ŷ������

It’s a list New releases in February!!

Weather so unpredictable that I’ve given up trying to track it! LOL

I trust you-all are well or at least able to cope with life’s challenges!!

***
ADMIN STUFF:
APRIL MONTHLY GROUP READ HAS BEEN SELECTED!
This book could be used to fulfill prompt #29 A book with a neurodivergent main character. April is Autism Awareness Month! The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid #2) by Nita Prose was selected! This is the second in a series. I own but have not yet read The Maid which is the first installment.

The February Monthly Group Read is Lucky Leap Day by Ann Marie Walker!! This book could be used to fulfill 2024 prompt #1 A book with the word "leap" in the title. (Since “Leap Day��/February 29 does occur in February!) 😊 The discussion thread is HERE! Hooray for Kimberly Barker, the “leaping literary luminar�� who is valiantly leading this discussion! Thank you, Kimberly! You will find the thread to list the book you read for prompt #1 HERE!

The March Monthly Group Read is Call Us What We Carry: Poems by Amanda Gorman! This book could be used to fulfill 2024 prompt #48 A collection of at least 24 poems. World Poetry Day is celebrated on March 21!
Joanna is the "marvelous manager" who has volunteered to lead this discussion! Kudos to her!! THANK YOU, Joanna! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

MAY MONTHLY GROUP READ NOMINATION POLL!!
Nadine has created a nomination poll for the May Monthly Group Read HERE! This book could be used to fulfill prompt #41 A memoir that explores queerness. A total of 12 books have been nominated thus far:
Ordinary Girls
All Boys Aren't Blue
Not My Father's Son
Beautiful on the Outside
Gender Queer
Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World
The House of Hidden Meanings
Love Lives Here: A Story of Thriving in a Transgender Family
Pageboy
On Top of Glass: My Stories as a Queer Girl in Figure Skating
Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place
Please do NOT forget to check the listing of books NOT eligible for nomination >HERE before writing in a title!! THANK YOU!!

The comprehensive listing of 2024 Monthly Group Reads resides HERE for your perusal and reference throughout 2024!
***
Question of the Week:
Have you read a book published in the past with limited/outdated technology that you felt still held up in our modern world with regard to characters, plot, etc.?
I ask because last week I finally read a book published in 1965 from the Perry Mason mystery series authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. I found the outdated technology to be surprisingly poignant to me while the plot and character-building felt very genuine and real in the modern world. When Mason mentioned a “car phone�� I had an immediate image of the HUGE (think at least shoebox-sized or larger) bags that contained those phones. And reception? Iffy, at best! I cannot believe I had never before read a book in this series, after avidly watching the TV shows when younger. Now I am hopeful to obtain copies of other installments to read, especially those published decades earlier! Anyhow, it got me thinking about technology vs. plot, etc.

2024 READING CHALLENGES:
Popsugar: 15/50
Around the Year (AtY): 41/52
Read Harder: 7/24
52 Book Club: 31/52

FINISHED:
*The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was heart wrenching and beautifully written! I just can’t recommend it enough!! Such a realistic example of generational divides, especially as first-generation children of immigrants into a culture that is literally foreign, strange, and unknown to their parents who retain their own cultural norms into the unfamiliar setting. I can’t imagine not sympathizing with Xiomara��
POPSUGAR: #2, #4, #11-Poetry, #14, #17-Harlem, NY
ATY: #3-A cultural book, #11, #12, NEW #13, #14, #15, #17, #24-Purple, #36, #41
RHC: #16, #24-2015: prompt #14 Read a National Book Award, Man Booker Prize, or Pulitzer Prize Winner from the last decade
52 Book Club: #9, #14, #23-Both have Latina teens not following parental/familial expectations, #26-Fiction/Young Adult/Poetry, #30, #41-National Book Award Winner, NLA Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, Pura Belpré Award for Author, #43

*With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo ⭐⭐⭐⭐�� was so very well written and realistic, IMO! Emoni is such a hard worker and has determination, plus! She will make it! Whatever she decides to do she will work hard enough to succeed! Of course, it will be easier for her since she does have much natural aptitude! I would love a sequel to know just how her life goes from now into the future.
POPSUGAR: #2
ATY: #3-A book that features at least three generations of a family, #12, #13, #14, #15, #17, #23, #24, #33, #34-Happy, #36, #49
RHC: #24-2015: prompt #11 Read a YA novel
52 Book Club: #9, #10, #14, #23-Both have Latina teens not following parental/familial expectations, #25, #26-Fiction/Young Adult/Romance, #30, #43

*Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum #30) by Janet Evanovich ⭐⭐⭐⭐�� was an okay read. Nothing fantastic and nothing disappointing. I did laugh, but not as often or loudly as in the past, like the first 25 installments in this series. But it will be interesting to see how Stephanie handles herself in the aftermath�� 😊
ATY: #1, #3-A book you could read in 24 hours, #14, #15, #16-Nutsy’s mom has (literally) a house full of cats!, #17, #25, #32, #33, #37, #46, #49-Grandma Mazur!
RHC: #23, #24-2020: prompt #3 A mystery where the victim(s) is not a woman
52 Book Club: #24, #30, NEW #32, #33

CONTINUING:
*The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
*...And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer
A priority for later in February!

PLANNED:
*Fear No Evil (Alex Cross #29) by James Patterson
*11th Hour (Women’s Murder Club #11) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
*Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
*The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

Happy Thursday, everyone!

I have actually been productive this week! I spent a significant portion of the week working in my kitchen, and things are finally starting to come together. There’s still a lot of work left to do, but I’m feeling really good about what I accomplished.

Even though it has been a busy week, I did do a ton of reading. In addition to finishing my last couple of Highland Romance ebooks, I managed to finish The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood about a week ahead of schedule. I did consider going ahead and starting my next classic novel, but I think I’m going to wait on that until next month. I’ve got a lot of Robin Hood retellings/re-imaginings on my shelves, and I’ve decided to go ahead and read those while the original story is fresh in my mind.

Here are my current challenge and TBR totals��

ŷ������ Challenge: 79/400 (19.7% complete)
Mount TBR Challenge: 54/150 (36.0% complete)

📚Physical TBR: 34/402
📱Ebook TBR: 20/233
��Audiobook TBR: 0/0
TBR Checklist Total: 54/635 (8.5% complete)
Total Progress Toward 50% TBR List Completion: 54/318 (16.9% complete)

This week I managed to finish all of the titles on my “New�� Books list!

And then I proceeded to buy more books.

I picked up a few new (and relatively new) releases, which were: Lonely Castle in the Mirror 2, by Mizuki Tsujimura; The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 11, by Kousuke Oono; Dungeons and Drama, by Kristy Boyce; and Elvira Meets Vincent Price, by David Avallone.

I’ve already had a chance to read all four of the books I bought this week, so I’m still totally caught up on my list! Yay!

The next book I’m interested in doesn’t come out until halfway through March, so I shouldn’t have any new book purchases for a while.

