Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

One of my goals is to read books - print or ebook - that I already own or that I borrow, buy or am gifted during the year for reasons other than challenge.

I aim to use books I own first and foremost, though I think I'm sticking to that goal a lot less than I did last year!

I am planning to read as many classics for the challenge as I can. As time allows I may read both a classic and a non-classical for some prompts, but I have not set an expectation that I will do that for every one e.

Next year I’ll try to use books I already own, because my TBR is huge. This year I didn‘t really care about tackling my TBR which is why it has gotten a little out of hand 😅 but I finished the PS challenge this year, which I never achieved before... Seems like I have to choose between minimizing my TBR and finishing the challenge... 😆

Verena wrote: "Next year I’ll try to use books I already own, because my TBR is huge. This year I didn‘t really care about tackling my TBR which is why it has gotten a little out of hand 😅 but I finished the PS c..."

I seem to be in the same predicament. Finish a challenge or reading through all the series I got going, books already owned and the shelf (!) I have with library books (Sorry! I know I am abusing my librarian position...)

My goal is to try to read 5 books in French for this challenge (it takes me a bit longer to read in French, so I tend to stick to English books for fun and just read French for assignments - but there's so many wonderful/untranslated French books!)

& I would also like to read more books by authors from other countries. Most of the books I read this year were GB/USA writers. I don't have a specific number goal here but it's something I have at the back of my mind when I'm choosing new books to read!

Except for the prompts that are specifically about re-reads, I'm trying to stick to all new books this year! I've got such a huge TBR list, I'm hoping I'll be successful in culling some of that with this challenge! So far, I've been successful in brainstorming, so hopefully that luck continues!

One thing I don't like about doing challenges is that I can't always find prompts for a whole series, so I end up starting a bunch of series and not finishing them. Next year, my goal is to finish all of the series I've started. If I read all of those first, maybe I can find prompts to fit all of the books? I hope so!

BookCrossers have a decade challenge: read one book from each of the last ten decades. (Bonus if you do 1900-1909 and 1910-1919, too.) And I have dozens of TBR left on my list from 2018's PBS Great American Reads. I'm going to try to find books for the POPSUGAR Challenge off the BookCrossing Challenge and the GAR list. For instance, the GAR book Doña Bárbara by Rómulo Gallegos was published in 1929 and written by a Venezuelan. It's also a two-word title, but I won't count it as that. (A book can count for two or three of the main challenges, but not for multiple prompts in a single challenge. At least, that's my rule.)

Edit: I've changed my mind about doubling-up on challenges that fit a single read. I don't want all this year's reading limited to what I can fit on 62 challenge prompts, so I'll be doubling-up on challenges to leave time for reading other books.

I currently own 131 books that I have not read... My goal is to read as many books that I already own as possible. I can do 37 of the 50! Well, 36 of the 50 since one of the prompts is rereading a favorite which is not on my list of books that I own but have not read.

I have a few "challenges within the challenge". Any books that are young adult I plan to read in Spanish. I won't do any rereads (except for prompt #7 obviously). For prompt #32 I will read a book by an author from Asia, Africa, AND South America. And for prompt #40 I'll do a book from EACH of the past years' lists.

Jenn wrote: "My challenge within this challenge is to check out books from the library for ones I don't already own!"

That's a great personal challenge! I buy way too many books without checking to see if my library has it, or because I don't want to wait on a holds list. I should adopt this as a challenge myself.

My challenge within a challenge is to avoid purchasing any books. All books must be checked out from work. I work in a K-12 school library, so I'll probably end up with a lot of Middle Grade and YA books on my list.
Also, I won't use books to fulfill more than one prompt. I will read 50 different books.

My challenge is to read the books I already own, but from what I saw from the challenge so far I'll have to buy at least one book (the one that was published this year - 2019).

Catarina wrote: "My challenge is to read the books I already own,

I've got the same challenge, especially with my TBR being 300+ books! Hopefully I won't have to buy any new ones because I'm really trying to cut back my un-read books that I own.

I am trying to cover as many prompts as possible with scheduled book club reads as well as books I own!

I'm trying to read at least 20 books from my to-read list, 10 non-fiction books, 10 Dutch books (my native language) and 10 books by minority members.

But I'm doing the challenge in a way that 1 book can tick off multiple challenges to make it easier for myself. So if I'm reading Where'd You Go, Bernadette I can put it into both "A book with a question in the title" and "A book becoming a movie in 2019". Or I can read Gedichten van de broer van Roos and tick off a Dutch non-fiction book that was already on my to-read list and is a debut novel (so that's 4 in 1).

