Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2024 Challenge - General
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2024 Challenge - I Finished!!
I'm retired and read very quickly, so finishing up the first month wasn't a really big push for me. I doubled up on 7 prompts this year, so read 43 books total. I'm not one to push through a book if I'm not enjoying it, so I did enjoy all the books I read. (Did have to push a little bit on The Flea Palace, though. There's a reason why I don't usually enjoy literary fiction, I'm a genre girl through and through!)Date you finished: Jan/30
Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 126
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): Probably #15, A book recommended by a librarian (Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros)
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): I really enjoyed The Storyteller by Dave Grohl much more than I thought I would (9 A book by a Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing author)
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : The Martian by Andy Weir (18 A book set in space)
Least favorite prompt: 11 A book from a genre you typically avoid
Prompt you hope to see again: 19 A book set in the future
Last prompt you finished: 16 A book set 24 years before you were born
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? I did, I tend to enjoy all the prompts though.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? Also yes, it was a nice little twist on the prompts.
Finally, are you in for 2025? Absolutely!
i am a December starter - when the list comes out. Date you finished: March 30
Message number of your list post (if you've got one): N/A
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book where someone dies in the first chapter
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Dolly Parton, My Life in Lyrics (An autobiography by a woman in rock 'n' roll )
Least favorite prompt: book written during NaNoWriMo
Prompt you hope to see again: Bring back favorite prompt from a prior year!!!!
Last prompt you finished: The 24th book of an author (had to wait for the book to come in from the library)
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? Yes, but I can find ways to enjoy almost any prompt
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? I did.
Finally, are you in for 2025? of course!!!
Date you finished: 4/5/24Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): genre I usually avoid. Broad enough to evoke many possibilities, but also stretchy since it's something you wouldn't usually read.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Love Lives Here: A Story of Thriving in a Transgender Familyfor LGBTQIA romance
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Yes! Hank Green's An Absolutely Remarkable Thingfor NaNoWriMo prompt.
Least favorite prompt: Book set 24 years before you were born. Too specific.
Prompt you hope to see again: genre you usally avoid
Last prompt you finished: set 24 years before you were born
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? I did enjoy them
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? I like when the prompts have themes relating to the year. Many of the prompts specific to the number could have been any number. (25 years before you were born instead of 24.) So I didn't particularly like that. I didn't like that there were two such specific age ones, with one just inverted.
Finally, are you in for 2025? Yes!
Date you finished: April 24, 2024Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 98
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book featuring dragons (I read Highfire), a book set in space (The Deep Sky), magical realism (Root Magic). Can you tell I'm a SF/F fan?
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): I had quite a few favorites this year! Some faves included The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (book about pirates), Dying with Her Cheer Pants On (book about women's sports or by a female athlete), Sweet Bean Paste (recommended by a librarian), Cursed Cocktails (cozy fantasy), and Paladin's Faith (book with a character who sleeps for longer than 24 hours)
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : There were a few of these, actually -- I'll Be the One (book about K-Pop), Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment (book by an incarcerated or formerly incarcerated person), and Heaven's Wildfire (book from a genre you typically avoid)
Least favorite prompt: The age-related prompts. I don't mind if it's narrowed down to an age range (Robot Librarian has a "protagonist over 60" prompt), but specific numbers like 24 and 42 make it HARD.
Prompt you hope to see again: Another cozy fantasy would be fun. Also "book set in a destination on your bucket list."
Last prompt you finished: "Book with a main character who's 42 years old" (I read The Ferryman)
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? I liked some of them more than others. Some were so super-specific that it was hard to find books for them, though.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? To be honest, not really
Finally, are you in for 2025? Definitely!
Date you finished: May 11, 2024Message number of your list post (if you've got one): #47
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): “a cozy fantasy book” was unexpected and delightful. I read a book in the Shady Hollow series.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): I like all of the books in the Wayward Children’s series, but In an Absent Dream is my favorite. Since the Goblin Market spoke to me so strongly, I used the book for “a book set in a travel destination on your bucket list” because a child who loved reading fantasy never stops wishing for a door to another world.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : I don’t think I would have read Something Wilder without the “second chance romance” prompt. I’ve started skipping Christina Lauren books after reading a few that I didn’t love, but this book was adventure romance perfection.
Least favorite prompt: While I’m pretty tired of “a book that takes place in a day” type of prompts, I think “a collection of at least 24 poems” was the most painful prompt for me this year.
Prompt you hope to see again: I missed seeing “your favorite prompt from a past reading challenge” so I hope to see that make a return.
Last prompt you finished: a book with “leap” in the title
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? I liked the extra challenge of the prompts this year. More than that, I liked that so many of the prompts were fresh. Even if they were difficult at times, I prefer that over recycling prompts and ending up reading a book choice I had rejected (usually for very good reasons) in previous years.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? In previous years, like 2020 and 2022, I thought the theme was clever. It could have been this year too, but there were too many and I got tired of seeing "24" really fast.
Finally, are you in for 2025? Absolutely!
