Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Happy Thursday!! It's back to snow-snow-snow here in northern NY.

Last year I had such a strong start to my reading year, I was very organized and knew exactly which challenge books I'd be reading. It was great! But last year ended a bit messily, reading-wise, with a lot of books I still meant to get to - which means this year started messy, and now I feel like I'm going in all directions with my reading, and therefore getting nowhere. I know I'm doing ok, I set a few books aside, and I think I've finally settled on a direction, but I still feel a bit scattered. I'm sure I'm not the only one feeling this way!

Some Administrative stuff: the poll results are in for April, May & June monthly reads (which are completely voluntary and just for fun).

If anyone would like to be a discussion leader for: March (feminism, The Handmaid's Tale), ), and/or June (LBGTQ+, Middlesex) just let Sara and/or me know! I'm happy to tell you that Megan has volunteered to lead May's discussion of Turtles All the Way Down.

UPDATE: Chrissy has volunteered for February (sports, Beartown)
And Tara has volunteered for April (bookstores & libraries, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore)!

This week I finished one graphic novel, one short story, and two novels. I am now 5/50:

Aquaman Vol. 1: The Drowning - at some point in December I decided to start reading superhero comic books. It's been uneven but fun! Aquaman was pretty silly, and I won't be continuing this particular series.

Love Is the Plan, and the Plan is Death (collected in several books, including Warm Worlds and Otherwise) by James Tiptree Jr.- this checked off "male pseudonym" for me, and also "award-winning short story" for Around the Year. This was, quite possibly, THE weirdest short story I've ever read. I'm going to try to go back and read more short stories by Tiptree!

The One by Kiera Cass - this is the final volume in a very fluffy YA trilogy. I'm going to check off "next in a series you're reading" with this book.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson - for "childhood classic" (this would also work for "takes place at sea") - I found this surprisingly dull, and was glad to be done with it!

Treaaure Island leads into the QOTW!
Question of the week:

This one is from Juanita: Is there a particular book or series you associate most with your childhood?
How do your picks compare with New York Public Library's 100 Great Children's Books (https://www.nypl.org/childrens100)?

I'm afraid I can't pick just one book!! When I was a kid, I read every Oz book that my library had, the one I remember best is Ozma of Oz, because I dressed as Ozma one Halloween. (I hated, and still hate, the Wizard of Oz movie, however!) The other stand-outs are: The Black Stallion (and every other Walter Farley book I could get my hands on!), White Fang, The Mark of the Horse Lord (and other historical fiction by Rosemary Sutcliff) A Wrinkle in Time (and all the other Madeleine L'Engle books, such as A Moon By Night), the "Three Investigators" mystery series, and any Andre Norton books my library shelved in the kids' section (in particular I remember Lavender-Green Magic - I wish my library had a copy so I could re-read that one!). We didn't have the internet back then, so once I found a book I liked, I read every other book the library had on the shelf from that author.

Only ONE of my favorites shows up on the NYPL list! (A Wrinkle in Time)

I find that my years always start out well planned and end in chaos, lol, at least as far as reading goes.

I am 8/50 in the challenge, I finished two books this week:
Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli - a book set in a country that fascinates you; this book was set in Poland. My Dad's grandparents migrated from Poland at the turn of the last century, and so I've always been interested to learn more about this country. I highly recommend this book

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - a book about feminism; this book was completely different than I'd imagined it, but it kept me captivated. I saw that some reviewers think the premise too unbelievable, but I scarily I don't.

Right now I'm reading my second book in a nonfiction challenge, I think it is also going to work for "A book about a problem facing society today" as it confronts racism, poverty, and the health crisis, to name a few.

QOTW: Books that I associate with childhood include the Nancy Drew series, the The Black Stallion series (and indeed any horse book I stumbled across), the Little House On The Prairie series, Pippi Longstocking, The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales (my mom used to read those to us on summer nights when we'd sit under the porch light and enjoy the outdoors) and of course Amelia Bedelia. It looks like Little House on the Prairie, Pippi Longstocking, and Amelia Bedelia made the list. I'm surprised of others I can think of that didn't. I still like rereading many of my early favorites.

Hello, no snow here, just lots of wind (and fallen trees). I wish we had some snow for our dog to play in, I love watch dog in snow videos.

I finished Still Me by Jojo Moyes which I'm counting for a 2018 book. I enjoyed revisiting Lou, even if nothing will beat the first book.

I also read Saga, Vol. 8 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, which I wasn't intending on using for the challenge but it does fit book set on another planet, so that'll do!

Still reading A Conjuring of Light which I hope to finish soon. Why are third books always so chunky?!

QOTW
I was pony mad as a kid so read absolutely anything with horses in. The Jinny books by Patricia Leitch were my favourite, I wanted to be Jinny! I re-read one a few years ago and they stood the test of time.

Hellooooo! I'm excited I get to check in so early this time. Usually I have to go to work exceedingly early the later part of the week, but because of vacations I am working late shifts. I should sleep soon.

I had some time off in the past week, and caught up on lots of movies and books. I watched 9 movies, and entire TV series and finished four books!

I am at 9/52! This is good because I know I will nosedive later in the year.

This week I finished:

York: The Shadow Cipher for my Twins book. It's a middle-grade alternate history puzzle adventure with a multi-racial cast of characters.

Binti and it's sequel Home I hoped to use for Another Planet, but both are only there a short time so they became author of a different ethnicity and published in 2018 respectively. I then noticed Home was published a year ago, but the audio just came out and that's what I used, so for now I'll leave it.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory is my Lyrics book, which has been in my Audible library for some time now. Coincidentally her newest book is my print currently reading:

From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death will be my death or grief book. I like it so far but honestly, I mostly bought it in hardcover for the cover.


I barely started the new paperback in my bag, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library.

I am currently listening to NOS4A2, which I am embarrassed to say took me far too long to figure out how to say. (It's Nosferatu, if you, like me, were still wondering.) I love silent film and everything. *hangs head in shame*

I tend to have scary dreams if I fall asleep listening to scary-ish books, so I may need to find a new one David Tennant narrates for sleepy-time. I noticed in last week's thread he's become a recurring theme. (Woot)

QOTW: I must have somehow inherited my books as a child, because they were nearly all quite a bit older than I was. I particularly remember How Fletcher Was Hatched, The Story About Ping, My Special House and the Raggedy Ann Stories.

