Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2020 Challenge - Regular
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10 - A book recommended by your favorite blog, vlog, podcast or online book club
I really need to start listening to some book podcasts! Thank you for all the great ideas!So would like Reese Witherspoon's or Oprah's book clubs count? Or are those more like celebrity recommendations?
I pretty much just use Goodreads, so I'll probably just use one of the monthly group reads for this group or another that I'm in.I like the idea of podcasts or book blogs but I feel like time spent reading is cut down and my TBR list will do nothing but grow.
Johanna wrote: "So would like Reese Witherspoon's or Oprah's book clubs count? Or are those more like celebrity recommendations?"I would definitely count them as book clubs!
SarahKat wrote: "I like the idea of podcasts or book blogs but I feel like time spent reading is cut down and my TBR list will do nothing but grow."This is very true, but oh it is such fun :)
I have a backlog of What Should I Read Next? episodes, and I am happy about that as it gives me something to look forward to and use for the challenge.
I'm glad she included vlog, because the only one of these I use is Booktube. Here are some fave channels:SavidgeReads - fiction, Literary fiction, crime, non-fiction, poetry, short stories... a nice mix. Loves women's and queer voices
Colby Sharp - 5th grade teacher enthusiastic about middle grade and picture books. Loves anything that makes kids excited to read, includes lots of marginalized voices
Lauren And The Books - Nice mix, loves feminism, queer voices, and vegan cookbooks
Jean Bookishthoughts - Loves ancient Greece, activism, feminism, romance, fantasy, queer voices
Eric Karl Anderson - literary fiction
Just Juan Reader - Fiction, Psychoanalysis texts, loves 84 Charing Cross Road, Gilmore Girls and musicals. Bonus points if he sings at the end of the video
MercysBookishMusings - mostly fiction
Connor O'Brien - mostly YA, SFF, graphic novels, manga, some middle grade and ficiton
I am going to wait until Modern Mrs. Darcy puts out her Summer Reading Guide in May and slot one of the books on that list for this prompt.
I don't really do blogs, vlogs, podcasts or online book clubs. So, I think I'll just steal a book that's listed here. Would that be cheating? I'm not sure I much care, just curious.
Katy wrote: "I don't really do blogs, vlogs, podcasts or online book clubs. So, I think I'll just steal a book that's listed here. Would that be cheating? I'm not sure I much care, just curious."It's a personal challenge for yourself, so I don't think anything's wrong with that! If it encourages you to read more, by all means.
I think this group counts as an online book club, personally !🙂 I’m going to pick one of the many books recommended on the Modern Mrs Darcy blog. I’ve already got a few contenders but I won’t be able to choose anything until I see all of the prompts.
I have a booklr (book Tumblr) so this is a very simple prompt for me. I suppose booklrs might post pictures of books they don't like, but I work off the assumption that if someone has taken the time to stage, photograph, and share a picture of a book, they like it. I'll pick a book from my #tbr tag.
In addition to some already named, I also follow the Reading Women Podcast and participate in their reading challenge also. I also have few booktubers I follow so this one should be an easy one to fill!
I may end up using the book from my December "mylitbox" subscription. "My Lit Box is a community driven literary blog and quarterly subscription box committed to celebrating writers of color."
Would that be appropriate? Sadly, the December box is going to be the last.
I'm not sure who my favorite blogger is, but one of my favorites is Elise @ The Bookish Actress (Goodreads profile). A few of her favorites I'd recommend:- The Stars Are Legion - Lesbian space opera. Recommended if you like weird things and body horror.
- Senlin Ascends - Fantasy/weird fiction. A couple go on vacation to the legendary tower of Babel and become separated, and the husband ascends the tower in search of his wife.
- The Wicker King - YA contemporary about mental illness conceptualized as dark fantasy.
- And I Darken - YA historical fantasy trilogy ft. genderbent Vlad the Impaler.
on my TBR: The Gilded Wolves (heist fantasy), The Abyss Surrounds Us (pirates & sea monsters), Dread Nation (the Civil War gets derailed by zombie invasion)
If I have time I'll try and put together rec lists from some of my other favorite bloggers too.
I'm happy to see a sneak peak, but this is not a prompt for me. I used to listen to a lot of podcasts (mostly knitting-related), and stopped a few months back. So I'll just pick from the super-convenient Listopia list :)
I was actually thinking that if this counts as an online book club, you could just pick your fave prompt and double up on it, because you know there will be tons of recs.
Oh this group totally counts as an online book club! I'll probably grab a rec from a booktuber or a podcast, but I get so many recs from our weekly update threads that it could easily end up one of those.
Katy wrote: "I was actually thinking that if this counts as an online book club, you could just pick your fave prompt and double up on it, because you know there will be tons of recs."that's a good idea
alternately, if it's a moderately popular/new book you're reading, you could scroll down to the reviews. often the most popular reviews (which will be at the top of the list) are cross-posts from blogs
What exactly is a Listopia? As for podcasts, I enjoy Currently Reading and already have some of their recommendations on my TBR - and I am sure there will be more!