Date you finished: 15th May 2024Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 54
Favourite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A cozy fantasy book (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling)
Favourite book (and what prompt was it for?): Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin (A book set 24 years before you were born)
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?):
Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon (A book set in space)
Least favourite prompt: A book with 24 letters in the title
(The Story of the Pony Express by Glenn D. Bradley)
Prompt you hope to see again: A book that was turned into a musical (The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen)
Last prompt you finished: A book with a main character who's 42 years old (Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier)
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year?: Yes
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout?: It was okay, although some categories I preferred more than others
Finally, are you in for 2025?: I hope so
***
My Complete List:
2024 Popsugar Reading Challenge
1. A book with the word "leap" in the title
The Leap by Louise Erdrich
2. A bildungsroman book
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend
3. A book about a 24-year-old
Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho
4. A book about a writer
Atonement by Ian McEwan
5. A book about K-pop
Fireworks by Alice Lin
6. A book about pirates
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
7. A book about women's sports and/or by a woman athlete
Sisters: Venus & Serena Williams by Jeanette Winter
8. A book by a blind or visually impaired author
The Unicorn in the Garden by James Thurber
9. A book by a Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing author
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
10. A book by a self-published author
The Mark on the Wall by Virginia Woolf
11. A book from a genre you typically avoid
The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer (Comedy)
12. A book from an animal's POV
A Dog's Tale by Mark Twain
13. A book originally published under a pen name
Rage by Richard Bachman
14. A book recommended by a bookseller
The 13 Clocks by James Thurber
15. A book recommended by a librarian
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
16. A book set 24 years before you were born
Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
17. A book set in a travel destination on your bucket list
Take Two by Meg Cabot (New York)
18. A book set in space
Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
19. A book set in the future
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
20. A book set in the snow
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
21. A book that came out in a year that ends with "24"
The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie
22. A book that centers on video games
Trapped in a Video Game by Dustin Brady
23. A book that features dragons
The Tale of Lundravar the Dragon by John A. Blakely
24. A book that takes place over the course of 24 hours
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
25. A book that was published 24 years ago (2000)
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
26. A book that was turned into a musical
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen
27. A book where someone dies in the first chapter
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
28. A book with a main character who's 42 years old
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
29. A book with a neurodivergent main character
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
30. A book with a one-word title you had to look up in a dictionary
Skellig by David Almond
31.A book with a title that is a complete sentence
Ice Planet Honeymoon: Vektal and Georgie by Ruby Dixon
32. A book with an enemies to lovers plot
Tell Me You Want Me by Willow Winters
33. A book with an unreliable narrator
Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal
34. A book with at least 3 POVs
Blood Oranges by J.M. Cannon
35. A book with magical realism
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by Gabriel García Márquez
36. A book written by an incarcerated or formerly incarcerated person
The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde
37. A book written during NaNoWriMo
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
38. A cozy fantasy book
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
39. A fiction book by a trans or nonbinary author
The Deep by Rivers Solomon
40. A horror book by a BIPOC author
Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
2024 Popsugar Advanced Reading Challenge
1. A memoir that explores queerness
The Life and Amours of the Beautiful, Gay and Dashing Kate Percival by Kate Percival
2. A nonfiction book about Indigenous people
We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorrell
3. A second-chance romance
Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
4. An autobiography by a woman in rock 'n' roll
Just Kids by Patti Smith
5. An LGBTQ+ romance novel
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
6. A book in which a character sleeps for more than 24 hours
Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
7. A book with 24 letters in the title
The Story of the Pony Express by Glenn D. Bradley
8. A collection of at least 24 poems
Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Shakespeare
9. The 24th book of an author
Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie
10. A book that starts with the letter “X”
X Marks the Spot by Les Martin
Date you finished: May 26Message number of your list post: 88 (the books can also be found on my Popsugar 2024 shelf).
Favorite prompt: Probably “A nonfiction book about Indigenous people,” because I always appreciate the encouragement to dip into nonfiction. I read Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer, which was challenging, even unsettling, in a gentle sort of way.
Favorite book: I have a hard time picking just one, but I loved Even Though I Knew the End by C. J. Polk (“A fiction book by a trans or nonbinary author”). I wouldn’t have thought you could cross noir with angels-and-demons horror and make it work, let alone poignant and romantic, but Polk is magic. This was gorgeous.
A book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the challenge: The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight by Andrew Leland wasn’t on my radar before I started looking for something to fulfill “A book by a blind or visually impaired author,” and it was absolutely incredible, a beautiful blend of memoir and broader reporting that gave me so much to think about.
Least favorite prompt: “A book that starts with the letter X.” Nothing went so far to convince me that the people who put the challenge together don’t actually do the challenge as that one, because being boxed into choosing from a very few possibilities with nothing in particular to recommend them was incredibly frustrating. (I read X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills by Chris Claremont and Brent Eric Anderson, even though I think it’s questionable whether X-Men counts as the graphic novel’s title. In this case, I did. Not. Care.)
Prompt you hope to see again: Well…see “Are you in for 2025?” below.
Last prompt you finished: “A book with magical realism.” Magical realism isn’t always my favorite genre as, in lesser authors’ hands, it can be way too precious, but no one could make that accusation of The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James. For a while, it’s difficult to see where the bloody tale of generational guilt and redemption is going, but the resolution is lovely.
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? I’m all for challenging when it means seeking out good books from a more diverse spectrum than I’d necessarily pick up on my own, but way too many of the categories this year felt less like motivating myself to get beyond my own ruts and preconceptions and more like completing an awkward, arbitrary scavenger hunt. It might be “challenging” to find books with a character specifically identified as being 42 years old, but it’s not really meaningful, and no, I don’t like that.
Did you like the “24” theme scattered throughout? It tended to result in the arbitrary-scavenger-hunt categories I mentioned above, so no, not really.
Are you in for 2025? By the time 2025 arrives, I will have completed ten years of the Popsugar Reading Challenge (I currently have 26 more prompts left for 2015, the first year, but I should wrap that up in the next few months). It’s been great, and I’ve read all sorts of wonderful books I wouldn’t have otherwise, but I also think the prompts have gotten a bit stale and repetitive and (sorry, I know I’m a broken record on this point) often way too arbitrary, so I plan to move on to a different challenge (TBD) in 2025. Who knows, maybe next year’s Popsugar categories will be so inspiring as to pull me back in, but in all likelihood, this is it for me. Thanks to all here for years of great reading suggestions, especially for the trickier prompts!
Date you finished: 6/11/2024Message number of your list post (if you've got one): n/a
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): #15 - a book recommended by a Book Seller. This is primarily because I love talking to my local book sellers. They like talking about my favorite things! I chose How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix for this, and while I wasn't quite expecting haunted dolls, it was very good.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi, for prompt #15, recommended by a librarian. The book is fun, has a slightly silly premise, and is a romp.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?): Lucky Leap Day (prompt #1). I like romance novels, but generally avoid ones that such a basic premise. I don't think I would have ever picked this one up, but it was cute and fun.
Least favorite prompt: Sadly, it was prompt #42, a nonfiction book about indigenous people, but not because of the prompt, rather because of the book I read for the prompt. I read Braiding Sweetgrass, which I have been told time and again that it's phenomenal. The writing was lovely and the subject matter highly important, but I felt the author got away from me a lot of the time and it wasn't the right time for me to read this book. It wasn't my general cup of tea (which honestly is fluffy fun things).
Prompt you hope to see again: #18 - a book set in space. OR #40 - a horror book by a BIPOC author
Last prompt you finished: #42 - A Non-fiction book about Indigenous People (see above)
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? I very much did. It added an extra layer of trying to find books that I could apply from my ever growing TBR but also without having to buy/acquire too many extra.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? I kind of hated it to be honest, especially having to find books about a 24year old or a 42year old. Very frustrating. I also disliked having to read a book with the letter "X" but somehow I ended up reading two of them?
