Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2022 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 48: 11/24 - 12/1
Our busy house has gotten busier since I last checked in. We have a new baby to love, cuddle, and spoil. He just turned one month old and already weighs 11.5 lbs. Ewan is a big boy!I still haven't finished this year's challenge, but I'm still on track to finish. You'd think it wouldn't be that difficult since I've read 240 books so far this year.
I think I first joined the challenge in 2019...
I have no idea which 2023 prompt I'll tackle first. Probably one of the birthday ones. I'm gonna tell you 1964 was not a great year for books. It's also not my favorite era to read about. I'll probably start with Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast. It was published posthumously, and it's about his life in the 1920s. I'm pretty sure it'll overlap with other challenges I'll be doing.
Kenya wrote: "Am... I the only one who's not disappointed by the challenge list for 2023? Yes, there are a lot of repeat prompts, but there's still a lot of fun ones. And I dunno how I managed to predict the rabbit one when I was talking to someone yesterday (I said it would be cool to have a rabbit prompt, since 2023 is the year of the rabbit)...Ah well. I'm a little iffy about a couple of the prompts, like celebrity memoir, but the point of this challenge is to push me out of my comfort zone. So I'll read one!"
I don't mind them at all. I still have lists of possibilities from other years, so I'll look at those for the repeat prompts. It's usually easy to find more than one good book per prompt.
I would have liked to have seen a theme for the Advanced prompts, just because I enjoy the creativity. But it's fine either way.
Teri wrote: "Kenya wrote: "Am... I the only one who's not disappointed by the challenge list for 2023? Yes, there are a lot of repeat prompts, but there's still a lot of fun ones. And I dunno how I managed to p..."I'm not really disappointed either, since I don't usually complete the challenge so I haven't done most of these the first time around. I'm a little annoyed that it's not more "challenging" of a challenge, but I think we can get creative and make it our own.
It is quickly coming to my attention that people with my same initials do not write good books.
Teri wrote: "It is quickly coming to my attention that people with my same initials do not write good books."Maybe use your first and middle name. Or maiden name. Or mother's maiden name.
Laura wrote: "Our busy house has gotten busier since I last checked in. We have a new baby to love, cuddle, and spoil. He just turned one month old and already weighs 11.5 lbs. Ewan is a big boy!I still haven'..."
Congratulations!
Hi everyone. I have a pretty nasty cough at the moment (not covid luckily) so I've been snuggled under blankets watching way too much TV for the past few days (I already watched Wednesday but any other recs would be appreciated!)This week I finished The Golden Enclaves which was a great end to the series. I did find the last quarter of the book to drag a little but maybe I was just reading slow to keep the series going longer?
Currently reading: The Queen's Gambit I watched the series when it first came out and loved it so I'm hoping for good things from the book.
QOTW: I first did the challenge in 2015 but didn't find this group until 2017. I skipped 2016 and 2022 because I didn't like a lot of the prompts. I was really looking forward to getting back into to the challenge next year but now I'm not too sure. There's a lot which don't interest me; way too many relationship prompts (three romances, family and divorce) and a lot of personal prompts (fyi 1987 is not a good year for book publishing). I might merge my own list of the Pop Sugar and ATY that I like and ignore the rest
QOTW:I first started the challenge in 2019 and I have participated every year, including going back to do the previous years as well. I have never participated in any other challenges before, but I think I am going to try the 52 Book Club this year in conjunction with PopSugar to challenge myself and keep things fresh. Like most people, what jumped out to me about this year's challenge was all the repeats, which I was disappointed by at first, but when I started planning, I think there is an openness to the prompts this year that is really nice. Some of the extremely specific prompts from prior years sometimes feel like a chore to me, so I feel like the list this year lends itself to reading whatever you want and then finding where it fits.
