Tuesday, January 1, 2019

POPSUGAR 2019 Reading Challenge

Thanks to a few quick-to-read children's books and a graphic novel, I managed to finish the 2018 challenge just in time. And now I've barely caught my breath and it's time to dive into 2019. Get all the details and a printable list of the prompts here. Well? Happy reading!

1. A book becoming a movie in 2019
2. A book that makes you nostalgic
3. A book written by a musician
4. A book you think should be turned into a movie
5. A book with at least a million ratings on Goodreads
6. A book with a plant in the title or on the cover
7. A reread of a favorite book
8. A book about a hobby
9. A book you meant to read in 2018
10. A book with "pop," "sugar," or "challenge" in the title
11. A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover
12. A book inspired by mythology, legend, or folklore
13. A book published posthumously
14. A book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie
15. A retelling of a classic
16. A book with a question in the title
17. A book set on a college or university campus
18. A book about someone with a superpower
19. A book told from multiple character POVs
20. A book set in space
21. A book by two female authors
22. A book with a title that contains "salty," "sweet," "bitter," or "spicy"
23. A book set in Scandinavia
24. A book that takes place in a single day
25. A debut novel
26. A book that's published in 2019
27. A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature
28. A book recommended by a celebrity you admire
29. A book with "love" in the title
30. A book featuring an amateur detective
31. A book about a family
32. A book written by an author from Asia, Africa, or South America
33. A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in the title
34. A book that includes a wedding
35. A book by an author whose first an last names start with the same letter
36. A ghost story
37. A book with a two-word title
38. A novel based on a true story
39. A book revolving around a puzzle or game
40. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

ADVANCED

41. A "cli-fi" (climate fiction) book
42. A "choose-our-own-adventure" book
43. An "own voices" book
44. Read a book during the season it is set in
45. A LitRPG book
46. A book with no chapters, unusual chapter headings, or unconventionally numbered chapters
47. Two books that share the same title (1)
48. Two books that share the same title (2)
49. A book that inspired a common phrase or idiom (e.g., Big Brother from 1984)
50. A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent



Read Harder 2019 Challenge


I finished the 2018 Read Harder Challenge and am on board for another year of exploring outside my comfort zone. As I'm also doing the Reading Women Challenge, I'll focus on women writers (with the exception of books I already own). I'm playing around with the idea of completing the prompts in numerical reader, but library availability may throw a monkey wrench in that plan. We shall see, I suppose.


1. An epistolary novel or collection of letters
2. An alternate history novel
3. A book by a woman and/or AOC that won a literary award in 2018
4. A humor book
5. A book by a journalist or about journalism
6. A book by an AOC set in or about space
7. An #ownvoices book set in Mexico or Central America
8. An #ownvoices book set in Oceania
9. A book published prior to Jan. 1, 2019 with fewer than 100 reviews on Goodreads
10. A translated book written by and/or translated by a woman
11. A book of manga
12. A book in which an animal or inanimate object is a point-of-view character
13. A book by or about someone who identifies as neurodiverse
14. A cozy mystery 
15. A book of mythology or folklore
16. A historical romance by an AOC
17. A business book
18. A novel by a trans or nonbinary author
19. A book of nonviolent true crime
20. A book written in prison
21. A comic by an LGBTQIA creator
22. A children's or middle grade book (not YA) that has won a diversity award since 2009
23. A self-published book
24. A collection of poetry published since 2014

Reading Women 2019 Challenge

I absolutely loved the 2018 challenge and it inspired me to spend the majority of my reading hours and dollars on women writers, especially women of color. 2018 was a phenomenal year of reading (if for little else) and I know I'll need plenty of women's voices to get me through this year as well. Looking forward to discovering more incredible writers!


1. A mystery or thriller written by a woman of color
2. A book about a woman with mental illness
3. A book by an author from Nigeria or New Zealand
4. A book about or set in Appalachia
5. A children's book
6. A multigenerational family saga
7. A book featuring a woman in science
8. A play
9. A novella
10. A book about a woman athlete
11. A book featuring a religion other than your own
12. A Lambda Literary Award winner
13. A myth retelling
14. A translated book published before 1945
15. A book written by a South Asian author
16. A book by an Indigenous woman
17. A book from the 2018 Reading Women Award shortlist 
18. A romance or love story
19. A book about nature
20. A historical fiction book
21. A book you bought or borrowed in 2019
22. A book you picked up because of the cover
23. Any book from a series
24. A young adult book by a woman of color

BONUS

25. A book by Jesmyn Ward
26. A book by Jhumpa Lahiri

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Bout of Books 23: August 20-26, 2018

It's time for Bout of Books again! Get all the details and sign up here.
Yay for a low-key readathon with a fantastic community of book lovers. Whether you read a lot or a little this week, be sure to stop by to say hello and connect with people who love books. I'll be ogling everyone's stacks and adding to my ever-growing TBR. 

