Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

A book where the main character's name is in the title.

Full name? part of the name? It's up to you!! The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is the first book I thought of.


Listopia list is Here: A book where the main character's name is in the title

Question: Would this work for nonfiction or is it specific to fiction?

Ron wrote: "Question: Would this work for nonfiction or is it specific to fiction?"

This would totally work for a biography, history, or memoir. Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow is a prime example.

Thanks, Brandon. I just don't want to limit myself to fiction. That was my issue with the 2022 challenge, so many topics were geared towards that genre.

Ron wrote: "Thanks, Brandon. I just don't want to limit myself to fiction. That was my issue with the 2022 challenge, so many topics were geared towards that genre."

That's my goal this year, too. I need to read more of the books from my nonfiction shelves.

Dixie wrote:That's my goal this year, too. I need to read more of the books from my nonfiction shelves

Awesome, here's me wishing you luck with that. I'm sure we can work in nonfiction somehow with these prompts.

I'm thinking of reading Carrie Soto is Back or Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating

I'm going with the idea that this is full name, rather than just first name.

I added The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini by Joe Posnanski to the listopia. I really enjoyed it when I read it a few years ago. I'd recommend it for someone who wants to do non-fiction but also doesn't want something super heavy. Joe covers Harry's life, death, and then legacy.

Leaning towards The Ten Thousand Doors of January

If I end up doubling up with ATY prompts, I will be using The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi for this.

Rachel wrote: "Leaning towards The Ten Thousand Doors of January"

I just bought this book, this is a great idea!

Thinking of one of these:
Evvie Drake Starts Over
Olga Dies Dreaming
Queenie
Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

I'm thinking of Emma. I've never even seen an adaptation, so I'm looking forward to it.

It looks like 2023 will finally be the year I read The Picture of Dorian Gray, since it now fits four planned challenges.

Thinking of one of these:

Billy Summers

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina

SO MANY choices for this!

Carrie Soto Is Back
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Orlando
Darius the Great Is Not Okay
Leah on the Offbeat
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
David Inside Out
The Summer of Jordi Perez
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
The Manhattan Girls: A Novel of Dorothy Parker and Her Friends
The Queer Principles of Kit Webb
Kaikeyi
Miss Eliza's English Kitchen: A Novel of Victorian Cookery and Friendship
The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post
The Christie Affair
A Canticle for Leibowitz
Mr. Dickens and His Carol
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev
Dava Shastri's Last Day
Cilka's Journey
What Riley Wore
Jane and Dorothy: A True Tale of Sense and Sensibility: The Lives of Jane Austen and Dorothy Wordsworth
Tash Hearts Tolstoy

The Adventures of China Iron by Argentinian author Gabriela Cabezón Cámara is an exuberant queer retelling of the 1872 epic poem about gaucho Martín Fierro starring his young wife China Iron who runs away across the pampas with redheaded Scottish Liz on a series of adventures. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review

I'm going with "The Overdue Life of Amy Byler"

For people who haven't read them yet, there is Circe and The Song of Achilles

I'm going with Lucy by the Sea, which is the 4th book in the Amgash series/set, and was already on my TBR list.

I'm coming to find I'm breaking my nonfiction rule. I just might end up going old school with Hamlet or King Lear

Ron wrote: "I'm coming to find I'm breaking my nonfiction rule. I just might end up going old school with Hamlet or King Lear"

Can’t go wrong with those! 🙂

Stephanie wrote: "Would this one work? I've been wanting to read it, but not sure if Evelyn is considered a main character. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle"

The book has several main characters instead of one. I think you could justify read it for this prompt.

Heather L wrote: Can’t go wrong with those! 🙂"

Yeah. I've wanted to read them for a while but never get to them. Now that I'm doing a re-read of 'Station Eleven', it seems like the perfect time to work on those.

Im going to read Heidi by Johanna Spyri.

