2025 Reading Challenge discussion
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Popsugar - 2021
Updated message 1274/50 complete
10. A bestseller from the 1990s - Paradise
20. A book on a Black Lives Matter reading list - Invisible Man
Updating message #233/50 completed
2. An Afrofuturist book- The Obelisk Gate DONE
Loving this series and diving into the third of the trilogy!
Update message 53Progress 4/10
Completed The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P Djeli Clark which is a bit of a steampunk, alternative history fantasy bordering on a paranormal buddy cop novella
Update message #61:✔20/20 - 13/01/2021
Raising the goal to 25.
update #582/25
36. A book that has fewer than 1,000 reviews on Amazon or Goodreads
(at this time 348 reviews)
Updated msg 15Just completed prompt about forgetting - The Lines We Leave Behind by Eliza Graham. I knew little about the Yugoslavian resistance during WW2 or the British agents sent in to assist them, so I appreciate that knowledge. I found the viewpoints towards women at the time infuriating, found some of the statements about women’s sexuality judgmental, and I wasn’t a fan of the last quarter of the book. But the ending was redemptive. Overall, interesting read. 3 stars
10/50
Hi Winter, how many times in a month do you post the progress of the participants? I would just like to note in my corner so I can post updates in a timely manner. Thank you 😊
Update message 316/30
30. A book set somewhere you’d like to visit in 2021-In the Deep (Australia) 1-15
I'm in!Popsugar Challenge 2021
Duration: 01/01/2021-12/31/2021
Progress: 42/50
✔️ = Finished
Standard Prompts
✔️1. A book that published in 2021 Yellow Wife
✔️2. An Afrofuturist book Kindred
✔️3. A book that has a heart, diamond, club, or spade on the cover The Lost Apothecary
✔️4. A book by an author who shares your zodiac sign Persuasion
✔️5. A dark academia book My Dark Vanessa
✔️6. A book with a gem, mineral, or rock in the title Ruby
✔️7. A book where the main character works at your current or dream job The Historian
✔️8. A book that has won the Women’s Prize for Fiction Property
✔️9. A book with a family tree The Duke and I
✔️10. A bestseller from the 1990s Cold Mountain
✔️11. A book about forgetting Still Alice
✔️12. A book you have seen on someone’s bookshelf (in real life, on a Zoom call, in a TV show, etc.) Circe
13. A locked-room mystery Anxious People
14. A book set in a restaurant Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors
✔️15. A book with a black-and-white cover Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
16. A book by an indigenous author Winter Counts
✔️17. A book that has the same title as a song Winter Garden
18. A book about a subject you are passionate about I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
✔️19. A book that discusses body positivity One to Watch
✔️20. A book on a Black Lives Matter reading list A Promised Land
21. A genre hybrid 11/22/63
✔️22. A book set mostly or entirely outdoors Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
✔️23. A book with something broken on the cover The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
✔️24. A book by a Muslim American author A Woman Is No Man
✔️25. A book that was published anonymously The Bride Stripped Bare
✔️26. A book with an oxymoron in the title The Once and Future Witches
✔️27. A book about do-overs or fresh starts To Sir Phillip, With Love
✔️28. A magical realism book The Midnight Library
✔️29. A book set in multiple countries The Glass Hotel
✔️30. A book set somewhere you’d like to visit in 2021 The Viscount Who Loved Me
✔️31. A book by a blogger, vlogger, YouTube video creator, or other online personality Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things
✔️32. A book whose title starts with “Q,” “X,” or “Z” Queenie
33. A book featuring three generations (grandparent, parent, child) The Family Upstairs
✔️34. A book about a social justice issue The Nickel Boys
✔️35. A book in a different format than what you normally read (audiobooks, ebooks, graphic novels) Bingo Love
✔️36. A book that has fewer than 1,000 reviews on Amazon or Goodreads The Great Witches Baking Show
✔️37. A book you think your best friend would like Bared to You
✔️38. A book about art or an artist An Offer From a Gentleman
✔️39. A book everyone seems to have read but you Rebecca
✔️40. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Water for Elephants
Advanced Prompts
41. The longest book (by pages) on your TBR list ...And Ladies of the Club
✔️42. The shortest book (by pages) on your TBR list The Ocean at the End of the Lane
✔️43. The book on your TBR list with the prettiest cover The Wife Upstairs
✔️44. The book on your TBR list with the ugliest cover Purple Hibiscus
45. The book that’s been on your TBR list for the longest amount of time The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
✔️46. A book from your TBR list you meant to read last year but didn’t Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential
✔️47. A book from your TBR list you associate with a favorite person, place, or thing The Four Winds
✔️48. A book from your TBR list chosen at random A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder
✔️49. A DNF book from your TBR list The Rogue's Wager
✔️50. A free book from your TBR list (gifted, borrowed, library) Conjure Women
Update to comment 1092/50
3. A book that has a heart, diamond, club, or spade on the cover - Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Ranmali wrote: "I will sign up for 15 books1. A bestseller from the 1990s - As the Crow Flies
2. A book that has a heart, diamond, club, or spade on the cover - All The Single Ladies
..."
