Raye’s Comments (group member since Jan 04, 2019)

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

This is How It Always Is

Crazy Rich Asians

Carmen wrote: "@Raye, I finished The Man in the High Castle just two days ago, so I am curious to hear what you think! I liked it, but still feel weird about it."

@Carmen, I just finished yesterday and think I know what you mean. I may need a bit more time to process. ;-)
I had already watched the TV series a while back and that probably definitely pre-influenced me. I loved the premise but the execution of it was not as well done as I was expecting. And while I don't usually mind books with open endings, this one just felt too abrupt and a bit anti-climatic.

Hi all

I finished 2 books last week:
The Windup Girl (for the Cli-fi prompt) and The Giver (for the author's name and surname starting with the same letter prompt, although it would also work for the over 1 million ratings on Goodreads prompts).

I'm currently reading The Man in the High Castle, and while I'm enjoying the storyline, I'm struggling a bit with the writing.

QOTW:
A friend's husband had a couple of short books self-published. Otherwise, while I have met/spoken to a few authors, I wouldn't really say I knew any of them well.

2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge
54/55

√ 1. A book becoming a movie in 2019: Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
√ 2. A book that makes you nostalgic: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
√ 3. A book written by a musician (fiction or nonfiction): The Complete Secret Diaries of God by Koos Kombuis
√ 4. A book you think should be turned into a movie: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
√ 5. A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads: Lord of the Flies by William Golding
√ 6. A book with a plant in the title or on the cover: The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
√ 7. A reread of a favorite book: If Tomorrow Comes by Sidney Sheldon
√ 8. A book about a hobby: The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks
√ 9. A book you meant to read in 2018: The Martian by Andy Weir
√ 10. A book with POP, SUGAR, or CHALLENGE in the title: Sugar Run by Mesha Maren
√ 11. A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover: Escaping the Amazon by Alex De Bruyn
√ 12. A book inspired by myth/legend/folklore: Circe by Madeline Miller
√ 13. A book published posthumously: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
14. A book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie
√ 15. A retelling of a classic: Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler
√ 16. A book with a question in the title: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
√ 17. A book set on college or university campus: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
√ 18. A book about someone with a superpower: Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson
√ 19. A book told from multiple POVs: The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
√ 20. A book set in space: 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
√ 21. A book by two female authors: Book Lover by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack
√ 22. A book with SALTY, SWEET, BITTER, or SPICY in the title: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
√ 23. A book set in Scandinavia: Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
√ 24. A book that takes place in a single day: Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
√ 25. A debut novel: Where Angels Fear to Tread by E.M. Forster
√ 26. A book that's published in 2019: My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
√ 27. A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature: The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
√ 28. A book recommended by a celebrity you admire: Foundation by Isaac Asimov
√ 29. A book with LOVE in the title: Recipes for Love and Murder by Sally Andrew
√ 30. A book featuring an amateur detective: The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
√ 31. A book about a family: The Enumerations by Maire Fisher
√ 32a. A book by an author from Asia, Africa, or South America: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
√ 32b. A book by an author from Asia, Africa, or South America: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
√ 32c. A book by an author from Asia, Africa, or South America: Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
√ 33. A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in title: Death on Taurus by J.M. Porup
√ 34. A book that includes a wedding: Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
√ 35. A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter: The Giver by Lois Lowry
√ 36. A ghost story: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
√ 37. A book with a two-word title: Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks
√ 38. A novel based on a true story: Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
√ 39. A book revolving around a puzzle or game: Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
√ 40a. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading challenge: 2018 - read a book about a problem facing society: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
√ 40b. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading challenge: 2017 - read the first book in a series: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
√ 40c. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading challenge: 2016 - read a YA bestseller: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
√ 40d. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading challenge: 2015 - read a book by a female author: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
√ 41. A "cli-fi" (climate fiction) book: The Windup Girl by Paulo Bacigalupi
√ 42. A "choose-your-own-adventure" book: Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris
√ 43. An "own voices" book: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
√ 44. Read a book during the season it is set in (winter): The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
√ 45. A LitRPG book: Warcross by Marie Lu
√ 46. A book with no chapters / unusual chapter headings / unconventionally numbered chapters: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
√ 47. Two books that share the same title: Wildcard by Marie Lu
√ 48. Two books that share the same title: Wildcard by Ken McClure
√ 49. A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom: Aesop's Fables by Aesop
√ 50. A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent: Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

Happy new year all! This is the first time I'm taking part in the discussions, although I did take part in the challenge last year (and just managed to finish it).