Finally, are you in for 2025? Sure! I'll give it a go provided the book prompts are interesting and engaging to me.
I'm bouncing around all over the place with the challenge list, so I'll probaby wrap up the last at the bitter end of the year, LOL.Of course, that could always change...
Date you finished: 06/19Message number of your list post (if you've got one): n/a
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): Book by a Trans Author - For the Love of April French
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): A Book with a Title That Is a Complete Sentence - I Married a Lizardman
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : I probably would not have read The Woman In Me if not for the prompt.
Least favorite prompt: A Book Written By an Incarcerated Or Formerly Incarcerated Person - I chose Papillon and absolutely hated it and actually DNF at page 117. I never DNF a book, but I was not going to make myself read another 300+ pages of something that sounded like the "Founding of Lanford" skit in that season 5 episode of Rosanne
Prompt you hope to see again: A Book Written By an Incarcerated Or Formerly Incarcerated Person OR NaNoWriMo.
Last prompt you finished: An LGBTQ+ Romance Novel
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? I dislike any prompts that can't be discerned from the information on the cover. The NaNoWriMo prompt is too difficult to determine. I don't like guessing if an author is LGBT+ from their author blurb.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? That was a fun twist. Finding a book title with exactly 24 letters already on my shelf was a fun challenge.
Finally, are you in for 2025? yes
Date you finished: 7/3Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 68
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): 31. A book with a title that is a complete sentence. I liked that it was unique and many different books actually fit this prompt. I read All the Dead Shall Weep by Charlaine Harris
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center For 32 A book with an enemies to lovers plot
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 22- A book that centers on video games
Least favorite prompt: There were so many this year because the prompts were way to specific with very little options.
A book about K-pop
A book written by an incarcerated or formerly incarcerated person
A book that was turned into a musical
A fiction book by a trans or nonbinary author
A horror book by a BIPOC author
A memoir that explores queerness
Prompt you hope to see again: Any that gives you a little leeway like a book about magical realism or a book that came out in the year 24
Last prompt you finished: A book set in the future.
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? NO, this is usually my favorite book challenge but this year it was one of the last one's I finished. Most prompts were too specific and it made it so difficult to find books. I don't mind a couple specific but there were too many this year and it was hard to find books I wanted to read. So many of the ones I picked for the super specific prompts were books I hated. For example instead of doing a memoir that explores queerness just make it a book that has queerness or a memoir. Why does it have to be both? Just open up the prompts a little more like it has been in the past.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? Some of them but again some were way too specific. It was almost impossible to find a character who was 24 and 42.
Finally, are you in for 2025? Yes, but am hoping we are done with the repeat prompts and hoping for more flexibility next year.
I do appreciate the effort that goes into this and I do enjoy these challenges so much. I think I was just upset because I really read so many books that I did not like to try and fit some of these super specific prompts. If I had found more books I had liked I might not feel this way.
Date you finished: 4 July 2024Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 59
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?):A book set in the future- A book set in the future- Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-BrenyahChain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. That was a thought provoking read.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): A book that features dragons- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. That book was awesome and is a contender for my top read of this year.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : A book that was turned into a musical- Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers. I had not read this book and I really enjoyed it. Not like the movie!
Least favorite prompt: The poetry one - it is definitely not my thing.
Prompt you hope to see again: A book recommended by a bookseller or A book recommended by a librarian. Those books are pretty broad and can serve as a wild card.
Last prompt you finished: The 24th book of an author. I read The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett. It was last only because that was when the library got it in. I finished the rest of the prompts ages ago.
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? I found them harder to research and needed to rely on listopia lists a lot more than I normally would.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? I thought it was ok except for the "A book that was published 24 years ago (2000). I thought that was probably too narrow.
Finally, are you in for 2025? Yes. I have been doing the challenge for many years now so want to keep going.
Date you finished: 9 July 2024Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 290
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?):
Nothing really stood out. Perhaps #4 Book about a writer and #42 Non-fiction about an indigenous people I read Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne and The Aztecs: A Very Short Introduction
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : A Boy Made of Blocks for #22 A book that centres on video games and Guapa for #30 A one-word title you had to look up . These were actually two of my least favourite prompts!
Least favorite prompt: Other than the above, #5 A book about K-Pop and #37 Book written during NaNoWri Mo . I read If I Had Your Face and Paws and Portals - which were fine.
Prompt you hope to see again: Book about a writer
Last prompt you finished: For no particular reason #41 A memoir that explores queerness I read Fun Home
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? No, I found the specific categories quite limiting. It's interesting to see what other people read and this year there were quite a few repeats of books.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout?
They weren't as difficult to do as I feared, but I could have done with fewer of them. Other than the ones specifically related to hours in a day, there didn't seem any reason for this splurge of year related prompts.
Finally, are you in for 2025?
If I like the prompts.
Im amazed at people who can read 50 by July I try a 50 book challenge every year and only succeeded twice ( both in years with periods of lockdown)
Leah S- congratulations none the less. Hopefully I will be trying Popsugar again next year
Thomas - I think I've finished my reading list once in the last 6 years. I can always read many more books (I count the books I read to my children). But most of those don't meet the prompts. I mean, what children's book is about a 42 yr old? Anyway, it's a challenge to broaden your reading horizons. If it's done that, it's been a success!
Lori wrote: "Thomas - I think I've finished my reading list once in the last 6 years. I can always read many more books (I count the books I read to my children). But most of those don't meet the prompts. I mea..."Lori_ some truth there, thank you
Yay! I finished! I had hoped to finish by the end of June, but July 14 is good, too. :)Date you finished: July 14
Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 7
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): #30 A book with a one-word title you had to look up in a dictionary- I read Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. It was like watching a train wreck through your fingers. You don't want to watch the carnage happen, but you just can't look away.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): The Women by Kristin Hannah for a book that was published in '24. So good. I read it months ago and I'm still thinking about it.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Slay by Brittney Morris- I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did.
Least favorite prompt: The specificity of the prompts with an exact age were difficult. So the prompts with a main character who is 24 and 42 were not my favorite.