“New�� Books Bought in 2024: 24
“New�� Books Read in 2024: 24/24 (100.0% complete)

Here are the books I finished this week��

Finished Reading (Fiction):
~The Highlander's Hope �� This book is a contemporary romance, set in the Highlands of Scotland. While I did like the plot, the main characters killed my enjoyment of the book. They were constantly giving each other mixed signals, which irritated me as a reader, and I ended up not caring about their relationship as a result. I’m really sad about the characters, because this book had so much potential. 📱: ⭐️⭐️
~The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood �� While I have to confess that I prefer the Disney animated adaptation, I had a lot of fun reading this book. The story and characters were great! 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Highlander's Lady�� I really enjoyed this book! The plot was interesting, and the main characters were well-developed. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include references to rape, as well as physical and verbal abuse (by a would-be spouse), and unwanted sexual attention. (hide spoiler)] 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Lady Marian of Gisborne �� While this is the first book in the Gisbornes of Nottingham trilogy, it could actually stand on its own. It was basically fanfiction of the 2006 Robin Hood series, which I was 100% okay with. This was a very fast read, and it was novella length. I actually would have preferred a longer book, and a little more of a slow-burn romance, but I enjoyed it. 📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Henna Artist �� I rarely purchase celebrity book club picks, but I was interested in this book from the moment I saw the cover. I’m really glad I decided to get this book, because it was amazing! The author did a phenomenal job of immersing the reader in 1950s India, and the story and characters were really compelling. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book includes references to spousal abuse (both physical and verbal), child neglect, miscarriage, abortion, and infidelity. Some of the women in this book are also criticized by family members for being unable to conceive and/or carry a child to term. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Dungeons and Drama �� I typically don’t read YA contemporary romance, but I couldn’t resist picking up a copy of this book when I saw it at my local grocery store. I’m so glad I did, because it made my nerdy little heart so happy! The story and characters were great! 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Courtship of Maid Marian by Guy of Gisborne �� I enjoyed this story, and really liked the fact that it was a slow-burn romance. However, I do have to be honest and say that I was not impressed with the writing. There were a lot of typos in this book. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include references to torture, rape, and human trafficking (specifically the trafficking of children). (hide spoiler)]📱: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
None

Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
~Venomnibus, Vol. 3 �� I really enjoyed this comic book collection. There were several stories in this omnibus that I had already read in other Venom collections, but that was okay. It had been a while since I’d read any of them. The art in this book was fantastic! Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This collection does include a significant amount of violence, and threats of cannibalism. There are also references to grief, cancer, and suicide. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 11 �� I am continuing to really enjoy this series. The characters and stories are a lot of fun, and the artwork is great. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Lonely Castle in the Mirror 2 �� This is the second volume in the manga adaptation of Mizuki Tsujimura’s novel Lonely Castle in the Mirror. I thoroughly enjoyed this volume. The art is beautiful! Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This volume does include scenes of (and discussions about) bullying. There is also a reference to suicide. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Elvira Meets Vincent Price �� I totally bought this comic book because of the title, and it was about as ridiculous as I expected it would be. I had fun reading it, and I’ll definitely be picking up the sequel. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ One of the stories in this comic book includes references to stalking. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None

DNFed:
None

Currently Reading:
~The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights, Volume 1 �� I am continuing to read around 10 pages per day, and am making good progress. 📚
~The Complete Works of William Shakespeare �� This week I finished reading As You Like It, and I am currently reading All’s Well That Ends Well. I am continuing to read only one act per day. 📚
~Outlawed �� I’m currently about one-third of the way through this book, and I’ve been enjoying it so far. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book includes references to eating disorders, as well as toxic family relationships. (hide spoiler)] 📚
~Death Comes to Town �� I’m only a couple of chapters into this cozy mystery, but I am enjoying it so far. 📱

QOTW:
The books I’ve read that include outdated technology have not held up well. Most of them have been mysteries or thrillers, and if the characters had access to a cell phone, the whole plot falls apart. They are still fun to read though.

@Lynn - your comment posted twice - you want to delete one.

Happy Thursday! It’s been a quiet week. Seth and I went to see “Madame Web.�� I don’t get the appeal of Dakota Johnson, but the movie wasn’t terrible. Marvel seems to be producing movies without any real plan. New character, new character, new character. Ewan’s cutting teeth and has an upper respiratory infection. He’s been incredibly crabby.

2024 Reading Challenges: I’ve read 74 books so far this year with an average length of 316 pages and an average rating of 3.78.
52 Book Club: 19/52 (February Mini-Challenge: 2/3)
ATY: 16/52 (Winter Challenge �� HELLO NEW BEGINNINGS: 14/18)
Booklist Queen: 14/52
Diverse Baseline: 5/36
Popsugar: 18/50
Robot Librarian: 21/52
ICYMI Backlist: 2/12

Recently Completed:

Goodbye Earl: Unsatisfying. The story just plodded along. There never seemed to be much urgency�� especially for something labeled as a revenge story right on the cover. (52 Books #20 �� a revenge story) ★★

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine: Very interesting and informative book about the home loan crisis of 2008 and the manipulations of the financial sector. It will be interesting to watch the movie and see how it was transformed into a comedy-drama. (52 Books “Read It, Watch It #1 �� a hybrid genre: nonfiction financial thriller) ★★★★

Burial Rites: Slammerkin and Alias Grace did it better. (ATY #41 �� a chilling atmosphere/ICYMI #2 �� published in 2013/Popsugar #17 �� bucket list travel destination) ★★��

Shards of Honor: Surprisingly enjoyable given that it was first published in 1986. Reasonable Doubt Book Club selection. (ATY #35 �� a science or science fiction book) ★★★★

The House of Eve: I avoided this one for the longest time because I didn’t like the cover, but it turned out to be some superb historical fiction. (Booklist Queen #6 �� set in the 1950s/Diverse Baseline #5 �� historical fiction by a BIPOC author) ★★★★��

Zora Books Her Happy Ever After: There was never really a choice between the two men interested in Zora, and the twist was telegraphed far too early. (ATY #15 �� author’s name contains J, Q, X, or Z: Taj McCoy) ★★��

Forward: A Memoir: Honest and unflinching memoir from US soccer star Abby Wambach. (52 Books February Mini-Challenge #3 �� author born in a leap year) ★★★★

Smile: Autobiographical middle grade graphic novel. I read it because the author was profiled in this month’s edition of The Atlantic. ★★★★

When Grumpy Met Sunshine: Not enough backstory to support the banter and steam. The whole thing felt like it was trying too hard. I think 3 stars is generous. (ATY #34 �� related to Snow White’s Seven Dwarfs) ★★��

Valentine: Yeah, it’s set in 1970s Odessa, Texas, but its ugly attitude toward women still feels contemporary. It ends abruptly and there’s not so much a plot as it is a portrait of women’s desperation, but I found it fascinating. (52 Books February Mini-Challenge #2 - Be Mine, Valentine/ATY Winter Challenge �� HELLO NEW BEGINNINGS: Elizabeth Wetmore/Robot Librarian #32 �� set in the 1970s) ★★★★

FantasticLand: Violent disintegration of societal norms after a hurricane hits an amusement park cutting the park’s employees off from the rest of the world. Told as a series of news articles and interviews. Really well done. (ATY Winter Challenge �� HELLO NEW BEGINNINGS: Mike Bockoven/Robot Librarian #2 �� set at an amusement park, theme park, fair, or carnival) ★★★★



Currently Reading:

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (ATY #46 �� related to night/Booklist Queen #33 �� three books by the same author: Book 1)
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde (52 Books February Mini-Challenge #1 �� a book in favorite genre by a Black author/Diverse Baseline #4 �� written by a Black author)
Bright Young Women (52 Books #28 �� a yellow spine/Booklist Queen #13 �� title starts with B)
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us: Books, Beer, & Banter Book Club selection. (ATY #35 �� a science or science fiction book)
Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own (ATY Winter Challenge �� HELLO NEW BEGINNINGS: Eddie S. Glaude, Jr./Booklist Queen #13 �� title starts with B)
They Want to Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency (ATY Winter Challenge �� HELLO NEW BEGINNINGS: Malcolm Nance
The Paris Winter (ATY Winter Challenge �� HELLO NEW BEGINNINGS: Imogen Robertson/Booklist Queen #30 �� set in Paris)
Bellies (ATY Winter Challenge �� HELLO NEW BEGINNINGS: Nicola Dinan/Robot Librarian #7 �� a transgender/nonbinary character)
Open (52 Books #21 �� written by a ghostwriter)

QOTW: I’ve never really noticed that in books. Historical books require historical technology. But I have noticed it when rewatching favorite TV shows. So much of Buffy the Vampire Slayer doesn’t really work now because everyone has cell phones. They could track locations, easily call/text for help, etc. There was one episode in which Buffy got a pager, but that’s the only time they used that kind of tech. Also, think of how much better Willow’s computer skills (in early episodes) would be!

Happy Thursday!

Finished:
Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton et al. - 3 stars - for a book set in the snow. It was cute and fun. I think I preferred the NYC blackout setting of the first book, though.

