Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

A book that fills a 2024 prompt you'd like to do over (or try out)


Did you have a favorite category in 2024 that you had too many choices for? Are you new to Popsugar and find one of the 2024 categories particularly intriguing? Here you go, this one is for you!!


Here are all the 2024 categories, for your reference:
1 A book with the word "leap" in the title
2 A bildungsroman book
3 A book about a 24-year-old
4 A book about a writer
5 A book about K-pop
6 A book about pirates
7 A book about women's sports and/or by a woman athlete
8 A book by a blind or visually impaired author
9 A book by a Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing author
10 A book by a self-published author
11 A book from a genre you typically avoid
12 A book from an animal's POV
13 A book originally published under a pen name
14 A book recommended by a bookseller
15 A book recommended by a librarian
16 A book set 24 years before you were born
17 A book set in a travel destination on your bucket list
18 A book set in space
19 A book set in the future
20 A book set in the snow
21 A book that came out in a year that ends with "24"
22 A book that centers on video games
23 A book that features dragons
24 A book that takes place over the course of 24 hours
25 A book that was published 24 years ago (2000)
26 A book that was turned into a musical
27 A book where someone dies in the first chapter
28 A book with a main character who's 42 years old
29 A book with a neurodivergent main character
30 A book with a one-word title you had to look up in a dictionary
31 A book with a title that is a complete sentence
32 A book with an enemies to lovers plot
33 A book with an unreliable narrator
34 A book with at least 3 POVs
35 A book with magical realism
36 A book written by an incarcerated or formerly incarcerated person
37 A book written during NaNoWriMo
38 A cozy fantasy book
39 A fiction book by a trans or nonbinary author
40 A horror book by a BIPOC author
41 A memoir that explores queerness
42 A nonfiction book about Indigenous people
43 A second-chance romance
44 An autobiography by a woman in rock 'n' roll
45 An LGBTQ+ romance novel
46 A book in which a character sleeps for more than 24 hours
47 A book with 24 letters in the title
48 A collection of at least 24 poems
49 The 24th book of an author
50 A book that starts with the letter "X"


No Listopia.

48 A collection of at least 24 poems: With My Back to the World: Poems by Victoria Chang

44 An autobiography by a woman in rock 'n' roll: Cher: The Memoir, Part One

18 A book set in space: The Employees by Olga Ravn or The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

9 A book by a Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing author: True Biz by Sara Nović

11 A book from a genre you typically avoid: True Crime - The Montreal Massacre by Louise Malette or Business - Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America by Marcia Chatelain

Skin Game by Jim Butcher is his 24th book. I didn't do any of the advanced prompts this year, so I will probably use this one. I also might try prompt #21, with a book published in 1924, instead of 2024, like this past year.

I think I will re-do 40th prompt: A horror book by a BIPOC author as I do want to read more horrors and I do find BIPOC authors’ voices intriguing.

Considering I found the 2024 challenge pretty difficult overall and got to only 37/50, I’m mostly happy it’s in the rear view. But since I have a lot of 2024 BOTM picks left to finish, I’m going to use the prompt of “Read a book written in a year that ends in 24”. Easy.

Here are some recommendations for prompts based on what I read and loved this year:

1 A book with the word "leap" in the title: Leap by Z. Egloff
2 A bildungsroman book: Litani by Jess Lourey
3 A book about a 24-year-old: Only Daughter by Anna Snoekstra
4 A book about a writer: The Last Safe Place by Ninie Hammon
7 A book about women's sports and/or by a woman athlete: Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: The Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters
17 A book set in a travel destination on your bucket list: Black Horses for the King
21 A book that came out in a year that ends with "24": The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir
27 A book where someone dies in the first chapter: Before He Finds Her
29 A book with a neurodivergent main character: Friends with Secrets
50 A book that starts with the letter "X": X-Men: Days of Future Past by Alexander C. Irvine

The two prompts I would consider doing for myself are '7 - A book about women's sports and/or by a woman athlete OR 17 - A book set in a travel destination on your bucket list'

For some reason I initially interpreted this prompt as asking me to choose a prompt where I didn't like the book I read in that category last year.
But I've rethought it and instead chose a prompt I liked a lot.

I'm going to go with 'a book set in the snow' because I have so many on my tbr.

I think I’ll pick the kpop prompt because I had a lot of fun reading books that fit it this year and I never read the book I planned. XOXO There’s been lots of people recommending it lately.

Erica wrote: "I think I’ll pick the kpop prompt because I had a lot of fun reading books that fit it this year and I never read the book I planned. XOXO There’s been lots of people recommending it lately."

You might be the one and only person who feels that way about the kpop prompt.

Yep I’ve noticed. Haha

I loved the KPop prompt! I loved it so much I went and read all the books I could find, so now I've got none left.

Nadine in NY wrote: "I loved the KPop prompt! I loved it so much I went and read all the books I could find, so now I've got none left."

The Yakuza's Bias, Volume 1 such a fun manga!

Erica wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "I loved the KPop prompt! I loved it so much I went and read all the books I could find, so now I've got none left."

The Yakuza's Bias, Volume 1 such a fun manga!"



... aaaaaannnnd ... I have not yet read that!! But I sure want to read it now! Thanks. I might use it for this category!

I pre-ordered a book that's being released in late January and I was trying to figure out where to place it. This prompt looks like it will work.

I'll be going with Women's sports

So for this book I've chosen More Than a Doll: How Creating a Sports Doll Turned into a Fight to End Gender Stereotypes

13 A book originally published under a pen name:
37 Questions by June Kaye is coming out on Feb 11th, 2025. June Kaye is a pen name, as the author is a writing duo!

