Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2020 Weekly Checkins
>
Week 1: 12/26/19 - 1/2/20
Happy New Year! I'm really excited about starting my 2020 reading and seeing what everyone else is starting for this year's challenge.This week I finished Dead to the World, as part of my re-read of the Sookie Stackhouse series. Otherwise, I was getting ready to start on 2020!
I'm currently reading five books, four of them for this challenge. Those four are:The Path of Daggers (book with a map); Howards End (published in the 20th century); Some Kind of Fairy Tale (picked off a shelf with eyes closed); Wilson (world leader). The first and last are going to be long-term reads. The other two should be finished by the weekend.
QOTW:
There is one book I started early, but that's because it's really long and I only read about a chapter a day. So, I figured I'd get started last week. Otherwise, I waited until New Year's Day.
The first category that I plan to complete is the book I picked off the shelf with my eyes closed.
Happy New Year! I haven’t checked in for most of the month of December so I’m just going to pick up with where I am right now. I am currently Reading:The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey which is this weeks audiobook and I’ll use it for the prompt of a book about a world leader.
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats which I’m reading for the PS 2018 challenge. I had planned to read this before 2020 but my hold just came in from the library. It’s short but slow going because I can only read so much poetry at a time.
Kindred for Prompt 1 of ATY. I haven’t decided which Popsugar prompt you count this for.
QOTW:
1- I waited until January 1 for my ebooks but started the audiobook a couple days before the new year. I’ll finish it on Saturday most likely.
2- my first is obviously the book about a world leader. Although I will probably finish Kindred first so I need to pick a prompt for that one.
I'm currently reading 2 books:Thrown Under the Omnibus: A Reader as my book with a pun in the title and
Anne of Green Gables as a prior favorite category, a childhood classic I never read.
QOTW:
1: Thrown Under the Omnibus is over 800 pages long and I figured it probably would be the most exciting reading, so I started, I think, 3 days early as I knew I wouldn't be finishing before the new year.
2: I'm starting with a book with a pun in the title simply because I mentioned it to my boss and he lent me a book unasked for. Probably not the way I would have gone, but it's actually somewhat interesting.
Sara wrote: "Happy New Year! I'm really excited about starting my 2020 reading and seeing what everyone else is starting for this year's challenge.Wilson (world leader)..."
I read that biography of Wilson. It was very good.
Happy New Year and Happy Thursday to everyone!I am excited to start this year’s challenge. Last year was my first attempt. I did not finish. Although I was able to read 32 books for the challenge. I consider this improvement because it did increase my reading. And I learnt that it is okay to not finish a book! That is what slowed my down last year. It is hard for me to not finish a book because I am afraid it is going to get better. This year I am not going to spend so much time on books that I am not feeling.
Questions of the week
1. I did wait to start until January 1. I had finished book shortly after Christmas and did not have much time to read after that because everything was so busy.
2. The first category I am tackling is a book about or by a women in STEM. I am reading The Calculating Stars: A Lady Astronaut novel. This book is for my real life book club and aligned with this category automatically. I am almost finished with it and that will be my first book for this challenge.
Mod
The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt'..."
Kindred is a book by a woman of color, unless you already had another book planned for that one.
Happy New Year, y’all!Started off this year by finishing my first two challenge reads -- which isn’t quite as big an accomplishment as it sounds like, as both books were the shortest books on my challenge list, haha…
Also, made a complete and utter nerd of myself by posting photos of my challenge reads alongside some of the Transformers from my collection to the PopSugar facebook group. I’m a dork, what can I say...
Books read this week:
Practical Demonkeeping -- my last read of 2019. Somehow I managed to read this series backwards, starting with The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror and moving on to The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove. “Practical Demonkeeping” is the author’s first book, and… well, it shows. Still funny and entertaining, but rougher and less focused than the next two in the series.
Fox 8 -- for “book with a pink cover,” though it ended up looking more “salmon” in person. Still counting it… Man, despite being so short (just under fifty pages), this was a chore to get through. I get why the author decided to go with the style he did (simplistic, with a ton of spelling errors), but that didn’t make it any less obnoxious to read. And while I did like Fox 8 as a character, the whole point of this story seemed to be to hit the reader over the head and go “Humans are bastards, humans are bastards!” Thanks, like we didn’t already know that…
The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion -- for “book by a trans or non-binary author,” though could also count for “book with an upside-down image on the cover.” Wow, was this a fascinating read! A horror-fantasy about an anarchist community and the rogue spirit that haunts it, it’s both a freaky yet thrilling read and a look at the punk/anarchist lifestyle and those who choose not to live on the fringes of society, but make their own society beyond the fringes.
They Called Us Enemy -- graphic novel, not for the challenge (though a few scenes do take place in San Francisco, which hosted two Olympics, and it does contain a map). A powerful and heartbreaking account of actor and activist George Takei’s family spending years in Japanese internment camps during WWII, and a sad testament to how little humanity learns from its mistakes over the years. And Takei is NOT shy to draw comparisons between his experiences and current events.
Main Challenge -- 2/44 (split the last prompt into five)
Advanced Challenge -- 0/10
Non-challenge reads -- 1
Currently Reading:
The Stand -- for “book with a 4 or greater reading on Goodreads”
The Rules of Supervillainy -- not for the challenge (I inter-library loaned this book clear back in November but it must have gotten lost in the mail, because I finally got it at the end of December. Hope it’s worth the wait, haha...)
S is for Space -- not for the challenge
QOTW:
1) I waited until past midnight on New Year's to start, hehe...
2) The first categories I ended up tackling and finishing was "book with a pink cover" and "book by a trans or non-binary author," since the books I picked for those prompts were tiny. Now making the jump from the shortest reads on my list to one of the longest, with Stephen King's absolute brick of a novel for "book with a 4 or higher rating on Goodreads."
Greetings everyone and happy 2020.Since Sunday life has been pretty pants here so I haven't read for a few days and didn't get the 2019 challenge finished on time. I will finish it but I have shiny new books to read which require less brain power and are more suited to my current mood.