Happy Thursday! We had crazy rain this morning- the streets were already getting flooded by the time I was driving to work. And now it's cleared up and back to super chilly (for the bay area, at least). I wound up reading 6 books for Nonfiction November, which is more than I normally get to.I'm actually ok with the list for the most part. I think I can find work around for the prompts I'm not crazy about. But... I can't believe they brought back the longest book on tbr prompt- I already failed that one super bad! I guess Popsugar is going "you will read The Count of Monte Cristo!" At least I don't have to go looking for it- it's been sitting on my night stand for a year judging me.
Of course I still have 10 books to finish for this year's list, so I should focus on that first
Finished:
Portrait of a Scotsman- this was a fun read. The unnecessary last minute drama annoyed me though.
-34. A book set in Victorian times
Between the World and Me- this has been on my tbr for a long time, I'm glad I finally got to it
-Nonfiction November
Ten Steps to Nanette- this is very funny, Hannah Gadsby is hilarious, but it covers really intense topics. Very good memoir, worth checking out especially if you liked her special on Netflix.
Currently reading
Little Eyes- so creepy. I didn't watch a lot of Black Mirror, but it gives me those vibes.
QotW
I think the first time I started the challenge was in 2018, but I only really got involved in this goodreads group last year. All my coworkers who read had quit and I needed more book talk.
I like the prompt "book that takes place entirely in one day"- those can be really good. I'll probably start with book bought at independent books store or book bought second hand, because that's about 90% of the books on my shelves.
Happy check-in and new list day! At first I was grumpy about the repeats but I'm coming round and all will be okay come 2023. It didn't help that I watched my team get eliminated from the World Cup this morning before the list dropped.I spent the weekend helping my grandmother get ready for Christmas. Helping someone go out and shop with an organized list of every gift they intend on was weird. I now feel completely unprepared for Christmas because I have no idea what to get people let alone what food needs to be planned and made.
I had one prompt left and the BOTM to finish before today... so naturally I read everything else. :)
Finished Reading:
Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book ⭐⭐⭐
You can't not read a kids Christmas gift when you pick it out. This was first published in the 80s if anyone wants a quick option for the new list.
Monstress, Vol. 7: Devourer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
More gorgeous artwork!
Everything Is OK ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A graphic memoir about anxiety and depression.
Slightly Tempted ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This first half of this was great and set in Belgium as Napoleon invaded and it was really good. The second half in London was stretched out. Overall not my favourite of the series but not the my least.
Firefly: Return to Earth That Was Vol 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
PS 2022 49/50
PS 2015 50/50 ✅
Goodreads 258/250 ✅
Currently Reading:
The House in the Cerulean Sea
The Reckoning
QOTW:
I started doing this challenge in 2019 and I did the 2018 list simultaneously. Every year since I have done the current list and a previous list I missed out on so all of the 2023 prompts feel very recent to me. I have caught up on all the PS challenges so I will be doing 2023 and ATYs challenge next year.
I'm unhappiest with the reread prompts because I started doing this challenge to increase my reading instead of rereading favourite books. I may switch those out.
The book with a rabbit on the cover is most appealing because it's new, also the divorce one although I don't know if I'll find an enjoyable book.
Well, hello again my friends! New prompts day! Huzzah! About an hour ago I realized it was nearing the end of the year and I wondered if the list had come out. I was flabbergasted to find it had only come out earlier today - what timing!
I've been absent for basically the entire year. I think I checked in once this year and maybe twice last year with a very similar post to this one as I've been in a reading slump since mid-2020 after I gave birth to my son. Here's hoping that I get over this reading rut and get back into it!
QOTW:
Which 2023 prompt jumps out at you? Which prompt do you think you’ll tackle first?
Like many of you, I was a bit disappointed with this year's list. I was really looking forward to having a full list of fresh prompts so seeing all the repeats was a bit of a downer. Two prompts that stood out to me are a book with mythical creatures and a modern retelling of a classic because I know I'll be able to find books related to those prompts that really interest me. I was not interested in a book published in the year of your birth nor in a book set in the decade you were born. I struggled to find interesting books to read during the similar prompts from previous years so seeing the 80s return in two prompts was a bummer. Add to that the rereading prompts and a book you should have read in high school because I was a voracious reader back then so if I had a book I should have read back then, well I read it.
