Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Anna wrote: "Would Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen work for this one?"

No, that's not an oxymoron.

Hello,
Could O Último Dia de um Amor Eterno fit in this prompt?

Emanuel wrote: "Hello,
Could O Último Dia de um Amor Eterno fit in this prompt?"

Last Day of Eternal Love? I feel like that would work as an oxymoron.

I just heard Ethan Hawke has/will have a book called A Bright Ray of Darkness. Seems fitting to me.

I have My Home is Far Away by Dawn Powell on my shelf. Could that title be considered an oxymoron?

Certainly choosing

Does anyone think that Hidden in Plain Sight by Jeffery Archer could work here?

Just ordered the Kindest Lie for this prompt from my local BIPOC owned bookstore Underground Books- can't wait to read it!

The Kindest Lie

I just finished The Love Proof. Would that work for this prompt?

James wrote: "Does anyone think that Hidden in Plain Sight by Jeffery Archer could work here?"

I think that sounds like an oxymoron!

Im thinking of reading -
All Days are Night by Peter Stamm, for this prompt. But is it an oxymoron or just a ridiculous sentence? Haha

Oh! And I just realised I also have The First True Lie by Marina Mander.

Kylie wrote: "Im thinking of reading -
All Days are Night by Peter Stamm, for this prompt. But is it an oxymoron or just a ridiculous sentence? Haha"

Both! The fact that it's an oxymoron is what makes it a ridiculous sentence.

Ugh, this has been making my head hurt, but I think I'm going to go with "modern history" and choose Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History.

I found books that contain "savage peace" and "guilty pleasure" that might work for people.

And this list, which I don't agree with all of them, but quite a few will work if you're tired of hurting your brains over this, too!

https://literarydevices.net/huge-list...

I'm going with Open Secrets by Alice Munro for this one.

Would When Breath Becomes Air work for this category?

A good lie? Close enough? I know it's not technically an oxymoron...

A true lie? I know there's a movie with that title. :)

Falling Up by Shel Silverstein

I've decided to read Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz, a 2013 Newbery Honor Book.

So many of the books in the Listopia list do not contain oxymorons. I think people are confused about what an oxymoron is. For example, All the Light We Cannot See is not an oxymoron. Angels & Demons are just opposites; Finders Keepers? There is no oxymoron there. Many others. Still searching for one I haven't read already. Just my two cents. What matters is that people are reading. :-)

Barbara wrote: "So many of the books in the Listopia list do not contain oxymorons. I think people are confused about what an oxymoron is. For example, All the Light We Cannot See is not an oxymoron. Angels & Demo..."

You are correct, Barbara.
I read Genuine Fraud which is an oxymoron. It was rather good.

Silent Scream would work, and I almost read that.

I guess people are confusing paradox with oxymoron. I see some paradoxes.....

An oxymoron: a rhetorical device that uses an ostensible self-contradiction to illustrate a rhetorical point or to reveal a paradox. (from Wikipedia)

So my reading of Splendors and Glooms would not work. I'm trying to read as much as possible from the Newbery list this year, so I'll take another look to see if anything else there would qualify.

Barbara wrote: "So many of the books in the Listopia list do not contain oxymorons. I think people are confused about what an oxymoron is. For example, All the Light We Cannot See is not an oxymoron. Angels & Demo..."


you're definitely not the first person to point this out. Every year, I'm surprised by what causes confusion! This year, it's "oxymoron."

Personally, I've had a really hard time finding a book I want to read for this category, so I understand if some people don't stick to the letter of the law here.

Yeah, it's a tough one to really stick to the accurate definition. When I first read the prompt, I thought it would be easier to find books. I wonder if the task creators thought there would be more books with oxymorons in the title? I did.

I'm reading Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter for this one.

What about These Violent Delights? I was thinking of reading that.

Lovely War—would this work?

Hello, do you think Good Girls Lie would qualify as an oxymoron?

Celine wrote: "Hello, do you think Good Girls Lie would qualify as an oxymoron?"

That title is actually a paradox. An oxymoron is just 2 words, and each of the words renders the other one impossible.

Genuine Fraud counts. I really enjoyed it.
Silent Scream would work.

If the book was called Truthful Lies, that would be an oxymoron :)

I'm pretty sure Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame is a good enough oxymoron.

