Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2025 Challenge - Regular
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01 - A book about a POC experiencing joy and not trauma
Mod
If they have joy in their life, sure!
I just finished The Road is Good by Uzo Aduba, and it would totally fit. I am starting Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson, and hoping it will work!
I've heard The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is excellent, can anyone verify if that would fit here? I've heard it described as "cozy" which typically means no trauma...
Chelsea....I am wondering the same. As well as A Witches Guide to Magical Innkeeping
Nadine in NY wrote: "A book about a POC experiencing joy and not trauma.The easy choice here is to just read a romance, but I know there are SO MANY more books out there about BIPOC joy."
Oh dear, no. There can still be a LOT of trauma in a romance, even with the guaranteed HEA. Right off the top of my head, Talia Hibbert and Courtney Milan write protagonists that go through a lot of pain on the way to their HEA.
Chelsea wrote: "I've heard The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is excellent, can anyone verify if that would fit here? I've heard it described as "cozy" which typically means no trauma..."I loved this book! In my opinion, it fits. Mika has experienced trauma in the past and this is about letting go and opening up - found family vibes.
The sequel - A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping - also has a talking fox in case anyone wants to read both using this prompt & the prompt about magical creatures that aren't dragons.
Does "Get a Life, Chloe Brown" by Talia Hibbert fit in this category?I'm not sure how focused the book is on the chronic illness versus the joy of living.
I like this one but I'm not sure what I'm going to read for it. I read You Should See Me in a Crown and I did like it!
Amber Marie wrote: "Does "Get a Life, Chloe Brown" by Talia Hibbert fit in this category?I'm not sure how focused the book is on the chronic illness versus the joy of living."
This is my all-time favorite romance, but it does include multiple obstacles related to her chronic illness. I would not consider it about BIPOC joy and not trauma for that reason :(
Just want to put a plug in here that all of the books in the ‘No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency’ series would fit, and they are great reads that are a snap to get through and also funny and charming! Though the series is long, each book features its own mysteries, so if you don’t plan on reading the whole series, you could read any of them as a standalone.
I’ve read several and they’re fantastic!
I will make a disclaimer that although the main characters are women in Botswana, the author is a Scottish/Zimbabwean white man. I mean I *think* he does a good job, but not being a woman of Botswana or knowing any, it’s hard to be certain.
For poetry fans, This Is the Honey is an anthology on exactly this topic. I have Black Joy Unbound: An Anthology sitting on my TBR shelf; it has both poetry and prose.
Mod
The easy choice here is to just read a romance, but I know there are SO MANY more books out there about BIPOC joy."
Oh dear, no. There can still be a LOT of trauma in a romance, even with the guaranteed HEA. Right off the top of my head, Talia Hibbert and Courtney Milan write protagonists that go through a lot of pain on the way to their HEA...."
I keep thinking about your comment. I've read a lot of books by both Milan & Hibbert, and I don't see those books as having trauma, those are just bumps in the road that the characters get past as part of the plot. With no bumps in the road, the story wouldn't be very interesting to me, there would be no plot tension. I've spent the evening thinking about it, and I'm not sure if I've ever read **and enjoyed** a book that depicted only pure joy and happiness. (This is my big issue with a lot of cozy fantasy novels: they're boring!)
For me, a book with "trauma" would be something more like (and I'm not using the book link so that these don't show up in the "books mentioned in this topic" list, just to avoid any confusion): The Color Purple or Their Eyes Were Watching God or Kindred. Those characters are going through it.
You're correct of course that some romances some romances do have trauma - Alyssa Cole's first (and imo best) romance, An Extraordinary Union, would be a good example. A lot of Beverley Jenkins' books set during the civil war (like Indigo) are the same. But I didn't see the books in Hibbert's excellent "Brown Sisters" series as having actual trauma, they just had obstacles they needed to negotiate.
So it's become clear to me that different readers have different definitions of what "trauma" is in a book!
I'll do my best to find a book that is truly full of joy and no obstacles. But it might not happen!
Hi, excuse me - I'm not from the US and even though my English is very good there are expressions and abbreviations I'm not familiar with. What does POC mean? Person of Character? Is that the Main Character or a person with high morals? Please, help me out here, thank you!
