Aimee’s Comments (group member since Dec 26, 2016)

Aimee’s comments from the Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge group.

Book Lovers
Would this be considered a reflection on the cover? I can see it both ways!

Would Hamlet work for this?

Salt Houses

Where the Crawdads Sing

Would The Portrait of a Lady work for this topic? It's on my TBR, but I'm not sure if this is a good fit.

2018 Popsugar Reading Challenge

1. A book made into a movie you've already seen - Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption: A Story from Different Seasons
2. True Crime [book:In Cold Blood
3. The next book in a series you startedTurbo Twenty-Three Hardcore Twenty-Four
4. A book involving a heist Six of Crows
5. Nordic noir The Keeper of Lost Causes
6. A novel based on a real person The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.
7. A book set in a country that fascinates youThe Bear and the Nightingale
8. A book with a time of day in the title Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
9. A book about a villain or antihero The Picture of Dorian Gray
10. A book about death or grief The Memory Thief
11. A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym The Cuckoo's Calling: By J. K. Rowling
12. A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist This is How It Always Is
13. A book that is also a stage play or musical The Portrait of a Lady
14. A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you Invisible Man
15. A book about feminism The Secret Life of Bees
16. A book about mental health House Rules
17. A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift McFadden's War
18. A book by two authors The Wife Between Us
19. A book about or involving a sport The Natural
20. A book by a local author Interview with the Vampire
21. A book with your favorite color in the titleMy Heart and Other Black Holes
22. A book with alliteration in the title The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
23. A book about time travel Time After Time
24. A book with a weather element in the title The Last Lightning
25. A book set at sea Into the Drowning Deep
26. A book with an animal in the title Island of the Blue Dolphins
27. A book set on a different planet The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
28. A book with song lyrics in the title Since You've Been Gone
29. A book about or set on Halloween A Night in the Lonesome October
30. A book with characters who are twins I Know This Much Is True
31. A book mentioned in another bookCrime and Punishment
32. A book from a celebrity book club The Last Mrs. Parrish
33. A childhood classic you've never read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
34. A book that's published in 2018
35. A past Goodreads Choice Awards winner Eleanor & Park
36. A book set in the decade you were born Everything I Never Told You
37. A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
38. A book with an ugly cover The Grapes of Wrath
39. A book that involves a bookstore or library The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
40. Your favorite prompt from the 2015 POPSUGAR Reading Challenges (a book you own but have never read) How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines
41. Your favorite prompt from the 2016 POPSUGAR Reading Challenges (a book written by a comedian) Me Talk Pretty One Day
42. Your favorite prompt from the 2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenges (a book set during wartime) The Nightingale

2018 Popsugar Advanced Reading Challenge

1. A bestseller from the year you graduated high school The Secret History
2. A cyberpunk book Ready Player One
3. A book that was being read by a stranger in a public place Breakfast at Tiffany's
4. A book tied to your ancestry Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie
5. A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
6. An allegory Catch-22
7. A book by an author with the same first or last name as you The Goddess Test or Willful Creatures
8. A microhistory Columbine
9. A book about a problem facing society todayThirteen Reasons Why
10. A book recommended by someone else taking the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge When Breath Becomes Air

I decided to take this far out of my normal realm and read a graphic novel. I chose Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood and found it extremely informative and engaging. While I am not sure that I am sold on the genre, I am very glad that I read the book!!

Lily wrote: "I'm perhaps cheating a bit because I really wanted to join this discussion of A Gentleman in Moscow. Please let me??

Like Chrissy @20, I listened to the book (enjoyed it very much..."