I did not spend any of NYE reading as I had a friend over who is also dealing with life being pants and we just drank some strange glow in the dark green stuff her son gave us and watched iZombie.
Before Sunday I read:
Dark Matter which I loved and was my 3rd 5 star read for 2019. (the second of 2 books with the same title)
Dracula's Whitby for based on legend
So I was on track to finish till life slapped me upside the head again.
Today I started ATY with a book that can be read in a day Ask Anna: Advice for the Furry and Forlorn which I strongly suggest all dog lovers go read right now. It was exactly the medicine I needed an actually had me laughing at points.
Currently meant to be readingA Thousand Splendid Suns which was my TRIM for December but is too emotive to deal with right now.
So I'm actually going to read the 5 Gunslinger Born Graphic Novels (I got beautiful hardback ones) from the Stephen King Dark Tower series (which I loved).
QOTW:
I will be starting with the following prompts:
Advanced 1. A book written by an author in their 20s The Gunslinger Born (King was 19 when he started writing The Gunslinger)
37. A Western The Long Road Home?
Advanced 6. A book by an author who has written more than 20 books King- Treachery
The other 2 in the set will fill ATY prompts so I get to read the whole gorgeous set.
Happy New Year! 2020 started with a nice, sunny day. I hope that’s a good omen for this year. I spent some of New Year’s Eve reading and fell asleep before midnight. Clearly, I’m not a party animal. I spent all of New Year’s Day with friends which was wonderful. I’m travelling home from vacation tomorrow, so I’ll have a lot of audiobook time, but I don’t expect to get back to my physical books until Saturday.Finished
The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale (a book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics). This book was compared to The Night Circus and The Miniaturist. That’s technically correct. It’s magical like The Night Circus, but with the anxious and melancholic tone of The Miniaturist. It was a good book to read at Christmastime.
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams (a book about a book club). This was as fun second chance romance. I enjoyed it, and I plan to read the sequel when it’s released.
Reading
Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg (a book by a trans or nonbinary author)
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (a book with a great first line)
QOTW
No, I didn’t wait. I started reading on Christmas Eve. It’s a family tradition to read that evening, so it was the perfect time to start a challenge book. I’ve decided to do the challenge mainly in order. I’m not going to be too strict about it. I’m making exceptions for audiobooks, series, new releases, and to accommodate library due dates. But for the most part, I’m starting at the top.
A jolly New Year to everyone! This will be my 3rd year of reading through Popsugar and I was so excited by all the prompts it was hard to wait until yesterday to start reading! My goal this year is to trim my TBR and try as much as possible to use books already there to fulfill prompts. I'm incorporating a reading bullet journal too and think it will be fun to look back on at the end of the year!Currently Reading:
Mr. Dickens and His Carol
I Was Anastasia
QOTW:
1. I spent a solid 3 hour stretch of yesterday in my reading chair with coffee, my dog and Mr. Dickens and His Carol- it was a perfect way to start the year!
2. The book about Anastasia is being placed in the book meant to read in 2019 prompt. Mr. Dickens is being used for a BINGO challenge through a group on here called Play Book Tag (PBT).
Happy reading to all!
I'm still finishing The Magicians trilogy which I started in 2019, and I'm also re-reading Terry Pratchett because it's become a sort of Christmas / New Year tradition.I'm hoping to start my first challenge book over the weekend; I'm probably going to start with This Is How You Lose the Time War (a book with an upside-down image on the cover) because I've heard a lot of people raving about it lately.
finished book 1Prompt: 3 word title
The Beautiful Mystery
Louise Penny and this series ranks very high on my list of favourites so I will be using some more of her books the complete other prompts.
This is my first time participating in this challenge and the weekly check in. I'm going to keep reading the books that I normally do and see how many prompts I can finish during the year. Of course I will choose some books to read because of the challenge as well.English isn't my native language (I'm from Sweden) so I hope this will be understandable. For me this is also a way to practice both reading and writing in English.
Currently Reading
I'm currently reading three books and two of them I started before the new year.
Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak is a a book I'm buddyreading with a Goodreads friend. I'm reading it in translation but I'm going to use it for the prompt A book with a pun in the title.
I haven't read very much in it yet, the language is a bit hard and I keep mixing up the characters. But the story in itself seems interesting.
I'm also reading Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days by Jeanette Winterson. I started it during the christmas time and I only read one short story everie day. I like the stories a lot and I like the magical realism as well. For me, it fits the prompt published the month of your birthday.
The last book I'm reading is a Swedish "feelgood" novel about books and romance, Bokhandeln på Riverside Drive. The title in English would be something along with "The bookshop on Riverside Drive". It's about a young widow who inherits a bookshop in London by an unknown aunt.
It's a really cozy read and has lots of references to other books and have multiple books on the cover as well.
Question of the week
1. No, not really. The books I didn't finished in December I'm going to read this month instead.
2. Before the challenge started I had already done my TBR for the month. But I can already see that many of the books I'm reading fits a few prompts.
Hi, this is the first time I ever posted. I came up 3 short for the 2019 challenge although I did read 56 books last year. This was the most I’ve read in 1 year since I joined Goodreads in 2014.
Finished A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and The Bitter Side of Sweet this week.
Started a few days early for 2020 and am currently reading
The Boys in the Boat for the Olympic City prompt.
Cinder first a book about a Cyborg.
A Book of American Martyrs for a book whose tile is more than 20 letters. It’s long - 730 some pages trade paperback.
And lastly, In the Woods by Tana French. This one for my book club. Anyone have any ideas which prompt it might fit. I’m only on page 20 of 563.
I usually read more ebooks than paperback books.
First time posting in the weekly check-ins. I've been a watcher for about 6 months now :) I've been anxiously awaiting the 2020 challenge to start! Books I Finished this week:
Verity by Colleen Hoover This wasn't on my list to read for the challenge but a friend recommended it and I put on request at the library. It came in earlier than expected so I fit it into the "book with upside down image on cover" category.
Currently Reading:
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James - having a hard time getting into it.