None of my books are on that list. The closest is Bread and Jam for Frances, because I was given A Bargain for Frances when I was in the hospital in third grade. (I bruised some ribs when falling.)

I managed to finish my nordic noir this week so that's two prompts down so far. I read The Hummingbird by which is a detective novel set in Finland with a female protagonist. I gave it three stars, I liked the protagonist and the themes of racism and immigration but the central mystery was not that compelling and the identity of the culprit came a bit out of left field. This book wasn't too gory so I would recommend it to someone who want to try out the genre but is squeamish about lots of violence (I kind of wished there was more violence to be honest).

This week I have started Catilina's Riddle. It is the third book in the Roma Sub Rosa series of mysteries set in ancient Rome. I really enjoyed the first two books in the series so I have high hopes for this although at over 700 pages I can't see myself finishing it for a few more weeks. I had originally selected it for the next book in a series prompt but it already seems like important people from this period of history will feature heavily this book (namely Marcus Tullius Cicero https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicero and Lucius Sergius Catilina https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catiline) so I might have it as the novel based on a real person instead and leave the next in a series prompt for the numerous other series I need to continue.

I am also still reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for the Pottermore book club.

That leads me on nicely to the QOTW as the Harry Potter series played a huge role in (if not my childhood) definitely my adolescence. I began the series when I was 9 at around the time that Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released, It meant that I was the perfect age for the series as I grew with the characters and waited eagerly for the subsequent books especially Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows which I did not allow myself to read until I finished my GCSEs.

Other books that I have fond memories of are all of the Jacqueline Wilson books and the Anne of Green Gables series that I used to listen to on tape. I listened to the first book so much that I can still pretty much quote the first chapter verbatim.

Although not my all time favourties there are definitely some other books on that list that I have fond memories of including
The Borrowers
The Graveyard Book (although I read this as an adult)
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Matilda
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Winnie-the-Pooh

There are some books on the list that I have never heard of so maybe they were only popular in the US

I didn't get much done this week.

I finished My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Vol. 1, for the Read Harder challenge. It's fantastic, but it's very, very dense for a graphic novel, and it took me more than a week to get through it.

I've started The Ice Beneath Her for my "nordic noir," and I'm still plugging away at The Good Immigrant, for the Read Harder challenge. It's great, but I need more time to process the essays, so I'm only reading one every few days. I've also picked up Stardust, which I may use for the "ugly cover" prompt.

QOTW: I read pretty much anything I could get my hands on. But I had a particular fascination with Little House and Boxcar Children and Nancy Drew and The Baby-Sitters' Club.

But I love, love, love Anne of Green Gables. And I was pretty mad for Black Beauty and Misty of Chincoteague and anything else with horses on the cover.

I also remember being bowled over by Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry in the 5th grade. So much so that a sixth-grade teacher got me a signed copy of The Road to Memphis at a book event when it was published later that year. (And I wasn't even her student!)

Actually, maybe I'll reread "Roll of Thunder" for the weather prompt...

It's been a slow start to the book challenge for me, as I've read two books that count towards the challenge, Six of Crows for the heist and The Beast's Heart for a book published in 2018. Also nearly finished my third one, One Way for book set on another planet, which is basically "The Martian" if it was written as a murder mystery. That being said, all of the books I have picked so far have been amazing, so I'm not complaining.

There were two book series that defined my childhood. Harry Potter is the obvious mention: I feel like it would be on the list of most kids of my generation, because we grew up as the books and films came out. So much of what I learnt about growing up was through Harry, Ron and Hermione, and those books even ended up influencing my school subject and university choices!

The Narnia books also deserve a special mention. I had a collected illustrated works of all the Narnia books and would take it away on holiday, obsessively reading the books from cover to cover, because I loved it that much. They were the start of my love affair with fantasy novels.

Good Morning!!

A good week this week.

Finished:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Nordic Noir). Really enjoyed it. Once I got about a third of the way in, it was hard to put it down.

How to Train Your Dragon (Movie I've Already Seen) Cute book. Nothing like the movie. Listened to it on audiobook and I highly recommend that because David Tennant.

The Potawatomi (Book Tied To Your Ancestry). Fascinating look at the people of my great great great grandmother. Also timely because I live in their original homeland, and the Pokagon Band just opened a new casino here in South Bend on Tuesday.

So, 4/50

Working on:

Dark Matter (Book I Meant to Read in 2017 But Didn't Get To). A real page turner! The way I'm burning through this one I'll finish very soon.

Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the Worldv (Microhistory). Interesting. About 20% through (audiobook).

The Complete Tales by Beatrix Potter for the Book by an Author With the Same First or Last Name As You. It's little known that my real first name is Beatrix.*

*this is a lie

QOTW

Lord of the Rings more than any others. I would also include the Shannara series by Terry Brooks.

Hi!

This week I read:
No. 33 A childhood classic you have never read The Cat in the Hat
No. 39 A book that involves a bookstore or a library The Invisible Library Sorry to say that I didn't like it. I had looked forward to reading it as the plot sounded fun.
No. 40 Favorite prompt from 2015 - (A one word book) Greywalker
No. 47 A book by an author with same first or last name The Ugly Duckling

Read but not for the challenge
Nine's Legacy

I am currently reading:
No. 1 A book made in to a movie you've alreade seen The Fellowship of the Ring
No. 13 A book that is also a stage play or musical The Taming of the Shrew

I am currently waiting for a book to become available at overdrive it is the second in a series but I already got the 3rd, so I am hoping the 2nd will come soon before I have to return the 3rd and be in line again. Appareantly I can only borrow 2 at a time and have 2 reservations due to the terms of my library with Overdrive... The struggle is real...

QOTW:
I remember reading The Story of Ferdinand (In danish of course) and Ronia, the Robber's Daughter absolutely loved that one. Besides that it would have been danish authors like Halfdan Rasmussen he wrote a lot of silly rimes which was very funny to have read to you before bedtime.

Mike wrote: "It's little known that my real first name is Beatrix.*..."

;-) The things we learn about our friends!!


Anabell wrote: "Appareantly I can only borrow 2 at a time and have 2 reserves due to the terms of my library with Overdrive... The struggle is real... ..."

Argh! that's terrible!! My Overdrive account limits me to ten holds, and I hit that limit often!!