I would never have thought of(view spoiler)[ his sister being the woman at the end. While I was under the impression that she died, I couldn't understand why he didn't bring her picture with him. That would make sense if he was meeting her. However, I really think that it said she died. At least it was implied. I would really love some clarification on that!!! As for Anna, I just assumed if she was an actress she would be able to disguise herself well enough to stay under the radar.
The man who went to Finland was the man who met him at the train station, I can't remember his name and no longer have a copy of the book. It seems they planned it so that by all appearances Count Rustov planned an escape to Finland. The man went, dropped the Count's disguise to be readily found, and returned to Russia without a hitch. They definitely had me fooled with the ending! I loved it!! (hide spoiler)]

Salt to the Sea

Chrissy wrote: "I listened to the audiobook and it is hard to go back to find a specific spot! So, Aimee, there's a part where two Italian characters speak in Italian... Is..."

The way I understood it, although it was not clear, (view spoiler)[ he came out of the closet when he thought they were sleeping, and what was said was in the confusion of someone coming out of your closet at night. At least that's what I believe happened. Does that match up with the way it was read in the audio version? The interpretation of what was said was not given. As for the end, I believe it was Anna! I think that Sophia was staying with the American at the embassy. I believe he wanted her to have a real life, while he and Anna could hide away and be happy. Again, this is my perspective. It is definitely not clearly stated. What did you think? (hide spoiler)]

I've finished the book!

I do have a question, do we know how old he is when the novel begins?

Why do I keep running into War and Peace? Maybe I should take it as a challenge! If it weren't for that 800 page topic it would be more likely.

I just started reading it yesterday and am a quarter of the way through. Lucky for me I live in the New Orleans area, and it popped in my inbox the day I got off for Mardi Gras break! Great entertainment as I wait for the parades to start - I'm such a nerd. :)

I nominate The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

I read The Husband's Secret which fits this prompt very well and is an excellent read! I read over the weekend (mostly Saturday). I could barely pull myself away! It fits several other prompts as well (author is from Australia, set during Easter, family member name in the title).

I finished reading two books this week which puts me at 5/52.

My first book was We Have Always Lived in the Castle which I am using for #29 - a book with an unreliable narrator.

My second and far more engaging book was The Husband's Secret which I will probably use for #38 - a book set around a holiday other than Christmas (Easter). It can also be used for the following prompts: #7 - a book with a story within a story, #26 - a book from an author from a country you've never visited (Australia), and #43 - a book with a family-member term in the title. I would definitely recommend this book!!

QOTW: I do lend books out frequently, and I don't usually get overly upset if I don't get them back in a timely manner. Sometimes I forget I ever had the book in the first place. If it is one of my favorites, I may not be so prone to lend it, or I may be a little more particular of the recipient.

I have now completed 3 books.

The Winter People, for our January read. I am still deciding which prompt I will use it for: #6 - A book with one of the four seasons in the title or #32 - A book set in two different time periods.

I also completed Othello which I needed to read before I begin teaching it next week. It counts for #31 - a book where the character is a different ethnicity than you.

This weekend I read The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto. This book is amazing! It fits into 9 different categories for me: #7 - a story within a story, #14 - a book involving travel, #21 - a book from a nonhuman perspective (Music), #23 - a book with a red spine, #31 - a book where the character is a different ethnicity than you, AND for the advanced challenge #44 - a book that takes place over a character's life span, #45 - a book about an immigrant or refugee, and #47 - a book with an eccentric character. I am pretty sure I will be using it for #44, because it seems pretty hard to find a book that covers a life from birth to death, and this one does. Amazingly written, absolutely loved it, MUST READ!

I hope this helps someone fill a prompt! You need to read this book!

I would love to read one book for each topic, but as an Engish teacher I end up spending more time reading student essays than novels several times a year. This is my first time doing a reading challenge, and I am very excited, but my plan is to count each book that I read for every category it can possibly fit into. I just finished The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, which could actually fit into 10 different categories for me. When each category is full, I will begin reading books to take the place of the titles used in multiple categories. Who knows, maybe by the end I will have read 52 books, but if not, I will at least have expanded my horizons in reading and hopefully read more than I did last year (which was only 25 books).

Whatever path you choose to take - enjoy!!

Thanks, Tami! It fits for several other categories as well, but I may use it for this one!