A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum - for prompt "book featuring one of the seven deadly sins"
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman prompt "book set in a city that hosted the Olympics"
Red Sister by Mark Lawrence prompt "book with great first line" and January Read
These are all books that were requested from the Library and came in at the same time. Will probably be showing on my Current reads for next week also :)
Question of the Week
(1) Did you wait until yesterday to start your challenge reading?
I started Verity on 12/30 knowing I wouldn't finish it until 1/1. I did spend the day reading on 1/1 because I wanted to finish it!
(2) What is the first category you’re planning to tackle in the 2020 Challenge?
"book featuring one of the seven deadly sins"
"book set in a city that hosted the Olympics"
"book with great first line"
Happy New Year and Happy Reading everyone!
Happy New Year! I'm excited about all my new reading goals, and the cold wintry weather is certainly helping me out. The only books I finished this week were for my personal 2019 challenge of reading at least 20% nonfiction. (I ended up with 20.7%. Huzzah!)Challenge Progress: 0/50
Completed:
Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian: Much more tame than I expected and somewhat juvenile in tone. It was interesting to learn about the role of a prison librarian, but there was very little conflict... nothing that really drove the narrative. I was interested, but not enthralled. ★★★
Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History: Fascinating look at Donald Trump's campaign and Katy Tur's experiences as a reporter assigned to the campaign... for more than 500 days! I can't imagine having my life dominated by Trump every day like that. ★★★★
Currently Reading: A Double Life (an author with flora or fauna in their name), Ill Will, Eligible : A Modern Retelling of Pride & Prejudice (a book featuring one of the seven deadly sins), American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee, Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist (a book with only words on the cover)
QOTW: No, I didn't wait. I actually started on the 31st. I didn't have anything in progress, and I'm lost without a book. I don't really plan out my reading. Everything I'm reading now was on my TBR pile. It's generally just happenstance this early in the year that a book fulfills a prompt. I get more serious about the challenge later... especially if I feel like I'm falling behind. I did choose Eligible : A Modern Retelling of Pride & Prejudice because it fits the seven deadly sins challenge. I'm hoping to read a book for each of the sins.
Happy New Year, all! I was so excited to actually finish the challenge last year, even though I did have to rework some of the books I'd already read and skip a few I wanted to read.I'm excited to tackle this year's--I'm trying to fit in as many books I already own as I can. I did some organizing over my break and I actually have quite a few that work!
Currently Reading:
West by Edith Pattou: I'd hoped to finish 2019 with this book, but it's fairly long and there just wasn't time (and I wanted to be able to enjoy reading it). So this is my "book you meant to read in 2019."
The Pink Fairy Book: This is obviously for "a book with a pink cover." It was too on-the-nose not to select it!
QOTW:
1) I started both books yesterday! I finished the 2019 challenge on Dec. 31, so it felt fitting to start the new one on Jan. 1.
2) I'm starting with "a book you meant to read in 2019" and "a book with a pink cover"
Hi everyone!Not a great end of year for me, i managed to have a migraine from last Friday through Monday, with smaller after-headaches all week.
I did do reading on New Years Eve because we failed to make any plans. Husband went to bed at 11 and I just stayed up to finish my book so I could start the year off with a fresh one. Finished about 15 min before midnight so I just stayed up, watched the countdown, kissed my cats and went to bed.
I was mostly reading comics for the end of the year, including Elvira: Mistress of the Dark Vol. 1, Blade Runner 2019, Vol. 1: Los Angeles, as well as catching up with most the Marvel titles I read.
I also read River of No Return, hadn't realized there was a new one out. Nice and short to finish out the year.
QOTW: I started Finale yesterday which will for sure be Read Harder's last book in a series. I haven't decided what it'll be for popsugar yet, probably a book with at least 4 stars on goodreads.
I also have Empress Orchid on loan which I'll be using for world leader. It's about a poverty stricken 17 year old girl who competes to become an emperor's wife and eventually Empress of China. I figure that's pretty world-leadery. I'm not really into this prompt so trying to get it out of the way early.
Happy New Year!I've attempted the challenge the last three years, but have yet to fully complete it. This year I've started a list/plan ahead of time and hope to finally be able to complete it!
In Process Books:
Educated (a book that one an award in 2019- Audie Award for Best Female Narrator) and I'm listening to the audiobook accordingly!
Five Dark Fates (a book with three-world title) Started this one a while ago, but using the challenge to finally give me the boost to finish this series.
QOTW:
(1) Both in process books I started before the challenge, but I didn't start actually paying attention to the challenge until today!
(2) After the two that I'm working on now, I'm really excited to start The Starless Sea (a book with a four-star rating on Goodreads) while I have it out from the library!
Happy New Year and Happy 2020 Reading Challenge!I was awake at midnight to welcome in the new year, but that's only because I dosed for the couple of hours leading up to it. Midnight is not a time I see on my clock very often. I slept late the next morning (which also rarely happens).
I finished four books in the last week of 2019.
Some Writer!: The Story of E. B. White by Melissa Sweet. This is a cute little biography of E.B. White. I think it was written for children, but I loved all of the illustrations and extra tidbits in addition to the actual text of the book.
The Princess Fugitive: A Reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood by Melanie Cellier. This is book two in the Four Kingdoms series of fairy tale retellings. It started to drag a little in the middle, but it finally picked back up.
Happily Ever Afters: A Reimagining of Snow White and Rose Red by Melanie Cellier. This was a novella from the Four Kingdoms series. I didn't love it. I felt the writing took a nose dive (not that the other books were high literature), but having a little more story for two of the characters was nice. I think I need to take a break from this series for a while and read some better books.
Harry's Trees by Jon Cohen. I wanted to love this book. It has received glowing reviews from several trusted book sources. It was just ok. The writing was fantastic, the characters were good, but I just was not motivated to pick it up and read it. I made myself push through to finish it before the new year. I think this book would be a great read for the right audience. Unfortunately that audience was not me.
Currently Reading:
Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible's View of Women by Sarah Bessey. I am trying to read only a chapter or two per day so I can better absorb the information in this book. So far I am enjoying her message.
