2019 Challenge list is posted!

[Agnieszka]

Thank you guys! I'll think about all your ideas and decide in the last week of this year what I'll do about 2019.

[Sara]

Agnieszka wrote: "Sorry but I have to voice it (and hope nobody's offended): I am getting so frustrated by this challenge!

I'll add that if you really find you cannot get a prompt to fit your reading life, just substitute another prompt in its place (either an old one or something you make up yourself)! One of the goals of reading challenges is to stretch you, but I don't think anyone wants you completely frustrated with your options.

For your specific issues, maybe look at the following:

-I second using Rory Gilmore's list for the movie/tv option. I don't think it's a requirement that you physically see the person reading it on tv. Her list is really broad and over 300 titles in length!

-For set in space, that's a little tough, but you could try one of these:
1. The Little Prince - it's a classic and not really focused on the "space" aspect.
2. Brightly Burning - it's a retelling of Jane Eyre set in space. I know it sounds weird, but I think the storyline will help you get past the space-y stuff. I am not a sci-fi reader, and I really loved it! Give it a whirl maybe?

Ghost story
-Peony in Love - I haven't read this much, but I think it's more like a historical novel than a spooky ghost story.
-The Ghost and Mrs. Muir - Again, I haven't read the book (though I used to love the movie). It's more of a relationship story. One of them just happens to be a ghost.

I hope this helps? Remember, it's YOUR challenge so do what you think you need to do to make your reading life thrive!

[Sarah]

@Agnieska (sorry I think I spelled it wrong!) - I’m not offended at all- I was one of those who wasn’t crazy about the list either but for different reasons.

Can I ask what the challenge means to you and what you hope to get out of it?

I agree with the others- you’d be surprised how many books fall in line with your own taste and can fit these prompts. I’d say keep the list in mind when picking your books and go for things you think might fit, but don’t try to plan it until you get to the end and only have a few specific prompts to fill.

You don’t have to do all of them! Pick the 40 you like best from all the prompts and leave the others out of it. You’ll still have done 40 prompts- that’s complete as far as I’m concerned.

For the ghost story one- they have a TON of books about there about most haunted places and whatnot. You could try one of those books and I think it would count.

[Soph ♡]

Sara wrote: "Brightly Burning - it's a retelling of Jane Eyre set in space. I know it sounds weird, but I think the storyline will help you get past the space-y stuff. I am not a sci-fi reader, and I really loved it! Give it a whirl maybe?"

Thank you so much for this recommendation! I was originally going to read The Martian which just doesn't appeal to me at all, but this book sounds like something I could get into 😃

[Sara]

Soph wrote: "Thank you so much for this recommendation! I was originally going to read The Martian which just doesn't appeal to me at all, but this book sounds like something I could get into."

I hope you like it! Jane Eyre is one of my very favorite books so I was nervous in reading a retelling set in space, but it was really enjoyable :)

[Agnieszka]

Soph wrote: "Sara wrote: "Brightly Burning - it's a retelling of Jane Eyre set in space. I know it sounds weird, but I think the storyline will help you get past the space-y stuff. I am not a sci-fi reader, and..."

I needed The Martian for a challenge and expected not to like it but loved it. It's more or less an action/adventure survival book just in an unusual setting for this kind of books.

[Agnieszka]

Sarah wrote: "@Agnieska (sorry I think I spelled it wrong!) - I’m not offended at all- I was one of those who wasn’t crazy about the list either but for different reasons.

Can I ask what the challenge means to you and what you hope to get out of it? ..."

Thank you Sara & Sarah.

@Sarah,

I'm a (not very creative) Challenge Addict with accountant type of personality (though it's got much better after two years of GR *grins*) I'm just in for the fun and hope to get some new ideas what to read or what to explore and see if it's my kind of stuff.
I'm aware I'm rather reluctant to leave my comfort zone though it's improving as well - still there are boundaries I don't want cross (yet).

BTW I know my name is rather difficult for most people especially for those using the mobile app (where's no possibility to copy & paste anything) as long as a person's trying her/his best I'm not minding it (very much) :-)

[The Chapter Conundrum (Stacey)]

If you liked The Martian you could always try reading Artemis (also by Andy Weir) for set in space. It’s set on the moon. 🙂

[Theresa]

Agnieszka wrote: "Sorry but I have to voice it (and hope nobody's offended): I am getting so frustrated by this challenge!

Last year I didn't join the challenge because there were several prompts I knew I either do..."

Adding my 2 cents to the comments: I also don't like some of the prompts but I also don't mind stretching the definition of what meets the prompt to the breaking point, either, in order to fit in a book. I'm a pretty eclectic reader but have definite dislikes - SciFi, Horror, most fantasy, true crime, self-help, and I really don't read much non-fiction. Just to name a few. :-) Yet I found books to read for all of them - some a stretch but most ended up being in the top 10 books I read. Go figure.

