2017 Popsugar Challenge checklist: Discussion thread

[Megan]

Does Heartless have a red spine?

[Nadine in NY]

Another list for non-human protagonists, for whatever it's worth:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...

Juanita: LOL I won't be adding Owen Meany to my list! I've never read anything from Irving. His books seem kind of "guy-centric" and I rarely like books that don't have any women protagonists. But maybe I'm wrong?

[Juanita]

Katie wrote: "Even if we didn't open the prompts until 12/31 last year, can we open them earlier this year (like maybe now) so that we can capture all of this discussion in the appropriate prompt, and it would h..."

Yes. I'll do that this weekend.

[Marilyn]

Here are some books I have come up with so far to fit certain categories, BUT I would love suggestions from other people.

Of letters - My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams & Posterity: Letters of Great Americans to Their Children by DM Lawson
Author a person of color - The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Season in the title - The Winter of Our Discontent by Steinbeck
Story within a story - Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Espionage - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by LeCarre
By/about Disability - Helen Keller or Temple Grandhin
I've read both so ???

Involving travel - The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain
Nonhuman perspective - Animal Farm by George Orwell & Watership Down by Richard Adams
Steampunk - The Time Machine by HG Wells & 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and other Classic Novels by Jules Verne & The Golden Compass series by Pullman
Set in Wilderness - Two in the Far North by M Murie
Book title includes character name - Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
Novel Wartime - The Book Thief & The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. I've read those so The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah & The Zookeeper's Wife
Unreliable Narrator - Rebecca by Du Maurier & The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner & Wuthering Heights & The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
Two Different Time Periods - I've read The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg so I will read Kindred by Octavia Butler
Month or Day - Tuesdays with Morrie & Fat Tuesday by Sandra Brown & Light in August by Faulkner. I've read those, so Friday by Heinlein
Set in a Hotel - Boonsboro Trilogy by Nora Roberts
Movie in 2017 - A Wrinkle in Time & Murder on the Orient Express
Subgenre never heard of - (Weird West) Territory by Emma Bull &(Mannerpunk) Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Family Member - Uncle Vanya by Chekhov & The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky
Immigrant - Exodus & My Ántonia by Willa Cather & The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. I've read those so ??? maybe The Jungle by Upton Sinclair or something about Irish Immigrants
Eccentric Character - Don Quixote
Mythology - The Lightning Thief

I found that many of the categories ARE included in Goodreads List categories and others can by found by googling. Again would love to see what others have chosen.

[Sara]

Nadine wrote: "What are some ideas for "spans a lifetime"? I usually avoid longer books, and thus I rarely read the long, sweeping family saga types that would possibly fulfill this category."

I've not read this book, but based on what I know of the plot I'm thinking Life After Life by Kate Atkinson might work without being a really long, sweeping family saga.

[Nadine in NY]

I just had a "duh!" moment: a biography spans a lifetime! I'm so fiction-centric, I didn't even think of that until I stumbled upon it just now!

[Katie]

Awesome! Thanks Juanita.

[Charlotte]

Sara wrote: "What about a book set in a hotel? All I can think is The Shining. I'm not necessarily opposed to reading it again, but I would rather find something I haven't read before and maybe not a book that has to go in the freezer (name that show!) "
Friends! I love that show.

[Sara]

Megan wrote: "Does Heartless have a red spine?"

I think it's either black or black and red (like the cover). My copy is at home.

[Sara]

Marilyn wrote: "Here are some books I have come up with so far to fit certain categories, BUT I would love suggestions from other people.

Of letters - My Dearest Friend Abigail and John Adams &Posterity by DM Law..."

My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams is what I've listed for the book of letters. I checked it out this year, but I had to return it before I had time to read it. There are so many books based on letters, but I am really excited about this one since it is based on real letters :)

[Marta]

I like this list a lot, although I am already doing the ATY challenge and two are too many for me, as I found out this year. I am actually thinking I might only do the extra 12. I do have a couple doorstops on my list so I will have 800+ books anyway.