Completed 1/15
1. A book everyone seems to have read but you - American Gods
I'm in for all 50! Here's my first: 1/50
36. A book that has fewer than 1,000 reviews on Amazon or Goodreads: You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance and Living Your Purpose At the time of posting, this book had 323 reviews which feels level given Nicholas' profile as an astrologer.
Update Message #711/16/21:
#6: A book with a gem, mineral, or rock in the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Illustrated) by JK Rowling
Updated message 1276/50 complete
8. A book that has won the Women’s Prize for Fiction - The Glorious Heresies
Updated msg 15Just completed prompt for B&W cover - Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York by Elon Green. This is a well-written, tightly constructed true crime book that includes history about the lgbtq+ scene in the later 20th century. My only critique was at the beginning it was a touch hard to connect the stories in the timeline. Overall, really good! I received this as a free giveaway in exchange for my honest review. Definitely worth reading! 4.5 stars
11/50
Update Message #71#6: A book with a gem, mineral, or rock in the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Illustrated) by JK Rowling
20. A book found on a Black Lives Matter reading list. The Hate U Giveby Angie Thomas (1/3/21)
21. A genre hybrid. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James (1/3/21)
46. A book from your TBR list you meant to read last year but didn’t: Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline (1/17/21)
4/50
reply | edit | delete | flag *
Updated message 1277/50 complete
3. A book that has a heart, diamond, club, or spade on the cover - Finna
Update to #1772/50
12. A book you have seen on someone’s bookshelf (in real life, on a Zoom call, in a TV show, etc.): Transcendent Kingdom I saw this book on my friend's bookshelf in Dec 2020 and she kindly let me borrow it over the holidays. How lucky of me!
Update message #61:✔25/25 - 17/01/2021
Raising the goal to 30.
Updated msg 15Just completed #46 (meant to read last year) - Bitter Falls by Rachel Caine. Overall, I enjoyed this suspenseful thriller with feminist overtones. There were a couple holes in the plot in the middle, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Definitely worth reading! 4 stars
12/50
Update message 318/30
32. A book whose title starts with “Q,” “X,” or “Z”- Quantum (Captain Chase #1) 1-18
Updated msg 15Just completed the different format prompt - March: Book Three by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell. Talk about a life full of good trouble! John Lewis and the many other leaders of the civil rights movement are American heroes. But the struggle continues on. If anyone is flagging in their effort to ensure equity and equality, I highly recommend this book. Especially in these dark times, the lessons from our heroes who have lived through other dark times ring forth proclaiming it is worth it to keep fighting! Definitely worth reading! 5 stars
13/50
Update Message 53Progress 5/10
Dark Academia - completed A Deadly Education, an angsty YA "Harry Potter" novel set inside a maleficent school
Hi! i hope i'm not too late to join the challenge this year! i'll settle for 30 this year but i hope to finish more!i started with:
26. A book with an oxymoron in the title:
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
1/30
So I wasn't going to do many yearly challenges in 2021 but this is the 13th that I have signed up for 🙈. I've decided to do Popsugar this year because some of my planned reading fits some of these prompts so please sign me up for 10 books.COMPLETED: 10/10
✔️ A book where the main character works at your current or dream job The Left-Handed Booksellers of London finished 9 May, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
✔️ A book about forgetting: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue finished 18 January, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ with review
✔️ A book with a black-and-white cover: The Night Circus finished 22 October, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ with review
✔️ A book that has the same title as a song: As Old As Time finished 16 May, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ with review
