Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2018 Weekly Checkins
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Week 2: 1/4 - 1/11
Happy sunday everyone! This week my reads were:1.
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8.
I loved the last ones <3
I'm hoping to finish re-reading
What are people using as an "ugly cover"? I can't find any bad ones.
Kathy wrote: "What are people using as an "ugly cover"? I can't find any bad ones."The version that I have of Crime and Punishment is positively hideous, so that was an easy one for me haha!
Also glad to see I'm not the only one loving Percy Jackson and everything that comes with it!
Kathy wrote: "What are people using as an "ugly cover"? I can't find any bad ones."Well that´s subjective. But here are some ideas: https://www.buzzfeed.com/lukelewis/hi...
and this one: https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-book...
Good gravy, there are some eye-searing covers here... plenty of Photoshop fails but plenty of just plain bad art too...
Hello! I finished my first reading of 2018 today! I never finished this challenge before but I’ll try harder this year. I’m going to read as many books in English as I can. Since my first language is Portuguese, it’s not going to be an easy task but I’m hoping to accomplish it.
I read H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald and found it beautifully written.
A lot of dictionary use was required but it paid off cause the book was amazing!
I was sick at the beginning of the year which meant I was a bit worried about my start. But I pulled through nicely!I read The Mysterious Affair at Styles for the play prompt (13). It was kind of mediocre and I didn't like it much.
Then I read Childhood's End for the song lyrics prompt (38). I heard it very highly regarded as a scifi masterpiece so I ended up slightly disappointed here as well - it was good but definitely a bit dry and mostly nothing happened for like 150 pages and then everything happened. Still it was a pretty good read, glad I pushed through it.
Then I read Vicious for the villain/antihero prompt (9) which was absolutely phenomenal. I didn't expect much so I was definitely surprised. It's not only a well made easy to read thriller, it's also quite thought provoking and an interesting exercise in empathy. And it fit perfectly for the prompt.
And now I am feeling a bit lost, not because I have nothing to read but because I have too much to read and I can't decide on a thing to start! Ugh.
I read A Gathering of Shadows for the next book in a series you started (4) and The Scandal for a book involving a sport (20)
It was not a good reading week for me.The Advocate - This was January's selection for my church's book club. We met today and all approved. This was my first Randy Singer novel, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The story is based on the life of Theophilus, friend of Luke. He was an attorney, and the book was written from his perspective starting with his childhood, covering his witness and participation in the legal proceedings against Jesus and his guilt on its outcome, on through Paul's first trial in Rome, and then Theophilus's crucifixion. I guess I should have known when Theophilus said "...the first time I was crucified..." that it would be an interesting read. I'll read more of Mr. Singer's books.
The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy The Shocking Inside Story- Wow! I remember Ted Bundy and the murders and the trials and all the press and his execution and the movie starring Mark Hamill. I now realize the movie's depiction of Ted Bundy wasn't even close to the evil person he was. This was a great book. I was engaged from end to end. I have a renewed distrust of strangers... kind of like when we all saw Silence Of The Lambs for the first time.
Currently Reading
The Real History Behind the Templars - Ok, so I was supposed to finish this book this week, but it didn't happen and may not this week. It is an interesting book. It tells the history, or at least the known history, of the Templars, separating fact from fiction and legend. Sharan Newman is a medieval historian and author. I discovered her books years ago when I read The Catherine LeVendeur series. It takes place in 12th century France and follows her heroine and a cast of fantastic characters through life in a time when there was turmoil in the Catholic church leadership. Her stories include information about the Heloise and Abelard, who are a fascinating pair. Read their letters. Her LeVendeur series is one of my favorite all-time series.
