Linda Jo Martin

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My Progress on the PopSugar Reading Challenge for 2019

December 15, 2018 By Linda Jo Martin 17 Comments

I’m doing the PopSugar Reading Challenge again in 2019! I won’t start reading the books on this list until January but I’m already choosing books for the 2019 version of the challenge.

The beauty of reading is that it lets you travel in a way you could never know.  - Alek Wek

This is my fourth year doing the PopSugar Reading Challenge. My favorite part is picking out the books. So much fun! I manage to read quite a few of the books every year so this enriches my reading activities and expands my outlook on read-worthy books.

I’m trying to finish the challenge this year and so far have read 31 out of 50 books.

This page is a living document to guide my reading in 2019. I will add to it, change selections at will, and check off the prompts when I complete my reading of each one.

✓ 1. A book becoming a movie in 2019

I choose to read The Woman in the Window. The movie will be released on October 4, 2019. I plan to read the book before that happens. Maybe I’ll see the movie in a theater! That would be different. I haven’t been to a movie theater since… well, about 10 years ago, when I watched The Golden Compass in the old theater in Yreka, California, and my toes froze the entire time – it was so cold in there I never could warm up. But … I’m willing to try again. Why not? It would be a good way to celebrate my reading of this book.

Update: finished this on March 3, 2019.

The Woman in the Window
The Woman in the Window


✓ 2. A book that makes you nostalgic

Hmmm… a book that makes ME nostagic? Is there anything about living in the sixties in the East San Francisco Bay Area? That might make me nostalgic. Let me think about it. Maybe, do some research on this.

Later . . .

Okay . . . this book has been on my radar for a long time because it is set in a beautiful, rural place I’ve been to many times – Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in the East San Francisco Bay Area, just outside the town of Antioch. It is a regional park now, but it used to be an area where five small towns housed workers employed by local coal mines – and that is what this historical novel is about.

Update: finished this on June 10, 2019. My Goodreads review.

The Green Age of Asher Witherow
The Green Age of Asher Witherow


✓ 3. A book written by a musician (fiction or nonfiction)

This is a hard sell for me because I have a friend who ghostwrites for musicians and other celebrities. I think buying a book supposedly written by a famous person is a rip-off if they actually get someone else to do the writing. However, I’ll take a chance with Bob Dylan’s book. Since he’s a songwriter, maybe he actually wrote his own book too. I hope so.

Update: Finished reading this on April 22, 2019. Here’s my Goodreads review.

Chronicles, by Bob Dylan
Chronicles


✓ 4. A book you think should be turned into a movie

This is kind of a strange prompt – because how would I know if a book should be turned into a movie until after I read it? Anyhow, because I like pioneer stories and movies, and because I’ve been meaning to read this YA novel for a long time, and because it is a Newbery Honor Book – I’m choosing Hattie Big Sky, set in Montana.

Hattie Big Sky
Hattie Big Sky

Change of plans! I still want to read Hattie Big Sky but was led to read Touching Spirit Bear instead. What a great YA book! I believe this should become a movie.

Touching Spirit Bear
Touching Spirit Bear


✓ 5. A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads

I’ve read almost everything on the list! (Except for the ones I’ll probably never read because they don’t appeal to me. There are a few of those.) However – I found this book listed, and it has been on my list before, in 2017. I intended to read it and even bought the book – then never got around to it. (a round tuit) … Maybe I’ll have a round tuit in 2019.

Update: Finished on January 17.

The Fault in Our Stars... YA novel bestseller
The Fault in Our Stars


✓ 6. A book with a plant in the title or on the cover

This will be the second book I’ve read by Ned Hayes. This one looks amazing – about an autistic teenager wanting to climb a tree.

Update: Finished on April 6.

The Eagle Tree, by Ned Hayes
The Eagle Tree

This book (The Witch Elm) was chosen for this prompt by the Ultimate PopSugar Reading Challenge group at Goodreads:

The Witch Elm, by Tana French
The Witch Elm


✓ 7. A reread of a favorite book

I’m not much of one for rereading books. There are so many great books in the world, why would I want to reread anything? That’s time consuming! Therefore, if I reread anything, I hope it is The Little Prince because (1) it is short, (2) it is awesome, and (3) it bears rereading.

Update: finished this on April 1, 2019.

The Little Prince
The Little Prince


✓ 8. A book about a hobby

Bicycle riding is a hobby, according to Google. (I just checked.) I had this on my list in 2018 for a book about a sport, but didn’t get to it and then replaced it with a hiking book. I still want to read it.

Update: finished this on May 13, 2019.

Miles From Nowhere
Miles From Nowhere


9. A book you meant to read in 2018

There are so many of them. Well, here’s one . . .

Ireland by Frank Delaney
Ireland by Frank Delaney


✓ 10. A book with “pop,” or “sugar,” or “challenge” in the title

It wouldn’t hurt me in the least to be inspired not to touch sugar for a year.

UPDATE: I finished re-reading this book on January 10, 2019.

Year of No Sugar
Year of No Sugar


11. A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover

Meant to read this last year. Hopefully, will get to it in 2019.

The World According to Garp, by John Irving
The World According to Garp


12. A book inspired by mythology, legend, or folklore

Thanks to the Asian Readathon in May, I discovered this book of 15 short stories based on Asian myths and legends.

