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Snagged from [personal profile] dizzojay ages ago.


Day 5: Talk About Books This Year

I started the year in 4 book clubs. Now, I'm only in one. Funnily enough, the Pub Grub Book Club was the last one I joined, the one I heavily debated joining, and it's the only one I'm still in. It's run by the library, but is held at a local Lord of the Rings themed bar. We only read graphic novels and we vote on them from a list each month. In November, we had 2 books to discuss because we had a tie vote and just elected to read them both instead of picking between them. It technically has 12 members, but 5 of us show up consistently. It's a good number. They are also the reason I read Fourth Wing. Everyone else in group had already read it and strongly encouraged me to do so, with plans to discuss it after the next book club meeting. Unfortunately, the next book club meeting was cancelled do you the group leader having a family emergency.

The Freshly Written Book Club was a monthly book club at the library where we read books that had made best sellers lists and discussed if they lived up to the hype. It fizzled out on its own during the summer for several reasons. One being that it had been going for several years already and while it's normal for people to come and go as commitments change, no one was coming in to replace the members that were leaving. We had several books that were complete duds in a row, which made even more people lose interest. Also, this year, we had to change how we acquired books for book club and it caused massive delays in actually getting the books, to the point that we were never getting the books on time anymore and for the last meeting we actually met, we hadn't gotten the books in time enough to actually read them before the meeting.

The Haunted Book Club was an online book club being hosted by a YouTuber called Alt Knots. She is best known for being a spooky crochet/yarn/fiber arts influencer. The books were always interesting picks, but trying to keep up with book selection and the live discussion streams got to be too much for me. In order to stay on top of things, you had to be constantly monitoring her YouTube channel, her Instagram, her website, and her newsletter. I just didn't have the energy to be that invested and I have no idea if the book club is still going, but I do still follow her on YouTube and Instagram.

Roll for Reading Book Club died before it really got a chance to get started. We were supposed to meet every other month. Basically, there was a master sheet of fantasy books, each numbered, and we rolled a d20 to determine what book we were reading. We each read a different book and discussed it with the others at the next meeting. It was intentionally kept small, but this back fired because after someone moved and another member never showed up ever, we were down to 2 members and the library could no longer justify running it, as 1 of the members was library staff running it as part of his work schedule when he could have been put on other projects. We managed to have 2 book discussion meetings, and selected a 3rd book for each of us, we never got to discuss.

I'm also doing [personal profile] kingstoken's reading bingo, but I haven't updated my card since June, so I'm not sure how I am doing with it.

Our library did a Summer reading challenge this year. It was based on the number of books you read and you got enamel pins as prizes. (There was a random assortment to choose from.) You got one for signing up, you got one for hitting the halfway point, and one for finishing. You also got a bonus one for signing up on the first day. Your official tracker card also served as a raffle ticket for a gift basket when you turned it in. I had completely forgotten about that part and ended up winning! It was huge. It came in a Pizza Planet (from Toy Story) tote bag. Attached on the outside were 3 Pokémon enamel pins and a knock off brand tamigatchi. Inside was a zen magnet poetry kit, 2 different escape room games, 3 books, & 1 - 1000 piece puzzle of cats on a bookshelf.

Surprisingly, there was no Halloween reading challenge at the library this year. There usually is one.

Right now, the library is doing what they are calling the Golden Ticket Challenge. Your tracker this time looks like a little road map with gold scratch off spots. For every 30 minutes of reading, you scratch off a spot and have a chance at winning a prize (it says small or medium prize on the sheet and I know you pick them off a cart, but neither my mother or myself have claimed any of our earned prizes yet, so I don't know what they are). The end of the trail is 9 hours of reading, which then you can turn in your tracker for a large prize for finishing. You can claim your prizes as you go or all at once when you are done. On top of this, there are 30 golden tickets hidden in books and audio books throughout the library. If you check out a book with one in it, you get a special prize.

One of my main reading goals this year was to complete any ongoing series I've been reading. The only one I've come close to finishing is Lumberjanes, which I did focus on a bit more heavily, as it's the series' 10th anniversary. All I need is the last collected volume and I will have finished the graphic novel series. I've had it on hold for awhile, but it's still just marked as pending.