Hello from snowy Nova Scotia! Schools are cancelled and it’s cold outside.
I got 2 books read this week and about halfway through a third.
I’m trying to double up some books for the last couple prompts from last year so I’ve got:
The German Girl: a book recommended by a librarian (‘17) and novel based on a real person.
Emma: a book recommended by someone else doing the challenge.
Currently reading The Bat for my Nordic Noir and next up is Tuesday’s With Morrie to satisfy my 2017 day of the week prompt

QOTW:
Definitely Alice in Wonderland and the babysitters club books, Beverly cleary especially the Ramona books!
Some of these made the list for sure. What I noticed was there are a lot on there that I didn’t read until I was an adult whether just because (Matilda for example) or because they weren’t out when I was a kid (Harry Potter, the mo willems books) but the book I’ve chosen for childhood classic is there! The phantom tollbooth!

Hello everyone!

I have had one hell of a terrible start this morning, and it's nice and stormy outside haha!

So far I've read 7/50 books (might end up being 52, with the fave prompts from previous years), and I am struggling with the 8th as I've just been insanely tired.

I am currently reading Twelve Kings in Sharakhai for the high school prompt, and Fighting Fatigue: A Practical Guide to Managing the Symptoms of CFS/ME which I hope to fit into one of the prompts from 2016 or 2017, as it's about my chronic illness and I would like it to count for something!

I did pick up The Shadow of the Wind while at work last Tuesday (I work at the library), because it was right there and I am weak. Cannot wait to get started on it! But I have had De Broederschap at home from the library for months now, so that will have to come first. Hopefully another one I can cross off with a 2016/2017 prompt!

QOTW:
Harry Potter is the first to come to mind, in terms of international books. As I'm Dutch, our children's books are a whole lot different than what's common in English speaking countries. I remember being a huge fan of Carry Slee and Jacques Vriens and the "Hoe Overleef Ik" (How do I survive) series by Francine Oomen. One of my favorite books however is a book I still treasure: Dwars door het glas. The final chapter, and especially the final few sentences still gives me chills. ALSO, everything Robin Hood related, although that's still an ongoing thing haha!

I doubt any of them are on the list, which makes sense, of course, but I am determined to read a few of the more known books. I've already read Alice in Wonderland for Popsugar, and Peter Pan is on the list. Last year I also read Charlotte's Web because it's my best friend's favorite and she sent me a copy. So far I'm enjoying it, though the age category for these books is a lot lower than the books I just mentioned, but then again I don't think I ever read books for kids meant that young haha!

Hey y'all! We got about six inches (!) of snow yesterday. I'm very thankful our power is still on, since the trees were absolutely drooping with snow. I'm not actually sure if six inches is materially worse than a dusting, because either way our area shuts down, but my 9yo is having a ball playing in it!

Finished this week

I Capture the Castle - *A book with alliteration in the title* - I really liked this. The characters are all well drawn, the setting is the apotheosis of charming (ancient house attached to a crumbling castle in a quaint English village), and there's enough relationship drama and a little mystery to entice you along. I felt it bogged down a bit with too much teen angst in the late-middle, but it recovered.

New Year, Same Trash: Resolutions I Absolutely Did Not Keep - recommended by multiple people last year, and a fun silly 20-minute read. I'm embarrassed to count it for a prompt since it's so short, but I'm definitely going to check out We Are Never Meeting In Real Life because I love her voice.

Started

Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood - I've got a 14yo and a 9yo who is growing up fast. This book is helpful, reassuring, and a good source of ideas. I like that it mainly deals with normal development rather than particular challenges or problems, but it also gives some guidance on how to identify and react if your girl is falling outside the standard continuum of behavior. So this is perfect for *A book about mental health*

Zone One - a zombie story by the author of The Underground Railroad. What's not to like? This will be my *book by an author of a different ethnicity than you*

Feet of Clay - *The next book in a series you started* - I'm ready for some more Night Watch, and I needed a comforting Kindle book to read last night while I was fretting about my husband having to travel today (he canceled the trip this morning - yay! Clearly my worry-magic was effective).

QOTW

Many that have been mentioned: Narnia, Ping, Little House, Beverly Cleary.

Very influential on my reading habits: John Bellairs books illustrated by Edward Gorey, The Book of Three (made the list!), and The Belgariad, starting with Pawn of Prophecy.

I still remember the huge rush of pleasure I experienced upon finishing The Belgariad, feeling that wistful satisfaction of being done with a great story, and then finding out there were FIVE MORE BOOKS about the same characters!

6/50

We are on day 2 of no school here in central Virginia. It is a large county and while all the streets are clear, the more rural areas with gravel roads probably are not. *sigh*

A novel based on a real person:
I had this one blank hoping I would find something that would interest me and I did. I just finished reading America's First Daughter, a novel based on Thomas Jefferson's daughter, Martha. What a great book! I gave it 5-stars, something I rarely do. I love historical fiction, especially when it is set in colonial times, so this one was perfect for me. And since we live in Charlottesville, it made it even more real since we are familiar with Monticello and other places mentioned in the book.

I also finished reading Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures with my son. This was a cute book and I would love to find a prompt for it on the list. I'm wondering if I should do last year's prompt a book with a title that's a character's name? Any other thoughts would be appreciated.

I am STILL trying to get through Autonomous for my Cyberpunk pick and am making good progress through Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I'm also reading The House on the River on my Kindle. So I've got plenty to keep me busy.

QOTW:
My go to book as a kid was Heidi by Johanna Spyri. I read and reread this book every summer. Indeed, there are multiple pictures of me on summer vacations over the years with this book in my hands.

Books finished:

None, slow week for me, I’m on vacation in Japan, so lots of sightseeing and not a lot of down time.

Books reading:

Still Helter Skelter, about the Manson murders. I’m becoming quite invested though.

QOTW:

While not a novel, I remember Shel Silverstein’s “There’s a Light in the Attic” being the first ‘book’ that I read on my own. I travel a lot so whenever I am feeling homesick, I’ll flip to a random page on my kindle and read one of the poems. Instantly reminds me of home and childhood.

I need to add that I am now also currently listening to The Wizards of Once, because David Tennant.


Unauthorized Cinnamon wrote: "a fun silly 20-minute read. I'm embarrassed to count it for a prompt since it's so short."

Short book shaming? Cinnamon please. I count picture books. And Edward Gorey books! Oh man, now I really want to use The Gashlycrumb Tinies as a book about death! Maybe I will just mark that one twice.

