2018 popsugar reading challenge – Page 3

36. A book set in the decade you were born – The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley

Finished 07/12/18

About the prompt: I had a hard time with this prompt because not many books were available to me that fit into this category. After many google searches I found this wonderful book. I was born in the 90s and this book takes place during 1993-1995, perfectly fits the prompt.

About the book: After finishing this book and having just read Aristotle & Dante by Saenz, I’ve re-discovered my love of coming-of-age themed stories. I used to devour these kinds of books during my middle school and high school days. This book was everything that I would have wanted to read back then and I’m glad I had the opportunity to read it now. It was a great coming of age story, heartbreaking with an uplifting and hopeful ending. You follow Maggie during her teenage/young adult years, trying to navigate the world as she knows it.

27. A book set on a different planet – A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Finished 07/07/18

I chose this book because I always had an interest in reading it. When I went to the bookstore there was a section dedicated to this book because of the movie coming out and I figure why not and decided to buy it. And this folks, is why I borrow my books from the library and then only buy my favorites. With the money I spent on this book I could have bought a different book that I wanted more. Now that’s not to say this book was horrible but I was not blown away like many reviews suggested. It was okay but mostly weird, like a long winded story that your parent is making up as they go along after you asked for a bedtime story. I’m not sure if I’ll continue on with the series or not.

34. A book that’s published in 2018 – Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu

Finished 07/02/18

I planned to wait until late in the year to choose this book to have more options for books published this year. I couldn’t wait and chose this book in June. Oh boy was it hard to choose a book and the year isn’t even close to being over! There have been many books published this year that I want to read and I’m sure the list will grow. I narrowed it down by what I really wanted to read and what was available at my library via overdrive**.

I chose Batman: Nightwalker because I love Batman and I love reading all the different variations people come up with for his backstory and what not. This was a very easy read, a little under 300 pages. It wasn’t bad but I wasn’t blown away either. It’s possible I still had book hangover after reading Vicious. I think this book was more young adult contemporary with whisperings of superhero fantasy and not necessarily a superhero Batman story. This followed Bruce around as he dipped his toes into vigilante-ism (lol idk if that even fits?). Anyway not necessarily a bad story but I’m glad I borrowed it from the library and didn’t buy it (I almost did).

**Side note, if you like/prefer/don’t mind e-books I 100% recommend OverDrive. If your library is in the system you only need to enter your library card to access your library’s available e-books.

A10. A book recommended by someone else taking the PopSugar Reading Challenge – The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Finished 06/27/18

This book was maybe more of a 3.5 because of the narrator and I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style. You can’t do half stars on Goodreads though so I bumped it up to 4stars. The overall feeling I had after finishing the book gave it that extra .5. I cried, I truly felt for Liesel and the pain she went through. This was a quick read for me but the subject matter is very heavy. There were times I had to step away and read a littler book in between to keep my spirits up.

28. A book with song lyrics in the title – Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Finished 06/25/18

I was having a hard time with this prompt for a while and after the third time I went through my TBR list this jumped out at me. Duh! Carry On by Fun or even Carry On My Wayward Son by Kansas. Anyway I was happy to find a book from my TBR list that fit this prompt.

Now this book first caught my eye from the cover when I was at Barnes & Noble browsing. It was really pretty, yes sorry book covers are the first thing I see. I try hard not to let covers deter me but they do snag my attention first if I think they’re aesthetically pleasing. When I read the summary I thought yes, I want to read this. I’ve read other reviews that stress this is not Harry Potter fan fiction. But honestly that’s all I could think. Now I don’t mean that in a negative way. I love fanfiction and I think some fanfiction is just as great as a published novel. There were many similarities that I felt like I was reading a Harry Potter AU. Again this isn’t a criticism, just something that I felt during my read of this book.