Prompt you hope to see again: I hope to see more with different genres. In previous years, we read climate fiction, steampunk and this year we read magical realism. I like trying out new genres.
Last prompt you finished: #13 A book originally published under a pen name - One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware- I was so excited to learn she uses a pen name!
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? No.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? I like themes.
Finally, are you in for 2025? Yes.
Date you finished: July 28Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 150
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book from a genre you typically avoid (11). I like prompts that push me out of my comfort zone. I don't read many Westerns, so I read Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian. I loved it.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): I really loved North Woods, read for prompt 14 (recommended by a bookseller). Also The Frozen River, for #20 (a book set in snow).
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight was excellent. I don't think it would have been on my radar otherwise. Read for #8 (A book by a blind or visually impaired author).
Least favorite prompt: I think there were too many romance-related prompts (32, 43, 45). One would have been fine.
Prompt you hope to see again: #40, A horror book by a BIPOC author.
Last prompt you finished: #22, A book that centers on video games
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? Yes, most of them.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? Yep, it was fun.
Finally, are you in for 2025? Definitely.
Date you finished: July 31, 2024Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 241
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?):
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Maame read for prompt 30 (book with a one-word title you had to look up in the dictionary)
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? Yes - Lone Women (and what prompt was it for?) : BIPOC horror book
Least favorite prompt: Book that centers on video games
Prompt you hope to see again: A book with a a neurodivergent main character
Last prompt you finished: Book written during NaNoWriMo
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? Yes
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? Yes
Finally, are you in for 2025? Most likely
Date you finished: Aug 8, 2024Message number of your list post (if you've got one): #337
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): #30- a book with a one-word title you had to look up in the dictionary. I read Vox for this and I absolutely hated it.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Good Material (#33 a book with an unreliable narrator) and Better than the Movies (#32 a book with an enemy-to-lovers plot)
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?): Drop City (#16- a book that takes place 24 years before you were born). I had it on my shelves for over 5 years, finally read it for this challenge and ended up really enjoying it! I was also pleasantly surprised with The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies (#28- a book with a character who is 42 years old). I was having trouble finding a book for this one, so I read the discussion threads in this group which led me to this book I have never heard of before.
Least favorite prompt: There were several. Prompts that directed me towards genres I don't really like (pirates, space, dragons, cozy fantasy, poetry), topics that hold no interest to me (K-pop, animals, video games), or options that aren't very appealing ("leap", self-published, NaNoWriMo)
Prompt you hope to see again: #33- a book with an unreliable narrator. Also #30- a book with a one-word title you had to look up in the dictionary. Would like to see more cover related prompts, too.
Last prompt you finished: #16 a book that takes place 24 years before you were born
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? At first glance the extra specific number related ones (42 years old, 24 years before you were born, 24th book etc) were difficult to find, but these prompts also generated the most surprising reads for me! I discovered a lot of hidden gems that I wouldn't have normally picked up if not for these prompts!
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? not really, it got a little repetitive after awhile. While I may not have liked the prompts, I did end up enjoying some of the books they directed me to
Finally, are you in for 2025? maybe
Mod
July 30, 2024
Message number of your list post (if you've got one):
2
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?):
“A book about K-Pop” because it was so unexpected, and it’s not something I’ve ever read about before, and yet there were a bunch of fun options for it. I ended up reading THREE books about K-pop this year, I loved them all. The book I “officially” read for the category was If I Had Your Face, but I also enjoyed XOXO & ASAP this year.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?):
It’s tough to pick just one, I read a bunch of great books this year (and quite a few clunkers, too!). If I limit myself to books I read specifically to fill a challenge category:
Swordheart (for cozy fantasy)
Frenchman's Creek (for pirates)
Both were by authors I’ve loved before, but I’m not sure if I ever would have read those specific books if I had t had the challenge category to push me toward it.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) :
Dog on It for “animal POV” - I LOVED this book! It was a great mystery, and Quinn perfectly captures a dog’s “voice.” I do not normally read animal POV books now that I’m an adult (tho I read plenty as a kid) and I probably would never have gotten around to reading this one, if not for the nudge of the reading challenge. I’ll be reading the rest of the series, for sure!!
Least favorite prompt:
The “character who is 24” and “character who is 42” - please never again with that, it was too specific, and too difficult to find a good book.
Prompt you hope to see again:
The only prompt I want to see repeated every year is “book published this year” (for this year they changed it to “a year ending in 24l” which I thought added some interesting flexibility.)
Last prompt you finished:
A book published 24 years ago. I can see how this would be a nice prompt for someone who was a child (or not born yet) in 2000, but for me, I have had 24 years to read those books, so if I wanted to, I already did. It was tough to find a book I was interested in but hadn’t read yet. I had to dnf a few before I found a good one, which is why this was the last prompt I finished.
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year?
At first I was somewhat appalled LOL but eventually I found I enjoyed the extra challenge.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout?
I appreciated the theme, but I didn’t like all the categories.
Finally, are you in for 2025?
Yes of course!
Date you finished: September 1, 2024
Message number of your list post (if you've got one):
34
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?):
#6 - A book about pirates. I read The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty, which was a very enjoyable historical fantasy.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?):
Tidal Creatures by Seanan McGuire, for #29 - A book with a neurodivergent main character.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) :
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, which I read for #2 - a bildungsroman. I was surprised how much I loved this autobiography told through poems.
Least favorite prompt:
I like participating in NaNoWriMo, but I'm going to go with others and say #37 - A book written during NaNoWriMo, just because, after a couple of years repeating this one, it's difficult to find a book I haven't read yet, that I want to read, and that the author has acknowledged was written during NaNo. I wouldn't mind it so much if the repetition was spaced out.
This year, I read Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal, which I really enjoyed, but still tired of the prompt.
Prompt you hope to see again:
I always like the current year release prompt, and the fantasy/sci-fi prompts.
Last prompt you finished:
#26 - A book that was turned into a musical. I re-read The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year?
Not especially. I was able to find something that worked for each prompt pretty easily, but I prefer less strict prompts, I think.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout?
I don't mind a few theme categories, but it seemed really overdone this year, especially the prompts for specific character ages and years.
Finally, are you in for 2025?
Probably.