The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary - this is a cute roommate (flatmate) romance.
The Mists of Avalon - still chipping away at this massive audiobook.
Naturally Tan by Tan France - I just started the audiobook of this Fab Five member this morning (I needed a break from Avalon). I loved Karamo's book so I'm excited to read more from the Fab Five. This will be my book with a pun in the title.
QOTW
(1) Did you wait until yesterday to start your challenge reading?
No, I started a little early. Generally I hold off on starting anything for the next year's challenge until the last week of the current year. I try not to start more than one or two because I am focused more on finishing up some books for the current year.
(2) What is the first category you’re planning to tackle in the 2020 Challenge?
My focus, at the moment, is on choosing the best first book to finish in 2020 (regardless on whether or not it's a challenge book). I do have a few prompts I want to tackle early:
-Western
-Medical thriller
-Book with a made-up language
-Book published in the 20th century
-Book from a series with more than 20 books
-Written by a woman of color
-Book about or by a women in STEM
Hi all! Happy new year!I've decided to just be real and do my Popsugar challenge year starting on 12/25 each year. Because we do Jolabokaflod and I get other books sometimes for Christmas proper, and it really jumpstarts my energy for the challenge!
So "this week" I finished:
Wakenhyrst, A book by an author who has written more than 20 books. I LOVED it! Definitely read if you liked The Thirteenth Tale. It also reminded me of Maud's story in Fingersmith - the heroine is even named Maud!
A Christmas Carol , A book with a great first line. Definitely worth it for the colossal effect on Western ideas about Christmas, though it suffered a bit from referencing very era-specific customs, (and of course neglecting the majority of humanity who don't celebrate Christmas), but rightfully a preeminent part of current Christmas zeitgeist (pun intended!).
QOTW
1. Obviously no - I view the challenge as something each of us owns. No strict rules!
2. Next prompt is A book with a pun in the title, because I stumbled upon the eminently weird Camp Ghoul Mountain Part VI: The Official Novelization, which is a broken-fourth-wall novelization of a horror film that doesn't actually exist. It sounds a bit like House of Leaves, goofy version. Anyway, the titular camp is actually Goose Mountain, but those darn teenagers keep defacing the sign to read "Ghoul" because of all the murders that have happened there.
Happy New Year!! I decided to wait and start my challenge on Jan. 1st. It was so hard to do though! I didn't want to start a book right before diving into the challenge so I had a day of no reading... which at some points was painful lol. I have a reading goal of 90 books this year 50 of them will be part of this wonderful challenge. I also have a goal of reading 25% non-fiction. Let us see what this year holds!
Popsugar General Challenge-- 0/40
Popsugar Advanced Challenge -- 0/10
Personal Reading Challenge -- 0/90
Non-Fiction Books -- 0
Currently Reading:
I started off the first of the year with reading my physical copy of Ross Poldark which my sister actually got me for Christmas last year. I am glad to finally get to this book as I enjoyed the tv series. I am reading it for the prompt: First book your hand touched with your eyes closed.
For the first audiobook, which I started Thursday morning, I chose Never Cry Wolf: The Amazing True Story of Life Among Arctic Wolves a nonfiction about wolves in Canada. For the prompt: set in a Country starting with "C". It is a short book so I have a feeling I will finish it before the weekend.
For my first ebook, which I also will start today at lunch, I chose The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession for the prompt: Title that caught your attention.
QOTW:
1) Did you wait until yesterday to start your challenge reading?
Yes, it was slightly painful to do but I held out. So in the last two days I have started my first three for the challenge.
2) What is the first category you’re planning to tackle in the 2020 Challenge?
I like to have 3 going at a time: print, ebook, audiobook.
"First book you touch on a shelf with your eyes closed"
"Set in a country beginning with 'c'"
"Title that caught your attention."
Hayjay315 wrote: "I'm incorporating a reading bullet journal too and think it will be fun to look back on at the end of the year!"I have been thinking of doing the same thing. What all are you going to place in yours?
Mod
That's a tough one!!
Perhaps you meant to read it last year?
Maybe one of the main characters is in his or her twenties?
There must be a blog or podcast that recommended it at some point.
It's a three word title.
There's always a past prompt that fits!
And if you str-e-e-e-e-tch it, the title almost matches the title of the unrelated movie, "Into the Woods."
Happy New Year, all!Did we really check in just last week? Feels like it was a decade ago... 😉
I finished a bunch of books this week, and am making a substantial start on my 2020 reading. Even completed a Popsugar prompt already!
Midwinter - This was nice, I liked the writing about nature, but didn't find the plot all that substantial or engaging. It's mostly just a stubborn, traumatized father and son who need to USE THEIR WORDS.
Also, don't read if you can't handle animal death, there's a few instances but one chapter near the end is particularly nasty.
When the Moon Was Ours - Absolutely gorgeous and beautifully queer. I want to buy all McElmore's other books now. And since finishing it I've become obsessed with the idea of getting a rose tattooed on my wrist...
Uncanny Magazine Issue 31: November/December 2019 - A bit of a below-average issue.
Christmas Books - "A Christmas Carol" is brilliant, but the other stories can be given a miss.
And now 2020 books!
Crooked House - My first Agatha Christie! Really enjoyed the writing and characters, mystery and ending fell a wee bit flat, but I'm very much looking forward to reading some more of her work now. Got a few Poirots already on my Kindle.
Used this for Popsugar advanced prompt #6, "by an author who has written more than 20 books".
Like Water for Chocolate - Glad to have finally read this after waiting for 2 years, but unfortunately I didn't enjoy it at all. Oh well, it was short.
[edit]
Currently reading Red Mars, a carry-over from 2019, but I'm not really feeling it right now, though it's quite good. Might temp-dnf.
[/edit]
QOTW:
1. Yes, I did!
2. Obviously I've already completed my first category, but others I hope to complete early are:
#2 trans/NB author
#10 recommended by blog/vlog/etc.
#11 anthology
#14 flora- or fauna-named author
#29 bird on cover
Nadine wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Happy New Year! I haven’t checked in for most of the month of December so I’m just going to pick up with where I am right now. I am currently Reading:The River of Doubt: Theodore Roo..."
