Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

A book Where Someone Dies in the First Chapter

Admittedly, this made me laugh out loud! This occurs in most of the Alex Cross books by James Patterson, many of the Women's Murder Club books by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, and quite a few of Ann Cleeves' books. I will try to list some specific titles later, but now I need to get all these prompts posted!

For nonfiction, perhaps Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty? I'm just guessing it might fit... I'm sure one of you will know! 🤗

Listopia is HERE

I kinda love this prompt! Characters are killed off in the first chapter all the time.

The Night Shift has multiple people die in the first chapter I think?

I really like this prompt as well. First thing that came to mind was The Shadows Between Us.

Given that my goal in 2024 is to read more mysteries/thrillers, I know I can do this prompt.

I wonder if The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy would count? It starts off with a body being dropped off at the undertakers'.

I’ve been wanting to read The Marriage Poetrait by Maggie O’Farrell. Would this book fit this prompt? I’d research further but I’m afraid I’ll read spoilers!

I finally read Chronicle of a Death Foretold this year and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I didn't expect it to be so humorous. I highly recommend it!

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger

A lot of the J.D. Robb books have someone dying in the first chapter

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8... another goodreads list with a similar theme

L Y N N wrote: "A book Where Someone Dies in the First Chapter

Admittedly, this made me laugh out loud! This occurs in most of the Alex Cross books by James Patterson, many of the Women's Murder Clu..."

Hi Lynn, do you recommend any in particular?

By chance does anyone know of any nonfiction that could work for this?

Maybe memoirs about grief after death of a loved one?

Chrissy wrote: "Maybe memoirs about grief after death of a loved one?"

Thanks. Hadn't even considered that.

Ron wrote: "By chance does anyone know of any nonfiction that could work for this?"

My idea for this was to read a history book about a war, conflict, or colonization since those almost always involve deaths and many books mention that early on.

I checked the Amazon previews of some options from my TBR, and these all fit:

The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History
King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa
Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent
Clearing the Plains: Disease, Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Aboriginal Life

Gina wrote: I checked the Amazon previews of some options from my TBR, and these all fit:

The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History
King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa
Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent
Clearing the Plains: Disease, Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Aboriginal Life

These are perfect, thanks. I read 'The Rediscovery of America' this year (incredible book!) so I think I'll go with 'Clearing The Plains'.

I haven't read it yet, but just looked up a chapter-by-chapter summary to make sure, and Deacon King Kong by James McBride should count. I'm going to read it next, so I'll be able to confirm!

In the first line...

Love Story by Erich Segal

The Stranger by Albert Camus

I'm going with The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd, it's been on my bookshelf for a while now

For something a little different, I can recommend The Afterlife of Holly Chase. It's a bit of a modern retelling of A Christmas Carol with a twist.

I saw Legendborn and A Blade So Black on other lists, but I haven't been able to confirm or deny it.

Just started The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff and I think it fits.

I started my holiday reading and wouldn't you know it, this one has someone die in the first chapter: A December to Remember

I would totally put it off until the first of the year, but it's a library book. For anyone that will be still working on this prompt next holiday season or maybe wants to a Holiday in July read, this would be another option.

Almost any murder mystery would work here, I feel like

Chrissy wrote: "Maybe memoirs about grief after death of a loved one?"

I just read far enough into The Year of Magical Thinking to see that yes, she does tell the story of her husband's death in chapter one.

As a mystery lover, I'm going to wait and just let one surprise me by fitting.

Jackie wrote: "As a mystery lover, I'm going to wait and just let one surprise me by fitting."



That's what I'm doing too!!!

Is there an implication that the character is alive at the start of the book but then dies in the first chapter? Or is it simply that someone's death is mentioned in the first chapter and the narrative moves on from there? Either/or? Am I overthinking it? I'm probably overthinking it.

Angie wrote: "Is there an implication that the character is alive at the start of the book but then dies in the first chapter? Or is it simply that someone's death is mentioned in the first chapter and the narra..."

Overthinking it!

Angie wrote: "Is there an implication that the character is alive at the start of the book but then dies in the first chapter? Or is it simply that someone's death is mentioned in the first chapter and the narra..."

I was thinking about Mitch Albom's book "The First Phonecall from Heaven" which is on my shelf, or is that too much of a stretch?

If you haven't read the Bill Hodges Trilogy (Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King), and you choose not to for this prompt---you're doing yourself a disservice. lol :)

Diana wrote: "I saw Legendborn and A Blade So Black on other lists, but I haven't been able to confirm or deny it

Legendborn does not have a death in the first chapter. There's definitely a death the main character is thinking about, but it's several months in the past. And I *think* a bystander dies in chapter 2?, but again, that's not the first chapter.

