L Y N N’s Comments (group member since Nov 10, 2018)

L Y N N’s comments from the Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge group.

Here are some introductory questions...

1) Have you read any other books written by Becky Chambers? If so, what? And did you enjoy it/them?

2) Was this specific book on your TBR or are you reading it to fulfill prompt #29 A book about a food truck?

3) What are your expectations for this book, if any?

4) Do you find the title, A Psalm for the Wild-Built, particularly interesting?

5) What about the cover image? Does it motivate you to read this book? Or does it make you hesitate to read it?


6) Do you typically read books in this genre/subgenre-Science Fiction/Fantasy?

Thank you, Dubhease, for leading!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏

I've been so engrossed in finishing the book I was reading, I totally spaced the new list being released today! Duh!

Edited to add: And now I have to fix supper, plus I had to totally reboot my laptop since it was not allowing me to create a listopia! Ugh!

A book about Afrofuturism

Whoo! Whoo! I am glad to see an Afrofuturism prompt for 2026!

As I recall a similar prompt in the past initiated much discussion as to what authors and/or books might qualify. Therefore, here is the Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrofut... Hopefully this will help us all in selecting books! Though I admit that as usual, if a specific book fulfills this prompt for you, then it counts!!

There are Listopias already in existence that could help!
Afrofuturism
Popsugar 2021 #2 - An Afrofuturist Book

Listopia: A book about Afrofuturism

A book with a mention of your Zodiac sign

Wow! This may take a while to locate a book that fulfills this one! My Zodiac sign is Aries. I rather doubt I will ever just inadvertently stumble across a mention of "Aries" in a book! Though I do know there are books about the Zodiac signs that would include a mention of each one...

Helpful websites for Western astrological/Zodiac signs:
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrolo...
Zodiacsign.com: https://www.zodiacsign.com/
Chinese Highlights/Chinese Zodiac signs: https://www.chinahighlights.com/trave...

However, in the interest of helping as much as possible, I've created a Listopia for each of the most common (Western astrological) Zodiac signs:
Aquarius: January 20 - February 18
Pisces: February 19 - March 20
Aries: March 21 - April 19
Taurus: April 20 - May 20
Gemini: May 21 - June 20
Cancer: June 21 - July 22
Leo: July 23 - August 22
Virgo: August 23 - September 22
Libra: September 23 - October 22
Scorpio: October 23 - November 21
Sagittarius: November 22 - December 21
Capricorn: December 22 - January 19

I really like the ideas listed below to expand beyond a more limited interpretation!

One more Listopia for books that mention all 12 Western astrological/Zodiac signs. (You could also include any book which may list ALL Chinese Zodiac signs, or any other Zodiac sign system, as long as it is comprehensive!)
Books listing ALL Zodiac signs

A book with a “shadow daddy”

I admit that (1) I had to Google "shadow daddy" and (2) once I knew the meaning of the term, I groaned and said, "Ugh!" The book title that immediately popped into my head was Fifty Shades of Gray! And I had sworn years ago to never ever pick up that book! It is DEFINITELY NOT in my wheelhouse!

Upon researching a bit further it sounds as if a 'romantasy' may fulfill this prompt. I may have to cheat a bit for this one! 😬

Listopia: A book with a “shadow daddy”

A book told entirely through letters

Oooohhh...an epistolary novel! I am always fascinated by these. It seems to me that a person may indeed reveal way more intimate details via written correspondence than perhaps they would in person, or perhaps just different details than if the two people were speaking face-to-face!

One of my favorites that I would highly recommend is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. I loved the book and still have not yet watched the movie adaptation.

Some lists that might help:
Epistolary Young Adult Novels
Epistolary Horror
Christian Epistolary Books (Fiction and non-fiction)
Epistolary Lesbians
Queer Epistolary Fiction
Children's Epistolary Historical Fiction
Epistolary Romance
Epistolary Fiction
Epistolary Novels
Letters To And From: Fan Mail, Hate Mail, Love Letters, Communique & Correspondence (Non-Fiction)
Women's Correspondence - Letters in History
Best Books of Letters (Non-Fiction)



Listopia: A book told entirely through letters

A sapphic comic

I usually don't read 'comics', so this will be a challenge for me... I trust everyone will contribute to the Listopia to help!! 😁

Listopia: A sapphic comic

A book that features birding

This is soooo timely! One of my fellow IRL book club members is a birder and I have been dying to tell her there is a book entitled Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb so I can ask her if that's true! LOL 😋

Lists that might help:
Birds and Birding
Ornithologists/Ornithology & Birdwatching in Fiction
Birding Big Year
Best Books for Birders
Young Ornithologists: Bird Watching, Falconry, etc. (Juvenile)
Big Year Birding List

Listopia: A book that features birding

Two books written by real-life partners or spouses

My very first thought was Michelle Obama: Becoming or The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times
AND
Barack Obama: A Promised Land, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters, Renegades: Born in the USA (with Bruce Springsteen), Barack Obama in His Own Words

There also Bill Clinton and Hilary Clinton, and I'm sure many more of which I am unaware! Help us build the Listopia!

