Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

I think we have many members who are fans of this prompt. Among the favorites that fit this category from our members, I can point to The Nightingale, Dragonfly in Amber, The Book Thief and All the Light We Cannot See and these are more recent books.

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
The Madonnas of Leningrad
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
All Quiet on the Western Front
Outlander series - several take place during a war
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
The Bronze Horseman by Paulina Simmons
The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Gone with the Wind
Cold Mountain
North and South by John Jakes

I could go on and on. This is a favorite category of mine. Sorry for no links. I will try to come back tomorrow on the laptop and add them!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Milkweed
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Atonement
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Doctor Zhivago

The Sandcastle Girls

I have Ravensbruck picked out for this category. It's about women in a concentration camp during WWII

I have so many in my TBR list that could fit this prompt, but I think I'm going to go for Schindler's Ark as I've wanted to read it for a long time but never got round to it.

I usually don't like books set during wartime (exception: I loved Half of a Yellow Sun) so this one might be tough for me. I'm planning to read A Town Like Alice - I hope that counts?

I've read Johnny Tremain and The Red Badge of Courage and Hiroshima as well as The Book Thief and The Hiding Place (Corrie Ten Boom). I'm thinking The Nightingale by K Hannah and Night

I highly recommend Salt to the Sea. It's a 2016 YA release set in WWII.

I would highly recommend The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult. It is set partly in present day, but a majority of the story discusses the character's experiences during WWII, so I think it would still qualify.

Just because a book is set during wartime, does not mean it has to be a book set IN war.

For instance, any book set since 2001 is technically in wartime.

Kirsten *Don't Blame Me I Voted for Hillary" wrote: "Just because a book is set during wartime, does not mean it has to be a book set IN war.

For instance, any book set since 2001 is technically in wartime."

You can probably say ANY year in recorded history was technically a wartime somewhere. But the intent was for the war to somehow affect the storyline, wasn't it? So, if you want a romance, Dear John, Indigo, and Love and War would all fit the bill, even though they aren't really "about" war.

I wanted to read Salt to the Sea too.

Surprisingly enough, this was the category I was most excited for, but I only have like TWO books on my TBR that might work? LOL

I think I've decided on Atonement for this. But I can never recommend enough Gone with the Wind, The Nightingale, or Memoirs of a Geisha (it's been a while since I've read this - I can't remember how much of the book is focused around WWII).

For those who liked Anne of Green Gables, one of the sequels is set during wartime. It's one of my very favorites.

Yes, this is a favorite of mine also.
I recommend Lilac Girls, Sarah's Key, Orhan's Inheritance, or All the Light We Cannot See.

I am thinking about reading The Sandcastle Girls I didn't get to it in 2016.

His Very Own Girl is set during world war II

Adding City of Thieves to the pool of suggestions. And it's by one of the show-writers for Game of Thrones!

poshpenny wrote: "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Milkweed
The Zookeeper's Wife
[book:The Boy in the Striped Pa..."

I will be reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. It's been on my TBR list for too long! (I never saw the movie so it will be a total fresh story, other than what others have told me about it.)

I'll be reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I intended to read this in 2016 but couldn't get to it.

I am going to read "Everyone Brave is Forgiven" by Chris Cleave for this prompt. It takes place during WWII.

It's probably been suggested but all the light we cannot see is amazing

Just here to recommend Half of a Yellow Sun and Life After Life - two of my favourite books this/last year.

Kirsten *Don't Be A Grinch* wrote: "For instance, any book set since 2001 is technically in wartime."

Maybe any *American* book, I live in a country that hasn't been at war since 1944 (or officially 1945).

The Winter War by Tuuri is pretty obvious, it about the Winter War (1939-40) (not to be confused with The Winter War by Durbin, about the same war but by someone who knows very little about it and makes it sound like a boys' adventure story), Unknown Soldiers is about the Continuation War (1941-44) and The Midwife is about the end of the Continuation and about the Lapland War (1944-45). In short they are all WWII novels. There are plenty of others but they haven't really been translated, or they cover longer periods of time.

The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien... had to read it in high school and will HAPPILY read it again

Stones from the River, Ursula Hegi- Spans both World Wars-The life of a dwarf woman and her struggle to be accepted

Salt to the Sea is $1.99 on Kindle right now. I know there are a couple different prompts that people were considering reading this book for (myself included).

This challenge will definitely take me out of my comfort zone, I usually avoid anything sad if I can... I'm actually excited to branch out a bit.

Any Alan Furst--all set in WWII.

Ah, look, a category that describes probably a third of my book collection, at a minimum.

If anybody finds themselves particularly bored at some point, here's your excuse to attempt War and Peace!

I highly recommend the middle grade novel (and quick read) The War that Saved My Life. Great read, extrememly sympathetic characters, bitter and sweet in equal parts.

I might read Winter of the World for this one.

Does it have to be a real war? Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is technically set during wartime, though I've read it too many times to use it for this challenge lol. I'm sure there are lots of interesting fictional wars for people who don't like real war books. A few more that spring to mind are The Lord of the Rings, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, The War of the Worlds, Ender's Game, and Illuminae. Not sure if this is everyone's cup of tea, but it might be interesting to read something a little different for this prompt.

*Side note: I haven't read all of the ones I listed, so sorry if I missed the mark with any of them.

Irena's Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto
The Women in the Castle
The Fire by Night

Are all on my list. I'm especially excited to read The Women in the Castle.

I recently finished The Nazi Officer's Wife which is a memoir. It was interesting because unlike a lot of books about WW2 it is from the point of view of a Jewish woman from Vienna who poses as an Aryan and marries a Nazi officer (obviously lol) to hide in plain sight. Very interesting although somewhat unpolished as many memoirs are.

Stephanie wrote: "Does it have to be a real war? Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is technically set during wartime, though I've read it too many times to use it for this challenge lol. I'm sure th..."

I hadn't thought about that but you're right. Good point! Especially since it is supposed to be a novel and most of the books I was interested in reading are non-fiction.

Stephanie wrote: "Does it have to be a real war? "

I don't think so. I've got The Forever War on my list of possibilities for this category.

Although for me, personally, I think Harry Potter is a bit too far afield to count for this one! That didn't feel like a wartime book. But that's just me!

Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain is set during World War I.

I just finished Maus, and I highly recommend it (if anyone was considering it).

Catch-22 is the best war novel I've ever read.

Nadine wrote: "I just finished Maus, and I highly recommend it (if anyone was considering it)."

I'm reading Maus for the Cat-On-Cover prompt.

I struggled with picking a book for this category and finally settled on The Man in the High Castle. I am watching the second season now and it's been sitting on my shelf for too long (I have A Clockwork Orange picked out for my "on the shelf too long" book).

Nadine wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "Does it have to be a real war? "

I don't think so. I've got The Forever War on my list of possibilities for this category."

I highly recommend this book!

Mom and I are going to read Beside a Burning Sea by John Shors

Joanna wrote: "Mom and I are going to read Beside a Burning Sea by John Shors"

I love that you and your mom are doing this challenge together!

Don't forget The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis!

The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas

Would The Secret Keeper work for this prompt? I'm having difficulty finding something I like for this prompt...

Heidegger's Glasses

The Disappeared by Kim Echlin is my choice. Been on my bookshelf for a while.