The Mill House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji (Oct 31-Nov 3). A great Japanese locked-in mystery, with a good plot twist at the end!

Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson (Nov 4-8). Ah, James Patterson finally roped me into reading one of his books LOL. I wonder how many other unfinished manuscripts Crichton has out there, I think this is the third?? I don't know how scientifically accurate the book is, but it was ridiculous..SO many characters died from doing stupid things (you're rowing TOWARDS the lava?? You're flying a helicopter straight into volcanic ash??!). It was entertaining at least :P

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin (Nov 9-12). The mansion in this one had a couple four-poster beds in it haha, nice :D

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman (Nov 14-19). The new Thursday Murder Club mystery! Unfortunately it wasn't as good as the others in the series (probably my least favorite), but was still entertaining

SOS North Pacific by Gordon R. Newell (Nov 20-24). Lots of shipwrecks in the North Pacific! I was glad it mentioned the Princess Sophia, I saw artifacts from the ship when I went to Juneau in 2019!

66 Days Adrift: A True Story of Disaster and Survival on the Open Sea by William A. Butler (Nov 25-30). This book was SO repetitive (his wife saying "we're going to die. I hate you, Butler! You're evil!," battling sharks end horny turtles LOL, praying endlessly, in EVERY chapter), but it is amazing what humans can survive! (Weirdly, this one and the previous one both mentioned how "Pacific" is a misnomer for a crazy ocean..what are the chances of that?)

I can't believe the year is almost over already. O_o Somehow time just keeps getting faster and faster!

A big snowstorm is coming, with a possibility of mixed precipitation and snow
accumulations between 3 and 7 inches..ewww. I hope the bus system posts online somewhere whether the buses are running or not..

( Dec 1. What do you want to be remembered for? )

A highly anticipated read of 2025: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (Mar 30-Apr 2). SO GOOOD! Very sad though, wow. Basically as soon as it came out I saw that it's going to be adapted into a movie haha. I hope it's as good as The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes!

A book rated less than three stars on Goodreads: Wild Animus by Rich Shapero (Apr 3-7). 1.90 stars on Goodreads! (The reviews are hilarious. :P) Yeah, this book was..weird. The main character gets obsessed with rams, drags his girlfriend to Washington and Alaska, gets a ram costume (and says "golden eyes, know. Golden horns, grow" when he puts it on), and takes acid and runs all over Mt. Wrangell while avoiding wolves. He is convinced the god Animus lives in the mountain, and hurts himself and presses the wound to the ice so he can feel the god in him. Only his girlfriend seems worried, and even when he got naked in the hospital no one seemed to care. He literally dies by throwing himself into lava and getting attacked by the wolves at the same time (wearing his costume, of course). Wow. O_o Note to self: never do acid lol

A book with silver on the cover or in the title: Prime Deceptions by Valerie Valdes (Apr 7-14). Yay, more psychic cats in space!! This was even better than the first one, partly because the cats had more of a role in the plot (the main character was wearing a silver outfit on the cover)

A book containing magical creatures that aren't dragons: Fault Tolerance by Valerie Valdes (Apr 15-21). The cats had an even bigger role in this one, which I LOVED, and the ending was one of my favorite endings in a book. I wish there were more books in this series, I miss the cats!

A book where an adult character changes careers: Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum (Apr 22-25). It started fine and then it got boring..I don't want to read about existential hard stuff when I'm reading lol *yawns*

A book that fills a 2024 prompt you'd like to do over (or try out): A book that takes place over the course of 24 hours: Worst Case Scenario by T.J. Newman (Apr 25-28). Accurate title is accurate..the amount of bad things happening in this book was kind of ridiculous and over the top, but it was still a pretty good read (definitely better than Orbit in 2024's challenge). I hope a plane never crashes into a nuclear power plant D:

A book about a food truck: The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki (Apr 29-30). A mobile coffee truck run by cats! I thought all the astrological stuff (Aquarius in the house of..something and "natal charts"..meh), but it wasn't too bad..cats make everything better lol (I seem to be reading more Asian literature this year..how can I not, when they write about books and cats?? Haha)

( the topics )

Everyone at work has been working hard getting as many books out as possible, and we're letting customers shop in the back too. It's honestly been slow the past couple weeks, but picked up some today. Saturday is when everything starts being 50% off, so it'll probably be busy then..buy lots of books please, so we have less to move!! Haha

I can't believe it's May already!