Monday, August 20, 2018

Day 1 Challenge: Describe yourself #insixwords

My TBR list will outlive me. #truestory

Day 1 Instagram Challenge: Currently reading


Books joined in progress: 1(Jane, Unlimited--264 p)
Book started: 2 (Romancing the Duke--384 p; Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake--50 p)
Books finished: 2
Pages read: 698

Creatively structured series of five interconnected novellas, each presenting the MC with a different choice and in a different genre. The more I think about it, the more brilliant it seems. Begs for a reread.
☆☆☆☆✩

A destitute author's daughter inherits a castle from her godfather. Unfortunately, it's already inhabited by bats and a grumpy, blind duke who is unwilling to relinquish his ancestral home. 
☆☆☆☆

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Day 2 Challenge: Book plot emoji
👩💬🤵👉👌😍🥞
Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

Day 2 Instagram Challenge: Covers featuring a favorite color
Green


Books started: 2 (Amina's Voice--50 p; A Kind of Freedom--110 p)
Books finished: 1 (Nine rules--270 p)

Pages read: 430 


Sick of following society's rules, Lady Calpurnia makes a scandalous list of things she's always wanted to try and enlists the help of a notorious rake to help her check items off the list.
☆☆☆☆

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Day 3 Challenge: Literary Villain
An anti-hero you'll love to hate/hate to love = Victor Vale from Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Day 3 Instagram Challenge: Spine Poetry
My haiku inspired by the wildfires burning across the Pacific Northwest, and way to close to my house.

Fire, Burn, Ash--
Flame in the Mist


Books started: 1 (Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet--120 p)
Books finished: 1 (A Kind of Freedom--120)

Pages read: 240


An African-American family saga spanning three generations that shows the lasting legacy of slavery and racial discrimination in America.
☆☆☆☆✩


Thursday, August 23, 2018

Day 4 Challenge: Book Trip
My travel wishlist includes a tour of bookstores around the world, followed by am extended stay in Paris.



Day 4 Instagram Challenge: 5 🌟 Reads
Just a few of the favorites currently living on my bookshelves.


Books started: 1 (A Tale for the Time Being--70 p)
Books finished: 1 (Hotel on the Corner--184 p)
Pages read: 254


A love story between a Chinese-American boy and a Japanese-American girl that jumps back and forth between 1942 and 1986.
☆☆☆

Friday, August 24, 2018

Day 5 Challenge: Bookish Playlist
I don't listen to music as I read, but my favorite book-inspired songs are "Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush and "The Battle of Evermore" by Led Zeppelin (featuring Sandy Denny).

Day 5 Instagram Challenge: Unfinished Book/Series
This is a so-far unfinished series, only because Libba Bray is still working on the final installment.

Books started: 1 (Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake)
Books finished: 3 (A Tale for the Time Being--362 p; Lots of Candles--224; Amina's Voice--158)
Pages read: 744


Ruth, a blocked writer, finds a freezer bag filled with old letters on the beach and gradually gets drawn into Nao's story. I didn't love the touch of magical realism at first, but it all came together in the end, so I got on board.)
☆☆☆☆☆


A memoir about turning 60, filled with wit and wisdom. I loved it!
☆☆☆☆☆

Middle grade realistic fiction featuring Amina, a Pakistani-American girl navigating friendships, faith, and family as everything around her seems to be changing.
☆☆☆


Saturday, August 25, 2018

Day 6 Challenge: Discover Books
Looking at everyones book stacks reminded me that I want to read The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig. And also to add Crazy Rich Asians to my library hold list. 
 

Day 6 Instagram Challenge: Books published in 2018
Except for Circe, these are books I have purchased, but not yet read. Circe is one of my favorite reads of the year, so far.

Books started: 3 (Hate to Want You--90 p; The Curated Closet; Dark Places--110)
Books finished: 1 (The Curated Closet--265)
Pages read: 465

Good advice for identifying your personal style and creating a wardrobe that reflects it. I liked the focus on wearing what makes you feel confident, rather than on following rules or trends.
☆☆☆☆


Sunday, August 26, 2018

Day 7 Challenge: Stretch Goal
I'm stretching to finish one more book today!