I don't think I'm going to plan out my first prompt. I might poke through the suggestion threads and then if a book catches my eye I'll start with that.
How many years have you been doing the Popsugar reading challenge? Had you done other reading challenges before you started Popsugar?
I first did the PopSugar challenge in 2018. I finished both 2018 and 2019 Challenges and finished half the prompts in 2020. I had never done, nor heard of reading challenges before the PS 2018 challenge. My best friend's wife mentioned it on Facebook and I looked through the prompts list and got excited. I was really hoping to have that feeling again reading today's list.
Kenya wrote: "Am... I the only one who's not disappointed by the challenge list for 2023? Yes, there are a lot of repeat prompts, but there's still a lot of fun ones. And I dunno how I managed to predict the rab..."I think repeat prompts are OK in principle, I don't expect them to come up with 50 unique ideas every year...but they have chosen a lot of prompts I didn't enjoy the first time round.
Melissa wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Wasn't The Night Circus also a product of NaNoWriMo? As you say there are many more of all types and lengths. I actually have Water for Elephants in my TBR Towers. Time to read it!"...I found this GR article from a few years ago with a good list. https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1..."
Wow. I actually read three of these this year and have one on my TBR and was given another one for free. This shouldn't be as hard as I thought.
Kenya wrote: "Am... I the only one who's not disappointed by the challenge list for 2023? Yes, there are a lot of repeat prompts, but there's still a lot of fun ones. And I dunno how I managed to predict the rab..."For me it's not that I'm disappointed. I'm actually excited. This year (2022) was my first year so I don't mind the repeats that a lot of people are talking about. My only complaint is that once again many books are geared towards fiction so it's hard to find NF ones. I'm going to try but I'm not optimistic.
Kenya wrote: "Am... I the only one who's not disappointed by the challenge list for 2023? Ah well. I'm a little iffy about a couple of the prompts, like celebrity memoir, but the point of this challenge is to push me out of my comfort zone. So I'll read one!"
There are a bunch of really good one out there. Cicely Tyson's one Just as I Am is really good and I also liked Sally Fields's one In Pieces (although there is a lot of abuse in that one, both emotional and physical) Another one I really enjoyed was Harvey Fierstein's memoir I Was Better Last Night. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey was quite great as well, although get the physical book because I had the audio and while great to listen to him tell it, I found myself standing in Walmart one day after I just finished it looking at all the pictures and extras that are in the physical book.
One's that were just okay...Jessica Simpson, Alicia Keys, Busy Phillips (although it was funny) and Andrew McCarthy Brat: An '80s Story (would work if you're an 80's child).
As you can tell this should be an easy prompt for me. I discovered these celebrity memoirs last year and I just love em.
The more I go through the prompts, the more I'm starting to like even the ones I dismissed. I'm finding I'll be able to work some nonfiction into those as well.
Hello everyone!First, I want to say that yes I do live on the island that has the current lava flow being gushed about on the news. I am fine. I live on that mountain (Mauna Loa) but on the other side (ESE side). And actually just realized I live between the two mountains that are both erupting. It's ok, they are flowing in opposite directions. Also, funny thing...I was born the year it last erupted and just had my birthday so I am as old as how long it has been since it last erupted.
I have been in a major reading rut...doesn't bode well for my leading the Dec read. But, I have already read that book so not flying blind. I'm in such a rut that I think I literally read 10 pages of the book I did manage to pick up. At least it is the book I need to complete ATY, Where the Crawdads Sing.
I've been watching Christmas movies lately not a lot just here and there. But I did watch a really good mini series on Amazon last week called The English starring Emily Blunt. It is a historical western and her character is out for revenge. She gets a Pawnee man to escort her from Kansas up to either Wyoming or Montana. There's more too it but, it's good. I watched it in one day!
Christmas light parades are big here and I'm hoping to catch one either this weekend or next weekend. Sometimes it's not worth the hassle of the traffic so, we'll see.