Thanks Nadine! That is where I will place this!
Sallie wrote: "And lastly, In the Woods by Tana French. This one for my book club. Anyone have any ideas which prompt it might fit. I’m only on page 20 of 563."It's set in Dublin, which hosted the Special Olympics in 2003, so maybe that?
Nadine wrote: "There is always that human need to assign meaning to these human-made units of time, and I can’t help feeling a bit sad that this is the first decade that my father is no longer with us. It’s silly, he died in 2017, but here I am feeling sad all over again in 2020Sorry about your dad Nadine. There is no time limit on grieving a loved one and I will fight anyone who says otherwise! It has a tendency to pop up in arbitrary ways like that. I think it's because the world keeps on moving forward and the huge defining moments of our lives are no longer chronologically central even though they still feel that way. It throws everything off.
This week (yesterday) I finished
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett and am using it for A Book with a Great First Line: "The small boys came early to the hanging."
QOTW:
I count books for the year/month I finish them. So I started Pillars of the Earth a month ago but didn't finish until the 1st so, it's counted.
Did I slow down a bit at the end so I could make it stretch to 2020? Maybe ;)
Hi all, just joined for 1st time. I spent the last few days getting my list completed (all but 1 prompt) and figuring things out. I'm happy that 98% of my choices are directly from my TBR but subject to change as the year plays out.I started my first book/prompt last night:
A book written by an author in their 20’s My Sister, the Serial Killer
I read two novels on New Year's day—A Wrinkle in Time and The Stranger—now I need to look at the list and see if I can fit them into the challenge. I think I saw that a book set in Japan is on the list, so I wish I had waited to read Kafka on the Shore, but I got it for Christmas and finished it on the 27th. Are Murakami's other books set in Japan?
Thank you, Nadine and Cendaqenta for your ideas. And so sorry, Nadine, about your renewed grief about your dad. It’s good though that you are remembering him! I wish you peace and comfort in this new year.
I think I’ll go with the 3 word title and wondering why I didn’t see that myself!
Hello everyone! Happy new year! Let's hope this year I can keep up with the checking in- (mental) health is a real thing. If y'all don't mind, I'll just stick with the new year's reading, as I am too lazy to get up and get my bullet journal to see what I read in the past week haha!
Read
The Subtle Knife - I only finished this, and decided to not count it for any challenges even if I read 75% on January 1st. It just doesn't feel right. I loved this, though! It took me some time to listen to it as I kept getting distracted, but I cannot wait to read The Amber Spyglass (hopefully this month) to finish out this -so far- amazing trilogy!
Currently Reading
Shadow and Bone for a readalong of the entire Grishaverse starting this month. I've had the duology for ages and meant to read them for two years but didn't get to them, so I figured this readalong would be perfect to tackle it all! There is a map, so I could use it for that prompt, but I have to admit that I'm not really thinking about it yet. Once I write down the prompts in my folder (where I let myself change and all) I'm sure I'll get a bit more purposeful. I got a half filled out list in my bujo, as I want to see the difference between my orginally planned books vs actually read books at the end of the year.
The Binding - a reread. This was my favorite book of 2019. It was published in February, and I read it soon after, and it's stayed with me ever since. Someone wanted to read it too and I said I'd read it with them, this time on audio. I'm sure it'll fit into the challenge somewhere! Would wholeheartedly recommend this book by the way. I know I did last year and made multiple people cry :D
QOTW
1) Pretty much yes, as I am not counting The Subtle Knife. The fact that I didn't finish it before the year was out still bothers me haha!
2) If it wasn't obvious yet, I have absolutely no clue. Might just be the map one haha!
Also, I would like to point out as the stickler that I am that the new decade isn't starting until next year! This year is the start of the '20s, but next year is the start of the 203rd decade!
Happy New Year all,I had a terrible slump in my reading for the last few months of last year so I fell well short of completing the 2019 reading challenge. But I will always keep reading so looking forward to tackling the 2020 challenge.
I have already finished 1 book this year (well it was kind of a bridge book, that I started last year) But I finished it in 2020 so I am counting it.
I finished Rogue, Prisoner, Princess Which I am using for the prompt three word title.
I am planning to start New Boy When I get home tonight for a book that I meant to read in 2019 as I did and have borrowed it from the library already.
QOTW
See above. LOL
Cheers and Happy reading
Happy New Year! I did not spend NYE reading, but really just because I had finished a book that morning and didn't want to "carry over" any books into 2020, so I waited until yesterday morning to dive into a new book. And then I spent all day reading.Finished this week
The Nickel Boys This book was phenomenal. One of my favorites of 2019.
Christmas Shopaholic My 6-year-old son picked this out for me for Christmas and I was nervous because it's not my normal type of book. But it ended up being pretty fun and kind of the perfect thing to read after something as heavy as The Nickel Boys.
Be the Bridge: Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation LaTasha Morrison is a truth-teller and this book was really wonderful.
And Then There Were None My first book of 2020 and my first Popsugar 2020 book! I'm using this for "a book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads". Christie really is such a master of mystery. This was really fun and I for sure didn't figure out who did it.
Currently Reading
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (book with more than 20 letters in title)
The Stationery Shop
QOTW
(1) Did you wait until yesterday to start your challenge reading?
(2) What is the first category you’re planning to tackle in the 2020 Challenge?
(1) I did wait until yesterday. I'm a total rule follower, even when it doesn't matter.
(2) I started 2019 with an Agatha Christie book and then went on to have an incredible year of reading, so I wanted to start 2020 with another Christie book, so I started with the "four-star rating on Goodreads" category.
I don't celebrate New Years, but we live next to a park that was setting off the fireworks and three of my four dogs were extremely anxious because of them. We even had a fight break out between two of them because one got scared and started behaving erratically, causing the other one to attack. Thankfully no one got hurt! But it meant that I greeted the new year when all I wanted was to sleep.I took a break from reading to listen to some podcasts because I didn't want to slump right at the beginning of the year, so I have no "finished" update.