Date you finished: 9/25/24Message number of your list post (if you've got one): n/a
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): So hard to pick, space, future, horror are all genres I love but I’m going with 38. A cozy fantasy book and I read Bookshops & Bonedustby Travis Baldree
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): These Haunted Hills by Jana Denardo 37. A book written during NaNoWriMo (a prompt i can do without seeing again
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Honestly no. I only read 8 books that were library books and enjoyed none of them. The remaining challenge was filled by books I owned so I would have read them eventually
Least favorite prompt: I swear I’m so over memoirs and the book that takes place in 24 hours but the one I hated most was A book with a main character who's 42 years old because that was SO hard to find. I read The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman which was one of the library books and I disliked it. A Lot. Which was disappointing because I wanted to read this one, historical mystery is one of my favorite genres.
Prompt you hope to see again: cozy fantasy, dragons, space, LGBT romance (i.e. things I have tons of)
Last prompt you finished: A book about pirates
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? Some of them were a little annoying actually. The 42 years old thing or takes place in 24 hours were just too much.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? that was fine (except for the repeat of takes place in 24 hours)
Finally, are you in for 2025? most likely
Date you finished: 9/27/2024Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 341
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): 9, A book by a deaf or hard of hearing author. I read True Biz.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Chain-Gang All-Stars for prompt 19, a book set in the future. I don't typically enjoy sci-fi-esque dystopian type books but this one sucked me in to its world.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?): Punching the Air for prompt 36, a book written by an incarcerated or formerly incarcerated person. It's a YA poetry book. Not a YA fan. Not a huge poetry girly either.
Least favorite prompt: 16, A book set 24 years before you were born. I read The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress. It was so hard to find a book that took place in 1968, and this one was pretty much the only one that caught any of my interest and I didn't even end up liking it.
Prompt you hope to see again: 15, A book recommended by a librarian (love you Miss Sally!). I read The School for Good Mothers.
Last prompt you finished: Advanced 05, A book that starts with the letter "X". I read X.
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? Not particularly. Some of them felt like there was only 5 books to choose from and none sounded interesting.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? Neutral.
Finally, are you in for 2025? Probably. This was my first year, and it really rekindled my childhood love of reading.
Date you finished: 10/4/2024Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 47
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): #35 A book with magical realism. The Cat Who Saved Books
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): The Frozen River. # 20 A book set in snow.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : The Color Purple. #26 A book that was turned into a musical.
Least favorite prompt: #5 A book about K-Pop
Prompt you hope to see again: # 21 A book that came out in a year that ends in "24"
Last prompt you finished: #13 A book originally published under a pen name
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? Not all of them.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? No
Finally, are you in for 2025? Yes
Date you finished: 2024-10-12Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): "A book by a Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing author" Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman's Fight to End Ableism
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Mirrored Heavens, which is the final book in a trilogy. It was for "A book that came out in a year that ends with "24""
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself "A book with a title that is a complete sentence"
Least favorite prompt: "A book that starts with the letter X".
Prompt you hope to see again: Not sure.
Last prompt you finished: "A book originally published under a pen name"
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? Not especially. Sometimes it was really hard to find a book that I would actually like. I rated 6 books 1 star and 2 books with 2 stars, so 8 in all that I didn't like.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? Yes.
Finally, are you in for 2025? Yes.
Date you finished: 10/16/24Message number of your list post (if you've got one): I don't have a post with the whole list, but they're all reviewed on my website.
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A one-word title that you had to look up in the dictionary. I read Drapetomania: Or, The Narrative of Cyrus Tyler & Abednego Tyler, lovers, which was brilliant.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Several really excellent ones! Nonfiction, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI for a book about indigenous people. Poetry, Stairs and Whispers: D/deaf and Disabled Poets Write Back for a book by a deaf/hearing-impaired author. And fiction, The Marlowe Papers for a book about an author.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Xeixa: Fourteen Catalan Poets. I love poetry, but I know zip about the Catalan language or culture. The poems were well chosen and accessible.
Least favorite prompt: 24th book of an author. It's really hard to get an accurate list of an author's books in order, plus all the question about what "counts" (anthologies, novellas, etc). I noticed others shared this frustration. When I posted that I'd chosen The Fifth Elephant, I said, "If it turns out it wasn't Terry Pratchett's 24th book, please don't tell me." Had some people chiming in to agree with that sentiment.
Prompt you hope to see again: Book with an unreliable narrator. I love those. This year I read The Blessed.
Last prompt you finished: Magical realism. Laura Esquivel introduced me to the genre, so I read her Swift as Desire.
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? A large part of the reason I enjoy the challenge is that I discover great books I wouldn't have thought to read, like a book about K-pop (XOXO ), or a horror book (The Trees). The ones with specific ages for the characters were frustrating to find - I went through 3 before I found one that worked for a 24-year-old (Into the Wild).
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? It was ok. We just did "a book that takes place in 24 hours" last year, so that one's wearing thin (I did Hogfather last year and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day this year).
Finally, are you in for 2025? Yes!
Date you finished: Oct. 12, 2024 The Vaster Wilds This was one of my IRL book club selections, so waited till we were going to discuss it.
Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 17
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?):
There were several fun prompts. The settings: Space, Future or Snow were creative. I particularly enjoyed the book for the Set in Snow prompt: The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?):
I had several 5 * reads in the challenge. Besides The Frozen River, I would say another favorite was Demon Copperhead
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) :
A book about pirates -- The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty
Least favorite prompt:
A book written during NaNoWriMo -- As a repeat prompt, it's getting harder to find a book that fits!
Prompt you hope to see again:
I liked the prompt for a book that was published in the current year. So this one was perfect -- with a little twist: A book that came out in a year that ends with "24"
Last prompt you finished:
A book where someone dies in the first chapter - not because I didn't like the prompt, but because my book club was discussing the book in October.
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year?
Not all of the very specific ones were easy to find.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout?
Yes! They were very creative.
Finally, are you in for 2025?
Yes
Date you finished: November 2nd, 2024Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 24
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): 30. A book with a one-word title you had to look up in a dictionary (Ikenga by Nnedi Okorafor)
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Who's Afraid of Gender? by Judith Butler (31. A book with a title that is a complete sentence)
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes by Christine Yu (7. A book about women's sports and/or by a woman athlete)
Least favorite prompt: The ones that were literally just repeated recently like 24. A book that takes place over the course of 24 hours (Last Night at the Lobster) or 37. A book written during NaNoWriMo (Legends & Lattes). The books I read for these challenges were fine, it was just tired to do the same prompt again after having just completed it.
