Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

As Nadine pointed out, this will probably be easy for city dwellers or those who regularly use public transportation.

If you are like me, and those don't apply, get creative! You may find a book where a character sees someone reading a book. Or you can borrow a suggestion from anyone here since chances are if they saw a stranger reading a book that stranger is also strange to you!

I just bought a book because I saw someone reading it!

We should start an Instagram (I’m guessing at the platform - I am an old) of people reading in public for those who find it challenging.

There’s also a book Seen Reading all about this topic.

@booksonthesubway has a great Instagram account showcasing what people are reading on the subway.

https://www.instagram.com/subwaybookr...

I hardly never see anyone reading a book and I live in a town and use public transportation... I assume most people, if they are reading, read from their smart phones, that's what I do, too. Even the beach closest to me is pretty quiet, so I was probably the only one I saw reading there this summer.

There is a lot of people on Instagram posting pictures of books either in nature or of them reading it. That must count :-)

You could also just visit your local book store or library to see what people are reading there.

A bookstore or library would be perfect for this!

During lunch I had a flash of inspiration and jumped over to the Hot Dudes Reading Instagram! (Well, okay, I read an ARTICLE about the Instagram.) Lots of photos ... But .... I couldn't read the titles! Only one I could see was Vandermeer's Annihilation, and I JUST read that :-(

This might require additional study. For the challenge. These hot dudes need to hold their books up higher.

There is, of course, Hot Dudes Reading.

But I follow (and love) Subway Book Review, which actually tells you the title, the author, and why the person is reading it. There are readers from New York, London, Cairo and Mexico City.

Anna wrote: "There is, of course, Hot Dudes Reading.

But I follow (and love) Subway Book Review, which actually tells you the title, the author, and why the person is reading it. There are readers from New Yo..."

You beat me on the Subway Book Review Recommendation!

I work at a library, and there are generally people in one of our sitting areas reading almost every day. I can pretty much have my pick of books. So far my choices (just going by what I've seen today) are The White Tiger, The Witches, and Badasses of the Old West: True Stories of Outlaws on the Edge

I actually tend to hate prompts like this which assume that we a) have the time to go out much, and b) go out to places where we are likely to see people reading. I say "go out much" because it's nice to have a range of options for a prompt, not just pick the first book you see when you encounter someone reading in a public place.

Maybe I'm just the weird one, but I honestly don't go out very much. After work, I'm exhausted and just want to stay in and read/watch videos, and when I do go out on weekends, it's generally to a restaurant, a movie, or a play...none of which are really places where I would expect to see people reading. I don't take public transit often either, anymore.

Luckily, my newspaper has a weekly section where they find 3 or 4 people on the subway who are reading, and ask them to show what they are reading. I guess I'll pick something from that.

Rachel wrote: "I actually tend to hate prompts like this which assume that we a) have the time to go out much, and b) go out to places where we are likely to see people reading. I say "go out much" because it's n..."

I agree Rachel...and I will do something creative like you are doing.

Rachel, I hear that. We are always out with the girls and with a 1&3 year old to watch, I’m not casually people watching.

I take public transit in a place where people read physical books all the time, but at an angle which rarely allows me to see the title.

You could see if there is a chapter of Silent Book Club near you and go at least once.

Marching Powder: A True Story of Friendship, Cocaine, and South America's Strangest Jail - on the bus to work

This prompt was more or less how I ended up buying and reading The 5th Wave. I was buying a book and saw someone in line ahead of my with The 5th Wave in their hand to buy, so I went back and bought it myself and absolutely devoured it in one evening.

Amanda wrote: "This prompt was more or less how I ended up buying and reading The 5th Wave. I was buying a book and saw someone in line ahead of my with The 5th Wave in their hand to buy, so I went back and bough..."

That's pretty funny!

Once I saw a woman reading My Brilliant Friend on an airplane ... so far that's my only option here. I do t really want to read that book. (To be honest, I hate thecover and that's turning me off to the book. I guess it fits on an "ugly cover" list for me)

Nadine, it's so funny because the phrase is "don't judge a book by its cover" but sometimes I pick books solely because of the cover haha

I thought I had already posted a comment here but don't see it. Sorry if this is a repeat!

I think you can interpret this response in a variety of ways. I consider the internet to be a public place. You could find so many strangers reading various books using Goodreads, Instagram, Tumblr, the options are endless! That's most likely what I will do!

The more I think about this category, the more I dislike it. I might change it to: "a book one of your Goodreads friends is reading."