[Tanelle]

For steampunk has anyone read anything by Felix J. Palma? He takes an older book and "updates it" and brings elements of the book into it. I read "Map of Time" and it was connected to The Time Machine. It's really hard to describe but it's really good. I think I might do "The Map of the Sky" for this prompt (Which is connected to War of the Worlds"

[Marta]

I have read through the entire Girl Genius comics recently, which is about as steampunk as it gets - it is also a lot of fun, for those looking for something lighter: http://www.girlgeniusonline.com.

[Booklover]

Sara wrote: "What about a book set in a hotel? All I can think is The Shining. I'm not necessarily opposed to reading it again, but I would rather find something I haven't read before and maybe not..."

Friends! Joey!

[Linnie]

Nadine wrote: "What are some ideas for "spans a lifetime"? I usually avoid longer books, and thus I rarely read the long, sweeping family saga types that would possibly fulfill this category."

I loved The Shoemaker's Wife!!! It's amazing! Probably one of my top 5 all time faves.

[Nadine in NY]

here's a list of books about the immigrant experience (caution: not all of these books are about immigrants, some are incorrectly included)

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

[Charline]

I'm so glad the list is here! At first glance it looks really interesting and I can't wait to start planning.

If people are looking for suggestions for the prompt set in a hotel, I've read a couple this year, they were Hotel Alpha, Breakfast with the Borgias and then there's always the classic Hotel du Lac

[Kirsten]

Sara wrote: "What, exactly, is meant by an "unreliable narrator"? How are you supposed to know if a story's narrator is reliable until you have read the book?

And I would love to find a book about a holiday fr..."

A classic unreliable narrator is in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. It basically means you can't always believe 100% of what they are saying.

For the holiday, just Google. Or, if you like mysteries, Janet Rudolph is always posting lists of themed mysteries for holidays. Boxing Day is one we don't celebrate here much... Jewish high holidays, Islamic holidays, Bastille Day in France, etc.

[Kirsten]

Linnie wrote: "I'm going to go out on a limb now and say I won't be finishing the 800 page book prompt :)"

Maybe if you start early and read 100 pages/month.

[Kirsten]

Sara wrote: "Lindi wrote: "Nadine wrote: "And, one of my LEAST favorite books this year (in fact, it was a DNF and I ended up having to choose something else) was the book I had recommended by a librarian. So I..."

Or Nancy Pearl https://www2.kuow.org/books/

[Kirsten]

Nadine wrote: "What are some ideas for "spans a lifetime"? I usually avoid longer books, and thus I rarely read the long, sweeping family saga types that would possibly fulfill this category."

The Art of Racing in the Rain spans a dog's lifetime...

[Kirsten]

Genre I normally don't read - probably a western or Christian fiction

Book I've read that doesn't fail to make me smile - probably one of the Royal Blood series by Rhys Bowen

Country you've never visited? - That leaves it wide open -- I've only been to Canada and England.

Book I loved as a child? - Something by Dr Seuss, but I may re-visit Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard

Set in a hotel?-- The Hotel on Place Vendome: Life, Death, and Betrayal at the Hotel Ritz in Paris

Recommended by an author I love?
https://www.bustle.com/articles/11765...

[Tanelle]

Do you think that "The Lovely Bones" would count as an unreliable narrator?

[Tanelle]

Or Life of Pi for unreliable narrator?

I'm going through my TBR pile and trying to fill as many of the prompts as I can with books I already own

[Tanelle]

Ok, this is what I've found so far based on my TBR shelf. I use multiple prompts for books if it fits.