Day 7 Instagram Challenge: Series Love
One of the series I'm most excited to read. 

Books started: 0
Books finished: 1 (Hate to Want You--294; Dark Places--432)
Pages read: 726


FINAL STATS FOR THE WEEK:
Books joined in progress: 1
Books started: 10
Books finished: 11
Pages read: 3557

Thursday, July 19, 2018

#24in48 Readathon--July 2018

Another #24in48? My heart is all aflutter, even though my husband is going to do his best to lure me away from my TBR stack. I may not make it to 24 hours, but I'll be reading in every spare moment. For full details and the sign-up, click here.

I'll be updating this post during the readathon, as well as on Twitter under #24in48
Happy reading to all!

Saturday, July 21
Started:
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire 
Dietland by Sarai Walker
Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

Finished:
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Dietland by Sarai Walker 🌟🌟🌟🌟


Hour 6: Marvelous Opening Lines
"It was late in the spring when I noticed that a girl was following me, nearly the end of May, a month that means perhaps or might be." from Dietland by Sarai Walker

Hour 12: A Whole New World 
The first book I read that altered my worldview was The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I grew up obsessed with mythology, fairy tales, and the King Arthur legend. Reading a story I knew so well from the women's perspectives was an a-ha moment for me about the ways in which women are erased from public view. A more recent read that gave me similar feels is Circe by Madeline Miller. The Odyssey by Homer is another well-known narrative that benefits from giving a central female character the chance to tell her side of the story. 
 

Sunday, July 22
I'm getting behind on the challenges because all I want to do is read! My husband wants attention and we have wildfires burning all around us and I'm in a comfy chair with my books like:
via GIPHY

Started:
The Hamilton Affair by Elizabeth Cobbs

Finished:
Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes 🌟🌟🌟🌟
I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Final Stats:

Total time: 27 hours, 31 minutes, 23 seconds
Books started: 6
Books finished: 4
Total pages read: 1,425

Can't wait to do this again in January!

Sunday, July 1, 2018

#SummerSoLit Book Bingo Reading Challenge

What better way to spend the summer than with the #SummerSoLit Book Bingo Reading Challenge? I hope you'll join me in getting out of your comfort zone and reading and supporting books by POC.
If you Twitter, post updates at #SummerSoLit to join in on the fun.
Challenge dates:
 Summer Solstice (June 22) - Fall Solstice (September 22)

1. "HEAT" in the title: Heat of the Night by Sylvia Day (For romance readers who like to skip to the good parts. Steamy paranormal romance.) 🌟🌟🌟🌟
2. Graphic novel with a PoC in it:  Monstress, Vol. 1 by Marjorie M. Liu (Gorgeously drawn fantasy-steampunk graphic novel with a creative and compelling plot and a badass MC with a secret.) 🌟🌟🌟🌟
3. Last in a series: Manners & Mutiny (Finishing School #4) by Gail Carriger (Fun, action-packed conclusion to a steampunk/comedy of manners series.) 🌟🌟🌟🌟
4. Takes place on an island: Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore (Kind of a genre-spanning, choose-your-own-adventure in which each choice the main character makes sets her on a path to face a truth about herself. The more I think about it, the more I like it.) 🌟🌟🌟🌟
5. Collection of short stories by a PoC: Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado (Genre-defying, feminist stories about women and their bodies. Think Margaret Atwood with way more queer sex.) 🌟🌟🌟🌟

6. Read 11+ books this summer: LOL. Done by mid-June.
7. Non-fiction about a PoC: Handbook for an Unpredictable Life: How I survived Sister Renata and My Crazy Mother, and Still Came Out Smiling by Rosie Pérez (An inspiring memoir of surviving and thriving despite childhood trauma. Added all of her movies to my Netflix queue. You know, for when my eyes are tired from reading.) 🌟🌟🌟🌟
8. Disabled male author
9. Fireworks on the cover: Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen (A memoir about turning 60, full of wit and wisdom.) 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
10. Local author

11. Made into a movie
12. High school summer
13. FREE SPACE: In Other Words/In Altre Parole by Jhumpa Lahiri (Her memoir about her love affair with the Italian language and how it reveals her search for identity and belonging.) 🌟🌟🌟🌟
14. LGBTQ main character: Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (As soon as Nancy arrives at the Home for Wayward Children, she becomes the prime suspect in some creepy murders. All she wants is to find a door back to the land of the dead.) 🌟🌟🌟🌟
15. Roadtrip: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (Fast-paced fantasy-adventure about a quest to restore magic to a fictional African kingdom. Dynamic characters and fantastic world-building.) 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