I just Googled "people reading in public" and clicked on images. In just a couple minutes, I have found these:

A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
The Associate by John Grisham
The Barracks Thief by Tobias Wolff
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Lady Chatterly's Lover: Novel by D.H. Lawrence
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
No Apology: The Case for American Greatness by Mitt Romney
Totally Wired: Postpunk Interviews and Overviews by Simon Reynolds
How I Stopped Being a Jew by Shlomo Sand
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Oblivion by David Foster Wallace
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David D. Burns
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

Now, there are a lot of those I have absolutely no interest in reading, and a couple that I've already read, but I think if I keep looking, I'll be able to find something good. Plus, now that this is in my mind, maybe if I do see someone reading something, I'll be more likely to take notice and try to see what it is. Who knows, we could find an amazing book this way!

Baltimore County Public Library (Maryland) did a 12 book reading challenge this year and those who participated posted photos of the books they read either at Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. You can find the Instagram ones here

https://www.instagram.com/explore/tag...

And if you use Facebook just search for #Bwellread or

https://www.facebook.com/search/str/%...

This gives up some interesting choices.

Chinook wrote: "Rachel, I hear that. We are always out with the girls and with a 1&3 year old to watch, I’m not casually people watching."

I have a 2 yr old and 9 month old and can’t look away from them for a second or they are into something 😆

Tonight I took public transit to and from Powell's, and even sat in the cafe. I saw at least 15 people reading paper books in various places, but I could not see the cover and any of them.

Even though I see people reading all the time, I will still probably have to use Subway Book Review or something.

poshpenny wrote: "Tonight I took public transit to and from Powell's, and even sat in the cafe. I saw at least 15 people reading paper books in various places, but I could not see the cover and any of them.

Even t..."

I just feel NOSY staring at people!!! It's not in my nature to look at the people around me and figure out what they are doing like that, and that's why I don't like this category. That's why I like just using Goodreads for this one - because truly, my most active Goodreads friends are actually "strangers" to me, other than the interaction we have about books. And they obviously WANT me to see what they are reading, so I don't feel weird about looking.

... and there is no way I am actually going to ASK someone what they are reading.

poshpenny wrote: "... and there is no way I am actually going to ASK someone what they are reading."

EXACTLY!

Reyna wrote: "@booksonthesubway has a great Instagram account showcasing what people are reading on the subway.

https://www.instagram.com/subwaybookr..."

oh god
I should never have clicked on that link
SO MANY IDEAS!

Totally agree with Nadine and poshpenny -- I am actually a person who takes public transit and I see people reading all the time, but I go out of my way to avoid staring or making eye contact because I wouldn't want people doing the same to me!

That said, I do follow @hotdudesreading, and the Annihilation suggestion in this thread works for me since it's on my TBR anyway.

A lot of cities have a One Book One City program. I forget which month it's in but that might be something to look for.
Or One Book One State.

I am bemused by the vehemence of the response to this prompt. As an erstwhile writer, I view it simply as a call for opening to awareness to one's surroundings and to others. For those who find this difficult because it could border on prying or even become discourteous or invite unwanted reciprocity (e.g., on public transportation), my reaction is that the comments here give some wonderful suggestions for interpretation of scope and possibilities. It would really be stretching the definition of the prompt, so one might not want to use such, but it seems to me that it opens one to just being aware of what others are reading. So many of the Sunday newspaper reviews of authors ask what they are reading. The first possibility that crossed my mind, even though it wouldn't fit a strict interpretation of the prompt, was this: http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/hillar.... The second possibility was a couple of articles with lists of books Trump had read on China. Now neither of these are "strangers" in one sense of the word (although in another sense, both are) nor do I have any idea if they read them in a public place. Yet, each list felt in the spirit of this prompt of opening self to reading from suggestions of those beyond one's usual circle.

I am a total introvert & would never started a conversation, but I *love* seeing what people are reading on public transportation. Of course it is much easier to spot a book I've already read. (I can tell tell a Harry Potter book from a mile away.) To be fair, I commute to work on the bus in a city, so I see people reading in public most days.

Before this challenge was posted I was looking longingly as a person on the bus seat across from me was reading Sourdough, a book I was waiting for from the library. I've since got the book, but I am going to return it and wait until next year so I can fill this prompt.

Lily wrote: "The second possibility was a couple of articles with lists of books Trump had read on China."

Trump reads books?!