I refuse to read a book simply because it will fill a challenge prompt. It has to be a book that appeals to me for some non-prompt reason - whether it piques my curiosity or is highly recommended by friends, or something in the reviews here captivates me. Examples: Station Eleven - dystopian so NOT my thing - but I absolutely loved this book which I read after hearing a friend's recommendation and noticing that George RR Martin could not stop recommending it. I absolutely loved it. That was my book recommended by a favorite author in 2017. The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century - for true crime this year - it was a page turner. Artemis - was my book for a heist (and that was a stretch - the entire story is the heist, not what our heroine engages in initially. Or so my argument goes. I really dislike SciFi yet I absolutely loved this! Such fun and a great kick-ass heroine. And yes, it's on the moon, so I would certainly consider it set in space for 2019.

The trick is that you make the challenge meet your needs - if that means only reading 40 books, not full list of prompts - fine. I personally try to fill prompts only from my existing huge personal library or books I purchase or borrow for other reasons during the year. That has worked well for me, with a little bending and stretching, of course!

[Theresa]

Ghost story - there are a lot of books out there with ghosts that have nothing to do with the paranormal subgenre. One of my favorites is a YA that I first read way back in the dark ages when I was a young teen: The Sherwood Ring - set in the 1940s, it's about a newly orphaned girl arriving at relative's house where she encounters the previous occupants from the Revolutionary War and gets up caught up in family history and intrigue from that time. It is a delight for adults as well as teens.

Earlier this year I read Time After Time which is a contemporary chick lit with a ghost. It was fun, had a bit of a mystery, and was not in the paranormal genre really at all.

[SadieReadsAgain]

Theresa wrote: "I refuse to read a book simply because it will fill a challenge prompt. It has to be a book that appeals to me for some non-prompt reason "

Absolutely! I research the heck out of prompts I don't like, to find books that fit them but which are books I actually want to read. I stretch myself with the challenge, but I don't want it to be painful!

[Chinook]

Agnieszka wrote: "Thank you guys! I'll think about all your ideas and decide in the last week of this year what I'll do about 2019."

I loved The Lady Astronaut of Mars, which is 19 pages long. She’s expanded that into two novels since and I can’t wait to read them!

I second Peony in Love as a ghost story pick. It’s definitley more a historical fiction and the ghost element is really interesting as it works differently in Chinese culture.

[Chinook]

Oh, and Gunpowder Moon - it’s very noir and while the setting on the moon is sort of key, it’s a murder mystery and something of a political drama, as the head of a moon station tries to find out who is killing his staff, in the midst of China and the US having issues back on Earth regarding mining the moon.

[Amy]

I would recommend The Lovely Bones and also Everything I Never Told You for the ghost story prompt.

[Sara]

Monkiecat wrote: for the ghost story category you could also pick up a memoir that was ghostwritten

Oh clever! Actually I read a book a few years ago about a ghostwriter. I think it's called Ghostwritten by Isabel Wolff (I really love her other book, A Vintage Affair, which works for book with clothing on the cover 😉).

[Sarah]

@Agnieszka (thanks for understanding- I am on the app!) I definitely get it! Like others said- I won’t read something simply to tick a prompt. Then reading becomes not fun.

My list this year was mostly sci-fi and fantasy because that’s what I prefer- but I’m actually a pretty eclectic reader to start with. I was just surprised how many things I didn’t plan to use to fill a prompt, fit the list. But it sounds like maybe part of the fun for you is planning which I also get.

I also want to second what another reader above me mentioned and recommend The Lady Astronaut of Mars for set in space. It’s available for free on Tor.com by Mary Robinette Kowal. Can be read in about 20 minutes, and you will be shocked at the punch in the gut reaction it gives you.

I really can’t stress enough what a beautiful little story it is. The Calculating Stars is a full length prequel to that story and it might just tempt you enough to read the novel! (Although that one really isn’t set in space.)

[Theresa]

Sara wrote: "Monkiecat wrote: for the ghost story category you could also pick up a memoir that was ghostwritten

Oh clever! Actually I read a book a few years ago about a ghostwriter. I think it's called Ghost..."

Oh, I love Isabel Wolff and have not read that one! That gives me a new option for the prompt.

Glad to meet another Isabel Wolff fan.

[Melody]

Monkiecat wrote: "a book in which someone "ghosted" someone else in a relationship"

Someone has literally written a book on this...

[Josie]

I love to hunt books for the list, even knowing I'll change my list during the year. So happy!!!!! :D

[Stephanie]

Alicia wrote: "Here is a spreadsheet if anyone wants to use it (sorry, I figured out how to share it after I started adding titles)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/......"

Thank you, Alicia! Also, love that you put Gilmore Girls--that was going to be my go-to!

