2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Updated message 1132: 48/50 completed

Challenge completed 12/12/19 (see original post in message 17 - originally committed to only 40 but ended up completing all 50)

POPSUGAR READING CHALLENGE 2019

Duration: January 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019

Completed: 50/50 as of 12/12/19
(committed to only 40 of these)
Completed items are checked (✅) and bolded below

✅1. A book becoming a movie in 2019
The Good Shepherd by C.S. Forester - completed 6/27/19 - 5 stars

✅2. A book that makes you nostalgic
Black Swan Green by David Mitchell - completed 1/17/19 - 4 stars (this book is filled with 1980's nostalgia)

✅3. A book written by a musician (fiction or nonfiction)
Pickle's Progress by Marcia Butler - 1 star (Marcia Butler plays the oboe)

✅4. A book you think should be turned into a movie
1. Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West by Hampton Sides - completed 1/15/19 - 5 stars (movie would give a better idea of the real American West and life of Kit Carson than what has been made to date)

✅5. A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads
Divergent by Veronica Roth - completed 7/16/19 - 3 stars

✅6.A book with a plant in the title or on the cover
The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob - completed 3/20/19 - 4 stars (palm tree on cover)

✅7. A reread of a favorite book
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - completed 7/24/19 - 4 stars

✅8. A book about a hobby
Discover Oil Painting: Easy Landscape Painting Techniques by Julie Gilbert Pollard - completed 1/31/19 - 4 stars (oil painting is one of my favorite hobbies)

✅9. A book you meant to read in 2018
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue - completed 3/27/19 - 4 stars

✅10. A book with POP, SUGAR, or CHALLENGE in the title
The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper - completed 6/25/19 - 3 stars

✅11. A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover
The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest by Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston DeWalt - completed 1/2/19 - 4 stars (the figures on the cover are dressed in climbing gear)

✅12. A book inspired by myth/legend/folklore
The Map of Salt and Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar - completed 1/4/19 - 4 stars (the "story within a story" in this book is based on The Arabian Nights)

✅13. A book published posthumously
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - completed 3/4/19 - 3 stars (Stieg Larsson passed away before any of his books were published)

✅14. A book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende - completed 5/18/19 - 4 stars

✅15. A retelling of a classic
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - completed 3/24/19 - 4 stars (retelling of a portion of Homer's Iliad - the story of Achilles from Greek mythology)

✅16. A book with a question in the title
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick - completed 4/24/19 - 4 stars - My Review

✅17. A book set on college or university campus
The Rainmaker by John Grisham - completed 6/4/19 - 4 stars (part of the novel is set on campus of Memphis State)

✅18. A book about someone with a superpower
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker - completed 3/31/19 - 4 stars (both the golem and the jinni have supernatural powers)

✅19. A book told from multiple POVs
The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay - completed 2/3/19 - 3 stars (told from two points of view: Nastya and Josh)

✅20. A book set in space
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin - completed 4/28/19 - 4 stars

✅21. A book by two female authors
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen - completed 6/29/19 - 2 stars

✅22. A book with SALTY, SWEET, BITTER, or SPICY in the title
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford - completed 3/27/19 - 4 stars

✅23. A book set in Scandinavia
Never Stop Walking: A Memoir of Finding Home Across the World by Christina Rickardsson - completed 5/5/19 - 3 stars (part of this book is set in Sweden)

✅24. A book that takes place in a single day
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf - completed 4/22/19 - 4 stars

✅25. A debut novel
We Own the Sky by Luke Allnutt - completed 2/2/19 - 2 stars

✅26. A book that's published in 2019
The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell - completed 3/16/19 - 3 stars

✅27. A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden - completed 4/8/19 - 4 stars - My Review (features lots of imaginary creatures from Russian folklore)

✅28. A book recommended by a celebrity you admire
Have a Little Faith: The Story of a Last Request by Mitch Albom - completed 2/1/19 - 3 stars (recommended by Oprah Winfrey)