So far, I've finished 1 book this year: The Complete Secret Diaries of God. Although it can fit 3 prompts (#3, #32 & #35), I'm probably going to use it for prompt#3 - a book written by a musician. I found the book quick, light and highly entertaining. I have been a fan of the author's music for a while (he is a local musician in South Africa) and this book was just so typical of him. What bugged me throughout the book though were all these inconsistencies - there were men in heaven but men had not yet been created, etc.? All in all, an enjoyable book, as long as you don't take it too seriously.

I haven't yet decided on my next book, but will consult the challenge list to get inspired ;-)

QOTW: I read in English, but have read in Afrikaans in the past too (although much slower)!

2018 Popsugar Reading Challenge

√ 1. A book made into a movie you've already seen: The Help
√ 2. True Crime: The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy: The Shocking Inside Story
√ 3. The next book in a series you started: Sourcery
√ 4. A book involving a heist: The Great Train Robbery
√ 5. Nordic noir: Roseanna
√ 6. A novel based on a real person: 11/22/63
√ 7. A book set in a country that fascinates you: A Gentleman in Moscow
√ 8. A book with a time of day in the title: Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore
√ 9. A book about a villain or antihero: Brighton Rock
√ 10. A book about death or grief: Thirteen Reasons Why
√ 11. A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym: The Cuckoo's Calling
√ 12. A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist: The Danish Girl
√ 13. A book that is also a stage play or musical: Oliver Twist
√ 14. A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you: Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About
√ 15. A book about feminism: The Handmaid's Tale
√ 16. A book about mental health: The Silver Linings Playbook
√ 17. A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift: A Little Life
√ 18. A book by two authors: The Wife Between Us
√ 19. A book about or involving a sport: Fever Pitch
√ 20. A book by a local author: Good Morning, Mr. Mandela: A Memoir
√ 21. A book with your favorite color in the title: Shades of Grey
√ 22. A book with alliteration in the title: Pride and Prejudice
√ 23. A book about time travel: The Time Machine
√ 24. A book with a weather element in the title: The Shadow of the Wind
√ 25. A book set at sea: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
√ 26. A book with an animal in the title: The Bat
√ 27. A book set on a different planet: A Princess of Mars
√ 28. A book with song lyrics in the title: Yesterday
√ 29. A book about or set on Halloween: Something Wicked This Way Comes
√ 30. A book with characters who are twins: Cutting for Stone
√ 31. A book mentioned in another book: Mrs. Dalloway
√ 32. A book from a celebrity book club: Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
√ 33. A childhood classic you've never read: The Secret Garden
√ 34. A book that's published in 2018: Educated
√ 35. A past Goodreads Choice Awards winner: Artemis
√ 36. A book set in the decade you were born: Eleanor & Park
√ 37. A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to: Me Before You
√ 38. A book with an ugly cover: Aleph
√ 39. A book that involves a bookstore or library: The Bookseller of Kabul
√ 40a. Your favorite prompt from the 2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: A Death in Vienna (An espionage thriller)
√ 40b. Your favorite prompt from the 2016 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: Always Another Country (An autobiography)
√ 40c. Your favorite prompt from the 2015 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: The Slap (A book based on or turned into a TV show)

2018 Popsugar Advanced Reading Challenge

√ 1. A bestseller from the year you graduated high school: The Street Lawyer
√ 2. A cyberpunk book: Moxyland
√ 3. A book that was being read by a stranger in a public place: One Day
√ 4. A book tied to your ancestry: Onion Tears
√ 5. A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title: Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters
√ 6. An allegory: Animal Farm
√ 7. A book by an author with the same first or last name as you: Love, Hate & Other Filters
√ 8. A microhistory: Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing
√ 9. A book about a problem facing society today: Beartown
√ 10. A book recommended by someone else taking the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: The Book Thief

Date you finished: 31/12/2018 - just in time...
Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 1176
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book being read by a stranger in public. Although I struggled to find people reading in public, and not on a Kindle or other device, I enjoyed the challenge. I read One Day for this prompt, a book I saw someone reading on a train while on holiday.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Beartown - I used it for the book about a problem facing society today (although I originally had in the book with an animal in the title slot)
Was there a book you LOVED that you never would have read if not for the Challenge?: There were a few books that I loved, but I probably would have gotten around to reading them anyway... eventually...
Least favorite prompt: A book with an ugly cover, especially as I read a lot on my Kindle. It probably didn't help as well that the book I used for this prompt turned out to be the one I disliked the most - Aleph
Prompt you hope to see again: True crime - my first true crime and I was fascinated by the one I read (The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy: The Shocking Inside Story)
Last prompt you finished: A microhistory
Finally, are you in for 2019? Yes! Already started ;-)