Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Stacy wrote: "Can anyone recommend a mystery novel that has someone with a superpower?"

I just finished Witchmark, which fits the bill (if you count magic as superpowers). The main character is a doctor who believes one of his patients was murdered and, when the police refuse to investigate, takes matters into his own hands. Also he has healing powers and and encounters other magic users.

It's not a "traditional" mystery (i.e. where all the clues are given to you and you can guess the killer before the detective's grand reveal), but still decently fun.

Also, I feel like The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle would count? Someone who's read it can confirm, but being able to rewind time and inhabit different bodies seems like superpowers.

Drakeryn wrote: "Also, I feel like The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle would count? Someone who's read it can confirm, but being able to rewind time and inhabit different bodies seems like superpowers. ."

Unfortunately, I don't think it really counts. Trying to be as vague as possible to avoid spoilers, the time/body hopping is really something the character experiences rather than something he controls.

Loved reading Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillain for this prompt. It was a quick read, funny and a cool concept.

Would King of Scars work for this prompt? The Grisha certainly are powerful.

Amy wrote: "It may a bit of a stretch, but I chose Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower and am glad I did!"

I just finished this, and came to this thread to see if anyone else was considering it! I'm using it for this prompt even if it's a stretch since it's a traditional superpower ala super heroes. But in general I've found this year's prompts super unfriendly to nonfiction, so got to stretch when I can!

Do y'all think The Green Mile would count for this?

Stephanie wrote: "Do y'all think The Green Mile would count for this?"

If bringing people/animals back to life isn't a superpower, I don't know what is.

I found the sequel to a book I read years ago and it fit nicely in here: Hearts of Smoke and Steam. It's basically steam punk/Victorian League of Legends. It's silly but definitely an interesting niche "genre". The characters definitely pride themselves on being superheros and supervillians.

I am reading Foundation by Isaac Asimov for this prompt. One of the main character's uses math to predict the future. I'm counting it as a superpower as the character even says in the book that most people couldn't do it let alone understand how he does it.

How about Every Heart a Doorway?

I read Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. I think many of her other books would work as well.

Catherine wrote: "Kingdom of Ash?"

Works! And it is a really good book, just make sure to read the others in the series before ;)

I finished The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (The Broken Earth #1) for this prompt. It can also be used for the advanced prompt a “cli-fi”book.

Reading The Power by Naomi Alderman for PopSugar's #18 prompt, a book about someone with a superpower, really took me out of my comfort zone. But that is what these reading challenges are all about! This one was hard for me to get through but I'm so glad I stuck with it through to the end. This is one story that will stick with me for awhile.

I'm reading Strong Female Protagonist: Book Two, and loving it!

Sylvia wrote: "Would THE SHINING work for this."

Yes definitely. The "Shining" refers to the ability to communicate telepathically. Several characters in the book have that talent. Yes, it's also features a father that gets possessed by a hotel, but the book is about more than that.

For anyone who's looking for a fantasy YA option here, rather than something more dystopian/sci-fi, I would count: The Unbreakable Curse: A Beauty & the Beast Retelling

Most characters have a 'knack', an innate magical minor ability of some kind. (Some are more useful than others, ranging from ability to get anyone to believe you even when you're lying, to always knowing where food is.) There are some harsh elements to the story, but the romance itself is very sweet and without any of the Stockholm Syndrome overtones that sometimes come with Beauty and Beast stories.

I just finished reading Matilda. Something I was originally going to use as my book that makes me nostalgic, until I realized she technically does have a super power.

Any fellow Rainbow Rowell fans here?

I'm using Carry On for this prompt as I was planning to reread it anyway in preparation for Wayward Son

I went with the YA novel The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl. Her superpower is that she’s a mathematical savant.

I read The Silence of Bonaventure Arrowfor this. I liked it a lot!

I am reading Hollow City the second book in the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar children. All the kids have powers.

I haven't read it, but would Red Queen work here? the description says god like powers...? Thanks guys!

I wanted to read Playing for Keeps, but my library doesn't have an ebook to check out. Somewhere I obtained a copy of I Am Number Four and reread the synopsis. I'm excited for it and will put Playing for Keeps back on my TRB list.

I've really only just started reading it, but if you consider synesthesia a "super power" then The Map of Salt and Stars could fit this prompt.

Would 11/22/63 count? Does time travel really count as a super power?

I read Morning Star.

I read the final book in Kathy Reichs' YA 'Virals' series, Terminal
Any of the books in this series would do, and I didn't see that anyone else recommended them yet. I did think the early books in the series were better than this one, and you want to read them in order, starting with Virals

I just heard about a book coming out at the end of October, Nothing to See Here. I think it might work.

I did The Fifth Season for this . It was great.

The Institute by Stephen King is about kids with telekinetic and telepathic abilities.

I read Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart, as the family in the story have a trait of telepathy through their history. This was a good, well-paced family mystery with a supernatural element. I did guess the twist pretty early on, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of watching the story pan out to see if I was right. I will say, I struggled to shake the ickiness of narrator Bryony referring to the unknown member of her family - whom she has been communicating telepathically since childhood - as her "lover". Even if it was certainly one of her cousins (technically legal and totally ok in the UK...still ick to me). I'm adverse to that word anyway, but especially when it's used to refer to a voice in your head that you have conducted zero lovin' with... Anyway, it was the 70's, so I'll let it slide. Not least because it isn't the only stupid thing Bryony is guilty of in the name of family. It's a shame she could be so annoying, because I actually liked Bryony for the most part. I also loved the ramshackle castle which is the central setting and cause for the family feud after the death of Bryony's father. I wont say much more, as this is an easy story to spoil, but it was a fun read.

Finished Graceling by Kristin Cashore

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