Nike wrote: "Hi, excuse me - I'm not from the US and even though my English is very good there are expressions and abbreviations I'm not familiar with. What does POC mean? Person of Character? Is that the Mai..."
Person of colour. It's a character who isn't white.
Mod
What does POC mean? Person of Character? Is that the Mai..."
POC = Person of Color (as in: not white)
other abbreviations you might see:
BIPOC = Black, Indigenous, and/or Person of Color
AOC = Author of Color
Yes it's ridiculous to say white people have no color. Yes there are other issues with the terminology. Yes it's a very American way to look at things.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Nike wrote: "Hi, excuse me - I'm not from the US and even though my English is very good there are expressions and abbreviations I'm not familiar with. What does POC mean? Person of Character? Is..."
Thank you so much for explaining! And thank you for sharing your thoughts, similar to mine. I appreciate it. (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)
(I for one don't see that we are on a black to white scale what so ever. We are in different shades of brown or beige-pink. Probably colourblind men who came up with the concept because black and white makes us opposites, whereas brown and beige puts us within the same range - human beings). Well, that is My pov.)
Mod
Yes, it's true, no one is any one "color" and we are all just human. I am "white" and I dated a Nigerian guy for a few years, and he used to tease me that it's white people who are colorful: when we are hot or embarrassed or in the sun too long, we turn red; when we are cold, we turn blue; when we sunbathe, we turn brown. He told me in Nigeria, they call white people "yellow." So every country has its own way of seeing things!
Racism is a real problem in all of the world, and it's valuable to talk about it, and it's valuable to see and appreciate the differences in various cultures that are associated with various races. The USA has it's share of negatives, we are a dumpster fire in many ways, but it's good that we talk about racism. And right now, "POC" and "BIPOC" are the best terms we've got. And since Popsugar is based in the USA, they use the American terms.
I haven't read it, so I have to ask -- would That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon count for this prompt? It's on my TBR and looks like fun.
Kenya wrote: "I haven't read it, so I have to ask -- would That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon count for this prompt? It's on my TBR and looks like fun."I read this book this year and I think it would count. I don't remember any trauma. More adventure, cozy, and romance.
If anyone has any super joyful sapphic romances, I am down to read those --- otherwise I'll probably go with This Is the Honey because most of the books i want to read are sci-fi/fantasy or litfic... not exactly conducive to a trauma-less story
I remembered these on the interconnected short stories thread. Blackout and Whiteout are interconnected short story anthologies I read last year, featuring love stories centering Black teens. I don't recall there being any trauma on the page, though there might be references to it in the past.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Kristy wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "A book about a POC experiencing joy and not trauma.The easy choice here is to just read a romance, but I know there are SO MANY more books out there about BIP..."
The last book I read by Courtney Milan, the heroine was KIDNAPPED from her birth mother by white missionaries and was lied to about her mother's death, and her adoptive parents treated her quite terribly because she was Autistic and did "weird things" which really was just her thinking up creative solutions to problems.
Being stolen from your birth family and forced into a foreign culture is not an obstacle to overcome. It's literal trauma that often causes generational trauma.
Mod
The easy choice here is to just read a romance, but I know there are SO MANY more book..."
We have to disagree on this. I read that book and I loved it! The Devil Comes Courting It just didn't register as "traumatized" for me. Apparently I hold the bar super high before I see it as "trauma." This may be a generational difference, I see a lot of younger people on reddit use the term "trauma" when I would not.
Definitely going to read Becoming by Michelle Obama. She's such an inspiration
Does anyone have a graphic novel suggestion for this one?
Nike wrote: "Hi, excuse me - I'm not from the US and even though my English is very good there are expressions and abbreviations I'm not familiar with. What does POC mean? Person of Character? Is that the Mai..."
Hi! POC means person of color, so non-White characters.
I have Wash Day Diaries on my radar for a graphic novel that might work. Pumpkinheads might work as well.
Mod
I loved it!
Mod
Question. I own a copy of Blackout and have been wanting to read it, but are the stories of BOTH books intereconnected? Or, I assume, I could just read Blackout OR Whiteoutand those stories are interconnected within the one book. But I wanted to check to be sure... Thanks in advance!