✅29. A book with LOVE in the title
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez - completed 1/21/19 - 4 stars

✅31. A book about a family
Without a Country by Ayşe Kulin - completed 2/10/19 - 3 stars

✅32. A book author from Asia, Africa, or South America
The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende - completed 3/13/19 - 4 stars

✅33. A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in title
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende - completed 6/21/19 - 4 stars

✅34. A book that includes a wedding
The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne - completed 2/7/19 - 4 stars (actually contains two weddings)

✅35. A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick - completed 7/8/19 - 3 stars

✅36. A ghost story
Inland by Téa Obreht - completed 4/19/19 - 4 stars (the ghosts in this story are called "the other living")

✅37. A book with a two-word title
Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo - completed 2/28/19 - 3 stars

✅38. A novel based on a true story
To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey - completed 5/20/19 - 5 stars (based on the true story of Lt. Henry T. Allen)

✅39. A book revolving around a puzzle or game
Caraval by Stephanie Garber - completed 2/5/19 - 4 stars (the master of Caraval has the ability to create annual magical festival)

✅40. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading challenge - A book recommended by a librarian
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay - completed 5/21/19 - 3 stars


Advanced

✅41. A "cli-fi" (climate fiction) book
Watermelon Snow: A Cli-Fi Novel by William A. Liggett - completed 6/5/19 - 2 stars

✅42. A "choose-your-own-adventure" book
The Holidays by Mike MacDonald - completed 12/11/19 - 1 star

✅43. An "own voices" book
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan - completed 2/12/19 - 4 stars

✅44. Read a book during the season it is set in
In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende - completed 2/15/19 - 4 stars (read in winter and set in winter)

✅45. A LitRPG book
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline - completed 1/28/19 - 4 stars

✅46. A book with no chapters / unusual chapter headings / unconventionally numbered chapters
Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende - completed 2/25/19 - 4 stars (contains three sections with no chapters)

✅47. Two books that share the same title
Winter Journey by Diane Armstrong - 3 stars

✅48. Two books that share the same title
Winter Journey by Rick Mallery - completed 5/30/19 - completed 1/7/19 - 4 stars

✅49. A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom
The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare - completed 5/26/19 - 3 stars (the phrase "comedy of errors" is still used today and this was written in 1594!)

✅50. A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent
And Then There Were Nuns: Adventures in a Cloistered Life by Jane Christmas - completed 4/5/19 - 4 stars (set in 3 cloisters and 1 monastery)

Update msg 76

Sorry I didn't keep up with the postings, but I'm done: 14/10

2. A book that makes you nostalgic Foundation and Empire
3. A book written by a musician (fiction or nonfiction) Jukebox Joyride
4. A book you think should be turned into a movie The Girl Who Drank the Moon
6. A book with a plant in the title or on the cover A Court of Thorns and Roses
9. A book you meant to read in 2018 Greywalker
15. A retelling of a classic Macbeth
17. A book set on college or university campus A Discovery of Witches
21. A book by two female authors The Rule of One
24. A book that takes place in a single day They Both Die at the End
31. A book about a family Confessions
37. A book with a two-word title Proven Guilty

Just completed #42 (choose your own adventure) - My Lady's Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zagaris. A lovely bit of fluff with the added bonus of choosing your own adventure! I never would have chosen this book if not for the PopSugar challenge, and I'm so glad that I found it. Exactly what I needed today! Worth reading! 3.5 stars

49/50

Update to message #44

TOTAL (English + Spanish): 97/100

Edited post #164
32/45

Updated message #331:

47/50 complete

√ 50. A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent--The Bell

Updating message 780

44. Read a book during the season it is set in- The Winter Sea DONE

CHALLENGE COMPLETE (I finished my original challenge of 30, but I just finished the 50th book)

update post #302

13/15 completed

Update to message #44

TOTAL (English + Spanish): 98/100

Updated message 166

Progress 39/50

Updated message #331:

