Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

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2025 Challenge - Regular > 10 - A Book You Got for Free

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message 1: by Nadine in NY (last edited Dec 02, 2024 03:28PM) (new)

Nadine in NY Jones | 9708 comments Mod
A book you got for free.

As a library user, this means I can read just about any book! How will you interpret this one? There are so many ways: a public library, a Little Free Library, a book swap, a giveaway, NetGalley, a gift, a loan from a friend, a book from your mom's bookshelf, a book you just happened to find on a park bench somewhere ...


Listopia would be pointless for this one.


message 2: by Stina (new)

Stina (stinalyn) | 464 comments I might use a BookCrossing book or one from the neighborhood library box. But considering how many books I have on my "free downloads" shelf, it'll probably be one of those. BookBub is a menace, I tell you! ;-)


message 3: by Deb (new)

Deb | 51 comments I think any library book could work for this prompt. I have a friend who gave me her copy of The Devil in the White City, so I'll probably read that. Maybe do a book exchange with a friend! Or maybe someone will gift you a book on Christmas or your birthday!


message 4: by Ally (new)

Ally (allybl) | 47 comments I work at a college where we have a Little Free Library. I think I'll look in there once in a while. I also have friends with whom I pass around books we like. So, I might use one of those as well.


message 5: by Tania (new)

Tania | 678 comments I imagine I'll use one of the Amazon First Reads book for this, possibly When We Were Widows


message 6: by Ron (new)

Ron | 2715 comments With Christmas right around the corner, I'm crossing my fingers that I get some books for the holiday. If that turns out to be the case then I'll see which book I choose then. If not I'll have to find another way.


message 7: by Angela N (new)

Angela N | 7 comments Either a library book, or a free one from Amazon Prime, since I haven't got rid of it yet, and I have quite a few to choose from that I've already downloaded over the last few years.


message 8: by 9987 (new)

9987 | 35 comments Would one borrowed from a friend work? Personally I wouldn't count the library as it has a membership fee.


message 9: by Rose (new)

Rose W | 119 comments 9987 wrote: "Would one borrowed from a friend work? Personally I wouldn't count the library as it has a membership fee."
I would count borrowed from a friend - you read it for free. Interesting your library has a fee. Ours is free - well I guess technically we pay for it through taxes but no separate fee to use the library


message 10: by Denise (new)

Denise | 350 comments I got a copy of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle from one of our Little Free Libraries in the neighborhood, and it was the rare time I didn’t have a book with me to trade so totally free.


message 11: by Ron (new)

Ron | 2715 comments Wahoo I got a book for Christmas so this helps to fill this prompt!

I'll be reading:

Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire


message 12: by Bea (last edited Dec 28, 2024 04:04AM) (new)

Bea | 652 comments I dropped by one of the Little Free Libraries to leave a book on Boxing Day. I never find a book there...just do the donation. But, this time I saw The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and knew it was there for me for this prompt and because I have had this book on my TBR lists for years!

Now my only unplanned prompt is the 2025 one.


message 13: by Darci (new)

Darci Day | 164 comments And this is where I use one of the Amazon First Reads sitting on my Kindle, lol. I'm thinking Murder at Teal's Pond: Hazel Drew and the Mystery That Inspired Twin Peaks. I have almost no non-fiction on the list so far.


message 14: by Lisa Marie (new)

Lisa Marie Kemmerer (readingwithlisamarie) | 177 comments I usually take most of the books I read to a Free Library Box in my subdivision and I have only ever found one book that I had not read yet. But, last month when I dropped of a few books I found a book that sounded so interesting and I picked it up....So, I will be reading that book:

The Husbands by Chandler Baker
The Husbands by Chandler Baker

HAPPY READING!!!


message 15: by Kathryn (new)

Kathryn | 8 comments I’m counting Libby books hence Confession by Colleen Hoover fits


message 16: by Sasha (new)

Sasha  Wolf (sashajwolf) | 176 comments I'm reading one from our library at work!


message 17: by Ketutar (new)

