Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2017 Advanced challenge prompts
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A book that's more than 800 pages
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I think reading a multi-volume set would count, and would come closest to the spirit of the prompt, since each volume is part of a whole just as each chapter is part of the whole book. Any excuse to read Saga again, right?!
Nadine wrote: "I think reading a multi-volume set would count, and would come closest to the spirit of the prompt, since each volume is part of a whole just as each chapter is part of the whole book. Any excuse to read Saga again, right?!"I barely need the slightest excuse to read Saga again! (I need to get volume 1 back from my friend.)
They actually collected volumes 1 -3 into a book and 4-6 into a book. To get over 800 pages, I have to read both "books." Of course, the overall book hasn't finished yet.
Stephen King is a great one for writing books over 800 pages long for any horror fans. I'm gonna read under the dome. Hard cover 1074 pages.
I've got to reorganize my shelves soon. When I do, I think I'll find my 800+ books and list them, then try to pick which one I want to read.
Carrie wrote: "Stephen King is a great one for writing books over 800 pages long for any horror fans. I'm gonna read under the dome. Hard cover 1074 pages."I'm currently working my way through his Insomnia for this challenge. When I saw 800+ pages, Stephen King was my first thought!
I think reading an omnibus would count. However, I do disagree that reading 2 or 3 volumes and adding together the pages is going against the challenge.The challenge is to read a book over 800 pages. That is ONE book not more than ONE.
Kirsten *Make Margaret Atwood Fiction Again!" wrote: "I think reading an omnibus would count. However, I do disagree that reading 2 or 3 volumes and adding together the pages is going against the challenge.The challenge is to read a book over 800 pa..."
Isn't an omnibus technically multiple volumes added together? They just happen to be collected into one book. Personally, I'd probably allow an omnibus because it is one "book" at least physically, but I would not count multiple separate volumes.
I think that the spirit of the task is to read a relatively long book. When translated into graphic novels, I'd suggest that what you want is to read a relatively long graphic novel, which is going to be a very different page count. I have no idea what the average length of novels is and hence how much longer 800 pgs is than the average length, but to me, that's what you'd be looking at to figure out how to fit a graphic novel to the spirit of the task. So, I'd say either of your strategies works just fine. Read the longest graphic novel, even though it's not 800 pages because it represents the spirit of reading something substantially longer than the average graphic novel. Or read multiple volumes of Saga until you hit the page count - after all, how is that different than reading a book that was published serially and since collected together and treated as a single novel, like much of Dickens?
Eujean2 wrote: "Odd questions here. I'm not sure if I will make it to the extended prompts as I am trying to do the Pop Sugar challenge in "books" & again in "graphic novels." I have several "book" options for thi..."You could also try Blankets, which is almost 600 pages. I agree with others that if a graphic novel is way longer than average it's in the spirit of this prompt. The question, really, is does it feel in the spirit of the prompt to YOU?
I am considering Paul Auster's new boook 4 3 2 1: a novel. It is over 800 pages, but I have not read a lot of his other books so I am not sure if this will be a good idea. But it does sound intriguing.Otherwise, I might finish 1Q84 which I started late last year but have yet to finish. Other considerations have already been mentioned - Outlander, A Game of Thrones or The Pillars of the Earth.
Has anyone read The Way of Kings? I loved loved loved The Final Empire but wasn't so keen on The Alloy of Law so I don't want to commit my self to such a long book if it is more like the latter.
Sarah wrote: "Has anyone read The Way of Kings? I loved loved loved The Final Empire but wasn't so keen on The Alloy of Law so I don't want to commit my self to such a..."Was it the going more advanced time/gunpowder era/almost western flavored parts you didn't like in Alloy of Law? If so, I'd say you're safe to go for Way of Kings. Be careful not to go into it expecting Mistborn with a scenery change, and I think you'll be OK. :) I liked it a lot, maybe even better than Mistborn.