2022 Challenges:
Popsugar: 50/50
ATY: 51/52
A to Z: 25/26 (Only letter left is Q)
Read Harder: 16/24
50 States:
2021…44/54
2022…22/54
2023…3/54
Goodreads: 136/150
Finished:
0 finished, Completed Popsugar
Currently Reading
The Quarter Storm
The House in the Cerulean Sea (lost this to the library, need to wait to get it back)
Speak, Okinawa: A Memoir not really feeling this so far. And it is due to the library in a few days.
On the Backburner
Physical Library Rentals
Book Lovers
The Hacienda
In Her Boots
The Retreat
Blue Heaven
Three Weeks To Say Goodbye
Magazines: (74/186)
Read since last check-in: 3
How many years have you been doing the Popsugar reading challenge? Had you done other reading challenges before you started Popsugar?
This is my second year. Last year I stumbled upon it around mid year but, I did mange to finish. I also found ATY last year and have done both this year as well. I was trying to complete BR Read Harder this year but, I have only gotten 16 read and have stalled out on that one. Pretty sure I won't finish it this year.
Which 2023 prompt jumps out at you? Which prompt do you think you’ll tackle first?
*Celebrity memoir...already read those
*celebrity book-club list...follow a few of those
*book with a map...already had a hard time with this on ATY this year
*romance with a fat lead...could have worded that better
*published the year I was born...is there anything good from '84?
*retelling of a classic...I'm never good with these, cause I'm not big on classics either. I'll need help with this one.
*song lyric as a title...ummm, yeah don't remember lyrics all that well.
*Should have read in high school....there's a lot I "should" have read in high school, we didn't do the read a classic thing in our school.
*love-triangle...Really???
*book you wish you could read again for the first time...seems like it's more like book you actually want to read again.
*book becoming TV or Movie...well since I just found out that the one I picked for this year has been pushed to 2023 I guess I technically didn't finish this prompt huh? So, not looking forward to it next year.
Theresa I too am not thrilled that the longest book on my TBR showed up again. Hated it last time too.
Katy I love that the first fan fic you think of is 50 Shades,
Mod
I am completely behind on ALL THE POSTS!!! I have so much reading to do here!! I'd be glued to this computer if I didn't have to work today.
So I haven't read any of this check-in from yesterday afternoon.
My answer to QotW
I was super disappointed with the list at first, but now that I'm starting to pencil in books I can read for each category, it's looking better. Maybe the category sucks, but I can still find a good book for it!
Categories that jump out at me right now as intriguing:
* romance with a fat lead - this is, like, the edgiest category of 2023, and I am here for it. I also like reading romance! I plan to read Spoiler Alert
* a book set in Hollywood - at first, my mind was a blank on this, but after a bit of searching, I found a lot of possibilities! I plan to read a novel, probably one of Ellroy's LA Quartet, L.A. Confidential
* a book you "should have" read in high school - last time we had this category, I hated it! I think it was phrased a little differently, so it was clearly "read a book that was assigned to you in high school that you did not finish" - and there was only ONE book that fit that description for me, so I read it, and I hated it all over again (A Tale of Two Cities - I am NOT a Dickens fan). THIS time, I'm interpreting this to mean "a book that they should have assigned in high school" - I mean, my high school teachers tried, they gave us one Black author and one woman author to read, but one in four years isn't much. There's a lot out there. I'm going to find a SHORT classic by a woman or a Black author - or a Black woman author! - and read it. I like to read a few classics each year, so this fits in with my general reading pattern nicely. I have NO IDEA what I'll read, but I'm looking forward to the search.
I'm going to need A LOT OF HELP on some of the other categories, and I'm really glad you all are there and we can bounce ideas off each other!!!!
And what I'll tackle first? Probably the "meant to read in 2022" category, since I plan to just read a book I borrowed from the library this month and didn't get to yet in January.
Nadine wrote: I was super disappointed with the list at first, but now that I'm starting to pencil in books I can read for each category, it's looking better.This is how it's been for me. The more I look at the list, the more I discuss things here on GR, and then the more I talk about it on the FB page, the easier it's becoming.