Morning all, happy reading!

I play with the personal rule that one book can count for a couple prompts. I am 11/50 after 7 books.

This week was Moonglow by Michael Chabon
Book with Song Lyrics in the Title

Slow start and scattered narrative made this one a little lack luster for me. I feel like he wrote the story and then moved the pieces around in editing. The first half of the book was not that compelling to me but it finished strong. Right in the middle he seems to try and unpack some thoughts and feelings about Gravity's Rainbow. Finished fairly strong. I liked it.

QOTW:
When I was a tween, I discovered Douglas Adams and The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I had just mentioned to a friend that within those pages is the seed of my lifelong love of reading.

Happy Thursday from snowy South Carolina!

I got about 3 inches yesterday. Yuck!

I completed three books:

The Diamond as Big as the Ritz, and Other Stories, for #31, a book mentioned in another book. I read The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry last year and wanted to read this one. Like all of F Scott Fitzgerald works, this one is rich in imagery: rich versus poor; good versus evil; religion in society. Since Ritz was short, I read the other stories and adored Babette Bobs Her Hair.

Next, I took on an advanced selection: #47 A Book Written By Someone with your name: The Legend of Annie Murphy. I took a little liberty here and, went with a protagonist with my name. I don't think I will read more of the Cooper kids series, because I'm a bit old for it, but it was charming! I'll pick up a couple for my nephews. The book had it all: mystery, time travel, Christian values... So sweet!

Scarlet; It's better than Cinder but just not my thing. I'm reading this for #27, a book set on a different planet. I would love to strangle both the female leads -- I'm just too old for this book. And don't get me started on the incomplete ending. I don't plan on reading another one.

Currently reading:
# 20 Book by a local author: Kingdom of Happiness: Living the Beatitudes in Everyday Life This is outstanding, but it's a deep thought book. I think I have another week of it easily. It's really outstanding though!

With the weather and the library closed for MLK weekend, I also picked up Charles Kuralt's America this week, but it's not for any prompts. I just needed something not too stimulating and not science fictiony to read.

QOTW: I'm 45, so I didn't grow up with as many series as you all did. I'm a Nancy Drew and Laura Ingles Wilder fan though! I read all of the old blue cover Nancy's at my public library and must have read The Secret of Shadow Ranch 20 times.

Good Morning from a pretty cold northern Indiana!

I feel like I'm slacking off a bit, some of you have so many books read so far.

Finished:

Emma in the Night for a book with a time of day in the title. I liked it but didn't love it. I had the ending semi figured out before the end. This was a three star book for me.

This puts me at 1/52.

Currently Reading:

The Boy Next Door for a book by a local author. I'm not too far into it yet but enjoying it so far. It's interesting how Meg Cabot (I'm in Indiana, she's from Indiana...local author!) is using texting, email, journaling and social media to tell the story.

QOTW:

The book I associate most with childhood is Little Women. I must have borrowed that book from my teacher a dozen times to read it growing up. I still love the book and Jo is still a hero to me.

Hello from rainy Oregon!

Finished:
The Rescue (local author)- unintended comedic elements but good for a first book by someone I personally know.
Secrets (not specifically for the challenge)- this was just a cheesy Christian romance to pass some time but I love a fluffy book once in awhile and I have author loyalty.
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (for separate Newbery Challenge)- brought back a lot of memories from when we watched the series on PBS.
My Life in Dog Years (a book with an animal in the title)- this is a sweet book I read aloud to my girls, we aren't allowed to have pets so I try to find ways for my girls to appreciate animals once in awhile.

Currently Working On:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Nordic noir) I moved this one over to audio with the intention to listen to it while walking but still haven't been able to get to the gym.
The Red Tent (favorite color in title) I might be replacing this one or this one might go in the DNF pile this year as it is proving difficult to get into as I read a super similar sounding book just recently and I need more variety, just not feeling it right now.
Eddie Red Undercover: Mystery on Museum Mile (?possibly replace favorite color in title) This is a read aloud to my kids book but I noticed it has my favorite color in the title and it is already starting out as a fun mystery.
The Heist (involving a heist) has been a quick read and already half way through.

Stats: 2/40 & 0/10

QoTW: The books I associate most with my childhood are Dr. Seuss, Where is Tommy? (a book that has been out of print for some time but was the first book I learned to read), Little House on the Prairie (the whole series too), Charlotte's Web, Ramona the Pest, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Fudge series), and the American Girl books. I see at least 4 of the books on the list.

Unauthorized Cinnamon wrote: "... New Year, Same Trash: Resolutions I Absolutely Did Not Keep - recommended by multiple people last year, and a fun silly 20-minute read. I'm embarrassed to count it for a prompt since it's so short,..."

Note that I checked off a prompt with a short story this week ;-) All book choices are good book choices!!!

Happy Thursday! It's finals week at the high school I work at so there will be lots of quiet time in the library and maybe I can sneak in a little reading of my own!

This week I have not finished any books. I've started plenty but am having trouble committing and finishing. This week I've started:

Rick Steves' Snapshot Norway - planning a trip to Norway sometime in 2019 so figured I would get a head-start on researching possible destinations.

How to Train Your Dragon - trying to sprinkle in more children's literature and I loved this movie!

Little Women - will probably count for the book of a movie I've already seen.

QOTW:

I most associate the Harry Potter series with my childhood. I got the first 4 books as a present when I was still too young to read them and the last book came out my sophomore year of high school. I read and reread them countless times throughout those years (every time a new book or movie came out I had to reread the series up until then) and still reread them every few years. Another book, from my very young years, is At Daddy's on Saturdays. My parents got divorced when I was really young and I remember getting this book as a present. It helped me a lot to understand what was going on and I would recommend to parents, with young children, who are going through a similar situation.

Hi everyone!

It's still cold and snowy here in Michigan but we're at least getting a little bit of a warm up. Going to be in the high 20s today instead of the tens or single digits.

I'm doing ok for progress so far, maybe not a much as last year. Been trying to make up for it this week!

I finished The Power which was really good, but stressful to read. I'd read too many reviews talking about how dark and intense it was so kept waiting for the shoe to drop. But I'm glad i pushed through, it was excellent. This is my celebrity book club pick, it was in Emma Watson's club pick for the end of last year. It's also counting for ATY women's fiction award winner.