Book with Pictures: Voices in the Ocean. Susan Casey

Book by a person of colour. Involves Travel. Main character is a different ethnicity than me. Immigrant/Refugee: And the Mountain's Echoed, Khaled Hosseini

With a Family member term in the title: A Reliable Wife Robert Goolrick

Read before that never fails to make you smile. Book you loved as a child: Anne of Green Gables

First book in a series I've never read: Marked. PC and Kristin Cast

Story within a Story: Sarah's Key. Tatiana de Rosnay

Multiple Authors. Someone you Admire: A House in the Sky. Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett

Book with a cat on the cover: Life of Pi Yann Martel

Bestseller from 2016: The Nest. Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

Genre you don't normally read. Red spine. Title that's a character's name. Over 800 pages. Used book sale. Genre you've never heard of: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

About a person with a disability. Subtitle. Author from a country I've never visited. Difficult topic. A Moth to a Flame: The story of Amy's struggle with borderline personality disorder. Debbie Sands (As a side-note I knew Amy personally and know Debbie quite well. She's a good family friend and published this book to help her heal from her daughter's murder. She was originally born in England but lives in Canada now)

Been on my TBR read for awhile. The Dream Lover. Elizabeth Berg

Set in the wilderness: A walk in the woods. Bill Bryson

Set in two time periods. Characters lifespan: The House at Riverton. Kate Morton

Interesting Woman: Lean In Sheryl Sandberg

Set during wartime: Citadel by Kate Mosse

Career Advice: Redefining Success by W. Brett Wilson

[Tanelle]

Oh and I forgot my Kobo list:

With a day/month in the title: Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

Steampunk: Map of the Sky by Felix J Palma

[Anna]

Nadine wrote: "I just had a "duh!" moment: a biography spans a lifetime! I'm so fiction-centric, I didn't even think of that until I stumbled upon it just now!"

That was my first thought! And then I remembered Life After Life (Kate Atkinson), which I have and have been meaning to read. (Bonus: It's set in London). David Copperfield also qualifies. The audio version read by Richard Armitage is FANTASTIC, if long (33 hours!).

I also heartily recommend The Sympathizer for a book about an immigrant or refugee.

[Barbara]

For a book set in a hotel, try A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy.

[Ed]

For "A book with a family member term in the title"...do you think the term "child" or "children" works?

[Nadine in NY]

Ed wrote: "For "A book with a family member term in the title"...do you think the term "child" or "children" works?"

Yes. Maybe. If it's a "my child" or "his child" sort of thing.

[Juanita]

Nadine wrote: "Ed wrote: "For "A book with a family member term in the title"...do you think the term "child" or "children" works?"

Yes. Maybe. If it's a "my child" or "his child" sort of thing."

I was going to say the same thing. Example: I would say no to Children of God.

[Katie]

I would say child works. I hadn't thought if it when I suggested this topic, but I did think of son or daughter, so child or children in the same to me.

[Juanita]

Raise your hand if you're ready to start tackling the 2017 prompts and losing interest in finishing your remaining 2016 prompts.

Just me?

I have three prompts to go: satire, 20th Century Classic and first you see in a book store.

I'll do Harry Potter for the latter. A friend recommended Jim Harrison's The Great Leader as a satire and I'm 100 pages into it without finding it satirical at all. I fear I'm going to have to finish it and add another book to the TBR before 12/31. I am taking a week off in December so hopefully I'll get some reading done. Cause the holidays aren't busy or anything.

[Tanelle]

I know what you mean. I only have 2 books to finish to complete my 2016 list and I'm eyeing my pile of books for my 2017 prompts

[Patricia]

I'm looking at some of my TBR books trying to define "Wilderness". Would a western themed book meet this category? I own "My Antonia" by Willa Cather although I haven't read it yet. Are Kansas, Nebraska, & Oklahoma considered "Wilderness"?

[Juanita]

I don't think the Plains states would qualify as wilderness but I am just one person. Others may disagree.

Go over to the discussion thread for this prompt to see more recommendations.

Discussions > 2017 Challenge prompts > A book that takes place in the wilderness

[Nadine in NY]

Juanita wrote: "Raise your hand if you're ready to start tackling the 2017 prompts and losing interest in finishing your remaining 2016 prompts.