Sanasai wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Has anyone read The Way of Kings? I loved loved loved The Final Empire but wasn't so keen on The Alloy of Law so I don't want to commit my ..."It was partly the time period but mainly the characters. I hated them all, but the writing was as good so I think I'll give it a go. Thank you
Since I decided to do the whole challenge, I knocked that prompt down early on with Pillars of the Earth. I read an ebook version that was actually 1000 and some pages but really enjoyed it! I stayed in that atmosphere for a while after!
I think it has to be 800 pages long. An omnibus I would count if it has over 800 pages because it's one book. But adding books up or reading "a extra long" graphic novel doesn't.Another thing is audiobooks ... if they are an audiobook of a physical book that is over 800 pages they count.
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Another thing is ..."
This is a special situation where Eujean2 is doing the Challenge twice, once with "regular" books and once with graphic novels. So in this case, I think both choices are valid and in the spirit of the Challenge. Otherwise, the Challenge is not doable, since there are not any graphic novels that are over 800 pages, UNLESS you count the collections of full series that are sometimes released in multiple volumes.
If you took one 1000 page book and ripped it into sections (I know, what monster would!? but sometimes backpackers have to do this to lighten their load), it is still ONE really big book. If you took several books, drilled holes in them, and stuck them in one large three-ring binder, it's still several books, and I don't think it would count even though you've got over 800 pages inside of two covers. Similarly, an omnibus is just many books collected within two covers to make one book, so I don't count it. A collection of volumes in one graphic novel is ONE story, just published serially.
I interpret this category of the Challenge as: read a long story that is over 800 pages, not to find 800 pages collected between two covers. Part of the fun of this group is that we all have different interpretations sometimes, because I can see how this category could be interpreted to be ANY book more than 800 pages, but then it's more of a publishing quirk than a continuous long story that I would read in one go. When I have an omnibus, I don't read it all at once, I just read one of the novels and then set it aside (because I don't like to binge read), so to me it's not one continuous thing, so it never would have occurred to me that it would work here until I saw other people mention it, and I really sat and thought about the words used for this category.
Piajensen13 wrote: "I am considering Paul Auster's new boook 4 3 2 1: a novel. It is over 800 pages, but I have not read a lot of his other books so I am not sure if this will be a good..."I highly recommend The Pillars of the Earth. It's been on my all-time favorites list for several years.
Personally, I feel like however someone interprets the challenge, or however they can best fit something into the challenge, is fine. The point is supposed to be to READ and have FUN. Or maybe I'm missing something? Either way I do my best to "rise to the challenge" but I don't think theres a challenge police thats going to ban you from all future challenges for making a prompt work for you or interpreting something differently than someone else.
Tracy wrote: "Personally, I feel like however someone interprets the challenge, or however they can best fit something into the challenge, is fine. The point is supposed to be to READ and have FUN. Or maybe I'm ..."Beware the Reading Police!! They shall come and lock you up until you have read everything! lol
Jackie wrote: "Tracy wrote: "Personally, I feel like however someone interprets the challenge, or however they can best fit something into the challenge, is fine. The point is supposed to be to READ and have FUN...."LOL....its the truth , they're out there....I'm not sure which boards are policed more Book Riot or PopSugar. Its not even about reading everything, it's about these poor people asking questions and being told they're wrong. I cringe for them.......MAKE SURE YOU DONT F$#%@KUP YOUR PROMPTS PEOPLE!!!!!!!
The only thing more annoying than the people who have a very strict definition of the prompt (and *insist* that everyone else share it) are the people who show up in a discussion only to tell us all that "It's your challenge! Interpret it however you want!" Like, yes, thank you, we know, but clearly we are all trying to follow the prompts so endlessly repeating that we don't have to is not really helpful input. The only prompt I really get "Reading Police" on is the book by a person of color. Mainly because so many people complain about it. Either you already read a lot of books by diverse authors and this is a gimme for you (in which case stop complaining and just use it to slot a book you want to read). Or you don't read many books by diverse authors and you should probably make an effort to actually follow this prompt. Personal pet peeve, rant over.