The Bear and the Nightingale I love, love, loved this. This is everything I'd wanted out of the Snow Child and didn't get. I loved the Russian folklore woven within the story. This counts for my book with an animal in the title, also for ATY's author debut prompt.

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride - This was a fun easy read, I read it in a day. If you love Princes Bride, it's a great look at the making of it from the perspective of Carey Elwes. There were also inserts from a number of the other cast members, and the director and writer. I especially loved reading more about Andre the Giant. This didn't really work for popsugar for me (anything it'd sort of fit in I have other books for), but it's counting as my ATY book with punctuation in the title, and for Read Harder's celebrity memoir.

I'm currently reading Deadline. I'm really loving it so far. I might use it for my death and grief prompt, because the main character is having to deal with a lot of critical deaths in his life (it is a zombie book, after all). It'd also work for next in a series.

Currently at 5/50. I have 2 more checked out digitally that are prompt books as well.

QOTW:

This is a hard one! I've always been an avid reader. I feel like when I think of my childhood, the things I think of most are reading all of the Saddle Club books, the Thoroughbred books, and Bruce Coville's various series. I also read a lot of Madelenie L'Engal, although not all of them. I think I had trouble figuring out the right order so read them willy nilly.

Thawing out here in Texas (we aren't partial to the cold AT ALL).

This week I finished The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Lord of the Flies. I'm almost done with The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game - I hope to finish it today or tomorrow. I'm about a third of the way through The Picture of Dorian Gray.

I'm waiting patiently (well, trying to) on two books from the library: Operator Down and Iron Gold. I adore both of the series and can't wait (patience, patience) to dig into the newest offerings.

I've elected to read War and Peace for another reading challenge so I intend to start now and read just a bit of it every day so I can finish it this year. #goals

QOTW:
A couple of books I enjoyed as a child are on the 100 list (Bridge to Terabithia and The Hobbit) but I was really more of a Judy Blume fan (along with Nancy Drew/Hardy boys/Bobsey Twins books). However, the books I most associate with childhood are a series of classics abridged for children. My favorites were The Count of Monte Cristo, David Copperfield, and Treasure Island. Strangely, I've never read any of these as an adult.

I feel like I ended 2017 in a slump and now that 2018 is here I feel rejuvenated!

Last week I was reading Turtles All the Way Down and I finished that up - officially checking off being read by a stranger. Looking forward to May and leading the discussion with you all.

I started and finished my next book in a series by reading Always and Forever, Lara Jean. I was not thrilled by this book as the main character acted way younger than the age she was supposed to be - hence annoying the heck out of me.

I want to continue (and hopefully finish) the Millennium trilogy (only counting Stieg Larsson books) so I'm reading The Girl Who Played with Fire. I'm used to his writing style so I know it starts slow. I'm only 16% in. I don't intend on using this for the challenge but its still early so I never know what shuffling I will do later on.

Sitting at 3/52 right now. But my current read and my next two will not count for the challenge. I told myself I wasn't going to plan out my list but yesterday afternoon I sat and scoured my to-be-read shelf and filling in my spreadsheet with ideas - haha!

QOTW The Box-Car Children and Nancy Drew: #1-64 for sure!

Megan wrote: "I feel like I ended 2017 in a slump and now that 2018 is here I feel rejuvenated!

Last week I was reading Turtles All the Way Down and I finished that up - officially checking off..."

Last week I finished Turtles All the Way Down too :).

Ok, last week was both a good week and also a very strange week.

I'm doing read harder challange too so I picked the Escape to You for an ugly cover for both challenges and guess what it was fit for a book I hated too. It won the title of worst ever book I had to finish. don't ever go near it.

The other book I read and actually liked was Turtles All the Way Down. With that I checked off A book about Mental health and also a book with an animal in the title, however I might read another book for the latter.

My reading definitely feels very scattered this month - I’m trying to commit to more things on a monthly basis and generally readin to a deadline isn’t my strong suit. Add in library availability and I’m a reading mess! However I’m hoping that it will get smoother as the months pass. We shall see.

My Name Is Lucy Barton was a super short and super good audiobook. I had it on hold for an ATY prompt but ended up reading something else to fill that, but read this too. I managed to tuck it into fav past prompt from 2015, female author. I’m glad I listened to it - I related a lot with Lucy and her awkward relationship with her mother and having moved away from her family and childhood home.

Revival, Vol. 1: You're Among Friends didn’t fit anywhere, but I’m really glad I finally read it. My eye was caught by that awesome cover but I didn’t buy it at the time and I finally came across it again by describing the cover to a comic book store employee and he immediately knew what I was talking about. It’s a great first volume and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

I Have a Dream and Child of the Civil Rights Movement I read with my daughter for MLK Jr Day. They were a bit above her age level, but informative for me as a Canadian living in America. I’ve got a lot of reading to do to be able to help my girls with schoolwork, since I didn’t study any American history at school in Canada (it was offered but didn’t ever fit in my schedule).

For ATY I read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian as a book that was one of the first 10 I put on my Goodreads TBR and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay. The former was so, so good and I should have read it back when I bought the book in 2012 or so. It’s one I will definitely encourage my kids to read around 12-13 because it’s such an important window into a very different life. The latter, well, it was fine. I read it as a 2017 Goodreads Choice winner and I don’t understand how it won over some much stronger books - I enjoyed the short read but without having already seen the movie, I wouldn’t have been all that impressed, I don’t think.

Freedom is one of the books I read because I’m trying to more actively read off the 1001 list. I’ve aboided Franzen because he’s such a douche of a person but I really enjoyed the first third of this audiobook and then didn’t mind the last two thirds. It was flawed but mostly enjoyable and I was impressed by the effort of such a sweeping novel. I slotted it into my fav past read for 2017, an audiobook.

Then, late last night just to have it done for the check-in, I finished off Commotion of the Birds: New Poems. Poetry is seldom my thing but I actually enjoyed reading this, though I felt like I had no idea what was going on most of the time. It was my favourite task from 2016, poetry. It’s unfortunate to have filled all three years of that prompt, seeing as it was basically a free space for just about anything, in just one week!

Up next is probably Big Girls Don't Cry: The Election that Changed Everything for American Women, as the Book I saw someone reading in public, Passing from the 1001 list and something that relates to the Earth for ATY, I haven’t figured out what yet.