30. What's something you disagree with about the way you were raised? I always wanted to stay up late and watch TV with my parents haha, I remember thinking "it's only 9 PM, it's still early!" Early or not, I was always tired when I had to wake up for school..I remember trying to go back to sleep on the shower floor haha! Definitely not a morning person :P

May 1: If you could have dinner with anyone who has passed away, who would you choose? Cherry! I've always felt that we'd get along well lol

Wow, another year has come to an end..somehow each one goes by faster than the last. 2024 was pretty good..I got to see my grandma a couple times before she died, and my family celebrated her life after her funeral. I went on a glacier cruise and got right up to the face of Harvard Glacier on a perfect sunny day. I found lots of cool curtains to take pics with LOL. I had fun at work. I was hospitalized with pneumonia, but kept my sense of humor by posting a picture of me "with the right book to be hospitalized with" (Les Miserables). I had covid, which didn't break me. And...I read ONE HUNDRED books!!! I wasn't sure if I could do it, but I did! (Are short books cheating?? Haha.) I definitely earned my shirt that says "I read like it's my job." :P I'm not sure if Ryan and Jo are going to join us today, they haven't been upstairs since everyone got the stomach flu..not that I blame them, but I do miss them! Today is the first day I've felt myself since getting sick, which is nice. It's too cold to watch fireworks outside, but I imagine people in my parents' neighborhood will set some off we can see from inside the warm house haha

( here are all the books i read thia year!! i look forward to doing this all year LOL )

Sometime in August, I read most of Anxious People for book club, but abandoned it when I went to Kansas. I deleted my second reading from Goodreads, but the stats falsely still said 100, which is super weird (I noticed when making the "Books I Read in 2024" list on List Challenges that there were only 99 books). I panicked, and then realized I could probably read the book online, which I did..I couldn't remember exactly where I left off, but I guessed and was able to finish it. Phew!! That definitely saved me lol. Except that now my stats say 101 books read, even though I counted and it's definitely now 100 books. O_o Must be a bug in their system??

I read 33,717 pages altogether (Les Mis was 1,416 of those pages), nice! I can't wait to read more great books in 2025!!

Hope everyone has a great New Year! *throws confetti*

31. Do You Make New Year’s Resolutions? To read lots of books haha. Hopefully there's a 2025 meme out there somewhere that I can find..

A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title: The Elements of a Home: Curious Histories behind Everyday Household Objects, from Pillows to Forks by Amy Azzarito (June 30-July 10). I looked up some of the "facts" in this book, which turned out to not be true..darn. It still was interesting though, especially because it had a section for four-poster/canopy beds LOL

A book about someone leading a double life: The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden (July 11-19)

A book about witches: The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden (July 20-25)

A book set in the 1980s: South to the Pole by Ski: Nine Men and Two Women Pioneer a New Route to the South Pole by Joseph E. Murphy (July 26-27)

( the topics )

I didn't do the greatest last month, but the depression/anxiety earlier in the month made it VERY hard to read..oh well lol. I can't believe it's August already, wow (winter is coming... D:)

31. Of this month's questions, which was your favourite? The robot question was kind of amusing LOL

August 1. Do you make daily to-do lists? If yes, do you usually successfully clear them? In my head, I suppose. Depends on the day haha

Today's trivia: The longest continuous walk in the world stretches for 13,911 miles and begins in Cape Town, South Africa. Ending in Magadan, Russia, the route requires no flights and no boats, as any land masses that are separated by water are connected by bridges

A book that has the same title as a song: Blame It on the Rain: How the Weather Has Changed History by Laura Lee (Apr 29-May 4). Fascinating! (Note to self: don't try to invade Russia in the winter :P)

A book with a gem, mineral, or rock in the title: Icebound: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Andrea Pitzner (May 5-9). This topic was super easy once I found out ice is a mineral :P

A free book from your TBR list (gifted, borrowed, library): The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman (May 10-15)

A book by an Indigenous author: Bird Girl and the Man Who Followed the Sun by Velma Wallis (May 15-17). Velma is a Gwich'in Athabascan Indian. She visits the bookstore regularly, which is cool lol..she's so nice!

Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: A book with a cat on the cover: Something Worth Saving by Sandi Ward (May 17-21). I LOVE books written from the cat's perspective haha

The book that's been on your TBR list for the longest amount of time: The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons by John Wesley Powell (May 22-26). It's hard to say which is THE book that's been on the list the longest, but this one had been on my list since 2015 (when I went to the Grand Canyon), so I went with it. Powell canoed, forded rivers, climbed up cliffs (and got stuck), all with one arm! He must have been tough :P

The book on your TBR list with the ugliest cover: Men Against the Ice by Everitt Proctor (May 27). Ugly stained cover, but the story was cool :P

( the topics )

June already! Where does the time go??

29. Do you frequent social media more or less now? Maybe a little less, which makes me worried I'll miss something important haha

30. What is something that never fails to make you feel accomplished? Finding a geocache

31. What kind of cake did you have for your last birthday? Ryan made me a red velvet cake lol

June 1. Do you have a dry erase board? Nope

Today's trivia: The word "y'all" dates back to at least 1631 when English scholar William Lisle wrote "The captive men of strength I gave to you, the weaker sold, and this y'all know is true" in a book he wrote on Ethiopian history

A book with a pun in the title: Probable Claws by Rita Mae Brown (May 29-June 2)

A book about or involving social media: A Midsummer Night # nofilter by Brett Wright (June 3). Haha, now that's an entertaining way to read Shakespeare :P

A book from a series with more than 20 books: No Fixed Line by Dana Stabenow (June 4-9)

A book by a woman of color: Washington Black by Esi Edugyan (June 10-15)

A book published the month of your birthday: Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr (June 16-20). Poor Anna Pigeon, she's always getting shot at and beaten up :P

A bildungsroman (coming of age novel): The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje (June 21-24)

A book with "gold," "silver," or "bronze" in the title: From Antarctica to the Gold Rushes: In the Wake of the Erebus by John Ramsland (June 25-29)

( the topics )

Where did June go?? Summer always goes by so fast in Alaska lol

27. When you mentally go to your “happy place,” what does it look like in your mind? It's cozy, like getting under a warm blanket lol. I'll think of mountains/glaciers and Wheathampstead too!

28. Do you prefer working alone or as part of a team? Alone..it seemed like I was always the one doing all the work in school..

29. What is your least favorite musical band? Why don’t you like them? I'm not a huge fan of the Chainsmokers..just not my kind of music. Also Manowar, because they are ridiculous :P

30. The year is half over now. What’s been the highlight of 2020 for you so far? Going to Colorado, going back to work after the shutdown..everyone had such high hopes for 2020, which was ruined by coronavirus..ugh. Everyone is so over it by now..

Jul 1. What was the first concert you went to? Trans-Siberian Orchestra in 2005..it was super awesome!

Today's trivia: Scorpions can hold their breath underwater for up to 6 days

A book with a question in the title: Antarctica: The Impossible Crossing? by Geoff Somers (July 1-5)

A book that’s published in 2019: The River by Peter Heller (July 6-8). Kayaking and forest fires and attempted murder, oh my!

An “own voices” book (when an author and character in their book share the same "marginalized group, in this case autism): On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis (July 9-13)

A book set in space: A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers (July 13-17). This series continues to be amazing <3

Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: Like last year, I did three of them, because I'm a Reading Overachiever LOL
2017: A book with a cat on the cover: The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (July 18-21)
2015: A book set in a different country: The White Darkness by David Grann (July 29)
2018: A book with an animal in the title: Lost Cat by Caroline Paul (July 30). I HAD to read this when I opened it and saw a cat on an ice floe and a ship, with the author referencing Shackleton!! Totally unexpected lol

A book recommended by a celebrity you admire (Cherry, of course LOL): Antarctic Adventure: Scott's Northern Party by Raymond Priestly (July 21-26). The Northern Party were six men on their own, and during the second winter, they had to spend it in a cave in the ice. They were sick, dirty, cramped, starving...and they STILL were cheerful and got along with each other! Scott really was a great judge of character!! What an amazing group of people. <3 I also found it interesting that Priestly said that even if Scott and the others made it to One Ton Depot (11 miles away), they still would have died because of the crazy storm that lasted for days (why Cherry had to turn around, and arrived back at the hut almost dead). Yeah, Scott's death was no one's fault, just bad luck!