I don't actually have a problem of asking someone what they are reading but I rarely see anyone reading (a book) close enough to ask. I see a lot of people looking at their smart phones but who knows what they are doing. But recently our president interviewed Paul Auster (apparently he is a fan of his) and at least there was a book on the table, so I might read something from him, I have been meaning to, anyway. (Though not that 4 3 2 1 that was on the table, something shorter.)

Tytti wrote: "Lily wrote: "The second possibility was a couple of articles with lists of books Trump had read on China."

Trump reads books?!

..."

seems unlikely, doesn't it?

I don’t ride public transportation, but as a nurse I see a lot of patients reading books. I also figured I could see what other people pick up at the library.

Ugh, I'm totally kicking myself. One of the poll workers today had a book with her, sitting out in plain view on the table, and I didn't even think to check the title!

I don’t take pubic transportation and I hardly ever see anyone reading a physical book, however; my doctor asked me what I was reading, lol. I think I’ll go to Barnes and Noble, someone has to be reading something. Does browsing count?

I got to smile when I read your comments on looking at people in public transportation. Finally I understand what went wrong back in 2004 when I was visiting Texas back in high school. People seemed so angry but I had no clue why. I assume because I was looking around and zoning out my view maybe directed towards a person, which is perfectly fine as long as you don't stare into people's eyes in Germany. I'll be sitting around in a public place for quite some time today so whish me luck :)

I'd like to point out that the prompt says "a book being read by a stranger in a public place"; it doesn't say that you saw that stranger reading that book. Those of us who are lucky enough to get a title by not too creepily staring at someone's book will just share for everyone's mutual benefit. This won't be bad at all.

I've already got one: What Happened, being read by some girl waiting in the hallway for her class (I work at a university).

Yesterday on the train i saw a woman reading Indelible by Karen Slaughter (german Translation) and a man read The Marauders by Tom Cooper (again german translation)

Both dont appeal to me ..to be continued ;-)

If we can use something we've already seen, I spotted a woman reading The Power in an airport check-in queue not that long ago. (I was reading The Bear and the Nightingale, as was the woman in front of me.)

My tentative plan is to go to an author's event in the New Year. (I'm fortunate in that I live in a place with lots of those.) Surely listening to an author I like, but who is nonetheless a stranger, reading a book I want to read anyway OUT LOUD in a public place qualifies? There's no straining to peek at the title in such a case. :)

Lily wrote: "I am bemused by the vehemence of the response to this prompt. As an erstwhile writer, I view it simply as a call for opening to awareness to one's surroundings and to others. For those who find thi..."

trump can read?

I'll add the one I see while on the train. So far, I saw only one:

All the Light We Cannot See

I think some of the response is that people would like to be able to do the prompts, as written, sometimes. Like, it can suck if you would like to buy a book on a trip but can’t afford either the book or the trip. And there always seems to be at least 1-2 prompts that really do turn out to be harder to some people due to issues that aren’t as much about reading as they are about your finances or where you happen to live. Sure, there is always another way to interpret the prompt, but it’s one of those things that can have a bit of a negative response and I think that’s totally understandable.

I️ was confused by this one, but I’ll be going to Costa Rica over Spring Break, and there’s usually a good chunk of people reading at the airport, so hopefully I’ll spot something. I️ also consider myself a strong observer, so it might not be as difficult as I️ once thought. First I️ thought it meant someone verbally reading something. But it seems to me, you just notice someone reading something. Or another thing I️ could do is go to a library or bookstore and just casually see what someone is reading. Lol

"Nadine wrote: ('Tytti wrote: ["Lily wrote: 'The second possibility was a couple of articles with lists of books Trump had read on China.'"] Trump reads books?! ...') seems unlikely, doesn't it?"

Don't know how accurate this is, but another view of a similar LATimes article I read many moons ago (along with another similar list from a different interview, still earlier if I recall correctly) helped form my willingness to make the statement I did. I'm not willing to guess whether he has ever been a "close" reader nor whether he has ever depended on print as a key input of ideas. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washi...

Obviously it's easier if you're on mass transit or have the means to, say, travel via airports.
But finding people reading in public places may be easier at times than people think.
For example--I'm here at the nail salon and every person next to me is reading a book (not a magazine in sight!).
People brought up the suggestion of going into a bookstore or library and meandering around; those ideas cost nothing (and hey, neither does a library book!)
Even just walking down the street and looking in windows--or restaurants--may help. It may be easier in a warm locale to see people reading outdoors--but we have a whole year to do this folks!