Tag: popsugarfinished

2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge – COMPLETED!
     An updated version and final version of the books I read for this challenge.

1. A book made into a movie you’ve already seen – The Devil Wears Prada
2. True Crime – Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery
3. The next book in a series you started – Endless Knight
4. A book involving a heist – Heist Society
5. Nordic noir – The Snowman
6. A novel based on a real person – Kaiulani: The People’s Princess
7. A book set in a country that fascinates you – Irish Fairy and Folk Tales
8. A book with a time of day in the title – Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day
9. A book about a villain or antihero – Snow, Glass, Apples
10. A book about death or grief – Vanishing Girls
11. A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym – Flowers in the Attic
12. A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist – If I Was Your Girl
13. A book that is also a stage play or musical – Dear Evan Hansen
14. A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you – Let’s Talk About Love
15. A book about feminism – We Should All Be Feminists
16. A book about mental health – Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things
17. A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift – Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Persepolis #1-2)
18. A book by two authors – The Nixie’s Song
19. A book about or involving a sport – Of Fire and Stars
20. A book by a local author – The Search for WondLa
21. A book with your favorite color in the title – The Last Little Blue Envelope
22. A book with alliteration in the title – Black and Blue
23. A book about time travel – Outlander
24. A book with a weather element in the title – The Lightning Thief
25. A book set at sea – The Woman in Cabin 10
26. A book with an animal in the title – The Bird and the Blade
27. A book set on a different planet – A Wrinkle in Time
28. A book with song lyrics in the title – Carry On
29. A book about or set on Halloween – Something Wicked This Way Comes
30. A book with characters who are twins – The Poisonwood Bible
31. A book mentioned in another book – The Language of Thorns
32. A book from a celebrity book club – Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl
33. A childhood classic you’ve never read – Winnie-the-Pooh
34. A book that’s published in 2018 – Batman: Nightwalker
35. A past Goodreads Choice Awards winner – Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between
36. A book set in the decade you were born – The Carnival at Bray
37. A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn’t get to – Kill You Twice
38. A book with an ugly cover – Hidden Meanings
39. A book that involves a bookstore or library – The Invisible Library
40. Your favorite prompt from the 2015, 2016, or 2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenges (I turned this prompt into 3)

2018 Popsugar Advanced Reading Challenge

1. A bestseller from the year you graduated high school – The Scarecrow
2. A cyberpunk book – Ready Player One
3. A book that was being read by a stranger in a public place – The Hazel Wood
4. A book tied to your ancestry – Across a Hundred Mountains
5. A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title – Tangerine
6. An allegory – The Phantom Tollbooth
7. A book by an author with the same first or last name as you – Marked
8. A micro history – The Ghost Map
9. A book about a problem facing society today – The Hate U Give
10. A book recommended by someone else taking the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge – The Book Thief

*As a personal rule to this challenge, I didn’t re-read any books. I also did not use one book for more than one prompt.

I had so much fun doing this challenge, I can’t wait to start on next years challenge. I’ve already started planning the books!

11. A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym – Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

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Finished 08/20/18

There was an interview with Andrews were she said they sent her a copy of her book which had her full name but then went and printed the book under the name VC Andrews. She was told it was a mistake but too late to correct because it had already been printed, later she learned it was done on purpose because her publishers believed it would sell better if people assumed the book was written by a male. That fits perfectly for this prompt.

I’ve always wanted to read this book because it is considered a classic. After finishing the books I was looking at a few of the top reviews on goodreads and they were all scored so low. After reading them I see it was because they initially read this book in middle school because it was a taboo book or seen as trashy. I didn’t read it that way or see it like that. This is categorized as a horror book on goodreads and it definitely reads as one (Andrew’s wiki says her books are Victorian Gothic Horror). These kids were abused, neglected and shut up together for over 3 years with only each other to rely on for their social needs, comfort and platonic/familial love that turned into romantic love. Their life experiences were hindered for them and they became overly dependent with each other. A true psychological horror imo. And a very quick and easy read which was what I essentially wanted.

“When I read, if a book doesn’t hold my interest about what’s going to happen next, I put it down and don’t finish it. So I’m not going to let anybody put one of my books down and not finish it. My stuff is a very fast read.” -V.C. Andrews

40b. A graphic novel – The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

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Finished 08/10/18

I love comics and I love graphic novels. When I saw this book on goodreads I got so excited I ordered it right away and could not wait for it to arrive. The book itself is so pretty! I bought the paperback and the cover is that soft idk velvety (?) covers, you know those smooth but not glossy covers. Anyway this was truly a joy to read. Whimsical and heartfelt throughout the story. I loved the illustrations and the story. I’m very glad I bought this book to add to my collection. I really hope this isn’t the end for Sebastian and Frances.

15. A book about feminism – We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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Finished 07/30/18

I really enjoyed this, it was very to the point. I both read and listed to the audiobook, which was a little under an hour. The only reason this wasn’t 5⭐️s was because of how short it was and I felt many of the things mentioned could have been expanded upon. I wanted a little more but nonetheless it was a great read.

A6. An allegory – The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

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Finished 07/29/18

I loved this. What fun, seriously. I don’t have anything bad to say about it. A very whimsical and playful read with a deep message. I loved the illustrations that went along with the story. This was a joyful and fast, easy read. I definitely recommend this book.

30. A book with characters who are twins – The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

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Finished 07/28/18

This was a doozy of a book. My aunt recommended this book to me ages ago and I finally took the chance to read it. This book was perfect for me, it was daunting at first with the language and how long it seemed to be taking me to read. Once I got to the end of the book it was well worth the initial struggle. This is not a light read, it really took my concentration to pay attention and understand the language as it’s not something I’ve read in a long time.

A4. A book tied to your ancestry – Across a Hundred Mountains by Reyna Grande

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Finished 07/21/18

I had a hard time with this one, the books I’ve come across that take place in Spain or Mexico are very politically heavy and I wanted something a little lighter. In the end it was between this and Esperanza Rising (I could not find anything emotionally lighter). I ended up putting both on hold, Across a Hundred Mountains was checked out to me from the library first and that’s how this book was chosen.

This was an intense and painful (in a good way) read, had me in tears. Very heavy subject matter, especially with what’s happening today in the world. If you’re interested in a thought provoking and emotional read I recommend this book. Anyway I’m very glad I read this book and I’m going to be checking out more by this author.

40a. A book you own but have never read – Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Finished 07/12/18

Now I saw another person doing this challenge separate #40 Your favorite prompt from the 2015, 2016, or 2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenges into 3 parts for each year. I loved the idea and decided to try it as well. This prompt comes from the 2015 popsugar reading challenge.

Originally I bought this book for a children’s lit class I was taking in college but I never read it. 3 years later I finally got around to reading it and I enjoyed the story. 4/5th grade me would have absolutely loved this book.

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

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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

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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.