Prompt you hope to see again: I miss your favorite prompt from a previous year and a book being adapted to film, but from what's there this year, I like having a new animal prompt for the Lunar New Year like 23. A book that features dragons (Fathomfolk).
Last prompt you finished: 1. A book with the word "leap" in the title (The Flea Palace by Elif Shafak)
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? Mixed feelings. Some were fun, others like the leap one and a book with x had so few options I felt stuck with books I didn't much care for. I thought the prompts themselves were good ideas, the options to complete them were just limiting.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? I always love a theme but some of these seemed arbitrary (42 yrs) or were literally just used (24hrs).
Finally, are you in for 2025? Yes!
Date you finished: 11/11
Message number of your list post (if you've got one):
#314
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?):
a book with 24 letters in the title - I Have Some Questions for You OR a book by a person who is deaf or hard of hearing True Biz
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?):
too had to pick one!
Dawn - a book set in space OR
The Blind Assasin - a book by a self-published author
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) :
Burial Rites - a book set in a travel destination on your bucket list
Least favorite prompt:
a book about k pop or a book written during NaNoWriMo - I adjusted both of these prompts so that I could read something I thought I would enjoy. I understand the NaNoWriMo prompt but I wonder if there could maybe be prompt that is a book published by an independent publishing company or something like that. It was especially annoying that the NaNoWriMo was a repeat.
Prompt you hope to see again:
a book with magical realism or a book with at least 3 POVs or a nonfiction book about Indigenous peoples - I also really enjoy the prompts that push us to seek out unique authors and characters - like a blind or visually impaired person or a neurodivergent character.
Last prompt you finished:
a book written by a blind or visually impaired person
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year?
Yes, they were fun! I liked the play on 24 and am just now realized that x is the 24th letter of the alphabet - very clever!
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout?
Sure! Made sense.
Finally, are you in for 2025?
Can't wait.
Date you finished: 11/7/24Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book where someone dies in the first chapter - as a mystery reader it was fun looking for something to fit here. I ended up slotting in Bloodlust & Bonnets
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, which I used for a book by a blind or visually impaired author (he has a degenerative eye condition).
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : I really loved the audiobook of Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics (for an autobiography of a woman in rock n roll) which I probably would have passed up if not for this prompt.
Least favorite prompt: A book about k-pop, with the NaNoWriMo prompt close behind.
Prompt you hope to see again: I prefer new prompts generally
Last prompt you finished: An author's 24th book; I had a variety of options but they all had long wait lists
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? Honestly, no. I think they got a little too specific. K-pop for example, had like absolute max 12 possibilities and most of them were not available from my library. I prefer a little more wiggle room than that.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? It's fun but I wouldn't want them to keep doing it every year.
Finally, are you in for 2025? Yeah, for sure! I may grumble but I do enjoy it.
Date you finished:November 15th
Message number of your list post:
11
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?):
A book with a one-word title you had to look up in a dictionary (Dogsbody) This was really creative and out of the ordinary, and surprisingly, there were plenty to choose from. This book ended up being one of my favorites of the year.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?):
Yellowface (A book about a writer)
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?):
Red, White & Royal Blue (An LGBTQ+ romance novel) I just don't care for romances. But this was funny and well-written, and I'm glad I was prompted to read it.
Least favorite prompt:
I have quite a few this year...
- Both prompts about the age of a character (It required me to really research the books when I like to go into books not knowing much about them.)
- A book with an enemies to lovers plot and A second-chance romance (see: me disliking romances)
- A nonfiction book about Indigenous people (I was dreading this one because everything I found seemed so dry.)
Prompt you hope to see again:
A book by a self-published author
Last prompt you finished:
A book with 24 letters in the title (The Priory of the Orange Tree)
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year?
Really specific categories are sometimes hard for me and not as enjoyable - like I couldn't really find many books with "leap" in the title, and none of them sounded interesting. At that point, I might as well be in a book club where they tell me exactly what book to read. 🫤
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout?
Yes, I love a theme! Some were hard though...
Finally, are you in for 2025?
Heck yeah! Bring on year #9! 🤗
Msg 256. I finished! This was my first one and will definitely do again. I read books that I would never have read and I am an avid reader but bad tracker. Which I could find an easier way to edit and update post but here’s what I remember of questions 🤪
Would never have ready many of these books… XOXO, wizards guide to Defensive Baking, Brave New World but I managed to fit in many of my fav authors and genres.
Last prompt that I couldn’t believe was last was Set in Space.. Project Hail Mary. How did I miss this, the Martian one of my fav books and movies funny enough.
Loved the “24” scattered through out the prompts.
Fav prompts were honestly the ones that involved numbers lol … mc age, number of letters in titles, author details,,, all involved research before committing 🙃
Least fav were obviously not my usual genre, horror
Found some new authors to follow for sure. Leigh Berduso, Rebecca Yarros,
Least fav book How to Bury Your Husband for complete sentence of which I could’ve done other choices later, but found that I didn’t change books once I noted them lol
See ya next year!
Date you finished: Nov. 20thMessage number of your list post (if you've got one): I kept all my challenges over at ATY: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): 31. A book with a title that is a complete sentence.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?):
I can't pick just one. I can give a top 10:
Carrie Soto Is Back (Woman in sports)
Clockwork Boys (NaNoWriMo)
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 (24 hours)
The Yakuza's Bias, Volume 1 (K-Pop)
The Duke and I (Published 24 years ago)
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Set in space)
The Grief of Stones (Pen name)
The Sunbearer Trials (Trans/NB author)
To Woo and to Wed (Second Chance romance)
Paladin's Grace (Librarian rec)
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) :
The Yakuza's Bias, Volume 1 (K-Pop)
Cat + Gamer, Vol. 1 (Video Games)
Least favorite prompt:
I've done the NaNoWriMo and 24 hour setting prompts way too many times, but the prompts that had me angry enough I wanted to throw things or go to a rage room, were the 24/42 year old character prompts. And I straight up reworded the one prompt so it was 'A book set approximately 24 years before you were born.'
Prompt you hope to see again:
I like having the fav. prompt and the published this year prompt. Otherwise I want all new prompts.
Last prompt you finished: A book by a blind or visually impaired author. No real reason this was last, it just worked out that way.