QOTW: Emily of New Moon was probably my all-time favourite childhood read. I liked Anne of Green Gables a lot as well, and the Narnia, Ramona, A Wrinkle in Time and Little House series. I was also really into the Bookie series, which is Canadian and hard to track down - not helped by the fact that I can never recall the titles. In my early YA years, I was all about the Pern series and other books by Anne McCaffrey and Star Wars books. I missed a lot of classic children’s books, actually, because I was a hardcore rereader back then. Many I came across while teaching later.

Only two of my favs are on that list - Ramona and AWiT, but I’m not surprised. I’ve read a decent chunk of the list, though most of it while teaching. And what I haven’t read I am interested in - a bonus of having kids has definitely been revisiting children’s books all over again.

Hello from finally-(probably-temporarily)-warming-up Iowa!

This week I finished The Magicians for a book that I meant to read in 2017 and read The Magician King for the next book in a series I've started. I also knocked out my favorite prompt from the 2016 popsugar challenge (a graphic novel) with Adventure Time With Fionna and Cake.

I started Sense and Sensibility for a book that was being read by a stranger in a public place. I was concerned that it would be too similar to Pride and Prejudice, which I read for the first time last summer, but it's been different enough so far.

I read so much as a child that I don't think I could pick just one book to associate with my childhood. I remember checking out The Black Stallion Mystery and Muttketeer! about as often as I could. I also read as many of The Boxcar Children books as I could get my hands on.

I finished Hate to Want You for #10. Finished Heidi for #11. 5/52

We have never had a "snow day"... Every day was and is a school day, no matter what the temperature or how much snow there was. (Well in Lapland they did cancel school once, I think... That was because the distances are long and many had to take a bus, and cars are not exactly reliable when it's -50 degrees C.) But I have already started using my winter gear, as it seems we are finally getting it. Until this week I have mainly used the same coat I have used since the end of summer...

I've read a couple of shorter novels Monsieur Ibrahim and The Flowers of the Qur'an, mainly for my other challenge because the words in the title are in an alphabetical order in the translation, and there are five words in it, so that's nice. I used it as a book about death or grief, because there was dying and grief in the background.

I also read Juho, 18 for a f2f bookclub, I might use it as a novel based on a real person because Juho was the author's father. It mainly covered the year he turned 18, and took part in the civil war and then spent some months in a prison camp. There was a mention in it that the men had heard that a lot of German soldiers had drowned in a lake when trying to retreat in haste (it was spring, ice wasn't strong enough or there wasn't any). What made it interesting to me was that I often walk around that lake as it is very near, like 1km from me, though the one with a beach where I go swimming is even nearer. Though it might have been just a rumour, I am not even sure Germans were this "far" up north, they mainly fought in the south.

I also finished Hammurabin enkelit (Angels of Hammurab) as an audiobook and I couldn't fit it in any other place than as a book I borrowed (from the library). It was a thriller with events that had a background in the Yugoslav Wars.

QOTW:
The only book series I associate with childhood is really the Lotta novels Det är Lotta, förstås!. I remember reading "all" of them in the summer after the first grade when I had learnt to read and again in the next summer. I rode a bike to the library pretty much daily and borrowed another book and returned the one I had read the previous day. But in the spring of the second grade I was also already reading "adult" mysteries, like Sherlock Holmes and Christie novels.

Finished Reading:
Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's I enjoyed parts of this book. Some of the early parts were stressful, but it was decently good glimpse into the workings of his brain, the stories of work he's done in his lifetime were quite interesting. (Read this for the mental health prompt.)

Mind's Eye Aside from a few paragraphs of explicit sexual content (which I was *really* hoping to avoid with this pick) I enjoyed this more than I thought I would enjoy the Nordic Noir prompt. It did get very dark in places, but the violence/gore content wasn't much more than you'd get in an average Agatha Christie novel, and I didn't dislike the main character.

Fairest I read this for the villian/anti-hero prompt. I'm glad I finally finished off the Lunar Chronicles series since I loved them (and this gave the story behind rumors you get in the rest of the books), but to be honest, just by nature of being Levana's story, this book was kind of stressful and not much fun.

Currently Reading:
Jackaby I should finish this one by the end of the day. Really enjoying it! (I'm reading it for 'recommended by another person doing the challenge'--true confessions, I scrolled through the list of recommendations until I found something that was already on my TBR.)

I'm also still working through Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage (on audiobook), The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict (getting close to the end of this one), and Golden (a bit disappointed by this one,but it fills it's purpose of being something I can read on my phone when it's not convenient to read a print book).

I haven't read a book since the end of November. It got crazy busy and I ended up Netflix binging on my break instead of reading.

Yesterday, a ton of students were gone on a field trip, most of my grading was finished and the internet was down, so I had some free time and I just read my book I've been reading for SSR.

I finished The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos. It's YA about a girl who is searching for her missing father and mother. It was okay but not great.

But I feel like it broke me out of my reading slump.

QOTW:

Probably A Wrinkle in Time (my 3rd grade teacher gave this book to me and I flove it) and Where the Red Fern Grows.

Hi everyone! Work has been such a mess this month with no end to the chaos in sight, so I’m glad reading helps my sanity. And the business travel is starting back up again now (later today, in fact) after enjoying 2 ½ months at home, so hopefully it won’t affect my reading time too much. I’m crossing my fingers for good weather because everyplace I have to go in the next 6 weeks has the potential for snow.

I finished 3 books for Popsugar this week and one for another challenge, so I am at 5/50.

Books I read this week:
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen for a book with song lyrics in the title (28). This was so interesting. He talks about exactly what he went through to make it big as well as how much creativity and effort is put into writing his songs, and he is brutally honest about his life, including his divorce, 2nd marriage, and his father’s diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. I might not like all of his music, but I definitely respect him as a musician/songwriter after reading this book.

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman for a book made into a movie I’ve already seen (1). It has been a while since I’ve seen the movie, so it was almost like reading the book without any spoilers. I seem to recall the movie being more lighthearted than the book, although I could be wrong. Either way, I loved the book and Hoffman’s writing style. I plan to read the prequel, The Rules of Magic, in the next few weeks.

Storm Front by Jim Butcher for a book with a weather element in the title (24). Sci-Fi/Fantasy isn’t my usual genre, and I’m kind of on the fence about this book. Maybe a 3-star rating. I have heard that the series gets better, so I’ll probably read the next book at some point before giving up on it completely.

