2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge

[Katy]

Emm wrote: "Katy, I feel that way about the ReadHarder challenge this year. None of the categories are really exciting me. I hate book recommendation tasks on challenges too because while some of my friends ar..."

I am also kind of glad I decided to stick to one challenge this year as my overall goal is going to be 70 books total, so just concentrating on 52 challenge books leaves me wiggle room to just read whatever I feel like in between. :)

[Marta]

I am thinking of doing it, some books do fit in there that I want to read.

Political memoir is not my cup of tea, either, but I do have The Autobiography of Malcolm X on my tbr. Also if you think of feminism as political, the choices really go up.

The "same profession as you", one can interpret wider, for example I am a software developer, but I consider any tech or nerdy protagonist fine, so maybe Steve Jobs or any sci-fi book involving computers. If someone is a librarian, I would think a book about books would do, if you are in high school, read a ya novel set in high school, etc.

The biggest issue is "the first book you see in a bookstore" - I don't go to bookstores much, and if I do, you walk in and see the highly advertised books first. So I decided this is a book that grabs my attention on Goodreads - maybe because others in our group are reading it, or it is recommended, or see it on some list - and it is not a book I heard of before.

[Michelle]

I have been doing that for pretty much all my recommendation topics for challenges in 2016, Rebekah. I figure if it is good enough for the people in this group to recommend then I'm willing to give it a shot, haha.

[Marta]

Anybody knows good prequels if I am not into young adult fantasy or romance?

[Rebekah]

Prequel and Original:

Wide Sargasso Sea (1966)
Jane Eyre (1847)


The History of the Holy Grail (c. 1230)
Death of Arthur (c. 1210)


The Infernal Devices (2010)
The Last Hours
The Mortal Instruments (2007)


Before Green Gables (2008)
Anne of Green Gables (1908)

[Rebekah]

Prequel and Original:

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)

[Rebekah]

Prequel and Original:

Hannibal Rising (2006)
Red Dragon (1981)

[Barbara]

Gaston Leroux and Susan Kay's The Phantom of the Opera can be considered as an Original and Prequel books?

[Barbara]

Ah, what about The Selection and Happily Ever After, they can also be considered in this theme?

[°~Amy~°]

Hm, I was excited to see that Popsugar was doing another challenge but after reading through the list, I'm not so excited any longer. I will probably just skip this one, unless I finish our 52 book challenge very early.

[Aglaea]

I think it depends on how rigidly you want to set your own rules. An example would be The Hobbit, which obviously is a free-standing story, yet in context of LotR works as a prequel.

But in regards to these challenges, I would view the second book (be it a whole or decimal number) of a series as a prequel to the third, if I want to read one or both. "If I fits, I sits..."

[Barbara]

Aglaea wrote: "I think it depends on how rigidly you want to set your own rules. An example would be The Hobbit, which obviously is a free-standing story, yet in context of LotR works as a prequel.

But in regard..."

YOU ARE A GENIUS!

I have LoTR and Hobbit here! :D

[Rachel]

I'm also having trouble coming up with a book and it's prequel. I guess technically any book in a series is a "prequel" to books that come later if the story follows from one to the next. In which case, I can use something like "Off the Page" and "Between the Lines" by Jodi Picoult and her daughter (sorry, I still haven't figured out how to tag books in these posts).

[Sophie]

I'm reading To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman.

Rachel, if you're on the Goodreads app, you can't do it. If you're on a browser, there is a "add book/author" button just over the box where you type.

[Jody]

I'm reading Lock In (John Scalzi, I think), which has a prequel - it was a recommendation from the Goodreads algorithm actually. I would have struggled otherwise. I found that particular challenge oddly specific.

[Marta]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions! Rebeka, Anne of Green Gables is on my list, that's a great idea :) Some others I already read - both Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea, and also LOTR and the Hobbit.

Jody, I read a couple books by John Scalzi and liked them - he is funny! - so I will check out Lock In, Thanks!

I also found that there were prequels to Foundation which is on my list, so that's another possibility.

[Aglaea]

Babitix wrote: "YOU ARE A GENIUS!

I have LoTR and Hobbit here! :D"

Lol, far from it, but quite practical. I'm just determined to read what I want and like, no matter how tricky a particular category might be at first. For this reason, whatever challenge I've accepted and started working on feels great, and I'm 100% pleased about my choices.