This read was medium paced for me, it wasn’t until the middle of the book around 45% that it picked up pace. I really did try to read it as a standalone but I just could not get Harry Potter out of my head. There were some chapters that stood out in a negative way for me. The constant back and forth between POVs in the same chapter was annoying. One example: Simon: what was he thinking right now? Baz: I didn’t know what I was thinking. I as a reader didn’t need to know that. It wasn’t enough to not read or enjoy the book but I really didn’t think it was necessary.

38. A book with an ugly cover – Hidden Meanings by Carolyn Keene

Finished 06/11/18

Okay so this one was a little difficult because most covers don’t seem ugly to me or if they were I already used them for other prompts (see #29). I chose this one because it’s super cheesy 90′s cover.

This was not the greatest Nancy Drew book I’ve ever read. Nancy’s characterization here was so off from what I’ve previously read that I looked into the series and publishing dates. This book is from a completely different series from the others I’ve read. The whole book revolved around Nancy’s jealousy of Ned and in the end there was no point, it added nothing to the plot. Ned was depicted as a boyfriend with a wandering eye and a bad temper but in a weirdly positive way. I’m not interested in reading from this particular series. I’ll be sticking to this series for any future Nancy Drew reads.

25. A book set at sea – The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Finished 06/10/18

I’ve never been good at figuring out mysteries so I don’t even try anymore, I didn’t catch on until 70% into the book. I was surprised with the twists and turns. I know a lot of others found this book lacking because of the predictable plot but for me personally I wasn’t expecting it. I just don’t read a lot of mystery books and I’ve never read anything set at sea so I was able to really enjoy this story. Lo Blacklock, the main character, could be a little annoying at times.

One thing that really bothered me was a non-con groping scene that is just brushed over because they’re exes and drunk. That scene really made me uncomfortable with the way it was depicted, non-con is never okay no matter what. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a relationship or had a previous relationship with that person or are drunk, it’s not okay.

39. A book that involves a bookstore or library – The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

Finished 06/02/18

Vampires and werewolves and dragons, oh my! There were also Fae and mechanical monsters. Amazing.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. Twists and turns everywhere, what a ride. I loved the idea behind the Library and I loved that it took place in a library. It reminded me a little of the show The Librarians (and I love that show). You may think all those mythical beings, a little much no? No, it didn’t feel overcrowded with all the different types of characters. The Invisible Library is also a steampunk book and that was fun, I’d never read this genre before and I really enjoyed that aspect. I try not to judge books by their covers but this cover, so pretty! I’ve added this book to my wishlist. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series as well as looking for other books in the steampunk genre.

21. A book with your favorite color in the title – The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

Finished 05/27/18

I hadn’t realized there was a second book after 13 Little Blue Envelopes. I read the first book back when it first came out, 2005 and thought that was that. I found out about the sequel this year and immediately put it on my TBR list early this year, before I had decided to start the PopSugar Reading Challenge. When I was looking for a book, I searched my bookshelves and this book came up, perfect. My favorite color is blue and I’ve been wanting to read this book.

I really enjoyed the overall story and feel of this book. I’m a homebody, I don’t like leaving my house and I have no interest in traveling. It’s draining just to think about it, I get stressed just going on a 3 hour trip. I love books like this! They give me a sense of adventure and a way to travel without leaving the comfort of my home. They also give me a little hope that one day I’ll be able to get out there and travel (but let’s be honest, the chances of that happening is close to 1%). In my opinion this sequel far surpasses the first in the series. It has a nice conclusion to the first but it’s still open ended with that contemporary life keeps going, keeps moving forward.

As is typical of Young Adult Contemporary books, there’s romance, heartbreak, and closure. I think this book handled it well and realistically. I’m sad to see Ginny’s story end here but very glad I read this book.

16. A book about mental health – Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson

Finished 05/17/18

I loved it! I really enjoyed reading about Jenny Lawson’s life and her experiences with mental illness. I could definitely relate to some of her experiences dealing with depression and anxiety. This book brought some light and life into a very heavy and dark conversation. I would recommend this book to friends I know that would enjoy Jenny Lawson’s style of comedy.