A book with “pop,” “sugar,” or “challenge” in the title: The Sugar Men by Ray Kingfisher (July 26-28). Wow the Holocaust is hard to read about..I can't believe people actually did those horrible things to completely innocent people!

One of these months I'm going to read 10 books and beat my record of nine..that would be awesome lol

How is it August already??

( the topics )

Remember that mean lady that made me cry? Today she dropped off some books, and I about died when I saw her shirt..it said something like "I don't get paid to insult you, that's just a bonus." OMG. That completely 100% sums her up (she didn't help us unload the books either, just stood there and watched..ugh). I don't know if she remembered me, but I refused to show any fear, since she seems to feed off of that..being kind is better anyway lol

Day 209: A song by a man with very womanly hair: "Guardiani Del Destino"-Rhapsody
Day 210: Another song by a singer turned actor: "Material Girl"-Madonna
Day 211: Your favorite Cat Stevens song: The only one that I can think of that I know is "Wild World"
Day 212: A song by a band you think has been most influential to music from the 1970’s: "Eleanor Rigby"-The Beatles

Today's trivia: The small pocket on jeans is called a watch pocket because it was originally intended as a safe place for men to store their pocket watches in the late 1800s

With Scott: The Silver Lining by Griffith Taylor (Oct. 1-11)
Blackout by Ragnar Jonasson (Oct. 12-15)
The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell (Oct. 16-21)
All My Patients are Under the Bed: Memoirs of a Cat Doctor by Louis J. Camuti (Oct. 22-24)
The Wreck of the Medusa by Jonathan Miles (Oct. 25-30)
Adrift on an Ice-Pan by Wilfred Grenfell (Oct. 31)

That was definitely the fastest October ever..wow

( pokemon update )

November 1 - What are you most looking forward to this month? Going to Florida for Thanksgiving!

Today's trivia: NERF stands for "non-expanding recreational foam"

A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn’t get to: On the Arctic Frontier: Ernest Leffingwell's Polar Explorations and Legacy by Janet R. Collins (Jan. 1-5)

A book with a LGBTQ+ protagonist: On the Ice: An Intimate Portrait of Life at McMurdo Station, Antarctica by Gretchen Legler (Jan. 6-8)

A book that involves a bookstore or library: The True Tails of Baker and Taylor: The Library Cats Who Left Their Pawprints on a Small Town...and the World by Jan Louch (Jan. 9-12)

A book about death or grief: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman (Jan. 14-17)

True crime: Trial by Ice: The True Story of Murder and Survival on the 1871 Polaris Expedition by Richard Parry (Jan. 18-23)

A book with a weather element in the title: What Stands in a Storm: Three Days in the Worst Superstorm to Hit the South's Tornado Alley by Kim Cross (Jan. 24-28)

( all the challenge topics )

I don't even know how January went by so quickly..wow. I'm proven wrong every year when I think that time can't possibly go any faster. Soon it'll be 2019 already LOL

( February 1 - Thing you are most looking forward to this month )

Today's trivia: Delaware was the last state to abolish flogging as a legal punishment in 1972

The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley (Aug. 31-Sept. 1)
As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley (Sept. 4-5. Probably my least favorite one, even if it did mention Scott of the Antarctic :P)
Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley (Sept. 6-11. This one mentioned Shackleton! I think the author likes polar explorers too :P)
The Longest Winter: Scott's Other Heroes by Meredith Hooper (Sept. 12-21)
Waiting to Fly: My Escapades with the Penguins of Antarctica by Ron Naveen (Sept. 22-28. I love how he kept praising Cherry :D)

Annnd 2017 is almost over..wow O_o

( October 1: Hello Fall )