A Quiet Life in the Country - Compared to my recent reads, this is a light book. It has been a fun read so far. Lady Emily Hardcastle is an eccentric widow with a secret past. Florence Armstrong, her maid and confidante, is an expert in martial arts. The year is 1908 and they’ve just moved from London to the country, hoping for a quiet life. But it is not long before Lady Hardcastle is forced out of her self-imposed retirement. There’s a dead body in the woods, and the police are on the wrong scent. Lady Hardcastle makes some enquiries of her own, and it seems she knows a surprising amount about crime investigation…
Pardonable Lies - this is the 3rd book in the Maisie Dobbs series. I also enjoy her books. You never know which direction they will take. It's nice to read a book series that isn't predictable. A former coworker was reading this series and giving it great ratings. She is someone whose opinion I trust, so I decided to give the series a try. So glad I did.
Up Next
The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story - Books about lost cities are usually fascinating and it is getting great reviews. Last year, I read The Lost City of Z and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I'm participating in the AtY in 52 books with a different selection of books than my selections for this challenge. I'm also participating in the A-Z challenge (by title) and the color challenge and the Let's Turn Pages challenges using a mix of book of selections from PopSugar and AtY52. I'm also participating in the Modern Mrs. Darcy Challenge. I think those books will be most different picks with a few used from these challenges.
Thanks to my book club read (Pachinko, which is fabulous but fairly long) + work, I didn't end up getting anything finished for the Popsugar challenge this week. I don't feel too bad about falling behind though, since I read two challenge books last week (Coraline for "a book made into a movie you've already seen" and Little Fires Everywhere for "a book set in the decade you were born".)Currently Reading:
Girls Made of Snow and Glass: I'm reading this for "a book with a weather element in the title" and I'm really enjoying it. I think it's my favorite take on Snow White ever. Finding feminism fairytale reimaginings is such a wonderful thing. I'll probably finish this one later this week.
Asking for It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture and What We Can Do about It: I'm reading this for "a book about a problem facing society today" (for the advanced challenge) and wow does this really hone in on the massive problem that is rape culture. It's a good read but a hard one; hoping to finish it before the month ends.
Besides this challenge, I'm attempting the Read Harder challenge (it's where I've managed to fit in Pachinko) as well as Around the Year in 52 Books. It's very overambitious, so we'll see how that works out. I may wind up double-dipping for some of the prompts.
reading a dystopian Australian novel ; Closing Down. that will suit the 'favourite prompt from 2016' category
I read two books last week. Blood on Snow for the Nordic Noir, antihero, and weather prompts. Nordic noir isn’t my favorite genre and the book was just ok. Glad it was more of a novella.
The Princess Bride for movie I’ve already seen and childhood classic prompts. I loved the movie and also loved the book.
This week im reading The Cuckoo's Calling.
QOTW: This is my first time doing a challenge so I’m only focusing on this one.
Mod
that's kind of up to you! Right now I've got two front-runners:
Archangel
or Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts
You can view your Goodreads TBR shelf by cover art instead of by title and just pick something unappealing.
In case you're not sure how to do that: on your computer, when looking at your Goodreads shelf, on the top right you'll see:
Search Batch Edit Settings Edit Print |
and to the right of that are two icons, one is horizontal lines, one is squares. The horizontal lines icon is for "table view" (ie, seeing a list of titles) and the squares icon is for "cover view" (ie, seeing the cover art only).
Cendaquenta wrote: "Conny wrote: "I am also doing the Mount TBR challenge, which is all about decimating the pile of unread books."Oh, that sounds like a great challenge! I might join..."
The Goodreads Group is simply called "Mount TBR 2018". You can pledge different "mountains" (each mountain equaling a certain number of books off the TBR, from 12 to 150) and then ascend that mountain. Everyone logs their "climb" in a separate thread. It's nice to finally see the list shrink at least a little ...
Hello!I'm still making progress with the books I was reading last week.
I read about 120 pages of 11.22.63, which will be used for the time travel prompt, and 5% of A Dance with Dragons which will be used for the animal prompt.
QotW:
My personal goal for the Goodreads challenge is to read 20 books this year, other than graphic novels.
