Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

I'm kinda at a loss on this one. Though I know I have added some of these to my TBR listing... I did read Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body and found it be powerful. The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love looks worthwhile.

What are your ideas for this prompt?

Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Hopefully someone will be able to tell me if Size 12 Is Not Fat fits here!

The Body is Not an Apology

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

I highly recommend One to Watch, especially if you are a fan of The Bachelor or reality TV in general.

Brooke wrote: "I highly recommend One to Watch, especially if you are a fan of The Bachelor or reality TV in general."

This is one of my favorite books of 2020!!

Does anyone know if I'll Be the One would qualify for this prompt? I assume so, based on the summary, but just wanted to double check!

Size 12 Is Not Fat and the rest of the Heather Wells series are mysteries. Body Positivity is not the central theme of the series. They're about Heather figuring out her life now that her label dropped her, her boyfriend dumped her and a parent (her mom?) took all her money. So she gets a job and tries to figure out who she is. And the someone dies, and she tries to find out who killed them. They're great books, and there is body positivity in there (people give her crap about gaining weight and she always fights back that size 12 is the size of the average American woman), but it's not the central theme.

I'll be reading The Beauty Myth for this one.

Aging is the body issue I'm facing at the moment. I'm going to read Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives.

I think Women Don't Owe You Pretty will work for this one!

Julie Murphy's books are so warm and fuzzy, I'll probably be reading Pumpkin for this, but she also has another book out next year which isn't coming up when I search for it, If the Shoe Fits which I think is for an older audience.

I'll probably read Body Positive Power: How learning to love yourself will save your life

I'm planning on Ink in Water: An Illustrated Memoir. I saw it while trying to find a graphic memoir last year, and this prompt is the perfect excuse to pick it up.

Curious of Caitlin Moran - How to Build a Girl would fit in this prompt. What do you think?

Brooke wrote: "I highly recommend One to Watch, especially if you are a fan of The Bachelor or reality TV in general."

This one is on my TBR - perfect! =)

I listened to The Body is Not an Apology recently and LOVED it! I plan to read F*ck Your Diet: And Other Things My Thighs Tell Me for this one.

Although we often talk about body positivity issues with women, I think all genders have an issue with this. Likely books dealing with trans issues would be perfect. I've also added Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story to the listopia because Tiny Cooper reminds me so much of what it's like to deal with your body size issues.

Also, I read There's Something About Sweetie last year and truly loved it. That would be a good YA dealing with weigh issues and acceptance.

If you're looking for something short or you have kids at home, you might look at A Kids Book About Body Image

I read Happy Fat: Taking Up Space in a World That Wants to Shrink You by the comedian Sofie Hagan last year and thought it was brilliant.

I'm struggling for something this year though, nothing on my TBR seems to fit.

Do you think Open Book would work? The prompt says "discusses" body positivity, and I know she talks about body shaming in the industry, but I don't think it's a big central theme. (Maybe it is? I haven't read it haha.)

Debbie wrote: "Although we often talk about body positivity issues with women, I think all genders have an issue with this. Likely books dealing with trans issues would be perfect. I've also added Will Grayson, Will Grayson..."

I adored Will Grayson, Will Grayson!

I don't think body positivity needs to be a central theme of the book. The prompt is just that it "discusses" body positivity. So I think Size 12 Is Not Fat would be a great option.

I also highly recommend One to Watch and Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body. Both are really excellent!

I think I may go with Spoiler Alert.

North of Beautiful deals with body positivity in relation to birthmarks, if that counts?
Big trigger warning for this one, but Wintergirls could maybe work for this, as it's about a girl recovering from anorexia.

Are there some more YA contemporary recs for this?

Question: The most straightforward way to tackle this is the way we think about weight I guess? But it could be any book about coming to terms with, and feeling good about, your body, so also books with transgender issues, like coming to terms with your body/your new body, or any other book about struggling to feel right in one's skin? Or does it mean something else?

Johanne wrote: "Question: The most straightforward way to tackle this is the way we think about weight I guess? But it could be any book about coming to terms with, and feeling good about, your body, so also books..."

Yes, I think there are various interpretations of this, including folks who work through internal colorism/anti-Blackness challenges. It doesn't have to be a weight focus.

