgot!

The way the book is set up is a series of highly decorated envelopes with documents inside. There's a list of clues for each envelope and its contents that you use to determine the word represented by each. At the end, there's a list showing how to solve the anagram you have from solving each envelope's puzzle. Art work is gorgeous. Some clues are very easy some take more effort. I'd say it's about equal to a Wed. or Thurs NYTimes crossword puzzle.

Nadine wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Ashley Marie wrote: ""QOTW: Do you read cookbooks cover-to-cover like a regular book?
Sometimes. It depends on the recipes. And most of my cookbooks are themed, so I have a Little Hous..."

I love themed cookbooks -- and I've now added the HP cookbook to my TBR and wishlist!

I have quite a few themed ones: Game of Thrones, Redwall, Fools Gold, The Cat Who...just to name a few. I am kicking myself for not buying a copy of the The Lord Peter Wimsey Cookbook back in 1981 when I purchased it for a friend. It has the BEST Shepherd's Pie recipe...my friend still has it and of course has given me a copy of that recipe. I really need to find a used copy.

I also have a few of those self published fundraising cookbooks by church groups and, my absolute favorite, from a choir a friend ran in Greenwich Village. That has a couple of recipes in it that are go to ones.

I also have a few restaurant ones -- Brennan's from New Orleans, Red Rooster Harlem, as examples. The Brennan's is mostly a souvenir of a wonderful trip and brunch.

Theresa wrote: "Seneca Falls Inheritance - fabulous historical murder mystery involving an inheritance set against the back drop of Senecal Falls in 1848, just after the law passed allowing married women to retain property ownership and the first Women's Rights Convention. This has lurked unread on my bookshelves since the 1990s -- and no not the oldest on my TBR - I had one a couple years older I read months ago.

I also had a DNF yesterday -- The Maple Murders which I had borrowed to read for a challenge in another group. UGH. Too arch and clever and trying too hard -- very irritating and way too teenage angst for me. 30 pages in I tossed aside and found something else for that challenge to get from NYPL. This is notable because I rarely, oh so rarely, DNF a book. ..."



I had to add that Seneca Falls mystery to my TBR (I checked first and YES my library has it!) because the blurb got me: "In the small town of Seneca Falls, New York, history was in the making. And so was murder" LOL!! DUN DUN DUNNNNNN


I wasn't crazy about Magpie Murders, either. I don't understand why it's so popular. I assumed I was just missing something because I'm not a huge Christie fan.

Theresa wrote: "I have quite a few themed ones: Game of Thrones, Redwall, Fools Gold, The Cat Who...just to name a few."

I've always meant to get the Redwall one. How's the deeper n' ever pie?

Ellie wrote: "... Though this prompt made me feel this weird social pressure to have a "best friend", I'm usually OK in my little household bubble, but this made me feel like I suck at friendships. ..."



LOL JOIN THE CLUB!!! I do not have a best friend. I thought I was the only one. I'm not really sure if I have any "friends" at all, I just have people I am friendly with. I re-framed that as a book my daughter would like, and then I used a book we were both reading at the time (Dune).

Brandon wrote: "Question of the Week: Growing up, I had this cookbook: Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Cookbook: Favorite Recipes from Mickey and His Friends. I never made any of the recipes in it, but i..."

I had that book too!

Happy Thursday. This morning I woke up to find it snowing. Not cool mother nature! I know this is more typical October weather, but I still don't have to like it. And it melts right away, so no shoveling.😏Plus I got my Halloween decorations up, so that always puts me in a good mood.

Stats:
Popsugar: 48/50
ATY: 50/52
ATY Rejects: 22/25

Books I finished:

Burning In This Midnight Dream ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - After I slogged through the Keats poetry last week, this was a lovely surprise. Even though the subject matter is pretty dark, the poems just sucked me in.

Wuthering Heights ⭐⭐⭐ - I finally read this!!!🥳 I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. And I still don't understand how this gets listed as a love story. I used it for the ugly cover prompt.

Bitten in Two ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - It's been so long since I read these books that they're almost new again. And while I still love them, I do struggle a bit to get into them. Once I do, I finish them pretty fast, but the sereis reread is taking me a bit longer than I thought it would.

Books I made progress on:

The Charm Offensive

A Cup of Silver Linings

Cerulean Blue

QOTW

Sometimes. It depends on if there is anything other than the recipes to read. More often I just skim and read the recipes that look good. And while I like reading recipes, I still end up falling back on just a few old recipes.

Mary wrote: "I am off work today to go yard saling with my mom. It is a big event here, so it will be an all day thing."
I've not done that much since my children are out and gone. I just don't need more "stuff" in my house...well, except for books, of course!! LOL

"I finished:
Lonestar Sanctuary: This was a book that I inherited from my grandmother that thought I might enjoy. It wasn't bad. It just had way too many things going on. There were so many dimensions and side-plots that it felt pretty ridiculous."
That must be weird to inherit a bunch of books."
I hauled about 50 out of my mother's house but there were only 5 that I kept. I think it would be kinda fun to see what books were important to someone else!

"Currently reading:
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life: Very little progress here."
I always smile and chuckle when I see that title!

"We Are All the Same in the Dark: This book grabbed me right away, even though it is very weird, but then I put it down for a while to finish another book, and when I came back to it, I feel like it lost a little bit of its magic for me."
Ooohhh...this looks good! Added it to my TBR listing!

"QOTW:
No. I tend to be a fairly picky eater, so while I love cookbooks, I skim for something that looks delicious, rather than read everything."
😊

Today's been a busy day at work. Also, Goodreads KEEPS REVERTING ME to the Beta pages and I'm very annoyed.

Also, there are usually three of us in my position at work, but the other two got promoted (very well-deserved), so it's just been me. And it's quite literally the busiest our office has ever been. So we hired one new person, who then shared that she's having a baby at the beginning of November (good for her obviously, and not something we'd use against her anyway, but that means she can't really help until next year), and then TWO PEOPLE turned down the other position. So...no help anytime soon. I am so tired, you guys.

The good thing is that I have such a wonderful department and division that I work in, so I have as much support as they can give. It's just a lot.

Finished:
Oligarchy Scarlett Thomas- a body positivy book. This was weird and very heavy. I didn't hate it but be aware that the description given is super off--all of that stuff happens, but it's mostly in the background. Also, definite trigger warnings for eating disorders.

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton - a genre hybrid. Loved it. So much.

Currently Reading:
Dark Shimmer by Donna Jo Napoli - I originally had this as "a book my best friend would like" but my best friend actually chose a book for that, so now this is my "book with something broken on the cover." I love Donna Jo Napoli, so I'm excited to read this. I'm only a few chapters in, but I'm definitely interested to see where it goes. I haven't figured out which fairy tale it's based on yet, which is kind of fun!

QOTW:
I love reading cookbooks! Both ones with narratives and ones without.

Some favorites: Memories with Food at Gipsy House by Felicity Dahl and Roald Dahl (he passed away while this was being written, so it has some of his last writings); The Pleasure Is All Mine: Selfish Food for Modern Life by Suzanne Pirret; and The Little Library Cookbook by Kate Young.

I also have the Redwall cookbook and American Girl's Felcity cookbook. And my grandmother found me a VERY cool edition of Vincent Price's cookbook at an estate sale. I have a combo of cookbooks I use for food and cookbooks I have for their authors/themes.