Just me?

I have three prompts to go: satire, 20th Century Classic ..."

LOL YES!! Just yesterday I was at the library and saw a book I was planning to read for one of the 2017 categories, and it was so hard to tell myself I have to wait six weeks before I can read it!!

(I'm done with PopSugar, but I still have 2 books to finish for BookRiot - I've started them, I just have to finish them, and I'm even losing interest in THAT - and 9 for AtY (2 of those are in progress). I can do it, I'm just not excited about it.

[Nadine in NY]

Patricia wrote: "I'm looking at some of my TBR books trying to define "Wilderness". Would a western themed book meet this category? I own "My Antonia" by Willa Cather although I haven't read it yet. Are Kansas, Neb..."

I think anything away from civilization would count, it doesn't have to be wooded. So: stranded in the desert? yes, that's wilderness. Building a sod house alone on the prairie and struggling to survive? yes, I would count that. Working on a big farm? no, that's not wilderness, even if there aren't many people around. I've never read My Antonia, so I'm not sure, but I think it's about an immigrant who has settled in one of the Plains States? so it would be about civilization, not wilderness.

I just finished The Last One, it's about a woman who is a contestant in a "Survivor" type TV show, about people surviving on their own in the wilderness in NY (hey! yes, NY has wilderness!) with nothing but a water bottle and a plastic bag (I exaggerate, but only slightly) when a plague outbreak wipes out the eastern seaboard, so I think that would count, even though she eventually passes through a town. I really enjoyed the book, but it's one of those that you either love or hate.

[Linnie]

I live in Kansas and though we're full of plains and areas with no people, I wouldn't exactly call us a wilderness :) Maybe I'm way off but when I think wilderness, I pictures mountains or Alaska or unpopulated rough areas of Canada. I'll be referring to my mom for that prompt, her favorite types of books are stories of people going into the wilderness, specifically Alaska, and surviving!

[Katie]

I don't know, I've read My Antonia, and I could totally see considering it a wilderness. But I guess it depends on what you consider a wilderness. It's definitely about frontier life and living in an area that's in the process of being tamed.

[Jamie]

Lindi wrote: "Juanita wrote: "Sara wrote: "What, exactly, is meant by an "unreliable narrator"? How are you supposed to know if a story's narrator is reliable until you have read the book?

It's like you're in m..."

Well, since you mentioned A Million Little Pieces, I will now use that one for this prompt since I have this book. One idea down.

[Mellanie]

I was thinking that I was a little crazy already looking for what I'll read next year but I see that I'm not the only one. However I'm not even finished with this years challenge, I still have 16 more to go.

[Nadine in NY]

Mellanie wrote: "I was thinking that I was a little crazy already looking for what I'll read next year but I see that I'm not the only one. However I'm not even finished with this years challenge, I still have 16 m..."

you're in good company here!! :-)

[Kirsten]

I'm not going to start until next year. Plus I have more than enough prompts left.

[Tricia]

Nadine wrote: "What are some ideas for "spans a lifetime"? I usually avoid longer books, and thus I rarely read the long, sweeping family saga types that would possibly fulfill this category."

What about the "Curious Case of Benjamin Button"? It is not very long

[Donna]

I am going to try hard to use this challenge to read only books I already own (Except a book published in 2017, of course). I'm becoming a book hoarder and need to start truly reading them rather than just buying them. LOL

[Donna]

am I the only one struggling with a book with career advise??

[Nadine in NY]

Tricia wrote: "Nadine wrote: "What are some ideas for "spans a lifetime"? I usually avoid longer books, and thus I rarely read the long, sweeping family saga types that would possibly fulfill this category."

What about the "Curious Case of Benjamin Button"? It is not very long."

Good idea!!!

[Nadine in NY]

Donna wrote: "am I the only one struggling with a book with career advise??"

Haha, no! A lot of us are groaning over that one.

[Juanita]

I have 11 books slotted already that are on my Kindle. That's not too bad.