I managed to finish my antihero prompt with dark places by Gillian Flynn and made a good start on movie you’ve seen with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.QOTW
my aim is 104 books this year, mainly because I’ve mapped out 52 for the pop sugar challenge and then decided to do A-Z for authors second name and then admin for the titles, mainly to try and read and donate some books off my 7 bookshelves!
Nadine wrote: "Caitlin wrote: "I.....failed this week. Read nothing for the challenge. I did read 3 graphic novels that had nothing to do with any of my challenges though! That’s reading! Total counts, right? Hah..."Yeah! I've found a few of my choices free too! I do think I'm going to go ahead and do one of my shorter options. I've got my essay one here and it's pretty sectioned out and only about 150 pages.
Johanne wrote: "@Caitlin. There is no such thing as failure. You should read for your pleasure! Especially if you're out of the habit of reading, this should be your sole focus - to enjoy the reading, the stories,..."
Thanks, I was feeling slightly guilty for just going for the graphic novels first. I've got a couple people around that don't actually think they count. I was getting snarky comments from them and I guess it got to me a little.
Caitlin wrote: "Thanks, I was feeling slightly guilty for just going for the graphic novels first. I've got a couple people around that don't actually think they count. I was getting snarky comments from them and I guess it got to me a little. "Don't listen to them. It's not their business what you read. Reading is supposed to be fun, and the challenge is supposed to be fun. I've seen people on here doing the whole challenge in graphic novels, finding ones that fit the prompts. There's nothing wrong with that!
I often take breaks, especially if I read several long books in a row, to plow through a bunch of graphic novels just to feel like I'm accomplishing more :)
A lot of them have really great stories, and lovely art. There's nothing wrong appreciating that.
Mod
well start of week 3 and i am about 1/4 of the way into 3rd book, so not bad. Although it may take me rest of month to finish it. fingers crossed I stay on track!
Nadine wrote: "So far as I'm concerned, graphic novels count! Every year I think I use a few graphic novels for some categories. It's a different kind of book, and it makes different requirements on your brain, s..."Sheri wrote: "Don't listen to them. It's not their business what you read. Reading is supposed to be fun, and the challenge is supposed to be fun."
Thank you all! Everyone on here is so nice and supportive, it's honestly great. I thing I'll go read some more (s'more, ha!) graphic novels!
Here is what I have done so far this year:I'm currently working on:
1984 for book set the decade I was born.
Still working on Dragonfly in Amber. Not sure where I'm going to put that one yet. Probably ancestry, as this one takes place in France and Scotland and I have both of those in my blood.
The Grapes of Wrath for fruit or vegetable in the title.
Still working on the audio of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows with my son. I might use that for the character who are twins (Fred and George!)
Just started The Miserable Mill with my son. May just use that as the next book in a series.
Listening to The Color Purple for my favorite color in the title.
I'm doing a bunch of yearly challenges on the Reading Challenge group. The Color Challenge, the A-Z challenge, the TBR Randomizer, and the Every Year Challenge. My goal is 70 books this year.
I just finished The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor. This will fulfill the prompt: ]read a book that takes place in the decade you were born. This was a buddy read and I was really excited about it considering all the rave reviews it has been receiving.. but i fell flat..my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just started, Secrets of the Hollywood Girls Club by Maggie Marr
This is my second year doing this challenge. It was great last year since it got me back into reading. I didn't quite finish but I was happy that I read a lot. This year I want to read 50 books and I'm doing this challenge and Around the Year in 52 Books.This is my first check in for the year so I'll get it all out there. Here's what I've finished so far:
3. The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax
7. The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax
12. A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax
18. Don't You Cry
And I'm currently reading The Andromeda Strain for A book about death (10)
This week I finished Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie, for country that fascinates you. 2.5 stars, I was really disappointed by this book. She's one of my favorite authors, but I just did not like this one at all.Currently reading The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, for book with an animal in the title. I read excerpts of it for a class back in university, and have always meant to read the whole thing.