Final Girls by Riley Sager for the Around the Year challenge. It would work for a couple of Popsugar prompts (one I meant to read in 2017 or a celebrity book club), but for now I’m trying not to double dip. This was a great thriller that kept me engaged and staying up way too late because I had to know how it ended. It had the perfect balance between suspense and reveal, it telegraphed a couple of twists but many of them were unexpected. I read a lot of thrillers, so if one can surprise me I consider it a successful read.

I am currently reading:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot for the Around the Year challenge prompt a narrative nonfiction (16).
Naked by David Sedaris for a book that is borrowed (17).

QOTW: When I was in grade school I devoured everything by Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary as well as the Little House on the Prairie series. I also read all of the Nancy Drew series. (I was the kid who got in trouble for reading with a flashlight under the covers. I also didn’t mind getting sent to my room for punishment because I would just pick up a book and read until dinner.) A couple of those books are on the list: Ramona the Pest and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.

This week I have read
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for Nordic Noir
The Cruel Prince For book with twins, book published 2018 and First in a YA series
Honky Tonk Girl: My Life in Lyrics book with title that is a lyric

QOTW: I loved to read any Newberry Award book, The Magic Christmas , The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and I read all the Mandie and the Secret Tunnel series

Carmen wrote: "Fighting Fatigue: A Practical Guide to Managing the Symptoms of CFS/ME which I hope to fit into one of the prompts from 2016 or 2017, as it's about my chronic illness and I would like it to count for something!
"

I don't know what you were planning to read for 'problem facing society', but I think you could actually fit it there if you wanted to. Fatigue and chronic illness seem to be a growing problem these days.

(Personally, I deal with hypothyroid, Lyme, borderline PCOS, and recently discovered a likely mold sensitivity. Impressively, most of that is under control pretty well, but I am familiar with having tired days.)

And I forgot the QOTW again!

The books that immediately stood out in my memory from childhood were series like Nancy Drew: #1-64, Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, Bobbsey Twins and such. I also remember getting out the 'color' fairy books from the library in succession, and then discovered the Animorphs series, which I devoured. I also read some Louis L'Amour, Janette Oke and the The Man of Bronze (Doc Savage series) around the ages of 8-10.

None of that is on the official list, but reading through the list did remind me that I also loved The Borrowers, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, The Narnia series, and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.

Can you tell that I read a TON as a child? :-)

Anne wrote: "Scarlet; It's better than Cinder but just not my thing. I'm reading this for #27, a book set on a different planet. I would love to strangle both the female leads -- I'm just too old for this book. I should finish it today. ."

I've had that feeling with other YA books (Shatter Me series specifically--someone needed to sit that girl down and give her a talk about hormones!), but not with the Lunar Chronicles so much. As I said about the Percy Jackson series last week, it might not be so much an age thing as a personality thing. :-)

Tytti wrote: "But in the spring of the second grade I was also already reading "adult" mysteries, like Sherlock Holmes and Christie novels. ."

Oh, I forgot about those! I probably read those even more than Louis L'Amour and Janette Oke.

Oohhh Animorphs! I really need to finally read the rest of those series haha! I also devoured the Darren Shan Saga, but at the time I was already almost “too old” for them. Still loved them, though.

As for Fighting Fatigue; that’s a good idea! I have The Hate U Give down right now, but I think I’ll have an easier time finding a prompt for that one than for this book. Thank you!

(I’m glad you’re doing well! I feel you on the tired days, obviously. CFS, fibromyalgia, chronic depression, and autism. I am tired pretty much 24/7 😂 but we’ll keep fighting!)

Earlier this week, I finished The Boy in the Suitcase for Nordic Noir. I really enjoyed this. It was an interesting mystery in a genre I don't read very often.

I'm currently reading The Bear and the Nightingale for book with an animal in the title. I'm really enjoying it so far. I love the atmosphere the author creates.

QOTW:
I loved The Babysitters Club and the Sweet Valley books! Also Nancy Drew!

I finished Ready Player One this week. My geek heart loved it, but I'm a different kind of geek than the author. I don't know anything about video games and very little about 80's cult classics so I know I missed alot of Easter eggs, which is ironic in a funny way. But I liked the story and appreciated the geek passion.

I'm currently reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It's okay, but this is definitely not my genre.

QOTW
My first thought was the Chronicles of Narnia because they made the biggest impression on me. I'd never been allowed to read fantasy before, and I fell in love with the genre. I read alot of Babysitter's Club books too.

I read 4 books this week, but they were great books. I'm doing pretty good with the challenge so far. I'm at 7/52.

1. The Son - I read this for my Nordic Noir. I loved it. I went to the library a couple of days ago and picked up The Bat.

2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - I haven't found a place for this one yet. I'm pretty sure I read it as a child so I can't use it for the childhood classic. However, I highly recommend the audiobook if anyone is planning to read it.

3. The Girl in 6E - I read this for a book you wanted to read in 2017 but didn't get to. I really enjoyed it. I had some minor issues with it but overall its a great story.

4. Before the Storm - Kinda disappointed with this one. The audiobook is horrible. The story itself is interesting but a little unbelievable. Definitely a Lifetime Movie type thing. Lots of drama. I can't fit this into this challenge but I'm counting it for another.

QOTW: I had a lot of favorites as a kid. I think the first series I really fell in love with was either The Boxcar Children or the Ramona Quimby books. I also loved The Babysitters Club, Harry Potter, and Sideways Stories from Wayside School series.

Happy Thursday!

5/80

I finished 2 books this week:

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

Waking Gods

both are sequels to books I read in 2017

I am also about halfway through Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis. I was interested because he also wrote The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine and Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, but I haven't really found it worth while so far. I haven't learned much of anything, and the anecdotes he's included which should be shocking just seem like a mild version of The Wolf of Wall Street. So I'll be putting this one on hold for now.

I just got The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo from the library so I hope to join the group discussion soon.

QOTW:

My brother and I read The Chronicles of Narnia to death growing up. I also had a mild addiction with the BBC movies.

James and the Giant Peach is another life long favorite of mine. Any book that starts with people being devoured by an escaped animal was solidly in my wheelhouse at 6 years old.

poshpenny wrote: "Short book shaming? Cinnamon please. I count picture books. And Edward Gorey books! Oh man, now I really want to use The Gashlycrumb Tinies as a book about death! Maybe I will just mark that one twice."