This is actually kind of like a challenge within a challenge for myself. My main goal is to read 100 books in 2019, but I'm using the Popsugar challenge and another challenge (Around the Year in 52 Books) as a way to stay organized! I saw the Popsugar challenge and just knew I had to do it. It seems like so much fun! I'm even more excited I found this group to people to share all this excitement with!!! :D

I am doing a challenge within a challenge by including an author born in each month.

Libby wrote: "My goal is to try to read 5 books in French for this challenge (it takes me a bit longer to read in French, so I tend to stick to English books for fun and just read French for assignments - but th..."

Same for me, but in my case, more books from québécois authors.

If you never read Michel Folco, I can't recommand enough Dieu et nous seuls pouvons. I would fit the family prompt or the debut novel.

I plan to read books I own for as many of these challenge as I can. already see so many possibilities. Then I'll gift the books to friends or little libraries.

I'll try to read books that have 200 or more pages while finishing my reading challenge.

I want to read books I have on my book shelves and in boxes. I have been seeing Elizabeth Peters and Clive Cussler books at thrift stores and buy them so they are on the top of my TBR list.

I was really bad planning out my challenges this year, so I plan on using the library as much as possible, since most of the books I chose I don't own. The only ones I will probably buy are the 2019 releases as they come out.

This year I am going to try and complete a reading challenge on an app called Overdrive that my library uses. Its for our downloadable books, and I'm sure you all have heard of it? It's through R.E.A.D.S, and if you complete all 12 books, you can be entered for a prize at the end of the year. Why not?

I also want to do the list more or less in order. I don't use the library during the summer, so books that I have will wait until summer. But, the rest of the categories, I want to see if I can do them in order. I also want to do a fave category from each prior year which will bring me up to 53. I'm going to save the other 3 for last, so that if I at least get to 50 books, I'll have finished.

Jane wrote: "I plan to read books I own for as many of these challenge as I can. already see so many possibilities. Then I'll gift the books to friends or little libraries."

I'm doing the same. I need to clear out my bookshelves.

I'm trying to read only new books, except for things like reread a favorite, and as many from the library as possible. At this point, I think I'm going to try to only fill one prompt per book, too. I have a lot of free time and read fast, so 50 books is doable.

I don't know if my library has the R.E.A.D.S. program or not. It does have Overdrive. I'll have to check.

I never worry about if I'll get through my TBR list. I don't want to. It would feel like I had nothing ever to read again....

As I've just gotten a whole stack of books at the end of last year, my first goal is to read through all of those with the hope that many of them can fit into the challenge prompts. After that, I hope to use the library to flesh out other prompts.

I hope to use one book per prompt, but as I'm a full time working mother of 4, I'm not sure if time will allow me to get through 40 books in a year, so I may end up doubling up on some of the prompts.

I try to pick books from 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die because I'm kind of loosely doing that challenge too, but it's not a hard and fast thing by any means.

Hmm, I think mine kind of fits - I’m challenging myself to read more eclectically, I’d like 50% or less of my books to be fantasy or science fiction this year, so my fitting prompts is keeping that ratio in mind.

Just found this group, going to try to source all books from my tiny village library.

KF-in-Georgia wrote: "BookCrossers have a decade challenge: read one book from each of the last ten decades. (Bonus if you do 1900-1909 and 1910-1919, too.) And I have dozens of TBR left on my list from 2018's PBS Great..."

I had to go check in on the Ravelry group, 52 Books in 52 Weeks, to see if it was you I was chatting with (it was not). I was replying to someone who has several sub-challenges in her reading list, including to read books written pre-1900, rather than just those written 100 years ago. I thought it would be fun to read a book from every decade, starting in 1900, or whenever one decided to start. Or, maybe go back in time, and see how far you get?

So, what is BookCrossers? Is it a Goodreads group?

What's your Rav name? Mine is nuts4fiber.

Last year, in my PopSugar Challenge, just for fun, I tried to find as many books with my favorite color, Green, in the title (inspired by that prompt). I found several interesting books, but couldn't find some of them on audio (so I can knit or crochet while listening), so I thought I'd try to fit them in earlier this year, in case I have to "eye" read them.

I never worry about if I'll get through my TBR list. I don't want to. It would feel like I had nothing ever to read again.... "

I feel the same way!