What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher - 4 stars - for a book from a genre you typically avoid. Kingfisher can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned. It's only 4 stars because I don't care much for horror, but I do love Easton's wit and voice.

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei - 4 stars - for a book written by an incarcerated or formerly incarcerated person. A powerful memoir of actor George Takei's childhood experience in the Japanese internment camps. Because he was still a child and didn't fully understand what was happening, he frames a lot of the story through his adult experiences and POV, including his later discussions with his father about what happened and his current-day activism.

Comics & manga:
Akane-banashi, Vol. 3
Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 28
The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I am currently at 18/50 prompts for PopSugar (16/45 and 2/5).

Currently reading:
This Day Changes Everything by Edward  Underhill for a fiction book by a trans or nonbinary author (this could also work for 24 letters or takes place over 24 hours). This is right up my alley, as it's basically a love letter to NYC.

Upcoming/Planned:
Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson - for an unreliable narrator

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama - for magical realism

QOTW:
I can't really think of any. Maybe some older sci-fi wouldn't hold up, but for work that was contemporary when it was published, lower tech feels right for the time when it's set.

Popsugar: 34/50
Robot Librarian: 27/52

OMG! Do you guys find that as your stress level goes up, your desire to complete this challenge goes down?! We're getting our house ripped apart due to mold among other stressors and I just want to read whatever I feel like reading, not some random book that fulfills a prompt! Looks like I've been doing a fair bit of that comfort reading too.

Read: The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times Jane Goodall is amazing. This book is amazing. If you're concerned about the state of the world and want a pick-me-up, read this!

The Comfort Book I was going to use this a stretch prompt for character that is 42 because the author is 45 when he writes this. But then I realized that *I* am 42, so I can read my journal from this past year. Either way, I declare this prompt covered!

Come Matter Here: Your Invitation to Be Here in a Getting There World What I love about Brencher's writing is that her ideas are wrapped in stories that aren't really extractable. Didn't enjoy this as much as her first about letter-writing, but still definitely worth the read.

Once Upon a Time in the North Lee Scoresby, *shakes head* don't be a womanizer!

Notes on Complexity: A Scientific Theory of Connection, Consciousness, and Being This was very disappointing. Glossed over a bunch of interesting ideas in a way that did not serve the ideas.

Animalkind: Remarkable Discoveries About Animals and Revolutionary New Ways to Show Them Compassion The first half of the book on traits of animals was a big yawn. But the second half was about some of the ways you can help make animals' lives better and that was useful.

The Cat Who Taught Zen I'm not one to usually pay attention to pictures, but I loved these pictures. I bought this a comfort book and it definitely served that purpose!

Fighting Forward: Your Nitty-Gritty Guide to Beating the Lies That Hold You Back Not nearly as good as her other two.

Anthropocentrism and Its Discontents: The Moral Status of Animals in the History of Western Philosophy Might be useful as a reference to how philosphers treat animal rights, but mostly disappointing as a read.

See! A whole bunch of comfort reading, but not prompt-fulfillment!

Started: Benny the Blue Whale: A ChatGPT Fantasy in Chaos I'm not sure this is very good. It's mostly commentary on a story ChatGPT constructed from various juvenile prompts. But it's distinct, for sure!

QotW: So, I'm going to cheat a little bit on this one, but the book that I'm reading, Benny the Blue Whale, is about ChatGPT and it is so cutting edge that it feels like it's going to date itself really soon. ChatGPT is such a fad right now, and I feel like it's either going to improve tremendously or fade away.

Bought: In addition to Benny the Blue Whatl and the Cat who Taught Zen, I bought The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Let This Radicalize You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care, and The Philosopher Queens: The lives and legacies of philosophy's unsung women. Splurge!

Theresa wrote: "@Lynn - your comment posted twice - you want to delete one."
It just shows up once for me...

Greetings! I'm on early today as I'm waiting to hear back from my legal team on a case I am supervising as to what's happened in court this AM. As it is nearly noon and they were on for 9:30 AM, not sure this is a good sign. Or maybe it is the best sign because if all was going sideways in court, I would have had texts.

PS - 16/50, ATY - 25/52 - ATY is definitely easier to fill prompts from whatever I happen to be reading right now than PS. I have actually had to identify books to read for PS prompts already, which is very early for me. I usually get to the last 20% before I have to do that, but so many of the prompts required my doing some research, and I have other challenges in other groups, at least isolating books that fit from the massive TBR Towers made sense.

Finished:
Killer Librarian - PS prompt published under a pen name - ATY - cozy and one with a very likeable character and good setting though a thin plot. This was one I was reading for another challenge and discovered it was published under a pen name! Love when that happens!
The Lying Game - Prompt - Bildungsroman for PS and 2nd book for ATY favorite prompt related to book read in 2023 -- though not my favorite and I only gave it 3 stars (I am not fond of books where things happen in boarding schools that resurface when they are all adults), it's still shows the continued development of Ruth Ware as a writer - this was her 3rd book.

Currently Reading:
While Justice Sleeps
Gingerbread

QOTW:

I don't usually 'miss' technology in my reading or find the presence of 'outdate' technology a problem. Kind of refreshing actually. In fact, I take far greater pleasure in detective stories set before the 1990s because there is 'feet on the ground' real detective work going on - there is no searching on the internet. Specifically, Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone series, set in the 1980s, benefits from lack of tech. I revel in her needing to find phone booths, use reverse telephone books to find addresses, have to go door to door or make call after call to find someone, having to use a typewriter to write up reports. When her last book was published, which was set in 1989, Grafton said she kept Kinsey in the 80s deliberately to avoid modern tech and it suited the character.

Another series is Cara Black's Aimee LeDuc series - set in Paris in the 1990s. Again, the author deliberately set this detective series in the 1990s as the internet, tech and cell phones were just appearing. Aimee and her partner are computer forensic specialists but it's far more limited than now. Cell phones existed but not like now though France and Europe were far ahead of the US in their use (Europe jumped on mobile phones very fast in part because getting a landline meant years of waiting for many). So the characters end up doing a lot of very tradition 'boots on the ground' detecting.

Happy Thursday!

I finally came back to work on Wednesday. It was a good day. My director’s last day is sometime in March. We’ve opened my colleague’s job (he’s now director), and we have some interesting candidates. It will be his first time hiring someone.

I have to start planning Summer Reading Program soon. It comes faster each year it seems. At least I will have two people that will come out of their office and participate and help this year. It got so bad that the director made us do the LSTA grant because she didn’t want to bother.

Other than that, I've been binging Detective Anna on Tubi. It's a Russian show that takes place in 1894 before the revolution. Anna is a young lady around 18 or so who can see ghosts. She meets the new head detective, Yakov Shtolman. He's the type that believes only things he can see. She and him have the googly eyes for each other, but they also clash whenever she helps his cases with talking to the murder victims. It gets more complicated when his ex-girlfriend and Prince Razumovskiy come to town. Shtolman had a duel with the Prince over her.

There's intrigue, murder mystery, paranormal all rolled into one package. I do recommend it.

My only complaint is that with my modern knowledge of forensics, I cringe every time they touch evidence bare handed and pocket it and do all the no-no things thats can corrupt samples, fingerprints, and the like.