48/50 complete

√ 28. A book recommended by a celebrity you admire--Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

update to message 210 38/40 books completed

Message 219 updated
34/40

Edited post 53
added 2
total 29 of 40

#8. Hobby = window spying

#33 zodiac reference = "moon"

Just completed #42 (cli-fi book) - The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. That was some crazy, brilliant, weirdness wrapped into a genius bomb! What the hell and how the hell did the author even come up with that? And yet, I really liked it, after the first 25% or so. I'm not a fan of being dropped into the middle of occurring narratives and blindly struggling to figure it all out. That being said, I didn't have to struggle for long. And everything knits together and then cliffhanger. Definitely worth reading! 4.5 stars

50/50 - challenge completed!!!

Sally wrote: "Update msg 141
50/50"

Congratulations Sally! :)

Lauren wrote: "I FINISHED !!!! 50/50

28. A book recommended by a celebrity you admire: One Day in December"

Congratulations Lauren! Well done ^^

Cake_bomb wrote: "I have to admit - I have to quit this challenge. I am on 11 now and there is not chance that I'll get up to 20 in the next two weeks.
There were just so many things I wanted to read even though it..."

Don't worry. Such things happen. I didn't make it either. :)

David wrote: "update message 10

25/25 Completed"

Congrats on reaching your goal David! :)

Joy D wrote: "Challenge completed 12/12/19 (see original post in message 17 - originally committed to only 40 but ended up completing all 50)

POPSUGAR READING CHALLENGE 2019

Duration: January 1, 2019 - Decembe..."

Well done Joy! :D

Megan wrote: "Just completed #42 (cli-fi book) - The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. That was some crazy, brilliant, weirdness wrapped into a genius bomb! What the hell and how the hell did the aut..."

Yay! Great job Megan! :D

Challenge complete on message 78, 50/50

✓47. Two books that share the same title - Saving Grace by Pamela Fagan Hutchins (finished 12/18)
✓48. Two books that share the same title - Saving Grace by Darlene Ryan (finished 12/19)

Update to post 126. I am now at 49/50 and plan to finish the last one next week, just in time!

Updated message #65

50/50 FINISHED!

Congratulations Tania and Matt! :D

Update on message 1040
16/10 Challenge more than complete. I have already added Margaret Atwood as i will be finishing it in the next few days, Most certainly before then year is out.

4. A book you think should be turned into a movie *Cruel Design/This Mortal Coil trilogy*
6. A book with a plant in the title or on the cover: *Wilde zwanen: drie dochters van China; Jung Chang*
8. A book about a hobby - *Alles wat je wilt weten over hardlopen*
by [Mariska van Sprundel Running is a hobby of mine
9. A book you meant to read in 2018 - *Koning in het Noorden - Femke Roobol*
11. A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover The Testaments - Margaret Atwood*
12. A book inspired by myth/legend/folklore;*Cinder Marissa Meyer - Inspired by Cinderella*
13. A book published posthumously *Factfulness - Rosling*
17. A book set on college or university campus - *Binti - Okorafor, Nnedi*
20. A book set in space - *Noumenon - Lostetter, Marina J.*
23. A book set in Scandinavia -
*Samuel Bjork - De jongen in de sneeuw* It is set in Norway
26. A debut novel *Conversations with Friends - Sally Rooney*
28. A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature : *Binti - Home*
32. A book about a family *An Angel at my Table - Janet Frame* Certainly part one of the trilogy
38. A book with a two-word title; *Noumenon Infinity* [Marina J. Lostetter]
39. A novel based on a true story *Love Among the Ruins: A memoir of life and love in Hamburg, 1945 Harry Leslie Smith*

46. A book with no chapters / unusual chapter headings / unconventionally numbered chapters - *De hemel boven Parijs Bregje Hofstra His chapters are numbered Her chapters are versions of her essay or headed by her name and they don’t alternate*