Currently Reading: Gods of Jade and Shadow, which I got from BOTM and fits the prompt A book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics perfectly.
Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life, the introduction only.
(1) Did you wait until yesterday to start your challenge reading?
I wanted to, but I started reading on the 31st because fireworks.
(2) What is the first category you’re planning to tackle in the 2020 Challenge?
A book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics and A book by a WOC.
Happy New Year everyone! So excited for the weekly check ins!I did spend NYE reading, I was determined to finish The Widow of Rose House before the start of the new year! I managed to do it (I only had a 100 pages left) before the guests started coming for the NYE celebrations.
QOTW:
1) I did wait until yesterday to start reading, I figure that if the goal is for 2020 then I have to wait until 2020 to make sure I "properly" pass or fail.
2) The first category I'm tackling is A book with gold, silver or bronze in the title (I use a RNG to decide which topic to go for) which I am reading The Golden Hour to complete. Beatriz Williams is an author I always wanted to read so I am very excited and pleased that The Golden Hour is great so far!
I rarely read historical fiction so it's very funny to me that my last book of the decade and the first book of the decade are both from the genre.
Hello! New member here! I am so excited to be a part of this challenge group! And I love the weekly check-in idea. ((Also, I'm so sorry to hear about your dad. Grief is a weird, on-going thing. It's ok and perfectly normal to be missing him at the turn of the decade. Much love to you and prayers for comfort.))
Read
I was in a different challenge last year, so I read these for it last week:
Blackfish City which is a dystopian set in the climate-changed future. It was ok. Not awful, not great.
The Little Prince can you believe I never read this until now? A kid's book, but gorgeous and surprisingly deep! I highly recommend!! Perfect for family reading time.
I also finished my yearly devotional book:
2019 Daily Lives, Miracles, and Wisdom of the Saints & Fasting Calendar It was ok. More a daily inspirational calendar than a devotional, really. I decided to do something different for 2020 though.
Currently Reading
The Wilderness Journal: 365 Days with the Philokalia My new yearly devotional that I'll also be using for "book you picked because the title caught your attention". All it needed to say was "Philokalia" and I was definitely interested! It'll take me all year to finish this so...good thing this challenge ain't a race.
XXXHolic, Omnibus 1 for "book set in a city that hosted the Olympics" (Tokyo). I'm actually going to read the entire series for this challenge since it's a manga and faster to read (and because I'm dying to reread this series).
Tsubasa Omnibus 1 for a "book from a series with 20 or more books". The omnibus version is actually just a collection of multiple volumes of this series. It's original release had almost 30 books! I saved money and bought the compilation so I hope that still counts! Again, I'm going to do the entire series instead of just 1 book for same reasons as above. You can't read xxxholic or Tsubasa without each other anyway. They go in tandem (and, yes, I do have a chart to help figure out which part of which series to read next. I'm a little obsessed).
QOTW
1. I was chomping at the bit to start xxxholic/Tsubasa. They've been in my house for months, and I've held back because I knew I'd use them in this challenge. In my mind, it doesn't count if you start before Jan. 1, so I resisted temptation to start early. It was soooo hard though!
2. I'm thinking, since Tsubasa ends before xxxholic that the "book with 20 or more books in a series" will be finished first. But it could also be "a book by an author in their 20s" since I have to read that for a book club before early February. We'll see how fast I can get through these manga or if I need to pause to get my book club book done first!
Happy 2020 everyone!! I didn't do any reading on NYE because I was out party-hopping. At one of the parties, though, we played the Shakespeare version of Cards Against Humanity, so there was definitely a litttle bit of a literary vibe going on! Last year (hahaha) I read:
Squire: this was even better than I remember! Realistic first love, baby griffins, chainmail--honestly that's all I ever wanted out of YA fantasy.
Oathbringer (audio): the first two in this series were great, but there were just sooooo many POVs in this one (and not of the main characters) that I lost interest a bit. I also hate big battles, and boy was there a big one at the end. I could barely follow what was going on.
Read this year:
On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane: a book by or about a journalist. This author took three low-paying jobs (Amazon warehouse, a call center, McDonalds) and wrote about them. Plenty of juicy details about all three places, with a lot of history also about how American low-wage work grew so awful. I highly recommend.
Currently reading:
The Starless Sea
Lady Knight
QOTW:
1. I didn't intend to start my challenge early! I thought I'd finish Starless Sea on NYE but wound up getting through Oathbringer instead. And I started a little chunk of Lady Knight last week but the bulk of both those books I'll wind up reading in the new year so I figure they'll count.
2. I didn't really plan on it, but the journalist prompt was the one I wound up finishing first.
Mod
I think you're right! I think that's why it feels so "heavy."
Carmen wrote: "Also, I would like to point out as the stickler that I am that the new decade isn't starting until next year!..."
oh you are correct! I am a stickler with so many things, but not this one. So I feel you, but I'm also one of those annoying people who celebrated the start of the new millennium on Jan 1, 2000 ;-) I fully acknowledge that I am wrong, but I just can't wrap my head around it. I mean, when we are 0 years old, that's the start of our lives, we don't wait until we are 1 to start living ...
Mod
I'm glad to hear this is good, because I really like Williams and this is the book I have planned for this category!! I've got the audiobook on hold, should come in next month ...
Happy new year!This past week my internet gave up and I had a great time reading.
I finished my private A-Z Crime challenge 2019 and caught up on my A-Z Fantasy/SciFi challenge 2019, but did not finish that one. Then I started with Popsugar 2020 and finished 2 books already. Yay.
Judgment Call by J.C. Ryan
Kalte Asche by Simon Beckett
No Way Back by Rick Mofina
Aunt Bessie Assumes by Diana Xarissa
Jumper Cable by Piers Anthony
Stations of the Tide by Michael Swanwick
King Rat by China Miéville
For promt 04, about a book club: Book Club Bloodshed by Brianna Bates.
For prompt 38, by an (ex-) journalist about a journalist: The Anonymous Source by A.C. Fuller.