Nadine wrote: "Note that I checked off a prompt with a short story this week ;-) All book choices are good book choices!!!"

Touché! I actually used a couple picture books and short books last year, so I don't know why I'm getting hung up on it now. I shall officially designate this *A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you.*

I finished Wonder this week for a book with song lyrics in the title. I will admit that initially I felt like that was stretching things since the title is only one word but the book opens with Natalie Merchant's lyrics from her song, the very same one that I had connected the title to. So, guilt is gone. It was a sweet little book. I can see why so many like it. That makes three challenge books down in three weeks. I like this pace!

QOTW: I was always reading as a child but I didn't really have many that I went back to over and over again. Among other things, I remember reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with my dad, and I loved Horton Hears a Who! as well as anything by Shel Silverstein.

Good morning! I totally feel you on starting organized and devolving into chaos.

I was better at the end of 2017 due to a very "extra" system I came up with where I make seasonal/quarterly reading lists for myself and try to include a healthy proportion of challenge books/longtime TBR items/book club picks/new releases I know I'll be getting from the library. It totally helps me stay on top of my nebulous reading goals (read your back catalog of Book of the Month picks!) and on track for the challenge. Plus it's fun to come up with every few months.

Finished: Still Life and I would like to read more Louise Penny ASAP. I used it for a book set in a country that fascinates me because the French-Canadian parts of Canada are infinitely interesting to me.

Roomies for a book by two authors. This was a much talked of book by basically everyone whose taste in romances I trust and it was totally adorable!

Currently reading: Persuasion, my favorite book which fits a couple of challenge prompts but I have other ideas for them. I just felt like reading my favorite book!

17 Carnations: The Royals, the Nazis and the Biggest Cover-Up in History which I swear will NOT BE in my "currently reading" this time next week. I am going to finish it. I decided.

QOTW: I agree with everyone who can't pick just one. The big series for me would be Narnia, Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie. I had box sets of all of them (still do)!

BRRRRRRRRR its cold here at the moment. We have been waking up to "feels like" single digits for the past few days and that is so not normal for central Texas. Thankfully we will be back up in the 60s by the weekend, I can't wait. Even though it has been uber cold here the past week, I haven't gotten much reading done. I just couldn't seem to commit to a book for a while there. I swear, I started and put down at least 3 books in one day before finally settling down and finishing one.

Finished:
Warcross - book you meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to
This was my first book by Marie Lu, even though my daughter has read her Legend trilogy, and it didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed it and totally didn't expect it to end the way it did. Now I have to wait for the next book. *sad face*

Progress:
4/42 regular challenge
0/10 advanced challenge

Currently reading:
The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History
I could used this one for a movie I have already seen, but I have Jaws slated for that, so this might just end up being a non challenge book.
I am planning on reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Blood Red, Snow White, and getting a start on The Greatest Adventures of Sherlock Holmes next week, which will all fit prompts.

QotW
The book I associate the most with my childhood is Charlotte's Web. I was raised by readers, so I was always exposed to books, but Charlotte's Web was the first chapter book that was MINE. I remember my mom reading it to me multiple times, I remember reading it to my self even more times. I was so in love with the story that we stopped eating pork when I was little (or so I was told *wink wink*), everything was chicken, and no one was allowed to kill spiders in the house.

This was a very slow reading week for me since it was the start of the semester and I'm swamped. That, and my book is a sloooooow read. Interesting but it's taking me forever.

The only thing I did manage to finish is Blankets which I'm using for A book from a celebrity book club. This graphic novel was recommended by Oprah, Neil Gaiman and Joss Whedon just to name a few. In spite of the fact that a coming of age/first love memoir from a young man mired in his parent's evangelical (and oppressive) religion has little in common with me, I did enjoy this. (Note I use oppressive here not as a slam against Christianity but against the particular branch depicted in the book which didn't even allow the use of public libraries so the students of the religious school he attended wouldn't get 'bad ideas.' That and their homophobia just to name two of the many things in this book).

QOTW It would be impossible to choose just one so let me list those that really shaped me. Carolyn Keene's Nancy Drew books (and part of me is torn between wanting to see the originals which had Nancy as even more independent (it was removed in the 50s under McCarthyism) but certainly had more racism and classism) ,

J.R.R. Tolkien's series. How many times did I read Lord of the Rings. No Clue but enough that I wanted to name my first born after Strider.

Julie Campbell's Trixie Belden Books were another mainstay

Agatha Christie and her Hercule Poirot series. Yes, not a children's book but I started reading it in grade school so I'm counting it.

A Wrinkle in Time as well (I hope to reread this soon before the movie drops) and many many Star Trek and Star Wars tie in books.

I had a fairly good reading week considering I am dealing with the mess from last week's flood in my basement and a huge fundraiser coming up on Saturday which I am on the planning committee of. Granted, most of the books I read were for young people and were quick reads, but six quick books is OK.

I read The Woman on the Orient Express and enjoyed it very much. I am a huge Agatha Christie fan and was worried this book would irritate me because I'm not big of nonfiction people playing a large role in a fictional story.
I also read The Perfect Score for my reading committee. It was well written and I would probably recommend it to a fourth grader.
The Magic Misfits was another book I read for my reading committee and I didn't really enjoy it. It was a good book for third and fourth graders, but I really hate it when an author chats at me throughout a book. I just want to get involved with the story.
Words in Deep Blue was a fun YA novel- very fluffy- and will fit three prompts for me, so we will wait and see where I need to fill in.
Long Way Down was the quickest read of all as it was in verse, but it was definitely my favorite book this week. I really like to read Jason Reynolds and he did not disappoint.
I also finished The Complete Father Brown after weeks of reading a short story or two a night. Not long ago I binge watched the series on Netflix and, though I rarely feel this way, the series was much better than the book.

QOTW: The whole way down the thread I was reading what everyone enjoyed when they were young and I kept thinking "I loved that book" or "that was the best series." How to nail it down? I would say Anne of Green Gables was absolutely my favorite followed closely by Ramona, Fudge, Nancy Drew, and Little House on the Prairie. Shel Silversten was also a huge favorite in our home. My brother and I would recite his poems back and forth between our bedrooms before we fell asleep at night. What wonderful books there are for children.

Happy Reading this week!