Katy wrote: "I was actually thinking that if this counts as an online book club, you could just pick your fave prompt and double up on it, because you know there will be tons of recs."I would certainly consider this group to be an online book club!
I have a feeling that there are probably a decent number of members who have their own blogs. It would be very easy for our bloggers to give recommendations here on Goodreads, and include links to relevant posts on their blogs.
What would people think about using a book recommendation from a podcast that is not exclusively book-oriented but covers a certain fandom?
Brandon wrote: "What would people think about using a book recommendation from a podcast that is not exclusively book-oriented but covers a certain fandom?"I think that's totally fine - it doesn't specify that it has to be a solely bookish podcast!
My favorite book blog is https://www.thriftbooks.com/blog/My favorite blog not specific to books but that does share book recommendations is http://katiethecreativelady.com/
I love Katie for many reasons, and one of them is her passion for reading.
So, I'm a bit confused. I notice there are a bunch of books in the Listopia but not here. Is that what we are doing now? Because those books have no context. I have no idea where they were recommended.
poshpenny wrote: "So, I'm a bit confused. I notice there are a bunch of books in the Listopia but not here. Is that what we are doing now? Because those books have no context. I have no idea where they were recommen..."I would guess it will be a combo of discussing and adding things to the listopia. People can add comments when adding things to the list (if you click on the votes you can see any notes - for example, I noticed that Nadine mentioned that Doors of January was from Modern Miss Darcy).
I'm not keen on "favourite" prompts but at least this will be somewhere I can slot in a review book, as I know plenty of bloggers who get the same books as me.I do have a (slightly neglected right now) blog if people get stuck for recommendations (mostly SFF and non-fiction).
Just checked out your blog Ellie, I think it's my new favourite, so this is going tip be easy :)
Johanne wrote: "Just checked out your blog Ellie, I think it's my new favourite, so this is going tip be easy :)"Aww thanks Johanne!
My three favourite podcasts on books are Sword & Laser, Vaginal Fantasy and Troldspejlet (which is a Danish podcast/TV-programme on games, films books and comics).I will probably wait with this prompt as there are hundreds of books to choose from.
I just checked out the book suggestions on listopia. There are so many good suggestions. I saw several books I have wanted to read. I didn’t see the comments on where the suggestion came from. I will need some help on locating the comments. I was going to use one of the celebrity book clubs that a few others. This prompt will be easy.
Mod
I'm hopeful that we will do BOTH. The Listopia list will be very helpful later, so you can quickly glance at a list and not have to read through an entire post. This discussion is helpful NOW as we bounce ideas off of each other (and give lots of context!!). Of course if you don't like the Listopia, just don't use it. Similarly, some people may not like this discussion post, so that's another option for them.
For the books I added, I included the blog they were from, but not everyone will do that, so in this particular case, the Listopia is not a perfect fit. But I loved the idea so much when AtY started it that I wanted to do it here too!!!
Mod
to add a book, click "Add Books To This List" then click "Search" and search for that book then click "Vote for this book" box. By using the "Search" feature instead of the "My Books" feature, you will avoid adding duplicate copies. (For example: if I vote for the English version and Johanne votes for the Danish version and Ellie votes for the audiobook, it will register as three votes for the same title instead of adding all three versions of the same book to the list.)
to see why a book was added, click on the link for who voted. For example, the #1 book right now is "Doors of January," and three people have voted for it so far, so click on "3 people voted" and you'll see the three of us and any notes we added. I found this book on Modern Mrs Darcy. I'm the only one who added a note on this book so maybe this isn't the best example!
At the bottom of the list, you'll see all the people who have voted on the list. If you click on the profile PICTURE, it takes you to the user's homepage, but if you click on the person's NAME, you'll see a list of all the books they voted for, including any notes they added.
To add notes, just fill in the box under the title you voted for, over in the right hand margin. You don't have to click "post" or anything, it's automatically added. You can add a note at any time.
If you voted for a book and have regrets, just click the "x" next to the book in the right hand margin, and your vote will be removed. (If yours was the only vote, the book will be removed from the Listopia. Eventually. It takes a bit to refresh sometimes.)
If a book is already on the list but you love it too, your vote still matters, because it will bump the book up higher on the list. Theoretically, the top books will be the "best" books on each list.
I'm happy you borrowed the listopia idea off ATY! Whilst this first prompt isn't the best suited to the listopia method, I'm sure having them for the more easily defined prompts will be super useful. Especially half way through next year when I've decided I don't want to read anything on my plan!
There are so many booktubers and books blogs I love but I'll probably end up reading a suggestion from my favourite online book club - hmbookgang on instagram. If any of you are from Portugal or are Portuguese speakers, I really recommend this book club :D
I don't follow many blogs/vlogs (I really need to follow more) but my favorite is Kayla at Booksandlala. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmT3...
My favorite blog is AskAManager (I'm an HR nerd) and she does recommendations, her 2018 list is https://www.askamanager.org/2018/12/a...