QOTW:
My Goodreads goal this year is 12, since I only managed seven last year. I'm hoping concentrating on this challenge will help me blast past that number!
My personal goals are to read more narrative nonfiction and poetry.
Hello everyone!My second week and post have me finishing two books. The Apartment and The Rules of Magic. Great books, loved them both.
I've read two books so far. This week I finished The Color Purple (which I loved!) for my book with my favorite color in the title. I'm currently reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for nordic noir and I'm also about to start Norse Mythology , not sure for which category yet. In terms of my other reading goals, I'm also in the around the year challenge, and I have a long term goal of reading a book set in every country in the world and every US state. I set my goodreads goal at 52, but I'm hoping to get to 70 if I can.
I have finished a fascinating, delightfully written autobiography by one of Australia's foremost coral scientists for my#20. A book by a local author.
A Life Underwater by Charlie Veron
My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have finished (but not yet reviewed) my dystopian novel Closing Down by Sally Abbott for prompt #40 and I am working through The Shipwreck Hunter: A lifetime of extraordinary discovery and adventure in the deep seas by David L Mearns for #25, a book set at sea.
I have finished Howl's Moving Castle(Movie I've already seen), Beneath the Sugar Sky(2018 release), and Siege and Storm(meant to read in 2017).Today, I started Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index(fruit or vegetable in the title). Hoping to also get around to Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day soon after!
It took me three weeks, but I finished Moby-Dick or, The Whale this morning. It was my first challenge read, for prompt #25 A book set at seaOh my... I don't know if I hated it or didn't mind it (certainly didn't love it). It was a chore to read, and reading shouldn't feel that way. I'm glad I got through it, but again I don't think that should be the aim of reading! I can see why it's so lauded, but at the same time I don't believe that something is good just because it is verbose and tome-like. The story was good, but the characters were very underdeveloped. I'd have loved to have known more about their individual stories (especially poor Pip, and Queegueg). I did warm to the chapter upon chapter of whale facts* a little, but I felt they were self indulgent and didn't really add as much to the story as they would have if they were trimmed down a bit to make room for more actual story. At times the prose was beautiful, but at others I found myself reading pages without absorbing a thing. It's an incredible piece of work...but not a great reading experience.
Now I'm on to Big Little Lies for prompt #17 A book given to you as a gift. Just ten pages in, and it's a totally different sort of book...and a welcome change!
I'm also listening to the audiobook of My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, narrated by David Tenant which is nice. It's for prompt #10 A book about death or grief
*after at first Googling whether you could skip those and still follow the book...
Mellanie wrote: "I haven't finished any books this past week due to how hard it is to get through Columbine. As odd as this may sound, I am really liking this book but it has been hard to sit and read it for long p..."I feel you on the tough subject books. If you're someone who can read multiple books at once, this is when I would pick up a light romance or something else completely different to give myself a break for a few days before returning to the heartbreaker.
Kathy wrote: "What are people using as an "ugly cover"? I can't find any bad ones." I'm reading
. I find this cover quite disturbing!
Stephanie wrote: "Kathy wrote: "What are people using as an "ugly cover"? I can't find any bad ones." I'm reading
. I find this cover quite disturbing!"Good call! I've always hated that cover.
I've finished Snow by Orhan Pamuk for task 24 and reviewed it here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read The First Kiss of Spring by Emily March, as the next book in a series I'm reading. How do I mark off what I've completed or read in my list??I'm doing several challenges but will only end up reading 60 -70 books...
I finished Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. A very lovely story and I'd recommend it.Now reading The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. I may use it for set on another planet as it's set across different realities.
I'm also referring to, rather than reading, my pile of BSL dictionaries and reading course specification information for my new job. Not necessarily an exciting read, but plenty of twists and turns to confuse and baffle me. Wish me luck!
QoTW - I hope to complete the reading challenge in full this year. Plus, to actually read the bag of books I bought at Hay-On-Wye last May, before going again this year.