✔️ A genre hybrid: Blood, Metal, Bone finished 27 January, ⭐⭐⭐ with review
✔️ A book in a different format than what you normally read (audiobooks, ebooks, graphic novels): Forest 404 finished 11 January, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ with review
✔️ A book everyone seems to have read but you: The Catcher in the Rye finished 15 February, ⭐⭐⭐ with review
❌
✔️ A dark academia book: The Last Graduate finished 11 November, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ with review
✔️ A book from your TBR list chosen at random: Tuf Voyaging finished 11 July, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
✔️ A free book from your TBR list (gifted, borrowed, library): The Dirty Dozen finished 2 August, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Update to 1853/50
46. A book from your TBR list you meant to read last year but didn’t: My Sister, the Serial Killer The title of this book always grabbed me, but I finally sat down and requested it from the library this year. Great choice!
Update to comment 1093/50
40. Your favorite prompt from a patient Popsugar reading challenge - female author - Shadows in Death by J.D. Robb
Updated message 12710/50 complete
45. The book that’s been on your TBR list for the longest amount of time - Teacher Man
Update Message #7117. A book that has the same title as a song. Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore. (1/20/21)
5/50
Update to message #13. Finishing this month with 3/16 books.
✔2. A book with a gem, mineral, or rock in the title ---> Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - read on 01/06/21
✔3. A book with a family tree ---> The Family Upstairs - read on 01/09/21
✔8. A genre hybrid ---> Verity -read on 01/04/21
Updated msg 15Just completed prompt for book my bestie would like - Text Me When You Get Home: The Evolution and Triumph of Modern Female Friendship by Kayleen Schaefer. I felt seen and reminded of all my amazing friendships. I’m truly lucky to have women standing with me who allow me to stand with them. “If I couldn’t see what was there to separate me from the boys, then I didn’t have to deal with being a girl in a world that I suspected hated girls.” “What I was also going through was a mind shift whee I stated to see that my friendships could be valued and celebrated as seriously as any other relationships in my life. They didn’t have to be consolation prizes until I found someone to marry.” “‘A friend can take you out of the boxes you’ve made for yourself and burn them up.’” Definitely worth reading! 5 stars
14/50
2025 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Garden Spells (other topics)Potiki (other topics)
Once There Were Wolves (other topics)
Lord John and the Hand of Devils (other topics)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
LeAnne "LeLee" Lyons (other topics)Rochelle Alers (other topics)
Marie Benedict (other topics)
Jane Kristof (other topics)
Jane Kristof (other topics)
More...
6/50 books read
Regular
√ 9. A book with a family tree: The Viscount Who Loved Me...I had to read this one after watching "The Bridgertons" and Bonus: there is a family tree at the beginning!! I had read the first 3 books years ago but am going to reread those and try to finish the series this year (I had read books 4 and 5 last year)!
√ 11. A book about forgetting: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
√ 14. A book set in a restaurant: Tide and Punishment...a cozy mystery that takes place on the Outer Banks of NC. The main character runs a seaside restaurant!
√ 33. A book featuring three generations (grandparent, parent, child): Faithful Place
√ 35. A book in a different format than what you normally read (audiobooks, ebooks, graphic novels): The Mysterious Affair at Styles...I listened to this through "Phoebe Loves a Mystery" podcast and really enjoyed listening while walking!!
Advanced
√ 47. A book from your TBR list you associate with a favorite person, place, or thing: Yarnitecture: A Knitter's Guide to Spinning: Building Exactly the Yarn You Want...I love to knit and I am learning to spin :) I received this book for Christmas and read it cover to cover but I will be using it as a reference book in the future!