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? I like having a few challenging ones, but there were too many and several were too specific. A balance is needed, and this years list DID NOT HAVE IT!
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout?
I would have liked it more if the prompts weren't so stupid and rage inducing.
Finally, are you in for 2025?
Probably.
Date you finished: 11/22/2024Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 255
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): 20-A book set in the snow (Beartown)
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): At the Smiling Pool (12-A book from an animal's POV)
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?): Crying in H Mart (44-An autobiography by a woman in rock 'n' roll)
Least favorite prompt: 3-A book about a 24-year-old
Prompt you hope to see again: 11-A book from a genre you typically avoid
Last prompt you finished: 25-A book that was published 24 years ago
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? Yes
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? Yes, though it was a little repetitive.
Finally, are you in for 2025? Maybe. I'm checking out some other reading challenges.
Date you finished:11/26/2024 ............... completed 30/30
Message number of your list post (if you've got one):
346
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?):
1. A bildungsroman - Memphis
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?):
Remarkably Bright Creatures for prompt #12, a book from an animal's POV.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) :
All Systems Red - 18. A book set in space
Least favorite prompt:
24. A book that takes place over the course of 24 hours
Prompt you hope to see again:
A book set in a travel destination on your bucket list
Last prompt you finished:
16. A book set 24 years before you were born
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout?
Some of them, yes.
Finally, are you in for 2025?
Yes. Likely not all of them, but probably around 30 again.
Date you finished: September 2024 (I was marking them on Storygraph and forgot to mark the date)Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 29
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book set in the Future (Lonely Castle in the Mirror)
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): The Adventures of Amina Al-Sarafi (A book about pirates)
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl (an autobiography about a woman in rock'n'roll)
Least favorite prompt: the "math" ones (set 24 years before you were born, a character who's 42, etc.). I'll second NaNoWriMo or the FanFiction one from last year, as well. They're too specific and NaNoWriMo supports using AI for books. No, thank you.
Prompt you hope to see again: A book recommended by a librarian or a magical realism book
Last prompt you finished: a character who's 42 years old
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? no. They were too specific to the point where I feel like they want us to read a specific book. Just tell us.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? No. Again, too specific.
Finally, are you in for 2025? probably. reserving the right to decide tomorrow.
Date you finished: December 1Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 351
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): I think the cozy fantasy (Second Hand Curses) or magical realism (The Ocean at the End of the Lane)
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey (From an animal's POV)
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (Features video games)
Least favorite prompt: all of the overly specific ones and the ones involving the authors' backgrounds or personal lives.
Prompt you hope to see again: -- I don't like to have to repeat prompts.
Last prompt you finished: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? I didn't try any of those, because I started this challenge so late.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? I liked the ones with a lot of leeway, but not the really specific, character age ones.
Finally, are you in for 2025? I don't know. I'll decide when the list comes out.
Date you finished:12/14/2024
Message number of your list post (if you've got one):
No post, but I'm column N of the A-F tab of the Community Spreadsheet
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?):
"A book about a writer" because I just really enjoy reading about writers and had quite a few on my TBR that fit the bill. I read Beach Read for this one.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?):
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abby Waxman for "A book with 24 letters in the title"
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) :
Yes! Weyward by Emilia Hart for "A book with a one-word title you had to look up in a dictionary". This was the second-to-last book I read for the challenge because I kept putting it off because I really couldn't find something I felt I actually wanted to read. I ended up loving the book!!
Least favorite prompt:
Hard for me to decide between the dragons, pirates, or K-Pop just because they're not interests of mine and so I found it hard to find something I wanted to read.
Prompt you hope to see again:
A book set in a travel destination on your bucket list
Last prompt you finished:
50 - A book that starts with the letter X (and I did not read in order, that just coincidentally was my last). I read Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, which does not actually start with the letter X, but does start with the "X" sound, and I did read a book that started with X for this challenge (XOXO by Axie Oh) for the K-pop prompt. I actually was going to read XOXO for prompt 50 and read the sequel, ASAP, for the K-pop book, but I did not enjoy XOXO, so scrapped that plan and found an alternative from my TBR to satisfy the letter X as closely as possible.
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year?
No, actually. I love getting pushed outside my comfort zone, but for the most part I love challenges because they're a way to move through a good bit of my TBR list. If they're too far outside my comfort zone, though, it just ends up kind of feeling like work.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout?
Yes, I think it's fun to have elements pertaining to the current year, including things such as the Chinese zodiac for the year, events like the Olympics occurring in that year, etc. I do feel like there was maybe just a little too much "24", though.
Finally, are you in for 2025?
I think so, but again I'm not in love with how specific many of the prompts are. I'm coming up with alternative "KIS" options (Keep it Simple) that I plan to share for anyone who wants to do the challenge but wants a little more flexibility to fit in books that are already on their TBR.
Date you finished: 12/14/24Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 198
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): "Book set in space" - because I read tons of alien romance ;) I read The Prisoner's Gambit
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): The Stone Wolf's Rejected Mate - it was a Bildungsroman.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Probably Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock's Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout. I completed the "autobiography of a woman in rock and roll" last and it took me awhile to find one to read (though I have a lot on my TBR). It was sad but very interesting.
Least favorite prompt: Magical realism. Ugh!
Prompt you hope to see again: Book recommended by a librarian.
Last prompt you finished: "autobiography of a woman in rock and roll"
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year?
Yes and no. Some were way too specific and I would have liked to have seen less with very similar subjects (LGBTQ+, 24, etc.)
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? Sure.
Finally, are you in for 2025? Of course!
Date you finished: 12/17/24Message number of your list post (if you've got one): #63
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): #17 - A book set in a travel destination on your bucket list - The Silk Road - Walking to Samarkand: The Great Silk Road from Persia to Central Asia
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): All the Sinners Bleed - #29 - neurodivergent MC (I fudged a bit - he was an important character)
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : XOXO - #5 K-Pop
Least favorite prompt: #37 NaNoWriMo - book was great but there is literally not another book from that program that I would ever read so never want to see this prompt again. I've read all that are worth it.
Prompt you hope to see again: #23 Book that Features a Dragon
Last prompt you finished: #48 - book of at least 28 poems Took me months to read!
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? yes actually
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? yes. it amused me
Finally, are you in for 2025? ABSOLUTELY!