Popsugar:10/50
Finished:
Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection These were fun, but I had trouble reading some of the stories because of font and size issues on the kindle. Yes, size and shape do matter. The pages were only ½ of the ipad screen instead of full size and some of the fonts were thin and swirly as if someone was writing instead of thick and simple like Times New Roman. I tried to zoom in, but it pixelated too much to read. ps 42 ⭐⭐��

Reading:
The Book of Doors ps 27, ps 35

Aty: 14/52
Heartless Hunter aty 6⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet, Vol. 5 aty 18⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet, Vol. 6 aty 2⭐⭐⭐⭐

Reading: none i'm aware of

ŷ������ Challenge 106/400 (two weeks worth)
Finished:
I Shall Survive Using Potions! Volume 1
Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet, Vol. 1
Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet, Vol. 2
Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet, Vol. 3
Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet, Vol. 4 (Volume 4)
Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet, Vol. 5
Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet, Vol. 6
Captive Desires
Knocking Her Up
Hacking My Stalker
Auctioned to my Best Friend
Auctioned to the Stranger
Auctioned to my Boss
Auctioned to the Billionaire
Cabin Mates
Santa's Baby
In His Secret Cabin: an age-gap / forced proximity romance
Wife Project
Their Virgin Prize: A Why Choose Instalove Romance
Her Wedding Night
His Public Claim: An Age Gap Bratva Spicy Instalove Romance
Baby Proposal
Ace
Access All Areas
Kiss Me First
Tangling with the Boss

Reading:
I Shall Survive Using Potions! Volume 2 (I Shall Survive Using Potions!
Darker by Four
Kindling
The Book of Doors

QOTW:

I’ve come across some books with old tech that still hold up. It’s more nostalgic than anything. It’s like “Hey, I lived through this tech!�� or “I remember when this was the hottest thing on the market!�� Living through the tech eras of the 80s (walkmans, home computers, cds, cell phones), 90s (ebooks, home internet, dvd) , and 2000s (bluray, ipods, streaming) is interesting to say the least.

Wow how is it already Thursday? I feel like I didn’t do as much reading this week, I’ve been booking and scheduling things for summer vacation in my free time. Today I have a facial and pedicure booked, and only one client at work so I’m excited for a relaxed me day. I also might have found my next cat, pics and contract pending, I’m very excited!

Finished:
This World is Full of Monsters not for a prompt. I don’t know why I put a hold on this very short audiobook, other than perhaps it’s just because I like the author. I don’t really know what happened here, I’ll probably give it another listen lol

The Empress of Salt and Fortune another novella, for the read harder challenge. It’s a fantasy story about en empress getting revenge on the emperor who banished her, told by her servant. Not my favorite kind of story but it was thankfully short.

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous I keep giving this author a chance. I read two books of poetry when I do not like poetry and then when I saw that he had a novel I thought hey maybe that’ll be more up my alley. It was not. It’s like a mega long poem that’s vague enough to make it hard to pay attention to. Beautiful language, so much emotion. I wish I liked it more.

Catherine of Siena for my classics challenge. This is one of the best and least dry biographies I’ve read. If you’re unfamiliar with Catherine of Siena she was a 14th century saint who lived a very fascinating life of self-denial and service to the poor. It’s amazing how much she was able to accomplish in her years on earth, and how much she’s continued to do through miracles and intercessions (if you believe in that sort of thing).

Bunny for a book about a writer. Dang this book was WILD. I always jump into books blindly so I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. When I first started I was describing it to my boyfriend as “the secret history meets the stepford wives? Maybe?�� And then I decided to look up the blurb because I wanted to see what direction it would go and I saw that the first quote described it as “the secret history meets Jennifer’s body��. I was half right and wow what an accurate description. I loved how it can leave you feeling crazy, what was real? Was it a hallucination? If so how much was? I’m opting to believe it was all real and she just didn’t notice until she was forced to confront it. A ton of fun, very violent, also hilarious.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland not for a challenge, this was me and my son’s latest bedtime audible book. Narrated by Scarlet Johansson, she does a lot of good silly voices. This was a fun revisit of a childhood favorite.

.Currently Reading:
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible
Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories
It’s not on goodreads but Rescued, a Lent devotional from Blessed is She
Peter Pan
The Silkworm

QOTW:
I can’t think of any specific examples but there have been several books published pre-internet and modern tech that I didn’t miss or even notice the absence of tech. I remember even being shocked to find out the books were so “old�� lol.

Challenges:
Popsugar - 3/45; 1/5
Read Harder - 10/24
Classics - 2/12
European Tour - 4/10
12 Friends - 3/12
Yearly Goal - 41/150

Laura wrote: "Happy Thursday! It’s been a quiet week. Seth and I went to see “Madame Web.�� I don’t get the appeal of Dakota Johnson, but the movie wasn’t terrible. Marvel seems to be producing movies without any..."



Madame Web is just getting PANNED online. Maybe it's the "Marvel fans hate women" effect, the same way Black Widow & Captain Marvel were unfairly denigrated. I also do not get the appeal of Dakota Johnson so I decided I'd wait until I can watch this at home.



The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine: Very interesting and informative book about the home loan crisis of 2008 and the manipulations of the financial sector. It will be interesting to watch the movie and see how it was transformed into a comedy-drama.

I had no idea this was a book! We saw the movie because we are watching every Ryan Gosling movie we can get. It was a great movie! Surprisingly entertaining and riveting.



Shards of Honor: Surprisingly enjoyable given that it was first published in 1986.

LOL I hated this so much when I read it a few years ago, during my "read more women Sci fi authors" phase, that I've never been able to bring myself to read another book by her.


Smile: Autobiographical middle grade graphic novel. I read it because the author was profiled in this month’s edition of The Atlantic.

I love Telgemeier! Every book (except Ghosts which was so-so) I've read by her has been fantastic. I'm glad to hear she's getting some more publicity - what did the profile say?



Valentine: Yeah, it’s set in 1970s Odessa, Texas, but its ugly attitude toward women still feels contemporary. It ends abruptly and there’s not so much a plot as it is a portrait of women’s desperation, but I found it fascinating.

I was really surprised by how powerful and engaging this book was. I never would have read it, but NYPL does this thing where you tell them a book you just loved and they recommend another one ... I said I had just enjoyed Disappearing Earth and they recommended Valentine. Two very different books, different plot, different structure, different setting. But yes, I think if you enjoyed one you'll enjoy the other.



FantasticLand: Violent disintegration of societal norms after a hurricane hits an amusement park cutting the park’s employees off from the rest of the world. Told as a series of news articles and interviews. Really well done.

I've been meaning to read this book for YEARS now!! I just never get around to it!!!

Not much to report on this week, the weather is miserable and therefore everything is covered in mud every time we walk the dog.

Finished:
Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase for ATY (African author). More horror than sci-fi, lots of ideas, but the artificial wombs were hardly involved at all, the baby was just motivation for the main character. The audiobook narrator was soooo slow though and I didn't like any of the characters. Plus the blurb had a bit of a spoiler for something that happens halfway through but then I also wouldn't really know how you were meant to explain the tone without the spoiler so *shrug*

What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher for pen name and ATY (night). Argh moths! Someone told me when I was a kid that they nest in your hair and I've been a bit creeped out by them since. So this was on point for a horror! Not quite as good as What Moves the Dead storywise but I can't really go wrong with T. Kingfisher.

Check & Mate by ALi Hazelwood for enemies to lovers. Cannot believe I read a whole book about chess but this was oddly compelling.

Currently reading Your Blood, My Bones and listening to Red Side Story.

PS: 9/50 | ATY: 11/52 | GR: 18/100

QOTW:
If the book is well written, it doesn't really matter. And some still have value as a historical glimpse to past technology. I picked up Patricia Cornwell's books when they were quite old, and wow the technology/methods had moved on a lot since, but that in itself is interesting. I don't think it was the technology that made me stop reading that series though.

Doni wrote: "OMG! Do you guys find that as your stress level goes up, your desire to complete this challenge goes down?! We're getting our house ripped apart due to mold ..."




LOL I don't know! I do find the opposite is true: my stress level goes UP if I'm NOT completing the challenge. I get very angry at myself if I find I'm reading a book that doesn't fit a challenge category. This year I'm especially obsessed with it, I don't why.

I think it's because I don't really "vibe" with a lot of the categories, so I just want them DONE and out of the way.

Dani wrote: "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous I keep giving this author a chance...."



He kind of EXPLODED on the scene with his first book, he was publishing's darling, and everyone raved about this books, and I read his first book of poetry and this memoir and I dont' get it. The memoir was intense, for sure, and scenes from it still stay with me today. But I'm not motivated to read his latest collection of poetry.

I've finally gotten going with the PS challenge this year. I've made it up to 7/50, so I'm nearly back on track.

I'm noticing that the PS and ATY prompts aren't gelling this year, the way they have in the past. The ATY ones seem easier to fill, too - I'm up to 16/52 for that one.

