Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2020 Challenge - Advanced
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03 - A book with a character with a vision impairment or enhancement
Erica wrote: "Does seeing auras count or is it cheating?"I wouldn't count this as it's more paranormal, but I am not sure about others.
labaum wrote: "I see that "Lord of the flies" is on the list. What in this book refers to the prompt?"As I recall, one of the strandees wore glasses.
Pam wrote: "This prompt is the hardest one for me. I think I will go with a vision enhancement and read Superman: Red Son. Instead of being raised in Smallville, Kansas, baby Superman makes his n..."One of my fave Superman stories :)
I think I'm going to use All the Light We Cannot See for this prompt. I find this book fits into many of the prompts, but I feel like I will have a better chance to put other books in other prompts, so will use it for this one.
Brandon wrote: "labaum wrote: "I see that "Lord of the flies" is on the list. What in this book refers to the prompt?"As I recall, one of the strandees wore glasses."
Yup, Piggy wears glasses and really struggles to see without them so I'd definitely count that as a vision impairment.
Finished Things You Save in a Fire
by Katherine CenterMy Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I plan to read one of the books from the Rivers of London series since I'm currently working my way through it. The main character can see ghosts that others can't, so I'm counting that as a vision enhancement.
I just checked out Love Blind. Just found it randomly at the library. If I get to it, I'll post if it's any good.
Imaginary Friend, by Stephen Chbosky, actually works surprisingly well for this one. One of the main character's friends wears a patch over one eye to help correct a vision problem, and one of the adult characters has severe cataracts.
I had no idea this would fit until I read it, but for most of his life Eddie Rickenbacker had a vision impairment that happened after an auto accident BEFORE he learned to fly and became the US's top ace pilot in WW I.Enduring Courage: Ace Pilot Eddie Rickenbacker and the Dawn of the Age of Speed
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St James comes out in Feb & one of the MC's wears glasses - that she fiddles with at every chance, and a la Velma from Scooby Doo, they get knocked off her face & she can't see until she finds them.But really, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone looking for a newer choice. It was a Book of the Month Club pre-release, so I got to read it in January. :)
Elli wrote: "Not sure if this one counts, but one of the main protagonists in Red Sparrow can see the emotions of others as colors."Oh, definitely. I love that. We read a book about a child who saw letters and words as colors and one of the students shared that she saw the same thing. She was surprised it was a "thing." I can't remember the name for it.
Jane wrote: "Elli wrote: "Not sure if this one counts, but one of the main protagonists in Red Sparrow can see the emotions of others as colors."Oh, definitely. I love that. We read a book abo..."
I think it's a type of synesthesia!
Not sure if anyone has put this on here yet but It's Not What It Looks Like is by the Youtuber Molly Burke who went blind when she was a teenager. I believe this is a autobiography of sorts.
I chose
by William Kent Krueger for this prompt. Since the Cork O'Connor series almost all relate to the Anishinaabe people, vision quests often play an important part in the plot.
I just read
which is a novella that you can read for free on the authors website. The main character is a blind man but he can "see" the energy of things. It's a big part of the plot. This is a sci-fi story. A link to the story is on my book review.For the challenge I had used
which is a high fantasy novel. The main character, Raistlin, has the Curse of Realanna. It's a magical vision impairment and everything he looks at is constantly dying and withering before his eyes over and over. So even young woman look like wrinkled old hags to him and the trees are always bare.
Does anyone have any recommendations for thriller or crime books that include a character wearing glasses or that would fit in another way? Would be grateful for any suggestions!
Lucy wrote: "Does anyone have any recommendations for thriller or crime books that include a character wearing glasses or that would fit in another way? Would be grateful for any suggestions!"The main character in The Chameleon's Shadow by Minette Walters has lost an eye which causes him to not have very good perception vision.
I just finished The Beekeeper of Aleppo, it was very good, sad, relevant... one of the main characters is blinded.
