Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past challenge.


I know this one is a favorite of many of you!! Not sure which one was your favorite? Just choose from this list: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


No Listopia.

Time to go through all of the past lists and pick out some faves!

My favourite, which I used in 2022, is "A book with a pun in the title."

My favorite was book with a map, but PS is reusing that one themselves. So going with a Microhistory.

It's weird, because normally I don't like the prompts that you can't figure out before actually reading the book (like this year's a book you think your friend would like), but my all time favorite prompt, and the one I continually use for this is "Book with a great opening line". I just wait for something in one of the books I read (that doesn't fit for any other prompt) to catch my eye and then fill it in.

Joanna wrote: "It's weird, because normally I don't like the prompts that you can't figure out before actually reading the book (like this year's a book you think your friend would like), but my all time favorite..."

I love that idea. I just found out about the site Recommend Me A Book which lets you read the first page of a book without knowing the author or title so you can see what hooks you without bias or find a great opening line that way!

I bought Making Dogs Happy: The expert guide to being your dog's best friend in preparation for adopting a dog for my birthday. I'll read it under "subject I'm passionate about".

One thing I might end up doing is adding to my book challenge. There are only 23/24 topics I like so I might go through past challenges to fill in the remainder ones which would also work perfectly for this topic.

I do the same one for this every year since they had it initially, and it's "A book you see a stranger reading in public." Checking out what everyone is reading at the pool over the summer is one of my favorite past times!

Beth wrote: "Joanna wrote: "It's weird, because normally I don't like the prompts that you can't figure out before actually reading the book (like this year's a book you think your friend would like), but my al..."
Ooh, thanks, that would be a different approach. I'll give it a shot and see what it kicks out!

Beth wrote: "Joanna wrote: "It's weird, because normally I don't like the prompts that you can't figure out before actually reading the book (like this year's a book you think your friend would like), but my al..."

Oh my gosh that's an INCREDIBLE website concept!

One of my favorite prompts is "a book mentioned in another book" so I will start making a list of titles that appear in the books I read in 2023!

I'm a bit indecisive but I think I'll go with the 2021 prompt of another format. I have a graphic novel called 'The Covid Chronicles'. I'm trying to stick with my NF theme.

Chelsea wrote: "I do the same one for this every year since they had it initially, and it's "A book you see a stranger reading in public." Checking out what everyone is reading at the pool over the summer is one o..."

Yes, I love to see what people are reading on the Long Island Rail Road. Although, so few people read physical books these days. Maybe more so at the pool, since they may be worried about getting their digital devices wet.

I chose a prompt from 2015 - A book with non-human characters - and decided on Watership Down

I chose Huck: The Remarkable True Story of How One Lost Puppy Taught a Family - and a Whole Town - About Hope and Happy Endings.
Prompt: An author you've never read before.

2021: A book about a subject you're passionate about:

Restoring a Presence: American Indians and Yellowstone National Park

I've always loved reading Native American history and my favorite place in the world is Yellowstone National Park so with this book I get the best of both.

From 2015, I'm choosing prompt 42 "A book you own but never read" because I have SO MANY!! And I would really love to read books I already own ;-)

I just joined and so had nor prior prompt to choose from. I chose to use a 2022 prompt: "a book about witches", which is one of my fun type of reads.

Joanna wrote: "It's weird, because normally I don't like the prompts that you can't figure out before actually reading the book (like this year's a book you think your friend would like), but my all time favorite..."

My pick for that would be Seveneves; the book opens with the line ""The moon blew up with no warning and with no apparent reason." I literally said "What?" and sat down on my bed to read more.

I read "A book in a series." The Highwayman

Chelsea wrote: "I do the same one for this every year since they had it initially, and it's "A book you see a stranger reading in public." Checking out what everyone is reading at the pool over the summer is one o..."

I never see anyone reading :( I had to cheat last time and search for online shots of people reading.

Okay wow, so there were 52 prompts that I liked from 2015-2021. Since I couldn't decide, I did a draw by writing down the prompts, folding them, and then drawing them from a jar.

The one that came up was: 2015- Own but Never Read

Oh, this is perfect. I know just the book.

Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth

A neighbour was giving away books including Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Not one I would have bought, but I thought it was one that might suit a prompt here. Not this year (apart from debut book, which I'd used ). So, I'm using a prompt I liked from 2019, Book relating to a puzzle or game, and I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would. A believable (unfortunately) dystopia and an exciting story line.

I always use the same prompt for this, 2015’s A Book Based Entirely on Its Cover. I’ve found some all-time favorites this way.

I've been enjoying nonfiction books more and more so I'm going to use the 2015 prompt (#14) for nonfiction. I'm going with Wonders of the Universe to fill this prompt (plus it's been on my reading list FOREVER!)!

I keep changing my mind!

Going through the lists again. Then I guess whatever book I'm reading I'll see if I can fit in to one of my favorites from 2018-2021.

Wow, going through the list and I see that I can make my own challenge because there are so many good ones. I don't know what I'll pick now.

I am choosing an easy prompt, a memoir, from the 2015 Popsugar Reading Challenge. Since it is also Women's history month, I will be reading The Heart of a Woman.

Most likely I'll go with the one from 2018: An LGBTQ Protagonist.

I recently ordered this book:

Lesbians on Television: New Queer Visibility the Lesbian Normal

It talks about my favorite couple from the show 'The Fosters', Steph and Lena. It also has some talk about the LGBTQ ships on Glee.

I noticed there weren't any LGBTQ+ topics this year so this one from 2018 will be perfect. Especially since that's a genre I don't read that much.

I READ Witch Inheritance

Okay need to find a different prompt. I forgot that I'm using the Lesbians on Television book for the queer lead prompt.

I'll see which other one I can find.

Okay I think I may have found a book for one of them.

In 2018 one of the prompts was on feminism. Easy enough.

I've got two to choose from:

The Wrong Kind of Women: Inside Our Revolution to Dismantle the Gods of Hollywood

Formidable: American Women and the Fight for Equality: 1920-2020

I just could not make up my mind. LOL!

There were so many good ones. I am now 100% set on this one:

2018- Mental Health: The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture

I moved The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture to a different prompt which freed up this one so I'll be adding EMDR: The Breakthrough Therapy for Overcoming Anxiety, Stress, and Trauma for this one.

Finished The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

For "Published in 2022"

My (not great) Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am so terrible at deciding. Even though I already shared a few books as possible contenders, I still haven't decided.

I made a list of my favorites from 2018-2021. From there I think I'm going to pick my top 3 of each and then let fate decide my ultimate one by drawing them from a jar.

*****

That was easy. I did my draw and then I decided which of the four I liked most out of those.

2021-Social Media Influencer it is then.

There are two particular social media influencers that I follow on TikTok and YouTube that usually have some pretty good and interesting books so I'll go through their videos and take a look at the books they've recommended.

Why do I keep making this hard on myself, lol!

The answer was right there. The prompt, 'Picked because the title caught your attention' from 2020.

I'm currently reading Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us . I got it last week because I saw it on the NYT. Even though I don't know anything about it, it was a book that immediately caught my attention because I like art.

I was actually trying to find a place for this one too, so it works perfectly.

I read Second Sister. I used a 2015 Prompt #44 Originally written in another language.

One of my favorite prompts from 2022 is - A book about witches :)
So, I read The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England by Carol F. Karlsen