PS so far:

1 A book with the word "leap" in the title - Lucky Leap Day - I'm not really a romance reader, but it was enjoyable enough - 3*

4 A book about a writer - A Fatal Footnote - the MC is writer in residence at a bookstore. Spoiled by the ending, which felt like the author got bored and couldn't be bother to write the denouement - 2*

10 A book by a self-published author - Double Booked - a fun series about a magical bookshop in London - 4*

13 A book originally published under a pen name - Totally Pawstruck - Sofie Ryan is a pen name of Darlene Ryan - 3*

20 A book set in the snow - The Dark Is Rising - the majority of the book is set in the snow, with the bad guys using snow as a weapon - 4*

24 A book that takes place over the course of 24 hours - Tiger Honor - I didn't like this prompt last year, and found it hard to find something I was interested in. However, I picked this up and it turns out that 80% of the book, comprising pretty much all the plot without the topping and tailing, happens within 24h, so I'm using it here - 4*.

37 A book written during NaNoWriMo - The Night Circusprior to this check-in, this was my only completed task this year. - a rare 5*.

QotWHave you read a book published in the past with limited/outdated technology that you felt still held up in our modern world with regard to characters, plot, etc.?

I keep going back to old mystery series, many of which still work. The ones that stand out are Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn and Chee series (most recently, Talking God, and Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone books (most recently, The Shape of Dread, which I think also had massive car phones!).

Doni wrote: "OMG! Do you guys find that as your stress level goes up, your desire to complete this challenge goes down?!.."

When I'm having a bad mental health week I don't try and do prompts at all...and if I fill them great, but I'm not forcing myself to read things I'm only half interested in when my brain is already rebelling against me!

Happy Thursday!  

Winter was back, and we also had some sun, and today it is "warm" (well, like 40F, not WARM warm) and rainy.  The days before were cold but the sun was beautiful (and so BRIGHT with the ground covered in snow!)  Today I want to go on a walk again but ugh I'll be soaked because it's that slow soaking rain.  Can't decide.  I'll probably take my younger dog and make it a short one.  Older dog is neurotic and half the time decides she does not want to walk.  (She's ten, so she's not ancient, I don't think it's pain, she just has a lot of phobias, it's like she is agoraphobic and some days she can do it but other days she cannot.) I think she would HATE being rained on.



This week I finished 4 books & DNFed one.

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim- I think I put this on hold back in 2023.  It was good, but it was not the "mystery" that it's advertised to be, it's more a contemplation on the meaning and importance of happiness.  That's great, too, but it's not what I wanted.  I had expectations, and this did not meet them!  I guess when I read Miracle Creek I had no expectations so I was just pleasantly surprised, and I loved that book.  This one, meh.  This would work for "neurodivergent main character" but I've already checked that one off. So, no Popsugar category; I checked off "Seven Dwarfs" in AtY (because of "Happy").

Nightwing, Vol. 1: Leaping into the Light written by Tom Taylor - my "leap" book, since my first try was a crash-and-burn LOL (see my DNF).  I loved this! And I NEVER would have picked this book up if  not for needing "leap" in the title.  While I've always liked Batman and have read many Batman books, I never had any interest in Robin, and turning him into "Nightwing" just seemed like a pathetic attempt to make him interesting.   I wasn't wrong, not exactly.  Dick Grayson IS 100% good with no gray areas, no darkness.  BUT I did end up loving this book, so I was wrong about that!  The artwork was clean and beautiful, the story was interesting and funny with lots of quips, I loved the character interactions, and there's a dog!!   All in all, this feels like DC's answer to the fantastic Fraction/Aja run of Hawkeye - same gorgeous art, same quippy quips, plus a dog! I've already downloaded the sequel on hoopla.

Far from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson - I loved this book!!   I was riveted, and each day I looked forward to reading it again, and then I was so sad when I was finished and had no-more-book.  And then I went and looked at other reviews and most people hated this!  Did we read the same book???  I checked off "set in space" for Popsugar, and "involving intelligence" for AtY since the ship AI was a key character.  This would also work for "set in the future" and "sleep for more than 24 hours" and "multiple POVs" (if you are interpreting that category to mean "three or more" and not "exactly three POVs").

The 100 Best African American Poems: A Black Poetry Collection ed by Nikki Giovanni - I enjoyed this anthology, it had a lot of new-to-me poets, it's not your usual "100 greatest hits" kind of collection.  I checked off "number in the title" in AtY.


And I DNFed
Lucky Leap Day - I just could NOT with that book.   The writing was so clunky.



Popsugar 36% 18 /50
Must Reads 50% 5 /10
AtY 37% 19 /52




QotW

I don't think this has really happened to me.  

If I read an old sci fi book that is set in our present, I am amused at the tech they got wrong as well as the tech they got right.  If I read a new book that is set in the past during my lifetime, I will get annoyed when they get details wrong.   And usually if I read an old book set in its contemporary time, tech isn't particularly noticeable. Writers back then just didn't mention it much I guess?

But if I read a book set in the past and the tech is appropriate for the past, I just accept it and don't think much about it. I think it's most noticeable in mysteries, for some reason. Like the Easy Rawlins series (set in the 40s through the 60s), he often stops in phone booths to call people.

But I can't remember reading an old book and looking back on old tech fondly, or thinking "wow this book is still great even though it's old tech."  

I had episode 3 of the flue last weekend. Yes, I got sick for the 3rd time. I hope this is it, but I still have strange symptoms like a twitching eye and rashes on my knee. I hear lots of people complaining about slow recovering.

I managed to read between the flues, but did not finish anything yet.

PS: 3/50
FNL: 5/40
Total: 8/52

Currently reading
The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn
Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China by Jung Chang
Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential by Tiago Forte

QOTW
I think it's fascinating to read how 'back in the old days' you solved a problem without modern technology. And sometimes it's just nostalgic like someone else mentioned before (phone boots! no internet! cassette tapes and walkmans!).

Ellie wrote: "I picked up Patricia Cornwell's books when they were quite old, and wow the technology/methods had moved on a lot since, but that in itself is interesting. I don't think it was the technology that made me stop reading that series though...."



LOL no you probably stopped reading that series because it started to suck!! I read those books as they were published, so the setting was my setting and the tech was my tech. And after a while I just could not keep reading.

It's funny, I switched from reading Cornwell's series to read Kathy Reichs' series, and after a while THAT series started to suck, too!! Are all forensic mystery series fated to just go off the rails and/or jump the shark???

Happy Thursday! Finally getting a break from the rain again- I've officially reached my limit on the downpours we've been getting. Doesn't help that there is a leak in one of my windows that my land lord "fixed" last year.

I've been in a little bit of a funk about the books I've been reading- had one dnf and one 2-star, both with books that came highly recommended and that I've owned for a while. I got really irritated about all these books on my shelves that I don't actually want to read anymore. So I wound up pulling about 40 books to give away, and another two stacks to try the first chapters and if they don't still appeal to me, get rid of them. Luckily most of my books I bought very cheap- I volunteered at a library bookstore where everything was 50 cents-$1, so I didn't spend much on them. Someone else will love getting these books at the thrift store, but I want them off my shelves!

Finished:
My Dear Agent, Vol. 1- a fun manga about bodyguards being very bad at emotions.
-no prompt

Please Don't Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes: Essays- this is the second book by Phoebe Robinson that I"ve read, and I really liked it. I recommend the audiobook
-31 A book with a title that is a complete sentence

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle- I don't understand the hype around this book. I found it incredibly tedious. This book could have easily been 200 pages shorter. And the author has issues with fat people- we get it, the character's heavy, move on!
-24 A book that takes place over the course of 24 hours

DNF:
Do You Dream of Terra-Two?- I was expecting to love this book because of how it was recommended to me. I got 200 pages in, and I had to stop. It's ridiculous. Not one of those people would have been approved for any important mission. This book put me in such a bad mood- but it did encourage me to get rid of a lot of books, so that's something!

QotW:
I think it's really interesting when you read a book set in the past, and see how much more difficult certain things were without out current technology. Just sharing information in older mysteries, where now everything is at your fingertips.