Update to message #44

TOTAL (English + Spanish): 99/100

Completed 8/15

1. A book becoming a movie in 2019 (#1) - The Sun Is Also a Star
2. A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads (#5) - Life of Pi
3. A book with a plant in the title or on the cover (#6) - Leave It to Psmith
4. A book about a hobby (#8) - Confessions of a Shopaholic (because shopping is a hobby!)
5. A book you meant to read in 2018 (#9) - Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist
6. A book recommended by a celebrity you admire (#28) - Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (recommended by Bill Gates)
7. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading challenge (#40) - A book with an animal in the title (from 2018) - The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
8. A book published posthumously (#13) - The Trial

Update to message #44

TOTAL (English + Spanish): 100/100

Challenge completed! 🎉🎉

update to message 210- 39/40 finished

Updated message #1132: 49/50 read

Update to 1687

20/40

17. A book set on college or university campus: Binti : The novella takes place at the prestigious Oomza University. Definitely a foundational book that leaves me with questions.

Post 183 updated!

30/50

32. A book author from Asia, Africa, or South America Pachinko

update to message 1331

I think I'm pretty much finished for this year's challenge. I didn't complete all 40, but currently have 35 of 40 done. I wasn't very inspired by the prompts I didn't complete, even though I did have books picked out for them, I was never in the mood to read those books. I'm going to finish off with a reread of a favorite, and then call it a year.

On to the 2020 reading challenge!

Update message #178
30/30.....Yay, I did it!

50. A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent - X Returns by Claudia Mair Burney

Updated #413 - and with two days left of year 2019, I'm going to say I'm done
All but these six:

A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature
A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in the title
Two books that share the same title (I read one of them, though...)
A "choose-your-own-adventure"
A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom
A book with no chapters, unusual chapter headings or unconventionally numbered chapters

Now... I COULD claim "imaginary creature", as I have read books with dragons and other creatures in them. There's been several books with stars in the title. Perhaps there has been books that have inspired a common phrase or idiom, or with no chapters or unusual chapter headings - I haven't paid much attention. But I have read over 300 books and over 64.000 pages, so I think I'm OK :-D

Update to post 201:

8. A book about a hobby – For the Win by Cory Doctorow
11. A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover – Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
25. A debut novel – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
29. A book with LOVE in the title – Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge by Lisa Jensen

50/50 - FINISHED!!!

Updated message #331:

49/50 complete

√ 24. A book that takes place in a single day--No Exit

update on message 1745
Finished the Atwood - completed my challenge at 16 with going in for 10

49/50

21. A book by two female authors - Between the Lines
41. A "cli-fi" (climate fiction) book - The Age of Miracles

Update to message #155

Goal was 10, ended with 15!

I'm going to try and complete 10.

1. A book becoming a movie in 2019
✔️2. A book that makes you nostalgicNight Road
3. A book written by a musician (fiction or nonfiction)
✔️4. A book you think should be turned into a movie The Royal We
✔️5. A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads. The Help
✔️6. A book with a plant in the title or on the cover The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty
7. A reread of a favorite book
8. A book about a hobby
✔️9. A book you meant to read in 2018 The Mark of Athena
10. A book with POP, SUGAR, or CHALLENGE in the title
✔️11. A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover Grin and Beard It (Winston Brothers, #2) by Penny Reid
12. A book inspired by myth/legend/folklore
13. A book published posthumously
14. A book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie
15. A retelling of a classic
16. A book with a question in the title
17. A book set on college or university campus
✔️18. A book about someone with a superpower - The Mark of Athena
✔️19. A book told from multiple POVs - All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin
20. A book set in space
21. A book by two female authors
22. A book with SALTY, SWEET, BITTER, or SPICY in the title
23. A book set in Scandinavia
✔️24. A book that takes place in a single dayBefore I Fall
✔️25. A debut novel - The Help
26. A book that's published in 2019
✔️27. A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature Lover Reborn
28. A book recommended by a celebrity you admire
✔️29. A book with LOVE in the title - Hemingway in Love: His Own Story
30. A book featuring an amateur detective
✔️31. A book about a family - The Last Anniversary
32. A book author from Asia, Africa, or South America
33. A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in title
✔️34. A book that includes a wedding - The King
35. A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter
36. A ghost story
✔️37. A book with a two-word title - Leaving Time
38. A novel based on a true story
39. A book revolving around a puzzle or game
40. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading challenge