Originally I highlighted the ones that sounded interesting to me. Now I'm filling in the blank ones (no highlighting) and it's looking a lot better.
Nadine in NY wrote: "I'm going to need A LOT OF HELP on some of the other categories, and I'm really glad you all are there and we can bounce ideas off each other!!!!"Me, too. So far I have been reading the helps for the prompts that stump me the most, like the forbidden romance, celebrity recommends, BookTok, and fat lead romance. I have also looked at other threads for suggestions in areas I do not generally read.
And, I am very grateful for these threads and those Listopia lists!
I think this will be a fun group to be a part of (there goes that dangling participle).
The two I think I'll end up skipping are the fat lead and the historical fiction. I'm specifically drawing myself to nonfiction this year if I can.I have maybe one fiction on my list but that's because I can't seem to find NaNoWrMo that are nonfiction books.
I agree with the interpretation 'something that should have been assigned in high school ' - that's a wide choice! I was such a bookworm that there was nothing actually set in high school that I didn't read....
LeahS wrote: "I agree with the interpretation 'something that should have been assigned in high school ' - that's a wide choice! I was such a bookworm that there was nothing actually set in high school that I di..."Yeah, that one is a pretty good topic. For me I'm going the route of authors that I think should have been taught. I read a lot of white authors, only 3 African American authors, but nothing else. So I googled indigenous authors that should be taught in school and I came across a poetry book by Joy Harjo which is perfect.
There is actually a theme, discussed in the introductory paragraph for the list. It's 'nostalgia'. Explains the list somewhat. Now I still think the list compilation was, as I have repeatedly said, the result of the staff member assigned not having a clue what to do. I think the 'nostalgia' descriptive came after as a way to sell it.Also, did anyone notice how many Taylor Jenkins Reid books were in their suggested reads for the challenge? Is she paying them off? It was ridiculous.
Theresa wrote: "There is actually a theme, discussed in the introductory paragraph for the list. It's 'nostalgia'. Explains the list somewhat. Now I still think the list compilation was, as I have repeatedly said,..."I agree. I think when Tara, who used to coordinate this at PS, left, they were just going to let it drop. I think they probably got swamped by people asking if it was going to continue so they said yes and had to cobble together something. I have zero evidence for any of this, just my gut.
Kenya wrote: "Am... I the only one who's not disappointed by the challenge list for 2023? Yes, there are a lot of repeat prompts, but there's still a lot of fun ones. And I dunno how I managed to predict the rab..."I'm not. I mean there are some I'm like ugh (published the year you were born) but there are always some I feel that way about (the year that had the Western prompt).
And I get that repeats are going to happen especially after years because you'd have to get really niche to avoid it.
Theresa wrote: "There is actually a theme, discussed in the introductory paragraph for the list. It's 'nostalgia'. Explains the list somewhat. Now I still think the list compilation was, as I have repeatedly said,..."I have to admit, Taylor Jenkins Reid came to mind a lot as I was reading the prompts: historical fiction, set in Hollywood, sports, I think she has a short fiction specifically about divorce.
Kenya wrote: "Am... I the only one who's not disappointed by the challenge list for 2023? Yes, there are a lot of repeat prompts, but there's still a lot of fun ones. And I dunno how I managed to predict the rabbit one when I was talking to someone yesterday (I said it would be cool to have a rabbit prompt, since 2023 is the year of the rabbit)..."Mariah Carey's memoir was a great read. I'm not a big Mariah fan but it was a good read. And I need her alternative album that is buried in Sony's vaults.
Hollywood Park by Mikel Jollet also a good read.
And The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Megan Mulally and Nick Offerman is excellent.
I will be reading Spare for this prompt.
Mod
I look forward to your review!! I have had Finding Nouf on my TBR for years now, it fit a challenge category back in 2016, I don't even remember what it was, but I read something else and I STILL intend to go back and read this. Someday. I had no idea it was a series!!