Also, in my hometown there's still large areas where there isn't reliable cell service. To the point where if I'm visiting my family for more than a day I have to give my friends the landline in case anyone needs to reach me. One time I was driving to visit after a storm had put junk all over the road, and I was so worried my tires would pop, because it was at least a 20 minute walk to reach a spot with service. Sometimes outdated is still the reality a few hours down the road lol

I only finished two books this week, I've been busy helping a family member move so they could get construction done...and grades were due yesterday (teacher here and grades week seriously cuts into reading time)

The Nickel Boys:
PS: n/a regular but read for Black history month
52: Author everyone has read but me (until now)
ATY: crimes other than murder (car theft)

X Saves the Day: How Generation X Got the Shaft But Can Still Keep Everything From Sucking by Jeff Gordinier
PS: starts with the letter X
52: n/a
ATY: has an X factor


In progress:
Demon Copperhead
Around the World in 80 Days
West With Giraffes
Dear California
Braiding Sweetgrass
There, There
the Mists of Avalon (its long, it will keep showing up for a while)


QOTW

I read the Echo of Old Books which had to use a library and microfiche newspaper articles...and she found what she needed much quicker than my students can find what they need on a search engine due to the sheer number of hits....almost all bad...that they get when trying to do research. And it's available at the library but often has paywalls online. There is value in using old school library tools because its not always true that you can find "anything" on the internet

L Y N N wrote: "Theresa wrote: "@Lynn - your comment posted twice - you want to delete one."
It just shows up once for me..."

It's now been locked by someone so no one besides the 2 who already updated there can do so.

But definitely 2 identical threads by you still there! The more Lynn the merrier!

Theresa wrote: "Theresa wrote: "@Lynn - your comment posted twice - you want to delete one."
It just shows up once for me..."

It's now been locked by someone so no one besides the 2 who already updated there can do so.

But definitely 2 identical threads by you still there! The more Lynn the merrier!"
So, ŷ������ didn't show my posting the first time this morning, so I went ahead and resubmitted it, and then somehow, for everyone except me, there were two separate postings! EGADS!!

I had to shutdown and restart my computer and THEN it showed me two postings! But now I feel badly about Dubhease and Ron's posts...maybe I can copy and paste them into this thread? I'm gonna try...

Oh! Also:

Currently reading:
The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes- picked this up because hoopla is promoting the second book in the series, and the cover is pretty, so figured I should start with book one. A romance about second chances, and trying to break into the music scene. A third of the way through, and I'm really liking it! Definitely helping to break through my slump

Theresa wrote: "L Y N N wrote: "Theresa wrote: "@Lynn - your comment posted twice - you want to delete one."
It just shows up once for me..."

It's now been locked by someone so no one besides the 2 who already up..."




Yeah I locked it while we figured out what to do!

Completed
The Collected Stories
The Girls of Summer: The U.S. Women's Soccer Team and How It Changed the World - for PS - I finally finished!
Murder on the Red River - for other challenges
Grimoire Girl: A Memoir of Magic and Mischief - for PS - I didn't like it as much as I'd hoped to based on the description I had read.
Nadirs - for PS

Currently Reading
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption
Footprints Under the Window
both are for other challenges

I have some more PS challenge books on request at my library, so hopefully they come in soon!

PS progress: 25/50 - officially halfway!

editing to add progress for other challenges, as I've officially started tracking them now---
ATY 8/52
52 Book Club 8/52
Shelf Reflection 6/45
Read Harder 5/24
Travel 9/30

(We'll see how many of those I actually finish.)

Laura wrote: "Marvel seems to be producing movies without any real plan. New character, new character, new character."

Madam Web isn't Marvel, it's Sony. Marvel sold the movie rights to all the Spiderman characters to Sony in the 90's, so as long as Sony keeps making Spiderman movies, whenever Marvel wants to use the characters in their movies, they have to pay/negotiate with Sony. And they have no say in the movies Sony makes.

Kendra wrote: "Madam Web isn't Marvel, it's Sony. Marvel sold the movie rights to all the Spiderman characters to Sony in the 90's, so as long as Sony keeps making Spiderman movies, whenever Marvel wants to use the characters in their movies, they have to pay/negotiate with Sony. And they have no say in the movies Sony makes."

Well, that's good to know. No wonder some of the recent movies don't feel like they're part of any planned arc.

Spent most of this past week fighting a cold, but I seem to be doing all right now. Getting Monday off helped quite a bit. I also made pulled pork at home for the first time. It came out pretty well, though the sauce I used was a little too sweet for my tastes. My husband liked it, so there you go.

Finished:
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store - (A book where a character sleeps for more than 24 hours) I liked this, but I'll admit, I was getting "new character fatigue" by the time this was over. I couldn't help thinking "Just get on with it already!" more than once. It was nice how everything slotted together at the end, but it took a lot more set up than I think was worth it.
Hakumei & Mikochi: Tiny Little Life in the Woods, Vol. 1 - This was cute, but a little lacking. I ordered the first three volumes from the library, so I'll read those, but I don't think I'll seek out the rest of the series.
Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths - Very informative, very readable. I took my time with this one.
American Mermaid - Not entirely sure how I feel about this book. The satire got to be a bit much at times, and a part of me would have preferred if it was just the book of the title, but I was never bored! However, as someone who is asexual, the parts dealing with that definitely rubbed me the wrong way (see "too satirical").

Currently reading:
Blank
The Lost Journals of Sacajewea
Cold People
Rental Person Who Does Nothing
Hakumei & Mikochi: Tiny Little Life in the Woods, Vol. 2
Delicious in Dungeon World Guide: The Adventurer's Bible

Happy Thursday all!

Not much to report, so just diving in to what I read.

Books read this week:

Cursed Cocktails -- for “cozy fantasy.�� Inspired by Legends and Lattes (the author admits as much in the acknowledgements), except the main character is an elf mage instead of an orc warrior and he opens a bar instead of a coffee shop. Not as good as L&L but still fun and enjoyable.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi -- for “book about pirates.�� I couldn’t get through City of Brass for some reason, but I loved this one!

Rain Reign -- for “book with a neurodivergent main character.�� A hard read, but a good one. I felt so bad for Rose and her journey was an emotional one.

Once Upon a Royal Summer -- not for PopSugar. This was so sweet and fluffy I think I got a toothache. But it was very cute and, let’s face it, after some of the heavier reads I’ve had lately it was nice to have some escapism.

DNF:

Pride and Prejudice -- for “second-chance romance.�� First time trying to read Austen (not counting the time I read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), and unfortunately I don’t think it’s for me.

Currently reading:

The House of Diamond -- for “bildungsroman or coming of age story��
Monstrilio -- for “horror book by a BIPOC author��
What Feasts at Night -- for “book by an author using a pen name��
Game On -- for “a book about video games��

QOTW:

I'm sure I've read books that fall under this, but for the life of me I can't remember them right now. Most of Stephen King's books are still pretty relevant and scary, even decades after they were originally published...

Erin wrote: "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle- I don't understand the hype around this book. I found it incredibly tedious. This book could have easily been 200 pages shorter. And the author has issues with fat people- we get it, the character's heavy, move on!..."


Wow did I hate that book!!! the author clearly hates fat people (he even says in an author's note that he made the Count fat because he wanted him to be worse than a rapist. Yes, fat people are worse than rapists!!) AND he hates women. There's not one single woman's POV in this book. He kills a woman over and over, but we don't ever get inside a woman's head. Because he's not capable of seeing women as individuals with thoughts worth reading.

Hi all! Super dreary day here. Rainy and cold. I tried to go out to do some Door Dashes for 3 hours while my mom watched the kiddo (STILL winter break....), but didn't get a single offer. I stayed in the boonies today, so I guess I should have gone into town. Still, for me, it's exhausting even just sitting around waiting.
Oh! Happy first day of televised spring training baseball!! :D

While I waited, I finished Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism. I had put it on hold last year to read as a book published in the 2nd half of 2023, but didn't get it until this year. Not sure if it fits a 2024 prompt. Too tired to look at the moment.
Important subject matter, but something about the book didn't suck me in until I got past page 200 and the people started being more connected. I haven't listened to her podcast on the same subject, maybe that is more cohesive.