I'm going to use: The Earp Brothers of Tombstone: The Story of Mrs. Virgil Earp

I have a lot on my TBR that will work, here are a few:
Igor Sikorsky, His Three Careers in Aviation
I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia
Doctor Doolittle's Post Office
My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan
Walt Disney: An American Original

Books I recommend:
Heidi
Black Beauty
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Love, Lucy
The Boleyn Inheritance
Katharine of Aragon: The Wives of Henry VIII
The Van Alen Legacy
Plum Spooky
Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise

Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop
Nora Goes Off Script
The Lives of Diamond Bessie
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna

Nonfiction:
Janis: Her Life and Music
Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR

For those wanting some Non-fiction, you might check out:
Molly's Game: From Hollywood's Elite to Wall Street's Billionaire Boys Club, My High-Stakes Adventure in the World of Underground Poker
On Bowie
Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family

Diana wrote: Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family

Nice. Hadn't thought of that one. I read it years ago so it's been a while. This was before I really knew who she was. It would be interesting to do a reread after her role on Supergirl and all of that.

verity by Colleen hoover

I’m behind on the Alcatraz series, so I’m going with Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson. I don’t mind mixing in some middle reader fiction and YA.

The Legend of Korra: Patterns in Time

Im going through books I already own cause im trying to read those before buying new ones (not very successfully but hey, I try!

I have :
Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake
The Ten Thousand Doors of January
Archer's Voice


Some other suggestions :
Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating
Nick and Noel's Christmas Playlist
Davina Stone's Laws of Love series all have the MC's name in the title (i personally recommend The Felicity Theory (The Laws of Love, #4). as it was my fave so far)
Felix Ever After
Eleanor & Park
Act Your Age, Eve Brown
Get a Life, Chloe Brown
Take a Hint, Dani Brown



You could also go classic with Jane Eyre or Anna Karenina. Romeo and Juliet.

I've just finished Emily Noble's Disgrace by Mary Paulson-Ellis.

EN is actually one of three main characters who tell the story in 'real time' and flashback. It is one of a series set in Portobello, a faded seaside resort near Edinburgh. I think it would help to read in order, but I liked the premise of people clearing up after deaths - a policewoman and a cleaner feature in this. I thought the writing at the end was slightly confusing, but worth a read.

Here's what I pulled from my TBR for this prompt:
The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe (sci-fi novella)
It's Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake (self-discovery novel)
The Lies of Locke Lamora (fantasy)
Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead (one of the most strange and wonderful mysteries ever written, I will probably read the sequel for this prompt)
Delilah Green Doesn't Care (queer romance)
Avi Cantor Has Six Months to Live ("A romantic, #ownvoices fairy tale for trans boys")
The Trials of Morrigan Crow (MG fantasy)
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida (Sri Lankan magical realism)
Marlowe Banks, Redesigned (new adult romance)
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy (fantasy romance)

Based solely on books I currently own, I have a couple options:
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill
Gideon the Ninth
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Lolly Willowes
Marie Antoinette: The Journey

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It series

Zuleikha by award-winning debut Russian author Guzel Yakhina is a historical fiction set in 1930s Tatarstan and Siberia based on her grandmother’s memories of being exiled to the Gulag. Zuleikha is an oppressed Tatar housewife taken from her home and taken to a remote camp in Siberia where, despite adversity, she finds her inner strength and will to survive. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

Laura wrote: "I'm going with "The Overdue Life of Amy Byler""

No, I'm not. I'm going to listen to Cilka's Journey on Libby.

I read Jane Eyre

I read Coraline. I'm doing a course by Neil Gaiman on MasterClass, and wanted to reread it. It's also fascinating to talk about this book with kids, who don't seem to find it as terrifying as many adults.

The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding by Australian author Holly Ringland is a magical book set in Tasmania, Copenhagen and the Faroe Islands. It covers Indigenous stories, Nordic mythology, selkies and fairytales as Esther tries to piece together what happened to her sister Aurora and what the seven verses tattooed on her back meant. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review

I had a couple on my TBR for books I already own that would fit this prompt. I decided to go with The Merciless II: The Exorcism of Sofia Flores.

I've currently started the Left Behind Series Gift Set and book 3 is called Nicolae so I'll be going with this one.

Finished The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford

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

I found My Cousin Rachel on my book shelf that I won from GR in 2017 so will re-read.

Leona wrote: "I found My Cousin Rachel on my book shelf that I won from GR in 2017 so will re-read."

I re-read that one last year after probably 15 years and I saw it all in a completely different way!

For this prompt I read:

Where'd You Go, Bernadette Maria Semple