Just a historical comment about multiple books bound into one book...books like Pride and Prejudice were originally published in three books! A modern example is 1Q84 which in it's original language is also several volumes bound into one. It's interesting to consider.I'm reading The Stand for this. :)
So my library has The Way of Kings in two volumes which I originally planned on reading one after another for continuity but I have just finished The Way of Kings, Part 1 and can't find the motivation to read the second volume. I totally get that when you're writing an epic ten volume fantasy series there is a lot of backstory and world building in the first book but where's the actual story? The first volume alone is 595 pages and the first actual plot point came along on page 592. The world and the characters are both interesting but I need to know if anything is actually going to happen before I commit to another 500 and some pages. Anyone have an insight?
I'm reading A Game of Thrones, the first book for this prompt. so far so good
I'm reading City of God by Augustine of Hippo, which is 1,097 pages, including a five-page index.Jim
I would suggest maybe IT by Stephen King as the movie is getting a remake and if you start about now you should be finished by halloween :D
I just finished Nicholas Nickleby for this prompt--most editions come in just over 800 pages. Considering the length (and, umm, the Victorian-ness) it was a surprisingly quick, often hilarious read.
Doorstopper #2--sorry, I mean Dragonfly in Amber--clocks in at a whopping 947 pages and thus meets this challenge.
This particular prompt is giving me such fits, I can't believe it! And it's the last prompt I need to read before finishing the challenge!I routinely read several very long books in any given year, so why the problem? I think I really hoped George RR Martin would publish Winds of Winter this year - guaranteed to meet the prompt. Alas, not to be. So I think it put me off my game.
I've started (in hardcover) Hunger’s Brides: A Novel of the Baroque but the book is a very heavy and large hardcover, making it impossible to carry and read while commuting. Think I'll see if I can find a cheap used paperback - last time I looked, even though listed on Amazon as paperbacks, from the description the ones on offer were clearly hardcovers - mention of 'torn dust jacket' gave it away.
I started Natchez Burning and am really enjoying it, but it's been so long since a read a big physical book that I got tired and couldn't get comfortable. Now I'm waiting for my turn with the library's ebook version.*Technically the hardback is only 791 pages, but it's densely written and both the ebook and paperback are over 800 so I'm counting it if I ever finish.
**Rhetorical question - When did I turn into such a weakling that I had to switch to ebooks for the doorstoppers?
I like to read in bed and a big book, just isn't comfy for that! Also, the ebook is easier on the eyes. And, I say that 791 is close enough to count for 800. ;)
Brandyn wrote: "...**Rhetorical question - When did I turn into such a weakling that I had to switch to ebooks for the doorstoppers?"
Lol, trainers should market a workout plan called "daily fitness for the compulsive reader"! ;-)
I must admit that my choice for this prompt (Roberto Bolaño, 2666 , 1376pp) was a bit unwieldly, even though I have the mass market paperback edition. Not to the point of developing a tennis elbow or something, but it wasn't my choice for public transportation!
I have started and abandoned several books for this prompt (and the waste of time from that is infuriating!), but I just couldn't seem to find anything long enough that also held my interest. I got a used copy of 11/22/63 recently, though, and Stephen King always keeps my interest, so I have high hopes. If THAT bores me, I'm seriously going to change the "8" to a "7" and count one of the books I've already read. :-)
Finally finished 11/22/63, I loved it!!! Big Book but a really quick read for me once I settled down with it.
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Augustine of Hippo (other topics)Paul Auster (other topics)
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If not, I guess I can try one of those omnibus comics collections, but they tend not to be my style of comics. Or, I suppose I could re-read volumes 1-6 of Saga and count them as one book totaling 904 pages.
It seems to me that Habibi is more in the spirit of the prompt, but I am wondering what other people think.