Advanced

41. A "cli-fi" (climate fiction) book
42. A "choose-your-own-adventure" book
43. An "own voices" book
44. Read a book during the season it is set in
45. A LitRPG book
46. A book with no chapters / unusual chapter headings / unconventionally numbered chapters
47. Two books that share the same title
48. Two books that share the same title
49. A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom
50. A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent

Update to #24
23/40

Update to message 149: 20/10

50/50 Finished in the nick of time! Also my first posugar/annual reading challenge completed!! :D

48. Two books that share the same title - Before I Fall

Updated message #331:

50/50, challenge complete!

√ 2. A book that makes you nostalgic--The Little White Horse

Updated message # 176

Completed 37/50 total prompts

Goal: 40

update to message #210: finished all 40 books for my challenge (and just in time too) with my prompt #40: Your favourite prompt from a previous POPSUGAR challenge. My prompt I chose was from 2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge, A book you loved as a child. I read Terrier from my one of my favourite childhood authors, Tamora Pierce.

Absolutely loved this challenge it was super daunting at first but nothing like a well organized and thought through reading plan to get through all 40 prompts. I read some really great new books, enjoyed from old favourites and pushed through some not so great ones ha. Cheers to 2019 reading challenge!!

Post 164 updated
Finished 34/45

Update:

2. A book that makes you nostalgic= Desser the Best Ever Cat
4. A book you think should be turned into a movie= Injection, Vol. 3
5. A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads= Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
6. A book with a plant in the title or on the cover= SHOUT
7. A reread of a favorite book= The Joy Luck Club
8. A book about a hobby= Fangirl (Writing Fanfiction)
9. A book you meant to read in 2018= Gangsta., Vol. 4
11. A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover= Naruto, Vol. 49: The Gokage Summit Commences
12. A book inspired by myth/legend/folklore= The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 1: The Faust Act
13. A book published posthumously= The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
15. A retelling of a classic= Geekerella
17. A book set on college or university campus= I Hear the Sunspot: Theory of Happiness
18. A book about someone with a superpower= My Hero Academia, Vol. 13: A Talk About Your Quirk
19. A book told from multiple POVs= The 19th Wife
20. A book set in space= To Terra..., Vol. 1
21. A book by two female authors= Pumpkinheads
23. A book set in Scandinavia= Silenced: A Novel (Sweden)
24. A book that takes place in a single day= Not Just a Princess
25. A debut novel= Dragonfish
26. A book that's published in 2019= Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare, Vol. 1
27. A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature= Saga, Vol. 2 (The Timesuck)
29. A book with LOVE in the title= Deadly Class, Volume 7: Love Like Blood
30. A book featuring an amateur detective= The Cain Saga, Volume 02
31. A book about a family= Saga, Vol. 1
32. A book author from Asia, Africa, or South America= Assassination Classroom, Vol. 01
34. A book that includes a wedding= The Cain Saga, Volume 01
35. A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter= Blue Exorcist, Vol. 7
36. A ghost story= Dark Curtains
37. A book with a two-word title= To Terra..., Vol. 2
39. A book revolving around a puzzle or game The Wicked + the Divine, Vol. 7: Mothering Invention (I think this counts)
44. Read a book during the season it is set in=Assassination Classroom, Vol. 5 (Summer)
46. A book with no chapters / unusual chapter headings / unconventionally numbered chapters= Paper Girls Vol. 3
47. Two books that share the same title=Temper
48. Two books that share the same title=Temper

Goal Met So Far: 34/10