I'm not sure if I read any more on my other ongoing books since last week.

I did read a good kid's picture book to my daughter, Connor Kissed Me. I thought it was a simple, age-appropriate book about consent.

QOTW: Every once in a while, it's jarring to me when a book mentions old tech. I can't think of any examples right off. Most of the time, though, I read a book knowing what time period I'm getting myself into. Like others mentioned, mysteries/crime books seem most likely to fall apart if only they had a cell phone. I actually find it more distracting if a modern author tries to write a book set in recent history, 80s/90s and hits you over the head with the fact that there's no cell phones or fast internet. I think it's probably hard to do without sounding like you're trying too hard.

I'm actually posting on Thursday. Yay!

Stats:
PS: 12/50
ATY: 19/52
ATY Rejects: 3/25
ATY Rewind: 6/25
GR Choice: 5/30
TBR: 3/10
DBC: 12/36

Books I finished:

Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 16, Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 17, Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 18 & Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 19 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ each
I'm still enjoying this series a lot.

To Woo and to Wed ⭐⭐⭐⭐
PS: 43. A second-chance romance.
I'm sad the series is over, but I really enjoyed finally getting Sophie & West's story.

MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios ⭐⭐��
ATY Rewind: 18. A book related to a word given by a random word generator: Control.
So this is why I had to post about Madam Web - I just finished reading about all the insider stories of what went into making the various movies. It was interesting, but apparently halfway through writing it, Disney stopped playing ball and so the authors didn't get every side of the story because of it.

Arch-Conspirator ⭐⭐��
ATY Rejects: 10. A book with twins in it.
So I liked it better than Divergent... I just don't like dystopias. But at least this was short.

The Great Canadian Art Fraud Case ⭐⭐��
ATY: 25. A book involving a crime other than a murder.
I've had this on my nightstand since December, so I'm glad I finally got around to it. I didn't know much about the case before, but the book ended up being mostly just a rehash of the court transcripts, so it was only so-so.

Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Impostor Syndrome ⭐⭐��
PS: 33. A book with an unreliable narrator.
I saw the title and had to use it for this prompt. It was funny, but it did deal with some tough subjects.

In Progress:
Bride

QotW
This made me think of The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 which I just read last week - it wasn't that long ago, but the author did have to comment on how there's some tech that we take for granted that wasn't around back then.

I also like The Otherworld series (City of Golden Shadow) by Tad Williams. It's set in the late 21st century (so still at least 50 years from now) and so some of the 'predictions' have failed to materialize, but some things are so spot on to what's happened already .

Reposting for a second time because the thread locked on the first time.

I had a great week where I finished two books. Because P.S. prompts are so picky this year, I'm not finding it easy to assign books to prompts the way I seem to be able to do with ATY. I think I'm going to have to read a children's book to knock off a prompt in March.

I'm loving the Thursday Next book - it took a weird twist last night. Meddling Kids is such a great homage to Scooby Doo. Mere Christianity starts with some heavy duty philosophy in the first four chapters and shows how smart he was and not just a children's author, like my kids thought.

Finished:
The End of Her
ATY prompt: A book with a pronoun in the title
Popsugar prompt: N/A

The Fisher Maiden
ATY prompt: A book with fewer than 2024 ratings on ŷ������
Popsugar prompt: N/A

Series - 1/12
Nobel laureates - 1/5
Mysteries/Thrillers - 2/13

ATY - 6/45
PS - 3/30

Currently reading:
First Among Sequels - 70% done
Meddling Kids - 25% done

Buddy Reads:
Mere Christianity - 18% done
This Present Darkness - 40% done

QOTW: I can't think of an answer to this.

L Y N N wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Theresa wrote: "@Lynn - your comment posted twice - you want to delete one."
It just shows up once for me..."

It's now been locked by someone so no one besides the 2 who already up..."

Double posts is a fairly regular problem on GR. My advice is that when you don't see it -- making sure you have copied it first -- you do a refresh or switch to another page and then back before just posting a second time. Usually that has it pop up and you don't find a double.

Other times it just seems to do a double post for no reason at all.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Erin wrote: "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle- I don't understand the hype around this book. I found it incredibly tedious. This book could have easily been 200 pages shorter. And the author h..."

Nadine - you crack me up! If I had a nickel for every book you have mentioned here hating .... I'd have a very nice expensive dinner out!

I have NO CLUE what book to recommend that I know you would really like. Other than I'd make sure it was less than 300 page LOL. I am often shocked at some of the ones you panned in a review or here.

Of course, there are also a few that you give 5 stars to that I can barely justify giving 2 stars....

If we ever manage to meet - hopefully over tea at Alice's Tea Cup in NYC - our book discussion should be hilarious.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Theresa wrote: "L Y N N wrote: "Theresa wrote: "@Lynn - your comment posted twice - you want to delete one."
It just shows up once for me..."

It's now been locked by someone so no one besides the ..."

You could message Ron and Dubhease and ask them to copy/paste their review over here. Even though locked from new posts, they should be able to still open and edit and thus copy the message. Once they do, just delete the whole thing.

Theresa wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Theresa wrote: "L Y N N wrote: "Theresa wrote: "@Lynn - your comment posted twice - you want to delete one."
It just shows up once for me..."

It's now been locked by someone s..."
I did that. 😁

Theresa wrote: "L Y N N wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Theresa wrote: "@Lynn - your comment posted twice - you want to delete one."
It just shows up once for me..."

It's now been locked by someone so no one besides the ..."
Yes, it has doubled posts for me before, just never on the initial/first posting to begin a thread!

Dubhease wrote: "Reposting for a second time because the thread locked on the first time.

I had a great week where I finished two books. Because P.S. prompts are so picky this year, I'm not finding it easy to assi..."
Thanks for your patience and understanding and doing this, Dubhease!

I hope Ron can do the same!

I finished Moonraker's bride. It was fine.

I'm a little over halfway through Twilight of Avalon. Slow moving, but very well written if that makes any sense.

QOTW: That's a good question, but I'm not sure of the answer. I read a lot of older books, so I don't really think of the lack of tech. Plus, I'm kind of a luddite-lite. Obviously I use computers, but I don't go in for the latest gadgets and didn't break down and get a Smartphone until about a year ago.

Just one book finished since the last check-in and I didn't think it fit any prompts, so no movement. But! All four of my in-progress books fit open prompts, so I'll be checking off a few soon. I'm at 3/45 and 1/5 for this challenge and 11/100 for my overall ŷ������ Reading Challenge.

Finished:
* The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson

Currently Reading:
* The Stone Home by Crystal Hana Kim, which is a Giveaways win;
* The Spanish Diplomat's Secret by Nev March, which is one of my NetGalley backlist reads;
* Eternal written by Lisa Scottoline and narrated by Cassandra Campbell and Eduardo Ballerini, which I am FLYING through despite the length of the audiobook; and,
* Trust by Hernan Diaz, which is one of my book clubs' picks for March.

QotW:
Have you read a book published in the past with limited/outdated technology that you felt still held up in our modern world with regard to characters, plot, etc.? A lot of the mysteries I read probably fit here, but the one that jumped to mind first was Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky, which was first published in 1982. I read it for the first time when I picked up a copy of the 30th anniversary edition back in 2015 and really enjoyed it! I think the fact that V.I. had to hunt for phone booths rather than relying on a cell phone and use her smarts over a quick Internet search to find someone or something made me like her even more. I also like how the series has evolved over time and incorporates modern day issues and technologies into V.I.'s Chicago.

I feel like I might be buying more books than I’m comfortable owning. A few years ago I gave myself a goal to read all the books I own (or donate them if I was no longer interested). I completed that challenge and was very happy about it! Since then, if I’ve bought a book, I’ve read it right away. I’m starting to collect books on my owned TBR again, and I don’t like it. I had every intention of reading them as soon as I bought them, but then library holds and due dates changed my priorities. I told myself I was going to pause placing library holds until I got my owned books read, or got through my current holds list, but then I fell in love with a cozy mystery fantasy series this weekend and requested all of the books from my library sooo .... It’ll be fine! There’s bound to be a dry spell with my holds list at some point.