My friend wrote this one and she confirmed it does speak to body positivity, when I asked her: The Corseted Skeleton: A Bioarchaeology of Binding

I’m going with “the gifts of imperfection” by Brene brown

Thanks Lauren.

Maybe I'm thinking too far out of the box, but I remember reading «Stay Gold and one of their friend talks a lot about body dysmorphia, and how things like chest binders and such can help with that, and so it got me thinking that maybe a book about someone transitionning could work here.

so if anyone has suggestion about something similar.... maybe im thinking too much.

Beneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children #3) works for this: a central theme is that the main character is fat and has severe anxiety about how people perceive her, even though she's healthy and athletic and capable.

I also agree that trans and body dysphoria issues and colorism would work here. Open to recs for those issues!

Marie-eve wrote: "Maybe I'm thinking too far out of the box, but I remember reading «Stay Gold and one of their friend talks a lot about body dysmorphia, and how things like chest binders and such ca..."
For one of last year's prompts I read Balls, It Takes Some to Get Some. It was Chris Edwards memoir of growing up as a girl and hating his body and eventually transitioning to a man. I think that would work so well for this prompt and I really enjoyed the book.

Dumplin’ or Puddin’ both discuss body positivity

I can recommend a book I read a few years ago, Fat: The Owner’s Manual, by Ragen Chastain. Short, informative and no-nonsense.

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer is on the list, I fancy reading it but looking on the blurb I'm not sure if this fits the prompt. Can anyone confirm?

The Anti-Cool Girl by Rosie Waterland

Mirror Mirror was fascinating about a year long mirror fast. Also Over the Top by Jonathan van Ness.

I haven’t read it yet but I was thinking about “Big: Stories about Life in Plus Sized Bodies”

Pop culture stereotypes, shopping frustrations, fat jokes, and misconceptions about health are all ways society systemically rejects large bodies. Big is a collection of personal and intimate experiences of plus size women, non-binary, and trans people in a society obsessed with thinness.

Any books about people with physical disability? I myself have a leg shorter than the other and I find so hard to see people with physical disability well-represent in fiction overall.

I know there's Wonder, but for me it wouldn't work as I've read it already and don't plan on re-reading for now. I thought maybe The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley but I'm not sure if it fits. Would love some recommendations.

Rafaela wrote: "Any books about people with physical disability? I myself have a leg shorter than the other and I find so hard to see people with physical disability well-represent in fiction overall.

I know ther..."

I read Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens this year, it's an anthology of short stories about disabled teens, and i think it could work for you here. it was a good read too

Rafaela wrote: "Any books about people with physical disability? I myself have a leg shorter than the other... I thought maybe The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley but I'm not sure if it fits."

Good question! I’m struggling finding something in Mount TBR that fits this category and also have this book to read. Anyone here read it?

If only I hadn't read it already! Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus A quirky book about a girl with disabilities, but who has a great self-image. I read it for a "Pink Cover".

ETA: I'm so excited to find this book on the list from post #1! There's Something About Sweetie (Dimple and Rishi #2), Sandhya Menon. I'm reading Book #1 right now, for the PS Summer Challenge (a book that takes place the summer before college).

I will reread https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... The F*ck It Diet since it’s required reading for a course I’m doing. It’s an excellent book about accepting your body and not buying into diet hypes.

One to Watch....

Rafaela wrote: "Any books about people with physical disability? I myself have a leg shorter than the other and I find so hard to see people with physical disability well-represent in fiction overall.

I know ther..."

I got Disability Visibility last month for my birthday and plan on reading it for this category.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

I just finished this prompt with reading
Hunger: A Memoir of My Body by Roxanne Gay

Embodied Resilience Through Yoga: 30 Mindful Essays about Finding Empowerment After Addiction, Trauma, Grief, and Loss looks perfect for this prompt. There are perspectives relating to body positivity from POVs of gender, gender identity, age, size and body image.

https://bookriot.com/body-positive-ch...

Lex wrote: "Hopefully someone will be able to tell me if Size 12 Is Not Fat fits here!"

I would say no. Heather is constantly lamenting her size and the "is not fat" phrase implies fat is bad, so that's not very body positive.