I read The Arrangement by Mary Balogh. It's a historical romance; as a part of the story the author explores various facets of being blind, from the emotional impact to physical challenges. Its obvious that a lot of thought went into what it would mean for the character and those around him.
Gerald Elias has a series of mysteries with an elderly blind violinist as the protagonist (the first one is Devil's Trill). They are quite good. He's a local author so I got the chance to meet him. He is an accomplished violinist as well.
I had no idea at all for this prompt, but I've just found this book as a free title on Audible:
It's a middle grade book (which I hardly ever read, so it's good to try something new) about a 13-year old boy who loves drawing and is working on his first comic book. He's rushing to finish because he has keratoconus, which could leave him blind. He doesn't have any friends at school, but then a new girl arrives...
Tash wrote: "This year I read Feed, in which the main character has a virus that affects her vision. It was about bloggers in a post-zombie apocalypse world. If you like that kinda thing. I thi..."
I will second Feed and it's fairly topical with everything going on right now. It's pandemic turned zombie. I am considering re-reading, but I know I'll get sucked in and spend the next month re-reading the whole series.
I started reading Nora Roberts Trilogy One earlier and then read the second in the series. Had to go back and read One again because now the names and events were more familiar and lo and behold the Coronovirus and the events seem to familiar to that book.. But then again this is more fantasy ????
Last night I finished Love and First Sight. It was a sweet YA love story, good for some escapist reading.
I just read a Memory of Violets where the younger sister is patially blind in her younger years. Good read about orphan flower sellers in covenant gardens (London).
I read The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern for this one. The main character often mentions his glasses and worries about his contacts lol.
I read Haben: The DeafBlind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law by Haben Girma for this one. It is a great memoir.
I'm reading The Fix by David Baldacci. This is the 3rd in the series with the main character Amos Decker. After a head injury, he experiences synethesia; he sees color with certain emotions and experiences. An example would be that whenever he is around death (he works with the FBI) he sees electric blue everywhere. Since this happens throughout the books and seems to be a hindrance to him, I'm going to say that it is a visual impairment.
Thank you to those who suggested
I really enjoyed it. If anyone likes audiobooks I can highly recommend this one read by Art Malik - he does a great job.
I just finished Ask Again, Yes. I don't think I'm using it for this category, but it fits as (without saying too much) one of the characters is involved in a situation that affects eyesight.
Selin wrote: "So I‘m not a native English speaker and I’m not sure I’m getting this prompt right... Would a book from the This Mortal Coil series (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...) count? I just read..."Sight enhancement due to technology totally sounds like it'd work.
Selin wrote: "So I‘m not a native English speaker and I’m not sure I’m getting this prompt right... Would a book from the This Mortal Coil series (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...) count? I just read..." you said everyone had their sight enhanced, so i think it counts!
I read Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo as the main character can see ghosts, I thought it was a fun way to satisfy the prompt!
I'm reading The Shadow of the Wind where one of the characters is blind. It's also set in Barcelona where the 1992 Olympics was conducted.
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. I had a really hard time getting through the first half of the book. The second half was better for me. It's won quite a few awards in SFF (Hugo, Nebula among them). One of the characters has an impairment in this world, such that her vision is so sharpened that she needs special glasses to see in this world. The MC can see better in shaded areas; the light in this world is too bright.
I head Exhalation: Stories for a book club. One of the longer stories is about being able to record everything you see and being able to play it back at any given time. I'm so torn on whether I'd actually want to have that or not.
Books mentioned in this topic
Black Sun (other topics)We Are All the Same in the Dark (other topics)
Black Sun (other topics)
Black Sun (other topics)
Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Rebecca Roanhorse (other topics)Rebecca Roanhorse (other topics)
Paul Crilley (other topics)
Seanan McGuire (other topics)
John M. Hull (other topics)
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20/20 vision ..."
Well, also, all vision is measured 20/__ or 20/___ so it is about 20, just not as directly obvious :)