Kenya wrote: "Am... I the only one who's not disappointed by the challenge list for 2023? Yes, there are a lot of repeat prompts, but there's still a lot of fun ones. And I dunno how I managed to predict the rab..."My disappointment stems from just how many there are and many were ones I hated the first time around so I'm not happy to see them again. I expect some to be repeated just not a full third of them and many of them less than 2 years ago. It's definitely one of those your mileage may vary moments
Mod
I'm sure I told you this before, but I basically stopped reading for a few years when I had babies. He is a toddler now, so he's probably on a better schedule and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, maybe you will have some reading time now!
or maybe not hahaha. I didn't really start reading much again until my youngest was 5.
Mod
First, I want to say that yes I do live on the island that has the current lava flow being gushed about on the news. I am fine. I live on that mountain (Mauna Loa) but on the other..."
I didn't realize you live in Hawaii!! That's pretty funny that you "just now" realized you are between TWO mountains that are erupting!!! Here in NY we would all go insane if we had a volcano erupt! (In fact, I think My Volcano is about exactly that happening, except down in NYC instead of up where I live - haven't read it yet, but I assume NYers get worked up.) You are as casual about lava flow as I am about snowfall.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "With lack of plot in House, I decided to pick up a murder mystery and went with City of Veils, not far enough in to know if it's going to be good or not...."I look forward to..."
Lol, that's OK, I didn't know it was a series until *you* said so!
Theresa wrote: "I also don't like the song lyrics title one. I don't remember lyrics, ever, and while I'm sure I have a 100 books right in front of me in my TBR, I'm not going to recognize they match lyrics. Hmmm - I do know lyrics to Christmas Carols - so maybe I read a book entitled Deck the Halls on New Years Day? There has to be a Christmas Romance or Cozy with that title and I probably own it."Do you read Mary Higgins Clark? Many of her titles are song lyrics. I used one of her books for last year’s challenge. Books in Mount TBR include: All Through the Night (read last year; it’s both a Christmas carol and a Cyndi Lauper song), Let Me Call You Sweetheart, Silent Night, I Heard That Song Before, All Around the Town and I've Got You Under My Skin.
If you want something short, try the Fitzgerald short story The Diamond as Big as the Ritz (Jimmy Buffett song).
Harmke wrote: "So now I have an inhaler. Not because of all the 2023 list excitement (which turned out to be a little turn-off). My airways are tightened since I had covid, so my physician told me yesterday... Luckily, reading is no problem with asthma. Or filling in prompts for the list."I’ve noticed more of a problem with asthma during the last couple winters since having Covid. Tuesday was especially bad. I was a bit late leaving work and made the mistake of running a block to catch the bus (half hour wait for the next one). Unfortunately, running in below freezing temps with asthma is really not a good idea, even if I wasn’t running that fast. I couldn’t stop coughing for hours after I got home. Consequently, I have had a sore throat the last couple days and generally feel like crap. It’s going to be a long cold winter. 😕
In related news, there was a study featured in local news this week linking asthma to an increased risk of stroke and heart attack. This seems like a no-brainer to me for a condition that affects the lungs and heart. 😐
Teri wrote: "Bob by Wendy Mass - 4 stars, PS #43 Palondromic titleGlad someone in this group recommended this, because this was another one I agonized over. This was adorable and was able to read in one evening."
Oh, yay! I’m glad someone else in the group liked that. It was one I stumbled across by accident on YouTube. I’m glad my rec helped out someone else in the group. 😄
Fickle weather here. Cold and windy last couple days, windy but “warmer” (48F at 5pm) today. Winds are supposed to increase even more between midnight and 6am, sustained at 50 mph. Hopefully it is not that strong when I leave for work at 9am. Next week is temps in 30s and three days of mixed precipitation. Yuck! No wonder I feel like crud!Finished three books in the past week:
* Family Blessings by Fern Michaels — Romance/women’s fiction set between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I think this was one my sister passed on to me. Was just sort of meh for me.