(full disclaimer: I'm one of the authors. I hope it's ok to suggest my own book!)

I am going with published in 2024 since I already have Wandering Stars and Table for Two as book club reads next year

I will be re-doing Prompt #20: A book set in the snow -

*Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah


HAPPY READING!!

Lisa Marie wrote: "I will be re-doing Prompt #20: A book set in the snow -

*Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah


HAPPY READING!!"

Oh a Kristin Hannah book, nice. I keep wanting to get into her books but after I read 'Firefly Lane' there's just no way. That's the only book in my life to ever make me cry. I can't even read the sequel, 'Fly Away'. I'm always impressed with people who read Hannah's work.

I picked an easy book for me - Cozy Fantasy (#38); but now I am thinking that I might pick one of the 10 that I did not read during 2024 that is not planned for any challenges in 2025.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Erica wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "I loved the KPop prompt! I loved it so much I went and read all the books I could find, so now I've got none left."

The Yakuza's Bias, Volume 1 s..."
I put it in another thread, but for XOXO fans, I'd also recommend The Comeback.

For this one I think I'm going to redo book about dragons, as it was one of the prompts I was most excited about last year and then I did not like the book I ended up reading (The Dragon Engine - cover blurb made it sound like a fun light-hearted book about a heist, instead it was grimdark about torture). In part because I think it's funny to have dragons and not dragons prompts together, in part because it's an excuse to get to Fourth Wing.

I'm going with this prompt:

"About women's sports"

My copy of More Than a Doll: How Creating a Sports Doll Turned into a Fight to End Gender Stereotypes arrived yesterday. Pre-ordered it back in December and I have it listed as a priority read for February.

Update: Started More Than a Doll: How Creating a Sports Doll Turned into a Fight to End Gender Stereotypes

Currently on chapter 6 and it is so good! It's kind of sick in some ways because it goes into the sexism and patriarchal society of how they view girls and women but it's important because this is unfortunately the society we live in.

It makes an excellent point in chapter 5:

(view spoiler)[Talks about how in school we're only taught about the men who contributed to society and their accomplishments. Women are hardly ever mentioned and if they are it's in a domestic setting or to boost a man's ego (hide spoiler)]

I liked it because I can relate. There was only one woman I ever learned about in school which is a tragic thing. How can girls aspire to something greater when they're not being taught or given role models?

I read a book similar to this once called Tomboy: The Surprising History and Future of Girls Who Dare to Be Different so it's along those lines, but I like More Than A Doll more.

Inheritance for A book that features dragons

I went with prompt 7: About women's sports

More Than a Doll: How Creating a Sports Doll Turned into a Fight to End Gender Stereotypes

Star Rating: 4



My Review: This book was very timely given the anti-women statements in our country. I grew up in a time when men dominated. I played soccer on an all-boy's team before girl teams were created. I was lucky enough to have parents who didn't mind me being gender-neutral. I played with dolls and action figures and cars, but I always found the boy section to be a lot better. They had cooler stuff and their colors were better too. The girl sections were always filled with too much pink. Yuck!

In this book, Norgaard does an excellent job at talking about the patriarchy especially when it comes to girl's toys. Rather than girl toys boosting their self-esteem images, they are more designed toward male fantasies, which are geared toward young girls and it is sick and disgusting if you think about it. They look more like hookers (ie the Bratz dolls) Not exactly an ideal a girl should strive toward. And the Barbies were taken from the idea of old pinups as the 'ideal woman' that men would take to war. Sure dolls are becoming a little more diverse, but they still have a long way to go. I never once played with a doll with my skin tone. Definitely a great read. We need dolls and girl toys in general to look like actual girls rather than the sick, fantasies that men have of them.

I'm reading Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors. I chose the 2024 reading challenge prompt "recommended by a bookseller."

I read Thank You for Listening for #31. A book with a title that is a complete sentence.

For number 32 enemies to lovers. Do you think The Viscount Who Loved Me would work for this? I've seen the series but not read the books.

Victoria wrote: "For number 32 enemies to lovers. Do you think The Viscount Who Loved Me would work for this? I've seen the series but not read the books."

It does. I read it late last year.

Denise wrote: "Victoria wrote: "For number 32 enemies to lovers. Do you think The Viscount Who Loved Me would work for this? I've seen the series but not read the books."

It does. I read it late la..."

Brilliant! Thank you.

I read Wandering Stars Tommy Orange for "at least 3 POVs"

#7: Women in sports:

Finished The Favorites by Layne Fargo

My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I chose prompt # 48: A collection of at least 24 poems. I love reading, writing and teaching poetry, and I have been on a mission to read more Palestinian + Gazan poets.
I highly recommend Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza. This can be tough reading at times, but in the middle of all the rubble and pain there is still family, love, nature and that which makes life worth living.

Mosab Abu Toha does not whitewash anything. I found him so relatable, in odd way, in that, as Indigenous people, we have an ongoing relationship with the land that we live on. I really appreciated that aspect.
While he is presently enduring the genocidal brutality that my ancestors endured, and I can grasp that, he gives such a specific, authentic and mind-expanding voice to both the cruelty he is in the midst of and his hope that endures. It's a marvel of a book.

I struggled to read last year, so I missed most of last year's challenge. This is kinda a treat for me. I decided to see how many prompts I could fit to a book that was on my tbr for last years challenge, The Woman in the Library.

I managed to get A book about a writer, A book set in a travel destination on your bucket list, A book where someone dies in the first chapter and A book with an unreliable narrator (?).

I was going to read an author's 24th book, but it fit somewhere else, so I'm going with #11, a genre you don't normally read. The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron is Christian fiction, but it doesn't hit you over the head with it like some do.