Mod
Though the series is long, each book features its own mysteries, so if you don’t plan on reading the whole series, you could read any of them as a standalone.
I’ve read several and they’re fantastic!
I will make a disclaimer that although the main characters are women in Botswana, the author is a Scottish/Zimbabwean white man. I mean I *think* he does a good job, but not being a woman of Botswana or knowing any, it’s hard to be certain..."
This is one of my all-time favorite series. And Smith was not just born and raised in Zimbabwe, but he was educated there and has worked there establishing a school, etc. He is such a brilliant person talented in so very many areas!
Anyway, to your point about you "think" he has depicted these women accurately... No matter what 'group' of people being considered, the scope of differences will be just as wide. (I learned that in an introductory sociology class.) So, IMO at least, there is never just one stereotypical representation that should be considered "right," but I know there are many readers who feel differently. So, IMO, Smith has accurately depicted Precious and Grace. 😊 Glad to see I am not alone in my enjoyment of this series!!
Mod
One of my favorites!
Would Becoming by Michelle Obama be a good fit ??
L Y N N wrote: "Question. I own a copy of Blackout and have been wanting to read it, but are the stories of BOTH books intereconnected? Or, I assume, I could just read Blackout OR Whiteoutand those stories are interconnected within the one book. But I wanted to check to be sure... Thanks in advance!"No, they're interconnected within each book, but each of the two books are standalone. They take place in two different cities.
Mod
No, they're interconnected within each book, but each of the two books are standalone. They take place in two different cities."
That's great! Thanks!
Mod
Here's to each of us sharing our varied reactions! 'Cause that's what reading and especially discussion is all about!
Nadine in NY wrote: "Nike wrote: "(I for one don't see that we are on a black to white scale what so ever. We are in different shades of brown or beige-pink...."Yes, it's true, no one is any one "color" and we are ..."
oh I did not know this book ! It seems very fun, thank you for the discovery!
I am adding it in my 2025 TBR list :D
I saw Much Ado about Nada was on the Listopia. I don't have that one, but I did pick up a copy of Ayesha at Last by the same author at a library sale recently. Would that one work too?
laurel! wrote: "If anyone has any super joyful sapphic romances, I am down to read those --- otherwise I'll probably go with This Is the Honey because most of the books i want to read are sci-fi/f..."Skye Falling
Honey Girl (though I lowkey hated this one but a lot of people seemed to like it)
Kimberly wrote: "Does anyone have a graphic novel suggestion for this one?"Batter Royale: A Graphic Novel
The Avant-Guards, Vol. 1
I own a few of the books mentioned here, so I might pick one of those. I'm glad I found this thread. I hardly read anything this year, but am going to try this and/or Book Riot's challenge again for 2025.
What about a cookbook that features the author's experience of the joy of preparing special meals?
Stina wrote: "What about a cookbook that features the author's experience of the joy of preparing special meals?"I personally say yes to that
Stina wrote: "What about a cookbook that features the author's experience of the joy of preparing special meals?"That's what I'm doing - I love cookbooks and food writing.
I have a bunch: Our South: Black Food Through My Lens - A Cookbook
Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks
L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food by Roy Choi Tien Nguyen Natasha Phan
Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods
Karen wrote: "Stina wrote: "What about a cookbook that features the author's experience of the joy of preparing special meals?"That's what I'm doing - I love cookbooks and food writing.
I have a bunch: [book..."
Those all sound great! I will probably go with [book:Cook Korean!: A Comic Book with Recipes|27209316].
Stina wrote: "What about a cookbook that features the author's experience of the joy of preparing special meals?"I really like that idea! I like the prompt, but I'm not sure how I would find a book that fits. The only idea I've had is a middle grade book I've started before but never got around to finishing, The Season of Styx Malone.
Karen wrote: "That's what I'm doing - I love cookbooks and food writing.
I have a bunch:..."
I have Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks on my TBR, too.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
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The easy choice here is to just read a romance, but I know there are SO MANY more books out there about BIPOC joy.
Listopia list is Here: A book about a POC experiencing joy and not trauma