[Fiona]

Just had a quick skim. The hardest one for me, I think, will be "book you think should be turned into a movie" because, quite frankly, i don't think any book should. I read because I don't like movies. I have zero interest in movies. I know this makes me very unusual but books and movies are different mediums. One I enjoy, the other I don't.

[Ellie]

Fiona wrote: "Just had a quick skim. The hardest one for me, I think, will be "book you think should be turned into a movie" because, quite frankly, i don't think any book should. I read because I don't like mov..."

You could interpret it as a book where you want the story/message to reach a wider audience, even if you wouldn't watch the film.

[Rachelnyc]

Monkiecat wrote: "That's a really good interpretation! My problem with this prompt is that I don't know until after I read the book whether it's worth turning into a movie or not"

That's exactly how I feel and since there is already a prompt to re-read a favorite, I really don't want to pick something I've already read. The suggestion thread has a few mentioned that are on my TBR so hopefully I will agree, otherwise I have to hope a side read is one I want to be turned into a movie so I can use that.

[Theresa]

Monkiecat wrote: "That's a really good interpretation! My problem with this prompt is that I don't know until after I read the book whether it's worth turning into a movie or not"

Now see, this is not a problem for me. I read a lot, about 175 books a year. So even if I did plan out my reading challenges precisely, I'd still be reading a lot of non-challenge books. Frankly, this year I completed 80% of all challenges just by fitting books I happened to be reading or want to read into them. mostly after reading them.

At some point during the year, a book I happen to read will get fit into this prompt. IMHO this is an easy fill - could frankly be any book you read that hasn't already been made into a movie.

In fact, I personally wonder why none of Dorothy Dunnett's series have been turned into movies, or Georgette Heyer's Regencies. My plan if I get desperate to fill the prompt is to read one of these that I have not already read.

[Melody]

Theresa wrote: "In fact, I personally wonder why none of Dorothy Dunnett's series have been turned into movies, or Georgette Heyer's Regencies."

What a great idea! BBC needs to get on the Georgette Heyer train. I'd love to see The Grand Sophy as a miniseries.

[Joymhb]

Yes!!

[Ruth]

Do they seriously call that a "printable list" when it's multicolored with white letters? I'm not wasting that much ink!

[Katy]

Ruthla8 wrote: "Do they seriously call that a "printable list" when it's multicolored with white letters? I'm not wasting that much ink!"

That's OK, it's not really printable anyway. It prints out the first few really hugely and that takes up the whole page.

[Tracy]

Ruthla8 wrote: "Do they seriously call that a "printable list" when it's multicolored with white letters? I'm not wasting that much ink!"

Ahahahaha....my thoughts exactly!!! I went on a book blog and copy pasted the list they had posted into my Word and printed it. I only use it to plan, so it gets thrown out pretty quick once I post into my challenge thread ;-)

[Theresa]

Melody wrote: "Theresa wrote: "In fact, I personally wonder why none of Dorothy Dunnett's series have been turned into movies, or Georgette Heyer's Regencies."

What a great idea! BBC needs to get on the Georgett..."


Or even Georgette's mysteries ....

[Erika]

Hayley wrote: "I like the list overall, but there are too many "with ______ in the title" prompts. The zodiac one, sweet/salty/bitter/spicy one and the pop/sugar/challenge one are way too limiting. And as if a bo..."

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley covers both sweet/salty/bitter/spicy AND amateur detective

[Sara]

Popsugar has updated the printable list on their website. If that's the way you like to track your progress you can go back to the original post (link below) and click on "Download our printable list" to get the new one.

https://www.popsugar.com/entertainmen...

[Carmen]

Sara wrote: "Popsugar has updated the printable list on their website. If that's the way you like to track your progress you can go back to the original post (link below) and click on "Download our printable li..."

It still looks the same for me unfortunately :(

[Tashinka]

..

[Alena]

I read 83 books in 2018. But I did not check anything off of any list. I was just doing a reading challenge, I thought, that was for how many books you could finish for the year. Is there such a challenge? Or did I just not participate correctly in 2018?

[Carmen]

That sounds like the Goodreads challenge here on Goodreads! You enter a goal for yourself for the year, and you can read whatever 😊

[Kathleen]

Hi I'm new to this group , this challenge. Where can I get a complete list of prompts for 2019?

[Ewa]

Feeling kinda nerdy 🤓 But I already have my list of the 40 books for each prompt compiled bwahaha

Just finishing my 76th book of 2018 and eager to dive into 2019 with some new reads ☺️

[Katy]

Kathleen wrote: "Hi I'm new to this group , this challenge. Where can I get a complete list of prompts for 2019?"

The Popsugar website.

[Nadine in NY]

Kathleen wrote: "Hi I'm new to this group , this challenge. Where can I get a complete list of prompts for 2019?"

Here:
Post Your 2019 Reading Lists
and here:
2019 Printable Lists and Spreadsheets
and here:
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2019