Kim wrote: "KF-in-Georgia wrote: "BookCrossers have a decade challenge: read one book from each of the last ten decades. (Bonus if you do 1900-1909 and 1910-1919, too.) And I have dozens of TBR left on my list..."

I'm KathyInGeorgia on Ravelry. (I remember your post about the color green.)

BookCrossing is an international group that registers books online, then leaves them (once they've been read) in public places for people to find--then keep or journal-and-release. www.BookCrossing.com

I'm KF-in-Georgia, there, but I'm not really active anymore (I pretty much only order Kindle books). There's a BookCrossing group on Ravelry, but it's not active. BookCrossers have a few active challenges on GoodReads, but the decade one is here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

My main goal for 2019 is to read mostly from my shelves (physical bookshelf, Overdrive wishlist, and Kindle bookshelf). When I joined the Popsugar challenge I decided to stick with that as much as possible. Obviously a few of the challenges like “published in 2019” will be exceptions. Later as I run out of challenges I have a book that fits I will relax that challenge within the challenge.

I am only reading books by female authors, same as last year, and aiming for 51%+ to be WOC.

I'm going to include books I own -- and any of my books I start but don't finish must be given away.

I didn't intend to do this, but it turns out I'm reading almost nothing that's not available on my own shelves or through my county library or Project Gutenberg. Not buying anything (unless I choose to read [debut novel] Sense and Sensibility, which i can get for under a dollar as a Kindle book).

Devon wrote: "I am only reading books by female authors, same as last year, and aiming for 51%+ to be WOC."

We need Like buttons at Goodreads :)

I'm going to try not to reread anything, except for the prompt to reread a favorite, and try to read one book per prompt.

I am trying to participate in the group reads each month as much as possible this year.

I will be trying to read books that I already own, that have not been read yet. Except the rereading a favorite category, the 2019 publication, and the book you think should be turned into a movie. I don't know how to judge that without having read the book yet :)

Devon wrote: "I am only reading books by female authors, same as last year, and aiming for 51%+ to be WOC."

I've decided to go for 100% First Nations, Indigenous, Asian, African, Latinx and other authors of colour. I'm not sure I'm gonna make it - particularly because I'm trying to avoid US authors (less than 10% if possible) as I already read a lot of American books and I'm Australian (which is a focus for me). Be grateful to share recommendations with others doing similar, as some of this feels very challenging. My list is at post 694 in the lists thread if anyone wants to see what I have so far.

Alison wrote: "Devon wrote: "I am only reading books by female authors, same as last year, and aiming for 51%+ to be WOC."

I've decided to go for 100% First Nations, Indigenous, Asian, African, Latinx and other ..."

Nice! I am definitely going to go track down your list! I'm #657 on page 14.

Devon wrote: "Alison wrote: "Devon wrote: "I am only reading books by female authors, same as last year, and aiming for 51%+ to be WOC."

I've decided to go for 100% First Nations, Indigenous, Asian, African, La..."
Thanks!!

I'm trying to read mostly books by female authors. There are some thrown in that I really want to read by men, though. That's why I say mostly

I'm trying to find as many books by LGBTQ+ authors as I can that the fit the prompts. I'm also going to read as many as I can in print rather than on my Kindle. While I have more than a dozen books on my shelves that fit some of the prompts, I'm relying heavily on what I can get from the library, I have a very good co-op of libraries in my county, so this helps a lot.

I'll try to only read books with 200 or more pages. So far I have only three books on my list that have less (183, 190,199).
Because I spend so much on books last year (over 350€) I'll also try not to buy new books for this challenge. So I'll only buy secondhand (not more that 5€/book), use books that I already own but haven't read yet, ebooks, or library books. Books that are gifted to me are the important exception here!

I am trying to read the books on the challenge as well as a challenge to read female authors from different countries. - have listed a personal challenge to read a book with a setting in each state in the U. S.

I have one other challenge that I try to fit in to the Popsugar reading challenge. That is a challenge from my local library: around the world in 12 books. The countries are pre-set, but the books aren't. So, I am going to read books from (or from an author from) Cuba, Chile, Usa, Canada, Iceland, Russia, Spain, Egypt, South-Africa, India, Japan and Australia this year.

I am also trying to join a Norwegian group-reading on Facebook. They have one book for each month, with other kind of books than I usually read. That is inspirational!

So, I guess I attend to both Popsugar and these other challenges to broaden my horizon regarding what to read :) I have also noticed that having kind of a plan for the year (but not fully!) makes me read more books. And that is a good thing.