My Good Reads goal this year was 40 books. I haven't updated it in a few months, but I know I have surpassed it.

My main way of tracking books this year was with the Beanstack app. I do dearly love it, but it hard logged me out in September and after the first couple of attempts to log back in didn't work, I got too busy to deal with it and it kind of got back burnered. I will get back in & get it updated, but my stats are going to be way out of wack.

I used my history on my library account to help make this list, as my physical tracking of my reading after June is a bit spotty, so there are possibly some non-library books missing, but the complete list should actually be pretty complete.


Complete List
Read more... )

Complete blank meme in box
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I put myself on a little "vacation" where it's quiet, people are not apt to bother me, and I can borrow a computer. I've been catching things up and I have stumbled upon a bingo. I'm going to keep going with the card until I have a blackout, but I am impressed that I managed to actually use every book I've read so far for a fill and that there is a bingo. Usually, it doesn't work out that way.

Book in a Series Author You've Never Read Before Book Older than You Are Fairy Tale or Fairy Tale Retelling Graphic Novel or Comic
Pet or Animal Companion A Main Character Over the Age of 30 LGBTQ+ Multiple POVs Under 100 Pages
Romance Plot or Sub-Plot Translated FREE SPACE! Humour Non-Fiction
Thriller or Suspense With a Blue Cover POC Author Horror or Paranormal Colour in the Title
Seasonal Read Book from Your TBR Crime or Mystery Sci-Fi or Fantasy Banned Book


With a Blue Cover: Ice Cream Man: Sundae Edition Book 1 by W. Maxwell Prince
Non-Fiction: Mary Shelley: The Strange True Tale of Frankenstein's Creator by Catherine Reef
POC Author: The Hive and the Honey by Paul Yoon
Romance Plot or Sub-Plot: A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair
Multiple POVs: The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz
A Main Character Over the Age of 30: Starter Villain by John Scalzi
Thriller or Suspense: The Writing Retreat: A novel by Julia Bartz
Book From Your TBR: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Fairy Tale or Fairy Tale Retelling: Chivalry by Neil Gaiman &
Crime or Mystery: Resident Alien Omnibus vol 1 by Peter Hogan
Graphic Novel or Comic: My Favorite Thing is Monsters vol 1 by Emil Ferris
Sci-Fi or Fantasy: Nimona by ND Stevenson
Horror or Paranormal: The Only One Left by Riley Sager
LGBTQ+: A Guest in the House by Emily Carrol
Author You've Never Read Before: The Bad Ones: A Novel by Melissa Albert
Book in a Series: Lumberjanes vol 11: Time After Crime by Grace Ellis and Shannon Watters
Pet or Animal Companion: Lumberjanes vol 12: Jackalope Springs Eternal by Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh, & Maarta Laiho
Humor: Lumberjanes vol 13: Indoor Recess by Kat Leyh, Maarta Laiho, & Shannon Watters

2024 Book Bingo

Thu, Jan. 4th, 2024 02:01 pm
spiralicious: Cereal Killer Mask (Default)
[personal profile] kingstoken is doing book bingo again and I thought I would give it a go.

Book in a Series Author You've Never Read Before Book Older than You Are Fairy Tale or Fairy Tale Retelling Graphic Novel or Comic
Pet or Animal Companion A Main Character Over the Age of 30 LGBTQ+ Multiple POVs Under 100 Pages
Romance Plot or Sub-Plot Translated FREE SPACE! Humour Non-Fiction
Thriller or Suspense With a Blue Cover POC Author Horror or Paranormal Colour in the Title
Seasonal Read Book from Your TBR Crime or Mystery Sci-Fi or Fantasy Banned Book


