2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

Trying to get a jump start on setting up for reading success this year. I'll be starting my first semester at school (in over a decade!) on Jan 7 but still going to try and tackle 50 books.

I have a couple of paths I'll be following in 2019:
- PopSugar Yearly Challenge
- Read 25 books that were already on my TBR list from 2018 or earlier
- Read 10,000 pages
- To read more books by POC and women.
- Incorporate as many books as possible from Queer Books Across America

TRACKING :
PopSugar:11/50
From TBR: 11/25 (how funny, 2nd book that's been on my TBR list for 6 years)
From QBAA: 3/11
Pages: 2862/7500
Audio hours: 32
Books By Women or POC: 12

PopSugar Prompts + Potential books

A book becoming a movie in 2019 - The Woman in the Window
A book that makes you nostalgic - Chasing Redbird
A book written by a musician (fiction or non-fiction) - Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove
A book you think should be turned into a movie - Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
A book with a plant in the title or on the cover - Jam on the Vine
A reread of a favorite book - The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
A book about a hobby - Every Note Played
A book you meant to read in 2018 - Do Not Say We Have Nothing
A book with "pop" or "sugar" or "challenge" in the title - Sugar Run
A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover - Red Queen
A book inspired by mythology, legend or folklore: The Princess Bride
A book published posthumously - I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
A book you see someone reading in a movie -
A retelling of a classic - Fool
A book with a question in the title - Is There No Place on Earth for Me?
A book set on a college or university campus: American Panda
A book about someone with a superpower - The Young Elites
A book told from multiple character POV's - Pulp
A book set in space - Across the Universe
A book by two female authors - The Secret Loves of Geek Girls
A book with a title that contains "salty", "sweet", "bitter", or "spicy" - Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later
A book set in Scandanavia -
A book that takes place in a single day - Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
A debut novel - Marriage of a Thousand Lies
A book that's published in 2019 - Bowlaway
A book featuring an extinct or imaginery creature - The Song of the Quarkbeast
A book recommended by a celebrity you admire - This is How It Always Is
A book with "love" in the title - Let's Talk About Love
A book featuring an amateur detective - The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line
A book about family - The Two-Family House
A book written by an author from Asia, Africa, or South America -
A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in the title - The Lightning Luminary
A book that includes a wedding - Crazy Rich Asians
A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter - Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
A ghost story - The Summer We Got Free
A book with a two-word title - Like Water
A novel based on a true story - A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story
A book revolving around a puzzle or game - Bingo Love
Your favourite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge *I chose “A Book That’s Been On Your TBR for Too Long” : Death of a Salesman (on list since Dec 2009!!)
(Advanced Challenge):
A "cli-fi" (climate fiction) book - Flight Behavior
A "choose-your-own-adventure" book - Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure
An "own voices" book - Ramona Blue
Read a book during the setting it is set in -
A LitRPG book -
A book with no chapters/unusual chapter headings/ unconventionally numbered chapters - Sadie
Two books that share the same title (1) - Life After Life
Two books that share the same title (2) - Life After Life
A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom (e.g, Big Brother from 1984) - 1984
A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent - Murder at the Vicarage

Good luck with your reading challenge and your first semester at school!

Rachael wrote: "Good luck with your reading challenge and your first semester at school!"

Thanks so much Rachael, same to you!

Good luck! I'm also doing the Popsugar challenge and you inspired me to also try to read more books that were already on my TBR (but maybe I'll try 15 or 20). And reading more queer books is always nice :D Last year I was trying to read more queer books but I kinda failed (10 books read in total....) but this year I will just try again

Feli wrote: "Good luck! I'm also doing the Popsugar challenge and you inspired me to also try to read more books that were already on my TBR (but maybe I'll try 15 or 20). And reading more queer books is always..." I wish you the best of luck in your Popsugar challenge, this will be my vert first one! I’m glad you’re trying again, last year i only managed 8 books total oops! I hope your year is very successful and fulfilling <3

1) Pulp by Robin Talley
Listened to Audio: 12 hours
3.5 stars, mostly due to a truly unlikeable narrator (audio not character)

PopSugar prompt: book told from multiple POVs
Queer Books Across America: Washington DC


TRACKING :
PopSugar: 1/50
From TBR: 1/25
From QBAA: 1/11 [DC]
Pages: 0/7500
Audio hours: 12
Books By Women or POC: 1

2) The Secret Loves of Geek Girls by Hope Nicholson (and a compilation of AMAZING talented folx all contributed - including Margaret Atwood. swoon.) Pages: 279
4 stars, a must read for any nerd/geek. There's a story for everyone. Funny, heartbreaking, easy to relate to. I didn't even realize my life was missing a love story that actually clicked to me.
popsugar prompt: a book by 2 female authors


TRACKING :
PopSugar: 2/50
From TBR: 1/25
From QBAA: 1/11
Pages: 279/7500
Audio hours: 12
Books By Women or POC: 2

3) Every Note Played by Lisa Genova
Listened to audio: 10 hours


4 stars. Narration was absolutely near perfect for this book. It delivered such a powerful performance that it made me emotional in several chapters. One of my favorite authors and I'm already awaiting her next novel to soak up greedily.
Popsugar prompt: a book about a hobby


TRACKING :
PopSugar: 3/50
From TBR: 2/25
From QBAA: 1/11
Pages: 279/7500
Audio hours: 22
Books By Women or POC: 3