For the 2nd week I read What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty and I’m going to use it for the category of a book set in a country that fascinates you because I love the country of Australia.
Book finished:Never Look an American in the Eye: A Memoir of Flying Turtles, Colonial Ghosts, and the Making of a Nigerian American by Okey Ndibe. I am using this for the prompt a book by an author with a different ethnicity than you. This book was fantastic. It really got me thinking about preconceived notions about people from different countries.
Currently reading:
Dead Letters by Caite Dolan-Leach. I am still working on this audio book. I am about 70% done and hope to finish it this week. I am not enjoying this one very much. I find most of the characters unlikable and I cannot relate to them. I am not against books with a character or two that I don't like. However with this book I feel I am grasping at straws just to care about most of the main characters. I was also hoping this book would be more of a thriller and that has not been the case.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson. I am about 60% done This was a little bit of a slow start for me. I am enjoying it a lot more now. I was not prepared for some of the darker aspects of this book. Perhaps I should have read more on what books that are in the Nordic Noir genre are about.
Question of the week:
The Pop sugar challenge is the main goal I am working towards this year.
Alyssa wrote: "Never Look an American in the Eye: A Memoir of Flying Turtles, Colonial Ghosts, and the Making of a Nigerian American by Okey Ndibe. I am using this for the prompt a book by an author with a different ethnicity than you. This book was fantastic. It really got me thinking about preconceived notions about people from different countries. "*immediately marks as Want To Read*
Hi!! I’m knew to all this so i had no idea there was a check in. I love this. There has a lot going on in my world for it to be only a few weeks in. I’m listening on tape The Girl with the Dragon tattoo. Time is very minimal to me so i figured i would try audio approach. I actually am enjoying it.
Late to post and a little behind where I wanted to be in week 2. So far this week I completedThe Woman in Cabin 10 on Audible. I gave this three stars and really wasn’t all that impressed. Not sure if that’s because of the narrator. I’m beginning to think I prefer the voices in my head for fiction books rather than other people’s voices reading to me (yes I do know how odd that sounds). I’m using this as ‘a book set at sea’
Currently reading The Snowman as ‘Nordic noir’ for the January group read alternative. I’m really enjoying t but due to work and family commitments haven’t been able to spend as much time as I’d like reading it. Hope to finish by the weekend.
Also, listening to Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong which is fantastic so far. I use Audible when I’m driving but I think this is one I’ll have to either buy in hard copy or listen to again when I can take notes as it’s full of great stuff! I’m using this as ‘a book which was voted for in the goodreads choice awards’
Next on my plan of attack is Wuthering Heights which has been on my TBR for way too long and a dogs purpose which I borrowed from a friend who raves about it.
A have a few audibles on the shelf waiting to go so I’ll see what I feel like next.
QOTW
I have a few reading challenges this year apart from this challenge.
Continue to read as many books off of the ‘1001 books to read before you die’ list and also I am trying to follow a ‘world readers ‘ book club which picks a different country each month to read from.
Apart from these I am trying (and semi already failing) to read from my current bookshelves before I buy more.
Only finished one book this week. Killers of the Flower Moon, for the True Crime prompt. Such a sad chapter in American history. QOTW: Besides Popsugar, I have a personal goal to read 104 books this year. I was well over that number last year, but I’ve vowed to spend a bit more time getting my home better organized this year! And maybe getting a bit more exercise!
Margaret wrote: "I read The First Kiss of Spring by Emily March, as the next book in a series I'm reading. How do I mark off what I've completed or read in my list??I'm doing several challenges but..."
If you posted it in the reading list thread, you can just edit your original post to mark things off. This has reminded me to do just that!
As much as I love reading everyone's comments, it only increases my TRL. So many books, too little time.It is unseasonably warm in Utah this winter, which isn't helping our ski resorts any. It's supposed to snow this weekend. I prefer the warm winter.
