@Catfish_Fan - sounds like you'll be set for awhile once you get the cooking done. My parents had a huge garden when I was a small child, and I still remember my mom's homemade, homegrown pickles.

I took a little reading break because I was struggling to get focused, and I had some shows I wanted to stream. So now going back to Last Night in Twisted River- John Irving. I had a similar problem when I started his book A Widow for One Year. But I really enjoyed it in the end, so not giving up on this one. Although now I am only 4 books ahead on my GoodReads challenge instead of 5.

@FitMary202 - Dr No does sound funny - I'll be interest to hear your final thoughts on it once you've finished it.

I completed The Obsidian Chamber (Pendergast #16) by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (3*), Ike Godsey of Walton’s Mountain by Joe Conley (as I finally finished the entire TV series "The Waltons", all 9 seasons, and I'm currently viewing the 6 TV reunion movies) (2* for the book), Vanguard (The Genesis Fleet, #1) by Jack Campbell (Space Opera, 4*), and Bluebeard by one of my favorite authors, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (4*). I have read almost all of Vonnegut's novels but this was one I had missed, it was good.

I'm now reading The Fold by Peter Clines, which sort of continues his stand-alone series of strange sci-fi type novels. In this one the scientists are attempting to create a matter transporter like on Star Trek and are having catastrophes.

I'm 60 books ahead of schedule on my reading goal of 100 books for 2025. I'm reading book 128 right now.

28 books ahead of your ambitious goal? AMAZING @Catfish_Fan !!

But I should stop reading posts here… Adding the Irving book to Mtn. TBR @Btrflydog !

The Fold was strange but interesting, I am going to continue the series sometime. Conspirata (Cicero, #2) by Robert Harris was ok, the storyline was convoluted though because this one was set in Ancient Rome and all the Roman names mess me up, I can't keep track of many characters besides the main ones. And I knew Special Agent Pendergast was not going to die in City of Endless Night (Pendergast, #17) (Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child) because there are some more books in the series, but his FBI agent sidekick that was newly introduced was a "redshirt" and that was apparent right off the bat (reference to the Star Trek: The Original Series where every new character wearing a red shirt on an away mission was toast).

Ascendant (The Genesis Fleet, #2)by Jack Campbell is coming along well, it is interesting as a prequel series to the other space opera books I read by him in the sci-fi series. I got this and book #1 from the library and they don't have book #3 at any of my libraries, it is $9 on kindle, but I do want to read it… sigh, I'm going to have to buy that one if I want to read it I guess… It is a pretty obscure title so I can't expect a library to pick up a copy for me by a request, not a bestseller or anything.

I am waiting for Never Flinch by Stephen King featuring Holly Gibney to come in at one of my libraries and will start that as soon as it does.

Much too easy… The Buzzworthy badge was the most difficult because I had to pick a book from a curated list and none of them looked that great, or I had read them already, or they were expensive…

The Belladonna series by Adalyn Grace is very good for YA Fantasy. I am part of the way through book 2, Foxglove.

Well, you CRUSHED the summer challenge!! And I'm sure you could flatten this one too, if you decide it's worth it. Sometimes it's fun, and sometimes it's just another chore so not worth the trouble.

I've got a calendar challenge hanging on my wall, but I haven't gotten around to it. Let's put it this way: pretty sure @Catfish_Fan will have finished the new challenge before I make a dent in mine. 🤣 One day though…

Hi all - I've been sick with a viral head cold. So haven't been on the computer much.

@Catfish_Fan - glad you found the GoodReads challenge - look at the curated list and see if there's anything I have on MT. TBR - if not I pass on it.

@FitMary202 - adding Dr. No to Mt. TBR

I finished The Last Heir to the Blackwood Libary - was not bad 3.5 stars rounded up on GoodReads

Now reading A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genuis - Dave Eggers.

Was having trouble concentrating while sick so streamed a couple of shows. Liked 9 Perfect Strangers, but the book was better(no surprise). Also enjoyed The Bear. Just FYI if you are looking for something to stream on Hulu.

I finished the trilogy I was reading and the space opera trilogy also. Machinehood by S.B. Divya was an interesting sci-fi take on AI in the future, I rated that one well. I'm picking A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik as a fantasy book for the Goodreads challenge, it was on the list.

Suffering from severe seasonal allergies on the tail end of a cold, how to know which symptoms are allergic related and which are from the cold? They blur together. I'm doing everything the doctor recommeds to avoid a sinus or chest infection and I'm trying to also get in some minimal walking for exercise, 20-40 minutes per day. Breathing issues are slowing me down though, asthma and sinus congestion; I don't like the over-the-counter cold remedies but sometimes I have to take them anyway, they play with my head, brain fog.

I hope everyone is keeping on. Health has to be prioritized and sometimes reading takes a back seat. I'm way off my daily average on reading but still am trying to do some every day.

A Deadly Education was weird at first and hard to get into but turned out to be really good. I am continuing with the sequel.

Sadly I just heard today of the death of a favorite author, Greg Iles, which happened last month. He was only 65. I didn't much about the man and clearly I am not linked in with a lot of author/book news type feeds, so it is a shock. https://www.mississippifreepress.org/greg-iles-natchez-burning-author-who-sought-to-make-white-readers-think-about-race-dies-of-cancer-at-65/ I have read everything by Greg Iles and he will be missed.

I think you can jump in to the Penn Cage series at that spot nicely, but Natchez Burning is actually book 4. The series starts (Penn Cage's storyline) with The Quiet Game. These are long reads but very much worth it, they all rated 5 or 4 stars from me. I loved almost everything I read by Greg Iles, the lowest rating was a 3 (which means I liked it, for me).

I just heard this sad news about Greg Isles as well. He was a great storyteller. I too loved the Natchez Burning trilogy. I knew he was ill. His last book was, I felt, rushed together due to his undergoing treatment. I think he must have known his chances were not that good. So sad to lose him so young.

I finished A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - Dave Eggers - 3 stars. The first part of the book was great. The second half just kind of rambled.

Next up -Babel - R.F. Kuang. It's been on my TBR for awhile, and it is one of books in the Good Reads challenge, so it has moved up the list.

So far only managed to read the 1st 19 pages - was really interesting, but I could not hold my eyes open after working all day. Hoping to get some quality reading time this weekend.

The Bullet Swallower was a western-type novel by Elizabeth Gonzalez James that I enjoyed.

Verses for the Dead (Pendergast book 18) by Preston and Child was par for a Pendergast novel.

Senlin Ascends (The Books of Babel #1) by Josiah Bancroft was really good, I look forward to continuing the series.

I'm currently reading a dime Johnstone western while I wait for my Amazon Music/Audible choice for the month to renew tomorrow. I plan to read the third book in the Scholomance series by Naomi Novik that started with A Deadly Education, the third book is titled The Golden Enclaves. That will conclude the trilogy.

I will be reading The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley for a long time, it is over 1000 pages and 51 hours long in audiobook format. So far (20% complete) it is very good.

I loved The Mists of Avalon. I've read it 3 times. Now that you have brought it up I may need to read it again.