Both those books are part of kindle bundles and I plan to read the rest of the series over the year.
QotW:
1) Yes, I actually waited until past midnight to start.
2) I read the first of the Missy DeMeanour series befor Christmas and waited until 2020 to start the 2nd because of the title, so the "book club" prompt was my first planned prompt.
Finished two for the Advanced: (note that three means I liked it--it's not a bad rating from me)Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated Into What America Eats for over 20 letters on Jan 2 3 stars
Who knew that the world's largest producer of casein was New Zealand? Not me--I always thought it was made from domestic milk by products. This is one of a few new things I learned in an area where I have to admit I already knew a fair bit.
This isn't badly written, and Ettlinger ties in how and when he started this quest along with bit of history of food handling and processing. While I realize that we need minerals from the ground or sea (salt being one of them), much of this book made me happy that I tend to eat food as close to how it originally was, but then I've been doing that much of my life anyway, although not with extreme zealousness. There were a few disturbing things I hadn't realized, but why add spoilers beyond what I already have?
Lock Every Door for main character in their 20s Jan 1 3 stars
A mysterious, wealthy building that was featured in Jules's favourite book growing up, an offer to apartment-sit that was too good to be true in a building with an awful lot of rules (and it was, naturally, but quite frankly Jules is almost tstl at times) and a new friend who vanishes. As the blurb in the jacket says, finally Jules is trying to find a killer. This is best read in a fairly short amount of time, I think.
The writing is quite solid, the pacing fairly good and the characterization of Jules is fairly believable within the framework of this type of thriller.
Happy New Year!This week I plan to start Les Mis, Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, a few comic collections, and an audiobook TBD
QotW
(1) Did you wait until yesterday to start your challenge reading?
I did nothing with my mind yesterday at all. New Years Day is for football and wine, but I do intend to start on my lunchbreak today haha
(2) What is the first category you’re planning to tackle in the 2020 Challenge?
a Book Recommended by favorite blog
I'll be starting Daisy and the Six a little later this afternoon.
Happy New Year!This is my second year reading with the Popsugar Challenge but my first joining the weekly check-ins. Thanks to everyone for making this such a warm community.
I spent a little time reading on my commute to work but rang in the new year bowling with friends!
This week, I finished out the 2019 Challenge with Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet
QOTW
(1) Did you wait until yesterday to start your challenge reading?
Yes, I waited for 2020 to begin but I did start The Alice Network on NYE which fits into a few categories, so I may re-evaluate that later in the year if I'm feeling the crunch!
(2) What is the first category you’re planning to tackle in the 2020 Challenge?
This is my first year attempting to do the advanced challenge section and my book clubs pick for January works for a book set in the 1920s -- A Gentleman in Moscow
Happy New Year all!Finished:
This week I've finished 5 books with 2 of them counting for this year's challenge
La Belle Sauvage by Phillip Pullman - really loved this one and now have no idea why I put off reading it for so long. I think I will wait to pick up The Secret Commonwealth though as it's not in my library and also I've read that it has a cliffhanger so I might wait until nearer the time the final one is out
Die Trying by Lee Child - books like this are my guilty pleasure and this was fine
The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad - read this for my real life bookclub. Totally hated it and would not have finished if that hadn't been the case....
Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Kay - going to use this for 26 pun in the title. Just a short one and, similar to his last book, a combination of funny and poignant with added festive
Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb - using this for 14 flora/fauna in name. Am enjoying this trilogy and want to pick up the last one later in the year but don't know that I have a prompt for it
Currently Reading:
Red Rising by Pierce Brown - not sure where to put this (maybe a bird on the cover although it's just the wing)
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal - for book noticed for the title
Not far into either of those
QOTW:
I had started the Robin Hobb book before new year but I guess I don't think that's a particularly big deal as I finished today. I read loads at this time of year and am pretty relaxed just putting things into the year I finished them in. I'd have also been relaxed if I'd finished it before and couldn't count it.
I've got stuff down for 2 prompts already and completed the pun one first. After things I've got on the go, I'm mainly excited to get to Dry by Neal Shusterman which I've just got from hold from the library. Going to use that for author with 20 books. I'm almost exclusively a library user so am mainly swayed by what's available and how long the waits are.
Sallie wrote: "Hi, this is the first time I ever posted. I came up 3 short for the 2019 challenge although I did read 56 books last year. This was the most I’ve read in 1 year since I joined Goodreads in 2014.
..."
The podcast I listen to, "Reading Glasses" recommended 'In the Woods' so it could work for that prompt.
Happy new year! My birthday was NYE and I definitely spent some of it reading. :)This week I finished Girl, Woman, Other on kindle, and it was wonderful! I'm rooting for it to win the Tournament of Books this year. The character development was incredible and I want to study it for my creative writing endeavors.
I listened to Your House Will Pay which reminded me of All American Boys, but I found the latter to be a tiny bit stronger since the message was less ambiguous. It was a quick read and I enjoyed it, but I questioned a couple of things. I'm looking forward to the ToB discussion of this one.
I listened to Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen and unfortunately I didn't love it as much as others did, but I do plan to read the author's other novels.
I also finished Nothing to See Here on audio and it was an engaging read, but my feelings for it fluctuated. Overall a worthwhile experience though.
QOTW: I started these first 2020 challenge books about two days early, but I didn't finish them early. I'm listening to We Set the Dark on Fire for the 'bird on the cover' prompt, and I'm reading Overthrow on kindle for the 'main character in their 20s' prompt.
Happy new year everyone! *confetti*Finished reading: (2/50)
Velocity Weapon (2019: set in space) - My last book of 2019 and one of my favorites of the year! It's about an AI smartship and a gunship pilot, both essentially marooned in space after an interplanetary war destroyed both their planets. (They were on opposite sides of the conflict, but it doesn't matter any more; they're just survivors now, dependent on each other.) Highly recommended if you're looking for AI rep for 2020.
Slasher Girls & Monster Boys (anthology, attention-catching title) - A YA horror anthology. Lots of themes of female empowerment and vengeance.