I've read A Blade So Black, and there is an important death early in the book, but I don't think it's the first chapter either. Sorry I can't be more helpful, but both books are so good.

I am currently reading Rouge by Mona Awad and it fits this prompt!

I started a bit early and have read Broken Bay by Margaret Hickey.

Jackie wrote: "As a mystery lover, I'm going to wait and just let one surprise me by fitting."

That's what I did, and my first book of the year, fit! It didn't fit anywhere else, and I had it listed in my Alphabet Challenge (which I'd rather save for emergencies! LOL!)

It's Richard Osman's new book, The Last Devil to Die, the 4th in the Thursday Murder Club series. (I can't remember if there were murders in the first chapters of the previous books).

I added the book to the Listopia linked in the first post, but after I chose the one from my "My Books", I saw that I should have used the "Search" option, which I did, and of course, it resulted in the very duplication I was hoping to avoid!

Just finished Verity by Colleen Hoover. Someone dies in the first sentence. Excellent book, by the way

i read "Hoop Muses: An Insider's Guide to Pop Culture and The (women's) Game" by Kate Fagan. If you are a fan of women's basketball you need to read this book!

Ron wrote: "By chance does anyone know of any nonfiction that could work for this?"

I immediately thought of The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World, by Steven Johnson. I was sure it would have started out with a death, and so I checked the ebook out real quick from my library, and saw that it does start out with a death in the first chapter, only it was not a cholera victim, but a random body a man and his daughter found.

If you do decide to read the book, I highly recommend the audiobook! I checked it out, along with the ebook, so I could see the maps that are crucial to the story. They were kind of hard to see on my laptop, so I Googled and found better copies of the map(s), that I could zoom in on better. ...Although, the cover on the book I just checked out , is different than the black one on the book I read , and I see that this is a 2023 edition (with the map on the cover, with a large, red dot for the epicenter of the outbreak, and surrounded by a field of bright blue). The maps in this ebook seem much better! (There are also a few vintage photos and engravings that are worth seeing).

Angie wrote: "Is there an implication that the character is alive at the start of the book but then dies in the first chapter? Or is it simply that someone's death is mentioned in the first chapter and the narra..."

I came here to say the same thing, because I'm pretty sure I have been overthinking it! Does a character have to be "actively" killed in the first chapter or is a mere mention of a dead body enough? xD

The Collected Regrets of Clover fits this prompt! It is pretty sad/bittersweet and deals heavily with death, dying, and grief—but I really loved it!

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Lisa Marie wrote: "
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel"

Awesome. Read this book a couple of years ago and loved it.

I had thought that my favorite genre (Mystery) would have offered up plenty of options by now. Nope. Oh, people die in the books...just not the first chapter.

So, I just scanned the first chapter of the two books I have up for "next to read". One will do! Hangman Blind

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See is a wonderful historical fiction in which a character dies in the first chapter.

A December to Remember is on my TBR for this year so I will slot it here. Thank you Diana for mentioning its fits here

Listopia includes A Christmas Carol. Who died in the first chapter? Don't say it was Jacob Marley, because according to wikipedia, he died seven years before the beginning of the story. So his death was referred to in the first chapter, but he didn't die in the first chapter. I was skimming over the first chapter of a murder mystery to see if it qualified. The first chapter has to do with a discussion about a murder in the 1860s. I would not say that that book qualifies as "A book Where Someone Dies in the First Chapter."

I just skimmed over the first chapters of a few murder mysteries, and I found out for sure that someone dies in the first chapter of - The Summer House by James Patterson with Brendan DuBois.

Tara wrote: "I am currently reading Rouge by Mona Awad and it fits this prompt!"



OMG I JUST had that borrowed from the library but I didn't have time to read it and didn't think it fit any challenge category, so I returned it. Time to put it on hold again!!

Monica wrote: "Listopia includes A Christmas Carol. Who died in the first chapter? Don't say it was Jacob Marley, because according to wikipedia, he died seven years before the beginning of the story. So his deat..."

A lot of people are just counting the mention of a death in the first chapter.

I put down Red Hood, but I may have to change that. I listened to it on audiobook and don't really recall if that whole first bit was broken into smaller chapters or not. Anybody here know?

"A lot of people are just counting the mention of a death in the first chapter."

If a little girl had a birthday party because she just turned seven in the first chapter, would you say that she was born in the first chapter? I wouldn't. I would say that she was born seven years before the book began. So, if it's mentioned in the first chapter that someone died seven years ago, I would say that he died seven years before the book began. IMHO there is a difference between someone dying in the first chapter and a death being referred to in the first chapter.