Finished
Mislaid in Parts Half-Known (a book that came out in a year that ends with "24"). I’m sad that I’ve read all of the books in this series and have to wait for the next to be published.

The Seventh Bride (a book by a self-published author). This was a good retelling of the Bluebeard fairytale. I’ve read a couple of these retellings, but not the source fairytale. It must be more popular than I know about?

None of This Is True (a book with an unreliable narrator). Wow, this book was fantastic and not at all what I expected. This was a lot more like The Invisible Girl than The Family Upstairs in that respect.

Shady Hollow (a book written during NaNoWriMo). Oh my goodness! This book is so charming. I think this is one of those books/series that you’ll either find enchanting or find the concept so weird you want nothing to do with it. I rated it 5 stars and immediately put in ILL requests for the rest of the series.

Reading
The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights (a book set in the snow).

Braiding Sweetgrass (a nonfiction book about Indigenous people)

Not a Sound by Heather Gudenkauf (a book by a deaf or hard of hearing author)

QOTW
I can’t say I really notice this in books. I guess I just think of anything with outdated technology as historical fiction.

Theresa wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Erin wrote: "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle- I don't understand the hype around this book. I found it incredibly tedious. This book could have easily been 200 pages shor..."

I miss Alice's Tea Cup. I used to work a few blocks from the one on the Upper East Side, before our department was kicked out to Murray Hill. The last time I was there was for a birthday celebration with my mother, my daughter, my sister and her daughter. These generations of our family are very close and it was just so lovely. Thank you for the reminder that we need to go again soon (although not sure my mom can do the subway all the way from Coney Island to the Upper East Side any more, someone will have to drive).

Ellie wrote: "Doni wrote: "OMG! Do you guys find that as your stress level goes up, your desire to complete this challenge goes down?!.."

When I'm having a bad mental health week I don't try and do prompts at a..."

Glad I'm not the only one!

Hi Eyeryone

This week, I was sick and spent a significant portion of that time reading. I finally finished "if he had been with me." I cried a lot, like a lot! Even though I knew the ending, I just couldn't help it. It was so sad.


The other book that I read was "all alone with you." It was an okayish book. Nothing to write home about.


And the next book I read was "Twilight." Yeah, you read that right! I actually never read the Twilight books, considering I was in middle school when the books and movies came out. Although I watched bits and pieces of movies, I mean, they were on TV all the time!!! What is up with that? I really don't get the hype... I mean, they were like a huge deal back then. What am I missing??


I started reading "lucky leap day." I hope that I finish this book by the end of the month. I'm on chapter 10, and the story is not that interesting so far. I mean, I only have like 15 more chapters. Even if I read 2-3 chapters a day, I should be done. So, fingers crossed.


On other news, I am rewatching S2 of Abbott Elementary. Any Abbot fans? I'm totally loving their new season. 

Milena wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Erin wrote: "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle- I don't understand the hype around this book. I found it incredibly tedious. This book could have easily bee..."

I have only been to Chapter 1 on the UWS and was there just a couple weeks ago. It was mighty fine! I am happy to have reminded you and want to hear all about it when you do set up an outing!

Nadine in NY wrote: "Doni wrote: "OMG! Do you guys find that as your stress level goes up, your desire to complete this challenge goes down?! We're getting our house ripped apart due to mold ..."

LOL I don't know! I do find the opposite is true: my stress level goes UP if I'm NOT completing the challenge. I get very angry at myself if I find I'm reading a book that doesn't fit a challenge category. This year I'm especially obsessed with it, I don't why.

I think it's because I don't really "vibe" with a lot of the categories, so I just want them DONE and out of the way..."

Same!

I've read a few this week, and it irked me each time it didn't work for Popsugar. So I was like it just has to work for at least one of the challenges...somehow! UGH!

I think it's because all the ones I have left are just so specific.

Hello all! Unlike a lot of you I am happy that I am currently sitting here listening to rain. I still need it to fill my catchment tank which has been hovering around half tank.

I am pleasantly surprised by how much reading I have gotten done this week since I felt like I had slowed down a bit. Granted two of these were finished, and two started, over the weekend for the ATY Read-A-Thon. Also due dates were a factor. I actually turned in Hula late because I wasn't going to return it without reading it first and I couldn't renew it.

2024 Challenges:
Popsugar: 14/50
ATY: 25/52
Robot Librarian: 22/52
A to Z: 14/26
Physical TBR: 0/92
Kindle TBR: 1/111

ŷ������: 28/50

Book Clubs:
PS Monthly: 20/50
Reese: 28/91
Oprah: 11/100
Jenna: 7/62
OSS: 6/39

Finished:
5 finished, 3 Completed Popsugar

Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones
PS#44, ATY#45, RL#8 (700s), AtoZ
Loved this look into Dolly’s Life through her clothes. It was cool to see her style change over the years and yet it all still remains true to Dolly.

Kiss the Girl
PS#4, ATY#23, RL#13 (author from Central/South America), AtoZ
This was a great retelling of The Little Mermaid.

Hula
PS#14, ATY#27, RL#48 (author w/ one book)
I was pleasantly surprised with this one. I could relate a lot to this and also knew about a lot of what she talked about. It’s interesting to be able to picture the place she is talking about because it is set in my home town.

The Women
ATY#10, RL#25
This was great! It made me mad at times, and disappointed in Americans from this time in how they treated the veterans. There was a part in the novel that mentions the silver bracelets they sold with the MIA/POW’s names on them and it brought back memories of the bracelet my mom used to wear. She wore it way into the 1990’s and I remember asking her about it when I was younger. I’m not sure if they ever found the guy or not so I’m not sure why she stopped wearing it.

Pineapple Street
ATY#19
Very WASPy problems. It was Okay and a quick read but such first world problems. It wasn't written bad it just wasn't for me I guess.
One of the characters decides that she's not a good person and so she wants to donate all her money to charities (we're talking millions) so she can be a better person and I just remember thinking 'That won't help, you'll still be the same person'
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Currently Reading
The Quarter Storm
Chain-Gang All-Stars
XOXO

On the Backburner
Libby
Evvie Drake Starts Over
Physical Library Rentals
The Ones Who Don't Say They Love You: Stories

Magazines: (1/148)
Read since last check-in: 0
I actually picked one up the other day b/c I was caught without a book in the school p/u line and found a partially read magazine shoved between the seat and the console. It was kind of a nice break to switch to a magazine.

Question of the Week:
Can't think of any. But like others have said often times it feels relevant for the time of the book.

Happy Friday!

Things out here are going okay I suppose. The weather is getting hotter which is unfortunate. I am not looking forward to the heat at all, especially since now it's going to cause my skin to break out. I don't like my facial condition. It acts up as a result of the sun which is a total drag. All I can do is maintain it.

Anyways, moving on from that boring topic. Things are just fine. Though I have finished working on my final poetry book. I uploaded it and requested a proof copy for it yesterday so I'm really excited on that front. I've got a set up for a mid-March release if all goes according to plan.

Other than that, just taking it easy and watching a couple of movies since there's not much else to do. I'm still in limbo with school, and still having a hard time on the job front. Everything requires experience and it's one of those circle things on "how am I supposed to get experience when I can't get experience"? Very annoying.

Moving on to my book stuff, aside from my self-published poetry book, I have hit a reading slump this month. I open books and start to read them, but I can't seem to commit. I think I just suffered some heavy burnout in January since I read 11 books that month. I am hoping to pick things up in March. I want to start putting together my TBR for it since this week is almost done and we just have one more week in Feb. to go.

While I have not read, this week I bought 8 books. Might have gone a bit overboard, but that's fine. Here are the books I ended up with:

Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution

To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery

Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears

A Twisted Tale Anthology

As Old As Time

Reflection

-Twisted Tales: A Whole New World

The Road to Roswell