With a Blue Cover: Ice Cream Man: Sundae Edition Book 1 by W. Maxwell Prince
Non-Fiction: Mary Shelley: The Strange True Tale of Frankenstein's Creator by Catherine Reef
POC Author: The Hive and the Honey by Paul Yoon
Romance Plot or Sub-Plot: A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair
Multiple POVs: The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz
A Main Character Over the Age of 30: Starter Villain by John Scalzi
Thriller or Suspense: The Writing Retreat: A novel by Julia Bartz
Book From Your TBR: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Fairy Tale or Fairy Tale Retelling: Chivalry by Neil Gaiman &
Crime or Mystery: Resident Alien Omnibus vol 1 by Peter Hogan
Graphic Novel or Comic: My Favorite Thing is Monsters vol 1 by Emil Ferris
Sci-Fi or Fantasy: Nimona by ND Stevenson
Horror or Paranormal: The Only One Left by Riley Sager
LGBTQ+: A Guest in the House by Emily Carrol
Author You've Never Read Before: The Bad Ones: A Novel by Melissa Albert
Book in a Series: Lumberjanes vol 11: Time After Crime by Grace Ellis and Shannon Watters
Pet or Animal Companion: Lumberjanes vol 12: Jackalope Springs Eternal by Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh, & Maarta Laiho
Humor: Lumberjanes vol 13: Indoor Recess by Kat Leyh, Maarta Laiho, & Shannon Watters
Book Older than You Are: Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
spiralicious: Cereal Killer Mask (Default)
Challenge #2

In your own space, set yourself some goals for the coming year.


My goals for the year are still in the nebulous, "well, this is kinda what I'd like to do," stage and haven't been fleshed out into real, actionable goals yet.

I have been thinking about them a lot, it is the season, but also several comms I'm in have had their goals for the year check in posts, and I set up my new bullet journal pages and my planner for the year. Based on those things, my goals will look something like this:

I rambled a bit, so it's under a cut.

Read more... )


Snowflake Challenge promotional banner with image of igloo and northern lights. Text: Snowflake Challenge January 1-31.
spiralicious: Cereal Killer Mask (Default)
Snowflake Challenge #12

In your own space, set yourself some goals for the coming year. They can be fannish or not, public or private.


Technically, I have a bunch of tiny goals this year, but for this, I am going to concentrate on things I've already posted publicly and what's being tracked in my bullet journal.

My Wrisolutions:
+ archive all my fics at my fic journal on DW (I think I finished archiving all my fan fic onto AO3 last year, but I'm not totally sure)

+ if I hit 600 fics on AO3 (I think I am currently at 593), join Squidgie's World and start cross posting there

+ buy a laptop. I haven't had a computer for 6 months (7 now) and trying to write without one has been ridiculous

On Goodreads, I've pledged to read 40 books

On Beanstack, I'm doing the ongoing challenges of:
+ The Book Reporter (write book reviews, top achievement is 100 reviews)

+ Ten to Try (read books from 10 different categories)

From my bullet journal:
+ I'm tracking several personal self-care habits

+ Make my room a livable space

+ Complete the Snowflake Challenge

+ Complete more craft, art, and creative projects (and several strategies for that)

+ The 23, 23s in 2023 challenge, though I have not picked all of my 23s yet

+ Keeping a milestone list, a happy jar, and a done list

+ Participate on DW more (and several plans on how)

+ Continue cooking my way through The Adventurous Eaters Club cookbook

Snowflake Challenge promotional banner with image of three snowmen and two robins with snowflakes. Text: Snowflake Challenge January 1-31.
spiralicious: Cereal Killer Mask (Default)
Challenge #6

In your own space, post the results of your fandom scavenger hunt

Read more... )

Snowflake Challenge promotional banner featuring an image of a chubby brown and red bird surrounded by falling snow. Text: Snowflake Challenge January 1-31.
spiralicious: Cereal Killer Mask (Default)
READING CHALLENGES


This year I wasn't going to do any reading challenges. That was a lie.

Read more... )
spiralicious: heart shaped tea cup (<3 tea)
Trying something new this year. These are the books for the reading challenge I am doing. If you are looking for reading lists and reading challenges, I have a bunch on this Pinterest board. This will be linked in the important links post and updated regularly.