I read ...I never saw another butterfly.... I'm counting it as a book with an animal in the title. I looked it up, and a butterfly is considered an animal. Yay! I don't remember where I heard about this book, but it is photos, poems and essays from the children who lived in the Terezin Concentration Camp during World War II. It was heartbreaking and amazing.
I started Into the Water, which will probably go toward #37, book I meant to read in 2017. And I also started The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in audiobook for the monthly challenge for Nordic Noir.
QOTW: I'm not doing any other formal challenges other than the basic Goodreads Challenge (which is 60 this year). But for a few years before Popsugar I kept a "rotating reading list" of my own to make sure I didn't get into a rut in my reading, and I still do it. Some of the categories are "Favorite Authors New Books," "Well-Read List (a list I compiled of classics and other books), "New Releases" in both fiction and non-fiction, "Historical Fiction," "Biography/Autobiography," "Favorite Re-Reads," "Self-Help," "Series," etc., and I try to rotate through the list.
I'm also trying to focus on reading books I own instead of getting them from the library or buying more. So far none of my books read or being read are ones I own, so I'm not doing well so far.
ATM I'm reading Home Fire. I'm not sure what prompt to use it for - "author of a different ethnicity than you" is obvious, but it would also fulfil "a book you meant to read in 2017" and "a book about a problem facing society" (it discusses Islamophobia, institutionalised racism, internalised racism/Islamophobia, radicalisation, etc).
I am off to a slow start this year but plan on picking up the pace. I have completed one book from the challenge thus far. Prompt 20: A book by a local author, "Does the Cape Make Me Look Fat?" by Chelsea Cain (Portland, OR.) I am working my way through "Beartown" and am truly enjoying it for Prompt 19: A book about or involving a sport.
I've only read one book so far this year, but I don't feel too bad about taking it easy--either my husband or I has been sick continuously for about two weeks, and there just hasn't been time. Thankfully we're out of the worst of it, so hopefully I can pick up the pace! I am currently about halfway through Vanity Fair (book made into a movie you've seen) and would like to finish it by next week. The weather doesn't seem likely to improve, so I might as well make the best of being cooped up inside... sigh...QOTW: My only other goal for the year is to read more books I already own, or check them out from the library. I don't have any more space!
Wow! You guys are amazing. So now that I know the check ins open of Thursdays I will try to actually get to one near the timeline.I have not finished any more books since the first week.
I am currently reading
which so far I am loving. This will either hit the ugly cover prompt or published in 2018. Not sure yet.
QOTW:
Aside from the Popsugar challenge do you have any reading goals for 2018?
In addition to Popsugar (and making it 52 prompts instead of 50 with the previous year favorites) , I have taken on Around the Year in 52 books. My personal goal is 52 which is a far cry from my normal 24 which is only attained every other year most of the time. I made a book club with my friends so that will at least get me through 12. I hope to combine the challenges and club as best i can and try to get through the challenges and hitting my goal without falling over from exhaustion.
Jennifer wrote: "So far this week I completed The Woman in Cabin 10 on Audible. I gave this three stars and really wasn’t all that impressed. Not sure if that’s because of the narrator. I’m beginning to think I prefer the voices in my head for fiction books rather than other people’s voices reading to me"For me it depends completely on the narrator. Sometimes I feel it would be better in print, and sometimes I know the narrator has added a whole level of something I would not have had in my head.
Sam wrote: "QoTW - I hope to complete the reading challenge in full this year. Plus, to actually read the bag of books I bought at Hay-On-Wye last May, before going again this year."
JEALOUS
Choc_Drop wrote: "Hi!! I’m knew to all this so i had no idea there was a check in."
I love your name! It reminds me of Carolina Chocolate Drops
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To Kill a Mockingbird and
Humans, Bow Down
I'm going to start reading The Woman in Cabin 10 next week.
QOTW: Besides the Popsugar Challenge, I'm also going to try to complete the Alphabet challenge which is where you have to read a book beginning with each letter of the Alphabet.