4) Bingo Love by Tee Franklin

5 stars. A tear jerker of love and life. I didn't know I needed this book in my life until I was hooked in, unable to stop reading the saga of their life. It's so perfectly done. 92 pages.
Popsugar prompt: a book about a game


TRACKING :
PopSugar: 4/50
From TBR: 4/25
From QBAA: 1/11
Pages: 371/7500
Audio hours: 22
Books By Women or POC: 4

5) Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech

3 stars for this re-read. The audio narration sort of destroyed any of the deep nostalgic ties I had to the story. I found it hard to get into this time. Not that there was anything particularly wrong with it, it just didn't line up with what my childhood brain conjured up. 5 hours audio.
popsugar prompt: a book that makes you nostalgic


TRACKING :
PopSugar: 5/50
From TBR: 4/25
From QBAA: 1/11
Pages: 371/7500
Audio hours: 27
Books By Women or POC: 5

6) Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

3-stars. My first Agatha Christie book ever but likely won't be my last. My library had a BBC Masterpiece performance audio of it and it was a bit odd but overall enjoyable and a fun, short listen.


TRACKING :
PopSugar: 6/50
From TBR: 5/25
From QBAA: 1/11
Pages: 371/7500
Audio hours: 32
Books By Women or POC: 6

7) The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde

4.75 stars. It's just so whimsical and fun and original. I loved it the first time I read and dipping back into again felt like a quirky nostalgia that was so very welcoming. I'm glad I have allotted for read the second in the series this challenge! His writing is a nice palate cleanser.

TRACKING :
PopSugar: 6/50
From TBR: 5/25
From QBAA: 1/11
Pages: 667/7500
Audio hours: 32
Books By Women or POC: 6

8) Like Water by Rebecca Podos

3-stars. Takes place in New Mexico, for my QBAA challenge. Good story potential, extremely character driven which I usually enjoy. Left me wanting more, fell flat and empty in the end. but the middle was enjoyable, the build up was raw and lovely. The come down was haphazard in a non-satisfying way.


TRACKING :
PopSugar: 7/50
From TBR: 6/25
From QBAA: 2/11 [New Mexico]
Pages: 987/7500
Audio hours: 32
Books By Women or POC: 7

9) Invisible Emmie by Terri Libenson

4-stars. A easy-to-relate-to read that I wish had been available when I was that age. Sassy, real, raw.


TRACKING
PopSugar: 7/50
From TBR: 6/25
From QBAA: 2/11
Pages: 1179/7500
Audio hours: 32
Books By Women or POC: 8

10) Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy -
popsugar prompt: Own Voices

4-stars. I was drawn to this book and I can't even really explain why. I liked the grittiness of Ramona's feelings, the exploration of her feelings, the rawness of learning you may have an evolving identity, life struggles, etc. It was missing something but overall I'd recommend this for LGBT lit.


TRACKING
PopSugar: 8/50
From TBR: 7/25
From QBAA: 3/11 [Mississippi]
Pages: 1587/7500
Audio hours: 32
Books By Women or POC: 9

11) Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Pénélope Bagieu

5-stars. I mean, honestly, go read it right now. It's delightful, informative, inspiring, beautifully drawn. I loved every single page in it.


TRACKING
PopSugar: 8/50
From TBR: 8/25
From QBAA: 3/11 [Mississippi]
Pages: 1883/7500
Audio hours: 32
Books By Women or POC: 10

12) Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later by Francine Pascal
popsugar prompt: A book with a title that contains "salty", "sweet", "bitter", or "spicy"

1-star. I'd rather somebody cancel all my streaming subscriptions and burn a copy of my favorite book in front of me rather than ever lay eyes on this trash again.



TRACKING
PopSugar:9/50
From TBR: 9/25 (6 years this was on my list omg!)
From QBAA: 3/11
Pages: 2187/7500
Audio hours: 32
Books By Women or POC: 11

13) Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure by Emma Campbell Webster
popsugar prompt: Choose Your Own Adventure

A 3.5 rating, I think. It might've been easier to follow with a physical copy of the book. It was fun and short and clever. I enjoyed it but the e-book format would jump to random locations where you weren't quite where you were supposed to be and it threw the whole thing off - making it more frustrating than it would've been with a physical copy.



TRACKING
PopSugar:10/50
From TBR: 10/25
From QBAA: 3/11
Pages: 2572/7500
Audio hours: 32
Books By Women or POC: 12

14) The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde
popsugar prompt: A book featuring an extinct or imaginery creature

4-stars, what can I say? I'm a sucker for Jasper Fforde's writing. I believe I even have a third one of his lined up for another prompt this year. I've only read 2 books by male authors so far this year and they're both Fforde, haha!


TRACKING
PopSugar:11/50
From TBR: 11/25 (how funny, 2nd book that's been on my TBR list for 6 years)
From QBAA: 3/11
Pages: 2862/7500
Audio hours: 32
Books By Women or POC: 12

15) Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
popsugar prompt: a book that includes a wedding

4-stars. Engaging story but I know for a fact that I would never have read it if it wasn't for the amazing narration done by Lynn Chen. She was masterful with her subtle voice differences and character performances. It had me completely engulfed in this Crazy Rich world. Audio; 14 hours.


TRACKING
PopSugar:12/50
From TBR: 12/25
From QBAA: 3/11
Pages: 2862/7500
Audio hours: 46
Books By Women or POC: 13

I'm also doing the Popsugar challenge! Good luck!👍 I've already finished 9/50 of them.