16. One word title: Circe by Madeline Miller (Circe finally gets to tell her side of the story you may have heard if you read The Odyssey. Gorgeous writing and compelling characters. Plus, some subtle LGBTQ rep.) 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
17. Latina main character: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (Xiomara is a teenager struggling to find her voice in a neighborhood where her curvy body brings unwanted attention and her super-religious mother will do anything to keep control of her daughter in this free-verse novel. I loved the way Spanish is seamlessly woven throughout.) 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
18. Camping: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (A humorous account of what happened when an inexperienced hiker took on the Appalachian Trail.) 🌟🌟🌟🌟
19. 50 year old sci-fi 
20. "SUMMER" in the title

21. A Beach on the cover: To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf (The story of a family's life, told in two parts--before and after the death of Mrs. Ramsay. The visit to the lighthouse is a metaphor for all that is unfulfilled in her life.) 🌟🌟🌟
22. New York Times Bestseller: The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae (An entertaining collection of essays that mostly skim the surface. I'm more of a fan of her work in television, where her voice absolutely sparkles.) 🌟🌟🌟
23. One word title: Dietland by Sarai Walker (A feminist manifesto that takes on diet and rape culture.) 🌟🌟🌟🌟 
24. Muslim female author: Amina's Voice by Hena Khan (Middle grade fiction featuring a Pakistani-American girl navigating friendships, faith, and family.) 🌟🌟🌟
25. Historical fiction with Asian main character: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (First love between a Chinese-American boy and a Japanese-American girl that jumps back and forth between 1942 and 1986.) 🌟🌟🌟

High Summer Readathon--July 2018

Readathons are such fun. Even though I'm already doing several others right now, I'm jumping on the bandwagon for the High Summer Readathon hosted by Michelle at Seasons of Reading. The best thing about this one is that I can read whatever strikes my fancy. YAY!

I'll keep this simple by noting titles as I start reading and add a star rating as I finish.

Week 1: July 1-7

A Room with a View by E.M. Forster (119 p) ☆☆☆☆☆
Circe by Madeline Miller (400 P) ☆☆☆☆☆
Monstress, Volume 1 by Marjorie Lu (208 p) ☆☆☆☆
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (176 p) ☆☆☆☆
The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict by The Arbinger Institute (288 p) ☆☆
Peace is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh (134 p) ☆☆☆☆

Week 1 Totals:
Books read: 6
Pages read: 1325

Week 2: July 8-14

Reconciliation: Healing the Inner Child by Thich Nhat Hanh (184 p) ☆☆☆☆
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (496 p) ☆☆☆☆
Pleasures of the Night by Sylvia Day (256 p) ☆☆☆☆
Heat of the Night by Sylvia Day (304 p) ☆☆☆☆
The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck by Sarah Knight (209 p) ☆☆☆☆

Week 2 Totals:
Books read: 5
Pages read: 1449 

Week 3: July 15-21

The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams (288 p) ☆☆
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado (248 p) ☆☆☆☆
The Widow Nash by Jamie Harrison (352 p) ☆☆
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (448 p) ☆☆☆☆
In Other Words/In Altre Parole by Jhumpa Lahiri (256 p) ☆☆☆☆
Down Among the Sticks and Bones (192 p) ☆☆☆☆
Dietland by Sarai Walker (320 p) ☆☆☆☆

Week 3 Totals:
Books read: 7
Pages read: 2104

Week 4: July 22-28

I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara (352 p) ☆☆☆☆
Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes (336 p) ☆☆☆☆
My American Duchess by Eloisa James (432 p) ☆☆
The Hamilton Affair by Elizabeth Cobbs (408 p)☆☆
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (818 p) ☆☆☆☆
The Exile by Diana Gabaldon (224 p) ☆☆
The Restless Dead by Deborah Noyes (Ed.) (253 p) ☆☆
Torch by Cheryl Strayed (336 p) ☆☆


Week 4 Totals:
Books read: 8
Pages read: 3,159 (Thanks to Dewey's Reverse Readathon!)

Week 5: July 29-31

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis (240 p) ☆☆

Week 5 Totals:
Books read: 1
Pages read: 240

TOTALS FOR THE MONTH:
Books read: 27
Pages read: 8,277
Books by women: 22/27