Date you finished: 12/19Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 115
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book with 24 letters in the title - The Spear Cuts Through Water
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): The Poppy War - a book recommended by a librarian
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?): In the Dream House - a memoir that explores queerness
Least favorite prompt: I have three: 1. a book from a genre you typically avoid (since the genre I avoid is romance and there were three other romance centered prompts, it felt like beating a dead horse), 2. A book that starts with the letter X (a lot of those also happened to be romance), 3. The NaNoWriMo prompt (I'm all NaNo'd out).
Prompt you hope to see again: a book set in the snow (I love a good snowy atmosphere for winter reads)
Last prompt you finished: A book about video games
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? I tend to like more general categories so I can fit my TBR to the challenge for the most part.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? Loved it!
Finally, are you in for 2025? Always
Date you finished: 12/20Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 320
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book with an unreliable narrator - Monday's Not Coming
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): The Four Winds - The 24th book of an author. I love anything Kristin Hannah though, so it's not surprising that I loved this
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Probably Monday's Not Coming. I hadn't heard of it before the Listopia, and Idon't know if I would have picked it up but it ended up being one of my favorite books of the whole year.
Least favorite prompt: A book set in space. Or a book about video games. I am really not a sci fi person, and nonfiction I am picky about. These are always hard for me.
Prompt you hope to see again: A book recommended by a librarian, because then I can usually pick something I really want to read.
Last prompt you finished: A book that was turned into a musical. I ended up changing what book I read for it.
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? Some of them. Specific ones are tricky when it's something you don't like, but I like branching out a bit.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? I thought it was fun, but some were super particular and didn't leave much wiggle room in terms of books that I would actually like.
Finally, are you in for 2025? I am! I am trying to read ONLY off my TBR unless there is nothing that fits. I need to read down my Goodreads TBR haha. Starting with books that fit several prompts that I really want to read and then I'll try to knock out some more difficult ones as I wait for holds.
Date you finished: 12/23Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 261
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): Told from an Animals POV: From A Cat's View
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): There, There, 3 POVs
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : El Deafo (hard of hearing author)
Least favorite prompt: Pirates, NaNoWriMo
Prompt you hope to see again: 3 POVs or recommended by bookseller
Last prompt you finished: Published 24 years ago
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? No. I felt like there were specific books they wanted us to read. I don't like what I call "triple restrictive" like Autobiography of Woman in Rock n Roll. Why not just Autobiography by a Woman? Or Person in Rock and roll? Or BOOk about woman in Rock n roll? Any of my suggestions (2 restrictions) can push people without being TOO specific.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? Not really.
Finally, are you in for 2025? Yes. I started late this year which made the specific prompts a challenge but I'm starting Jan 1 this time so I think it will be fun
I finished in the sense that I accomplished the number of prompts I signed up for. Actually I said I'd do 30 prompts and I did 35.Date you finished: December 24
Message number of your list post (if you've got one): none
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): I'm not sure about favourite, but I did think "A book in which a character sleeps for more than 24 hours" was clever and not a prompt you see everywhere. I read Sometimes I Lie
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?):
The Canterville Ghost - A book written by an incarcerated or formerly incarcerated person
The Darkest Road - A book where someone dies in the first chapter
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) :
The X-Files: Earth Children are Weird - A book that starts with the letter "X"
Least favorite prompt: A book about K-pop - I didn't do it.
Prompt you hope to see again: I like new prompts, but "A book with a title that is a complete sentence" is a doable prompt.
Last prompt you finished: self-published author.
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? Ironically, I did all the advanced prompts and left some of the regular prompts undone.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? Yes and no. Some like a book that takes place in a day, A book that came out in a year that ends with "24", The 24th Book of an Author were fun. Others like the ages and the book published in 2000 were overly picky and not fun for me.
Finally, are you in for 2025? I am. I am challenging myself to 40 prompts, since I signed up for 30 this year and did 35.
Date you finished: 20 JuneMessage number of your list post (if you've got one):
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book set in a travel destination on your bucket list;
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Book set in future
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?):
Book about K PopLeast favorite prompt: so many! Centres on video games. Character aged 24/ 42, visually impaired/ hearing impaired author, self published author, set 24 years before born, horror, NaNoWriMo…
Prompt you hope to see again: Recommended by a librarian
Last prompt you finished: set in future
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year? No
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout? Not at all
Finally, are you in for 2025? Yep the prompts look less niche
Date you finished:December 24, 2024Message number of your list post (if you've got one):35
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?):I was pretty excited for pirates, and ended up reading Treasure Island.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): My absolute favorite was probably In the Lives of Puppets, which I used for recommended by a bookseller.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?): Most of what I read was already on my TBR, or I had to read for another purpose, but I picked up Video Game of the Year: A Year-by-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977 when I saw it at the library as a perfect fit for the video games prompt and really had a lot of fun with it.
Least favorite prompt:24th book of an author! I can't believe that isn't getting more mentions here - it was so frustrating trying to figure out how to count, and different people coming up with different answers...
(I'm also with the people who are done with NaNoWriMo)
Prompt you hope to see again:Maybe title that is a complete sentence. It was fun, and I had a lot of options for it.
Last prompt you finished:24th book of an author. I decided what to do when the author confirmed that Bryony and Roses fit (thanks to whoever it was that reached out and then reported it in the thread). As I wanted to read that already, it made sense, but I had a hard time tracking it down.
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year?I didn't mind them! I got lucky with the two ages categories, just happened to come across things that fit. Especially when looking at next years list, where there are many things I have no idea how I'll fill, I think the specifics here weren't too narrow.
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout?Not as much - as mentioned 24th book of an author was my nemesis, and I also didn't really enjoy taking place in 24 hours or 24 years before I was born.
Finally, are you in for 2025? Before the list came out I would have said absolutely. Now I will have to take a look at some of the book threads and see if I can find things I actually want to read for some of the categories (run club/soccer/food truck) that I currently have no idea how to fill.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
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Date you finished:
Message number of your list post (if you've got one):
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?):
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?):
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) :
Least favorite prompt:
Prompt you hope to see again:
Last prompt you finished:
Did you like all the extra-challenging and specific categories this year?
Did you like the "24" theme scattered throughout?
Finally, are you in for 2025?
I know it's only January, but I had a dream last night that someone had already finished and was looking for this post LOL!!
I don't tend to reply here much, so as to not clutter up the post too much, but I am reading every post here and cheering you all on!!