Ketutar Jensen | 98 comments So... technically all the books I get my greedy hands on through a subscription service, like Everand, don't count...
technically, if I BORROW the book, I didn't "get" it
Uh. I don't really care. It's not that important :-D

But the public domain is free, there's plenty of books in https://www.gutenberg.org/ and https://web.archive.org/, and Internet archive has a borrowing option


message 18: by LeahS (new)

LeahS | 491 comments I found The Girl of Ink and Stars in a neighbour's giveaway box and was intrigued by the attractive cover and the title.
A young (ish) adult fantasy which was interesting, even if the narrative was a bit confusing in parts.


message 20: by Sasha (new)

Sasha  Wolf (sashajwolf) | 176 comments You Are Now Entering Suddence would work for this, since the author has made it available as a Google Site. GR doesn't allow external links, but if you Google the title, it should come up. It's a MG novel about a pre-teen with superpowers who is on the run from a doctor who wants to study the condition. I thought it was excellent.


message 21: by Anshita (new)

Anshita (_book_freak) | 271 comments I am reading Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian. I bought this book at the Delhi Book Fair for next to nothing, so free.


message 22: by Sherri (new)

Sherri Harris | 782 comments I read Unfixable: A Buck Lawson Mystery. Two good things happened with this book. 1. It was recommended to me. 2. I found it at the free library at our gym. The second book is the series is there so I will grab it tomorrow. The book was 5 stars. I enjoyed it.


message 23: by K.L. (new)

K.L. Middleton (theunapologeticbookworm) | 854 comments I feel like any book you purchase with a gift card should count as a free book...assuming that you didn't buy yourself the gift card.


message 24: by Dhruti (new)

Dhruti Patel | 1 comments Hey Guys,

Does Audible Credit works as Free Book?


message 25: by Bea (new)

Bea | 652 comments Actually, I count those credits as paid by my monthly membership.


message 26: by Laura Ruth (new)

Laura Ruth Loomis | 241 comments Lately I'm finding it really helpful to read about dark times in history, and people who stood up to do right.

So when my local used bookstore had a well-worn copy of Schindler’s List on the giveaway table, I grabbed it.

http://www.lauraruthloomis.com/whats-...


message 27: by Michele (new)

Michele Olson | 118 comments Queens of London by Heather Webb. It can also be used for overlooked women in history.


message 28: by Kim (last edited Apr 21, 2025 03:09PM) (new)

Kim | 215 comments Nadine in NY wrote: "A book you got for free.

As a library user, this means I can read just about any book! How will you interpret this one? There are so many ways: a public library, a Little Free Library, a book swap..."


Well, since 99.9% of the books I read, I get for free (mostly from my 3 libraries, via Libby/Overdrive, or from a brick and mortar branch), or books I was gifted... I was putting this off to the end of the year to use as a sort of wild card. But, that seemed like cheating, so I've changed the prompt to be, "A book I bought". This way I can read one of those books I bought because they are visually intriguing (House of Leaves, Ship of Theseus, or impossible to find at my library Kitty Cat Kill Sat: A Feline Space Adventure).

These are often books I bought that never fit a prompt, or I knew I'd never have time to get to. Now, I have to schedule one of those in!

Yay! Now, I'm excited!


message 29: by Lilith (new)

Lilith (lilithp) | 1074 comments Kim wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "A book you got for free.

As a library user, this means I can read just about any book! How will you interpret this one? There are so many ways: a public library, a Little Free..."


I am so excited for you to get to read House of Leaves for the first time! This is my absolute favorite book of all time. There's now a tie between three books for 2nd place, lol.
I will look forward to hearing/ reading what you think.


Bluebelle-the-Inquisitive (Catherine) (bluebelle-the-inquisitive) | 49 comments I was initially struggling to deal with this prompt. I borrow a lot of books from the library, but I realised that one of the audiobooks I borrowed earlier in the year, The Pillow Book Series 1-11: A Full-Cast Historical Crime Drama, was originally released as a free book. Well free audio drama by the BBC, I think parts of it are still available. It's not a book as one would think of it but if I can buy it as a book, if its chaptered as a book, it's a book.


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