Dead Iron (Western) - A steampunk Wild West fantasy, with a fae railroad tycoon as the main villain. Yes. A fast fun junk food read.
QotW:
I always count books in the year I finish them. So I started both my 2020 books in December, but didn't finish them until yesterday. I figure it evens out, because I'll probably be reading some books this December that I won't finish until 2021.
The next category I'm going for is probably a book with a bird on the cover, since I bought Hollow Kingdom last year shortly before the 2020 list dropped.
Happy New Year!Book I "Finished" This Week:
The Ten Thousand Doors of January
I stopped reading at Chapter 11. I realize that this is most of the way through the book, but I just didn't care enough about January and her companions to read any more. When the main character can alter her world by writing something down, the stakes don't feel as high.
Currently reading:
Force Collector
It's interesting enough that I will finish it, but I can't give it a recommend based on the first half.
Resistance Reborn
I am digging this one quite a bit. It picks up pretty much right where The Last Jedi leaves off, and it is very respectful of the movies, books, and comics that came before it. The writing style is working for me, too.
I couldn't find the exact edition I'm reading on Goodreads, but I started a reread of the Bible with the New Living Translation Catholic Edition on Kindle. I start Joshua today.
Question(s) of the Week:
1. I did not wait for anywhere close to the 1st to start the challenge. When the prompts were released, it was fair game to start. On the flip side, I will try to finish before the 2021 prompts are released, so it is still a year's challenge.
2. I am picking the prompts a little bit at random and a little bit based on when library holds come in. Resistance Reborn is a book that I meant to read in 2019 but didn't get to.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Verschwörung (other topics)The Girl in the Spider's Web (other topics)
Just What Kind of Mother Are You? (other topics)
Burying the Honeysuckle Girls (other topics)
Behind Closed Doors (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Carrie Fisher (other topics)Helen Oyeyemi (other topics)
Blake Crouch (other topics)
Yrsa Sigurdardottir (other topics)
Christina Lauren (other topics)
More...
Welcome to all our new members who found us. Every Thursday we “check in” to talk about what’s going on in our lives and what we’ve read this week and our reading challenge progress.
How many of you spent at least part of NYE reading? Haha I did! But only part of the evening. My kids and I started our evening with festive food and various card games (Mix Tape, Dixit, Cards Against Humanity, and finally a new one I just got for Xmas: Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza which is ridiculous and I highly recommend for all ages!!); their dad stopped by and played the last two games with us. Card games are always more fun with more people! Then he left and I read my book while my kids watched the ball drop. THEN I finished off the evening (or, started 2020) with some coloring! And my dogs let me sleep in until 8 am on Wednesday!! (And again today, which is why this is being posted so late - sorry!)
There is always that human need to assign meaning to these human-made units of time, and I can’t help feeling a bit sad that this is the first decade that my father is no longer with us. It’s silly, he died in 2017, but here I am feeling sad all over again in 2020.
Okay. On to the reading!!
Admin stuff:
Our January read is Red Sister. Join us in the 2020 Monthly Reads discussion here: January Group Read Discussion of Red Sister. I just got a copy from the library so I'm about to start reading this one!!
I noticed the "I Finished!" posts for each monthly topic were not getting a lot of use in the last half of last year, so I did not create one for January. LET ME KNOW if you enjoyed those and we can keep it going.
Our weekly check-ins are in the new 2020 folder, which I’m sure you’ve all figured out since here we all are!
This week I finished six books, one for our new Challenge (it was a picture book - but a detailed picture book!!) so I am 1/50.
Chasing Christmas Eve by Jill Shalvis - I’d planned to start and finish this on the eponymous Christmas Eve, but it turned out to be a full-length book. It was ok, either Shalvis was off her game or I just wasn’t in the mood for it.
Pluto Gets the Call by Adam Rex - I don’t always mention the picture books I read, but this one deserves a mention because I loved it so much. Rex always makes me laugh :-) Pluto gets the bad news that he's no longer a planet, and he travels to each of the other planets to talk to them; Jupiter is adorably grumpy here.
What Rose Forgot by Nevada Barr - so much fun! If you've been locked up as a dementia patient and medicated out of your mind, how do you prove that you are actually perfectly lucid? And how do you find out who locked you up? An excellent stand-along mystery from Barr.
The Wild Iris poetry by Louise Glück - meh. Glück’s poems just aren’t for me.
In the Hall with the Knife by Diana Peterfreund - a “closed room” YA murder mystery, inspired by the board game and the movie, and similar in tone to One of Us Is Lying. I enjoyed this a lot!
Manhattan: Mapping the Story of an Island written & illustrated by Jennifer Thermes - my first Challenge read! I didn’t intend this to be a Challenge read, it was one of many new picture books I borrowed from the library last week, but when I brought it home and saw it was full of maps, and more detailed than your average picture books, I knew I had to save it for the 2020 Challenge. I recommend this to all fans of maps and/or Manhattan.
Question of the Week
A two-parter!
(1) Did you wait until yesterday to start your challenge reading?
(2) What is the first category you’re planning to tackle in the 2020 Challenge?
(1) I INTENDED to wait, but I had started one book just before the new challenge was released that had a made-up language, so I set that aside to use for 2020. Then in December two more books I picked up turned out to be perfect for this challenge, so I set them aside too.
(2) I’m so excited I can’t settle on just ONE!! The three books I set aside to read now were:
* Made-up language: Dance Dance Revolution
* A subject I know nothing about: Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA and More Tell Us About Crime
* A book with a map: Manhattan: Mapping the Story of an Island - just read this last night!
I also have the following that I just checked out of the library, because I was far too excited:
* Great first line: Red Sister
* Title caught my attention: Death by Dumpling (this title DID catch my attention on my library’s “new releases” shelf back when it first came out - this category is the perfect reason to finally read it)
* A book by a journalist: It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War
* social media: Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language
* series of mire than twenty books: W is for Wasted
* three word title: Follow Her Home
I've checked out farrrrr too many books!!! I know there is little chance I can read all of these before they are due back at the library. I will focus on the newer books that I may not be able to renew. Fingers crossed!