So what are thoughts on The Paying Guests? Oxymoron? or common phrase that makes sense?

Nadine wrote: "So what are thoughts on The Paying Guests? Oxymoron? or common phrase that makes sense?"

The paying guests doesn’t sound like an oxymoron to me. I worked for Marriott International and everyone (paying customers) who came to the hotel were “Hotel Guests.”

Nadine wrote: "So what are thoughts on The Paying Guests? Oxymoron? or common phrase that makes sense?"

Interesting question! Especially when you consider that the last year or two I worked at Borders we were encouraged to refer to "customers" as "guests"! Trust me, we hoped they were indeed "paying guests" who would purchase what we had for sale! LOL

Lilith wrote: "Celine wrote: "Hello, do you think Good Girls Lie would qualify as an oxymoron?"

That title is actually a paradox. An oxymoron is just 2 words, and each of the words renders the ot..."

Thank you! Genuine Fraud was my second choice so I'll go with that one :)

I read Cold Comfort Farm for this prompt. A pleasant read, though I'm sure there are better options.

I read Hold Tight Gently by Martin Duberman for this prompt.

I'm trying to decide if I can make this an oxymoron - Heaven, My Home. Since I'm atheist/agnostic, heaven and home together appear impossible to me. But I'll take opinions on this.

Teri wrote: "I'm trying to decide if I can make this an oxymoron - Heaven, My Home. Since I'm atheist/agnostic, heaven and home together appear impossible to me. But I'll take opinions on this."


So, like, Heaven is an imaginary place like Neverneverland, and home is a real place? I can see that. But LOL I'm still trying to convince myself that "The Paying Guests" works here, so I may not be a good source.

I have been trying to think of name of *potential* titles with oxymorons. And I look up, and staring me in the face is a book I'm going to loan out to a friend called: The Truth-Teller's Lie.

If you are still searching, this is a real book, lol, and dayum, it was GREAT ! How could I have forgotten this title??

cw: (view spoiler)[ rape, both referenced, and described on page. If it helps? I am a rape survivor, and this was wayyyyyy closer to my experience than Know My Name.... and it was
brilliantly written such that I had no trauma from it. (hide spoiler)] YMMV. But yeah, it was amazing!

These Violent Delights Will this work?

I like to think it would because violence is mostly related to suffering and delight is, well the opposite of suffering.

****

Edit - On second thoughts, I have decided to go for Lovely War

The oxymoron is pretty obvious in this one.

Would Till Murder Do Us Part work for this prompt?

Janette wrote: "Would Till Murder Do Us Part work for this prompt?"

No, an oxymoron is just 2 words, beside each other. Each of the words make the other word impossible. Somehow, it works.

Like: Genuine Fraud - I enjoyed it
Silent Scream - haven't read it - looks good though
The Truth-Teller's Lie - at least a 5 stars from me!

Ezinwanyi wrote: "Lovely War—would this work?"

According to me, it would definitely work. I myself am going for this. Wars can be anything but "lovely".

I read and liked Genuine Fraud A book with a real live oxymoron in the title! LOL I liked the structural elements of the book, especially telling the story backwards in time – that really held my interest. Great pacing, great settings.

Yet, I liked it, but didn’t love it. And I wanted to love it. It was basically a retelling of The Talented Mr. Ripley. I don’t like retellings, for the same reason I don’t like the movie as much as the book. I liked the original by Patricia Highsmithmuch better. Maybe 3 1/2 stars. I've read worse.

Could work for a book set in multiple countries.

Lilith wrote: "I read and liked Genuine Fraud A book with a real live oxymoron in the title! LOL I liked the structural elements of the book, especially telling the story backwards in time – that ..."


That reminds me of the racehorse Genuine Risk! She was a gorgeous horse.

Every year there's a prompt that I'm surprised I struggle with, and this year I think it's this one. I can't seem to find anything off my existing shelf to work. But I just picked up Opposites Attract which is currently free and I *think* it works for this prompt. Thoughts??

Would Shadow of Night work for this prompt? I mean a shadow is created by the sun, so how can a shadow be of the night.

Mae wrote: "Would Shadow of Night work for this prompt? I mean a shadow is created by the sun, so how can a shadow be of the night."

Sounds good to me!

I disagree. There are shadows at night, so the words aren’t at odds with each other.