* The Death Factory by Greg Iles — Short story/novella, another okay read.
* Stories by O. Henry — Started this collection over the summer, finished the last one on 12/01. I enjoyed this collection. Henry definitely had an interesting sense of humor and a way with words.
Have not started anything yet this month. I’ve been stalking Mount TBR since last night. 😐
Challenge progress:
GR: 148/140
PS: 49/50
ATY: 51/52
I have one book planned this month that will complete both PS and ATY.
Viewing:
Have watched a few Christmas movies already: Holiday in Handcuffs, Snowglobe, A Kismet Christmas and The Muppet Christmas Carol.
QOTW:
How many years have you been doing the Popsugar reading challenge? Had you done other reading challenges before you started Popsugar? Which 2023 prompt jumps out at you? Which prompt do you think you’ll tackle first?
I’ve been doing the challenge since 2015, when someone in another group mentioned it. Most years my goal is to do at least half. I joined this group in 2020, though I wasn’t very active then.
2015 — 38/50
2016 — 27/40
2017 — 28/52
2018 — 34/50
2019 — 42/50
2020 — 49/50 — I consider this yr completed as there was one category I crossed off before it started
2021 — 46/50 — I had the books, not the time
2022 — 49/50 at the moment — I will finish this year!
Prior to Popsugar I did monthly mini challenges in another group and also set personal challenges designed to catch up on certain authors or genres. I don’t know that any particular prompt caught my eye this year. Like some, there are repeat prompts I’m not happy about seeing again, such as longest on TBR, but I do have older lists to make repeat prompts easier and this group for the couple more challenging ones (NaNoWriMo, FanFic, self-pubbed). As for which I’ll do first, I’ll probably see if any fit January group reads or monthly mini challenges.
Jennifer W wrote: "Theresa wrote: "There is actually a theme, discussed in the introductory paragraph for the list. It's 'nostalgia'. Explains the list somewhat. Now I still think the list compilation was, as I have ..."We havematching guts...
Heather L wrote: "Theresa wrote: "I also don't like the song lyrics title one. I don't remember lyrics, ever, and while I'm sure I have a 100 books right in front of me in my TBR, I'm not going to recognize they mat..."I just found my stash of her christmas books written with her daughter to check! Also the phrase LET IT SNOW, which I have been humming for a week is a romance ritle.
Okay, kind of annoying but the PopSugar group on FB won't let me post anything because I've had my account for less than 12 months. Kind of lame.
The more I go through the 2023 challenge, the easier it's becoming. I've created my lists. Some I want to use books from my library while at the same time I want to try other things that are different.Still, my list is coming along better than what it initially was.
This week went pretty okay. The World Cup is just wild this year, has me really excited for the final game. The bookstore I work in is having a huge sale on trade books, 75% off! I have a few books in mind of which ones i want, maybe i could find some that will fulfill the prompts of this year’s reading challenge.My boyfriend’s niece has her birthday celebration tomorrow so that will be fun!
For the QOTW, I have been doing the pop sugar reading challenge since 2015. I actually stopped reading for a few years after 2016 but I always kept looking up the reading challenge every year to see what prompts they have. I never completed a challenge though, sometimes the prompts can be a little hard or even what the prompts are favoring towards, I don’t read those types of books. When i looked at the prompts for 2023, I was a little bummed out because they are kinda boring but I’ll still do it! I am also going to do the 52 books challenge and I haven’t decided yet if i should share books on both challenges or separate them.
Ron wrote: "The more I go through the 2023 challenge, the easier it's becoming. I've created my lists. Some I want to use books from my library while at the same time I want to try other things that are differ..."Same here. I'm actually a bit excited about the books I plan to read for the challenge.
poshpenny wrote: "OMG Look! It's me! (Mario) I'm still alive and kicking! I'm also still being held captive by the K-pop pirates, but now we are in an alternate dimension preparing to fight an oppressive governmen..."