I'm not sure what the difference is between a blog and like, a general website, but I get a ton of my book recommendations from Book Riot. They and a lot of other sites will probably be doing "best of the year" lists soon, and that might be a great place to pick up some recs!
Fellow murderino here! :) Your Listopia just took me to the "Best Books Ever" list, so I'm including the link on their website to recommendations, which includes a book list! SSDGM! https://myfavoritemurder.com/recommen...
Jillian wrote: "This is such a great prompt!
For those who listen to My Favorite Murder, here's the Listopia of the books recommended on the podcast: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
I also really like ..."
Sarah wrote: "I'm not sure what the difference is between a blog and like, a general website, but I get a ton of my book recommendations from Book Riot. They and a lot of other sites will probably be doing "best..."Book Riot really has a blog format, with multiple contributors. It was started by bloggers too so I think it would count.
Reading With Libraries is a good one - a book group podcast, looking at a new genre each week!(Disclaimer: I'm one of the librarian creators!)
On weeks that we don't do full episodes, we have a guest sharing a book (or two) they liked - so there is ALWAYS something to find!
You can find the archives here: https://cmle.org/cmle-created-resourc... We have hundreds of book ideas!
Tania wrote: "My favorite book blog is https://www.thriftbooks.com/blog/ "Thanks for this link. In skimming only a couple of posts, I found twenty books in Mount TBR.
poshpenny wrote: "So, I'm a bit confused. I notice there are a bunch of books in the Listopia but not here. Is that what we are doing now? Because those books have no context. I have no idea where they were recommen..."I added a bunch of my favorites there but hadn't gotten around to discussing them here yet.
My favorite book bloggers (besides Elise who I already mentioned):
- Emily May (Goodreads profile) (she's apparently the most popular reviewer on Goodreads)
- karen @ bloggy come lately (Goodreads profile)
- Cait @ Paper Fury (Goodreads profile) (she is also very into bookstagram and has beautiful rainbow shelves if you're into that kind of thing)
And book recs that I enjoyed:
- The Library at Mount Char (rec: karen) - Modern-day fantasy/weird fiction
- Confessions (rec: karen) - Contemporary set in Japan. A middle school teacher discovers her daughter has been murdered by two of her students, and sets out to take revenge.
- Sip (rec: karen) - Gritty post-apocalyptic fiction, set in a world where people can drink shadows and get high off them
- The Last One (rec: karen) - Contemporary. A woman is on a reality TV show, doing a wilderness survival solo challenge, and the apocalypse happens and she doesn't know.
- Annex (rec: karen) - YA sci-fi. Aliens have taken over; a gang of escaped children, calling themselves the "Lost Boys," decide to fight back.
- Wilder Girls (rec: karen) - YA horror/sci-fi with an all-girl cast
- The Cruel Prince (rec: Emily May, Cait, Elise) - YA fantasy set in the faerie realm. Starts out very high school drama-y (bullying, boyfriend drama, etc.) but escalates dramatically into ruthless political intrigue.
- Six of Crows (rec: like everyone honestly) - YA heist fantasy
- Cait is also an author and has written two books, both YA contemporary: A Thousand Perfect Notes and The Boy Who Steals Houses.
Also, a few books from my TBR:
All Our Yesterdays (rec: Emily May, Elise) (time loop sci-fi I think?), The Institute (rec: Emily May) (scientists kidnapping kids with superpowers), Call Down the Hawk (rec: Cait) (dream magic), Ninth House (rec: karen, Cait) (dark occult academia), Gideon the Ninth (rec: karen) (lesbian necromancers), Vulpes, the Red Fox (rec: karen) (it's about a red fox. you probably guessed that already)
...I spend too much time reading book blogs.
I don't read any book blogs but a friend recently told me about a podcast about the Goosebumps books. I might read one of them and relive my childhood
Well don't listen to book podcasts but the Command Zone podcast for Magic has given out recommendations for The Prince and The Art of War specifically and World War 1 generically.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (other topics)Devil in a Blue Dress (other topics)
Bonds of Brass (other topics)
All the Bad Apples (other topics)
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Walter Mosley (other topics)Robin DiAngelo (other topics)
Liz Moore (other topics)
Sharon Sala (other topics)
Jasmin Singer (other topics)
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NEW FEATURE: This year we will be setting up Listopias for many of the prompts (though not some of the more individual ones). First Listopia is found here: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
PODCASTS: There's a whole thread here in our group for everyone's favorite book podcasts: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
My favorite book podcast (sorry, not sorry for mentioning this one ALL.THE.TIME) is Currently Reading with Meredith and Kaytee. They drop new episodes every Monday and I just love them so much!
BLOGS: Modern Mrs. Darcy is the queen of book blogs AND podcasts! What other blogs do you follow?
Feel free to list your favorite blog, podcasts, etc along with books they have recommended! Make sure you mention where you got your book recommendation from so the rest of us can check it out too!