Listopia: Two books written by real-life partners or spouses

A book inspired by a real song, album, band, or artist

Yes! I have owned a copy of Me by Elton John for years now!

Lists that may help:
Best Books on Rock and Roll
Popsugar 2021 #17 - A Book that has the Same Title as a Song
Popsugar 2023 #15 - A Book with a Song Lyric as Its Title
Books with a Song Name as the Title
Book and Theme from Song Title or Lyrics
Sing Along - Picture Books for Toddlers

Listopia: A book inspired by a real song, album, band, or artist

A book in a different format than your usual: physical, audio, eBook

I mostly read physical hold-in-my-hand books, so it'll be an eBook or audiobook for me!

No listopia for this one!

A book outside your comfort zone

Oh, boy. Uncertain what I might select for this. Perhaps something I consider to be a bit scary, but not "horror"! Or perhaps a classic book I feel I should read, but for whatever reason, haven't done so. Maybe I feel it will be boring or something else...
The Portrait of Dorian Gray was just such an example. In fact, now that I think about it, I do have a copy of Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier that I purchased after reading Rebecca and finding it not to be as scary as I feared it might be...

Anyway, since this is definitely an individual choice, so there is no listopia...

You know, as I setup the Word documents for the two challenges I'll work on for 2026, I realized that one prompt I wouldn't mind seeing recur every year is "Read a second book to fulfill your favorite prompt"

Other than that, I am anxious to see what additional categories they may have beyond REGULAR for the prompts. This year they had ADVANCED PROMPTS EASY, ADVANCED PROMPTS MEDIUM, and ADVANCED PROMPTS HARD. I thought that was kinda cool. It signaled these may be very specific prompts that might prove to be more of a challenge to fulfill...

Ron wrote: "Lynn wrote:

Personally, I think getting it out of the way prior to the "holiday season" is a good thing. I don't have those distractions, since I don't do "holidays," but I remember the rat race t..."

Exactly!

Ron wrote: "L Y N N wrote: "I was curious, so bopped onto the 52 Book Club Challenge and that 2026 challenge is being revealed slowly, but surely! There are four prompts listed now! Cool!"

Wow, a lot of place..."
Personally, I think getting it out of the way prior to the "holiday season" is a good thing. I don't have those distractions, since I don't do "holidays," but I remember the rat race that was November and December when my children were still at home! Ugh.

I was curious, so bopped onto the 52 Book Club Challenge and that 2026 challenge is being revealed slowly, but surely! There are four prompts listed now! Cool!

A book with a character who runs a marathon

Oh! Oh! Oh! I now have a copy of Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall which I was never really interested in reading until I read and adored Running with Sherman to fulfill this year's Popsugar prompt #17 A book about a run club.

I'm sure there are books where characters run a marathon that are not about runnning! In fact, I'm relatively certain I have read one recently, but cannot remember which one! Help build the listopia!

A list that might help:
Distance Running

Listopia: A book with a character who runs a marathon

A book with any type of fruit on the cover or in the title

Cool! I have a copy of Quite a Year for Plums by Bailey White which is a short story collection recommended to me by my former chiropractor before he retired...

I'm sure there are many more!

Lists that might help:
Apples on the Cover
Books with Fruit in the Title
Citrus on the Cover
Cherry Picking
Pomegranates
Cherries
Bananas
Berries
Watermelon
Peaches
Books with fruit on the cover
Mango
Best books on apples
Fruity Picture Books
Fruity Pa Tootie Tootie (Yes... Fruity) *Read Description Before Voting*

Listopia: A book with any type of fruit on the cover or in the title

A book about a pop star

Ugh. I don't really listen to pop music and don't follow it or any of the "stars" in it. I can only imagine there are books published about Beyonce or Taylor Swift...?

I'm trusting the Listopia for this one! 🙂

Listopia: A book about a pop star