Read more... )

Books I Finished That Were Not Part of the Challenge:
2016 Surfer Magazines (all monthly issues)
The Wolf Tracker + Quaking-Asp Cabin by Zane Grey (Audio Book)
2017 Online Reading Queue by Various Authors (335,605)
Avatar: The Last Airbender The Lost Scrolls: Water by Michael Teitelbaum
Avatar: The Last Airbender The Lost Scrolls: Earth by Michael Teitelbaum
Sharpie Art Workshop by Timothy Goodman
The Haunted Tea Cozy by Edward Gorey
Post Traumatic Hood Disorder by David Tomas Martinez
Avatar: The Last Airbender The Lost Scrolls: Air by Tom Mason
AX vol.1 Ed. by Sean Michael Wilson
We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
In Over Their Heads But Making it Work Anyway by puddleofgoo (140,570)
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
The Witch Who Came in from the Cold #1.1 – 1.13 by Lindsay Smith, Max Gladstone, Cassandra Rose Clarke, Ian Tregillis, & Michael Swanwick
Tokyo Ghoul vol. 2 by Sui Ishida
Tokyo Ghoul vol. 3 by Sui Ishida
Christmas Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Tokyo Ghoul vol. 4 by Sui Ishida
A Creepy Countdown by Charlotte Huck
Avatar: The Last Airbender The Lost Scrolls: Fire by Tom Mason and Dan Danko
The Bride of Frankenstein Doesn't Bake Cookies by Debbie Dadey
Stories for Nighttime and Some for Day by Ben Loory
Reindeer Moon by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
Tokyo Ghoul vol. 5 by Sui Ishida
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
The Way of the Househusband vol. 2 by Kousuke Oono
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki & Rosemary Valero-O'Connell
The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill
Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames
My Favorite Things is Monsters #1 by Emil Ferris
Tokyo Ghoul vol. 6 by Sui Ishida
The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick by Mallory O'Meara
Red Sonja, Vol. 1: Queen of Plagues by Gail Simone, Walter Geovanni (Artist), Walter Geovani (Illustrator), Jenny Frison (Cover Artist)
Red Sonja, vol. 2: The Art of Fire and Blood by Gail Simone, Walter Geovanni (Artist), Ivan Rodriguez (Illustrator), Jenny Frison (Cover Artist)
The Long Walk by Stephen King (Richard Bachman)
Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 1: The Assassin's Road by Kazuo Koike, Goseki Kojima (Illustrator)
Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles (#1-6, complete series) by Mark Russell
Second Chances by Arianna Paige
The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
The Gold-Bug by Edgar Allan Poe
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe
The Highway Rat by Julia Donaldson
The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse by Beatrix Potter
Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
Tokyo Ghoul vol. 7 by Sui Ishida
Carmilla by Sheridan LeFanu
Unnatural Creatures Ed. Neil Gaiman
The Sandman: Overture The Deluxe Edition by Neil Gaiman
Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America Ed. by Ibi Zoboi
The Cat Who Saw Red by Lilian Jackson Braun
Tokyo Ghoul vol. 8 by Sui Ishida
Supernatural's Beginning's End #1-#6
Milk Wars #1-#5
Doomsday Clock (2017) #1- #11
Young Monsters in Love (2018)
DC House of Horror (2017)
DCU Halloween Special '09
Wildstorm Halloween Special (1997)
The Saga of the Swamp Thing #33
Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion #5 & #12
House of Mystery #290, #296, & #294
House of Secrets # 97, #94, & #92
Man-Bat (1977), #1 & #2
Man-Bat (1996), #1-#3
Supernatural (2011), #1- #6
Raven (2016), #1-#6
Batman (1940) #402, #403, #408, #409, #410, #411, #412, #413, #414, #415, #416
Batman (1940) (Death in the Family, books 1-4) #426, #427, #428, #429
Batman (Batman: Under the Red Hood) #635, #636, #637, #638, #639, #640, #641, #645, #646, #647, #648, #649, #650
Red Hood: The Lost Days, #1-#6
Red Hood and the Outlaws (2011), #1-#10
My Brother's Husband by Gengoroh Tagame
Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito
Herding Cats: a “Sarah's Scribbles” Collection by Sarah Andersen
Batman vol.1: I am Gotham by Tom King
Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
Goblin Girl by Moa Romanova
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks
Batman vol. 2: I am Suicide by Tom King
Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite by Zoraida Cordova, Natalie C. Parker, Samira Ahmed, Julie Murphy, Dhonielle Clayton, Tessa Gratton, Heidi Heilig, Mark Oshiro, Julie Murphy, Rebecca Roanhorse, Laura Ruby, V.E. Schwab, & Kayla Whaley
The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1: The Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way, Gabriel Ba (Artist), & Dave Stewart (Colorist)
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki
Batman vol 3 : I am Bane by Tom King

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