Which kpop groups are you listening to? I took a friend to a kpop show this summer, and she was not prepared for how loud the fans were
I can see what they mean when they say Covid is no joke. I mean yeah I know there are serious cases and all that but still. It has really been a total downer. I've hated my symptoms. And mentally it's draining because I just want to go back to normal.
Ron wrote: "I can see what they mean when they say Covid is no joke. I mean yeah I know there are serious cases and all that but still. It has really been a total downer. I've hated my symptoms. And mentally i..."That's exactly it: you just want to go back to normal. You're not the only one, that's sort of a comfort. At least to me it is.
Yeah, hope you feel better soon. For me it lingered and lingered, but I am immunocompromised.
Harmke wrote: That's exactly it: you just want to go back to normal. You're not the only one, that's sort of a comfort. At least to me it isYes precisely. I am so mentally drained but I know it has to run it's course. My issue is that because my coughing is so bad I throw up all the time. I just want it to be over. Been coughing like this for two weeks now. I don't know how people stay mentally sane through all of this.
*****
Jennifer W wrote: Yeah, hope you feel better soon. For me it lingered and lingered, but I am immunocompromised
Thanks. People with mental illness are also considered immunocompromised so I've got my work cut out for me. I've got 3 of them (generalized anxiety disorder, severe depression, and bipolar 1). I have to keep myself from going over the edge here because mentally it's exhausting and I just want to run from it. I have to keep myself in check from letting my anxiety get too far.
Erin wrote: "Which kpop groups are you listening to? I took a friend to a kpop show this summer, and she was not prepared for how loud the fans were" Just ATEEZ. I have no idea how anyone has room in their brains for more than one group! Yes, so loud! One of my shows was on the Captain's birthday and wow. SO FUN! Plus one of our fanchants is literally screamo.
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Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Zami: A New Spelling of My Name (other topics)Festival Days (other topics)
A Psalm for the Wild-Built (other topics)
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (other topics)
Bailey's Story (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Audre Lorde (other topics)Jo Ann Beard (other topics)
James Patterson (other topics)
Annette Gordon-Reed (other topics)
Becky Chambers (other topics)
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The Way of the House Husband Series Vol 1-4 Collection 4 Books Set By Kousuke Oono by Kousuke Oono Not really a for me type of manga about an ex Yakuza turned house husband
Spy×Family, Vol. 1 by Tatsuya Endo a spy needs a fake family and accidentally selects a telepathic child and an assassin wife
The Witcher Omnibus by Paul Tobin It was a pretty good graphic novel
QOTW the overly honest answer is too long but it's been since 2015 where I did parts of it and the reason I feel like it's too long is how terribly repetitive these prompts are. That's what jumped out at me.
The repetition I don't mind are the low hanging fruit like A book you meant to read in (insert year) or perennial favorites like A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past challenge or even A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2023 (even though in general that prompt annoys me)
That said the above mentioned will probably be my first to go after (along with historical fiction as I read a lot of historical mysteries) But then we have this much repetition (and this is just what I noticed on a quick glance and checking my records)
• A book by a first-time author (2015, 2019)
• A book published the year you were born (2018)
• A modern retelling of a classic (2019)
• A book with a song lyric as its title
• A book set in the decade you were born
• A book with a queer lead
• A book with a map
• A book with just text on the cover (2020)
• The shortest book (by pages) on your TBR list (2020)
• A #BookTok recommendation (2022)
• A book your friend recommended
• A book that's on a celebrity book-club list (2018)
• A book about an athlete/sport (2018)
• A book that takes place entirely in one day
• A book about a holiday that's not Christmas (2017)
• A book that features two languages (2022)
• The longest book (by pages) on your TBR list (2021)
• A book with alliteration in the title (2018)
I get that it is hard to find new prompts but that's a lot of reused ones that are less than a couple years old. So I'm having very mixed feelings about doing it this coming year. It feels more like I'll do what makes me happy and not worry overly much.
And yes I do a lot of other challenges. My perennial ones are the alphabet challenge, a book in every state challenge (another one I'm very much come what may with), cloak and dagger mystery challenge.