* * * Currently Reading * * *
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings


✓ 13. A book published posthumously

Update: I finished reading this on March 23. Here’s my Goodreads review.

A Death in the Family, by James Agee
A Death in the Family, by James Agee


✓ 14. A book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie

When I see it, I’ll let you know.

Update – 1/15/19: Found it! I watched a movie on PureFlix: “Love Finds You in Charm” … and the MC was reading Jane Austen books! I choose this one:

Update – I finished reading this awesome classic novel on January 27.

Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility


✓ 15. A retelling of a classic

Not sure I want to read a retelling. I love classics. Do I need a retelling? Well, if I come across something that calls to me, I’ll add it to the list then.

Update: One of my Booktube friends gave The Lunar Chronicles such a great review, I decided to give it a try. It has been a long time since I’ve been willing to read a YA series, but… well, here we go again. This has been on my radar for a few years. It is a sci-fi retelling of Cinderella.

Update: I finished reading this on April 30, 2019. My Goodreads review of Cinder.

Cinder
Cinder


✓ 16. A book with a question in the title

I’ll be reading this in March with the Goodreads Ultimate PopSugar Reading Challenge group.

Update: I finished reading this on March 8, 2019.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette
Where’d You Go, Bernadette


17. A book set on a college or university campus

I’ve been wanting to read one of his books.

Norwegian Wood
Norwegian Wood


18. A book about someone with a superpower

Greatest healer ever! …and He had a lot of other superpowers too. For real.

* * * Currently Reading * * *
Jesus the King
Jesus the King


✓ 19. A book told from multiple character POVs

Because I already own a copy and have been wanting to read it.

Update – I finished this book on January 14, 2019. Here’s my Goodreads review.

The Night Circus
The Night Circus


✓ 20. A book set in space

I saw someone else in the Goodreads group for the PopSugar Reading Challenge is using this prompt to read another book in the Lunar Chronicles, so I’m going to do the same. I have Cinder scheduled for prompt #15 (A retelling of a classic). That’s first in the series, and this is the second.

Update: I finished reading this on June 4, 2019. My Goodreads review of Scarlet.

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles)
Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles)


21. A book by two female authors

Repeat from last year… I’ll hope to read it again.

America's First Daughter
America’s First Daughter


✓ 22. A book with a title that contains “salty,” “sweet,” “bitter,” or “spicy”

This should do it.

Update: I finished this book on March 21, 2019. Here’s my review at Goodreads.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet


✓ 23. A book set in Scandinavia

I’ve been wanting to read Beowulf.

Update: Listened to the Seamus Henry reading of Beowulf (audiobook) on January 5.

Beowulf
Beowulf


✓ 24. A book that takes place in a single day

Just switched to this from another . . .

Update: I finished this on May 31, 2019. Here’s my Goodreads review.

No Exit, by Taylor Adams
No Exit

Another novel that works for this prompt… this one is a Christian novel about a man who is about to get a divorce.

When We Were Young
When We Were Young


✓ 25. A debut novel

This is on my list of classic books to read. It is the first book in The African Trilogy.

Update: Finished this book on February 8, 2019. Here’s my Goodreads review.

Things Fall Apart
Things Fall Apart


✓ 26. A book that’s published in 2019

I’ll wait to see what comes at me in 2019.

Looks like this is the book that came at me… it was published in January 2019. I may also read whatever is chosen by the Goodreads group, in December… but that’s a long time off, so I’ll read this now.

Update: Finished reading March 31, 2019.

The Artist's Journey: Bold Strokes To Spark Creativity
The Artist’s Journey: Bold Strokes To Spark Creativity


27. A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature

I’m in. This looks like more fun than cloning mammoths. I’d like to read about Bigfoot but I don’t believe they’re imaginary… so unicorns it is.

The Last Unicorn
The Last Unicorn


✓ 28. A book recommended by a celebrity you admire

Recommended by Robin Williams – The Foundation Trilogy. I will read the first book, Foundation. I seem to have at least one science fiction book on my reading list every year.

Update: Finished reading April 13, 2019. Here’s my Goodreads review.

Foudation
Foundation


✓ 29. A book with “love” in the title

I’ll be reading this in February with the Goodreads Ultimate PopSugar Reading Challenge group.

Update: I finished this early in February. Glad it is over. It was way too juvenile for my tastes… though I know 12-14 year old girls would love it.

To All the Boys I Loved Before
To All the Boys I Loved Before


✓ 30. A book featuring an amateur detective

I’ve been told this will work for this prompt, and I’ve been wanting to read it for a few years now.

Update: Finished reading on February 13, 2019.

Before We Were Yours
Before We Were Yours


✓ 31. A book about a family

Update: I finished reading this on March 5, 2019.

Kindred
Kindred


32. A book written by an author from Asia, Africa, or South America

Another on my classics list. This could be a very interesting year of reading. The author is from Columbia.

* * * Currently Reading * * *
One Hundred Years of Solitude
One Hundred Years of Solitude


✓ 33. A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in the title

A New York Times bestseller published in 2018. This is about murders of people of the Osage nation in Oklahoma. They profited greatly from oil found on their property, and became extremely wealthy. Then someone started killing them.

Update: Finished this on March 19, 2019 – my Goodreads review

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI


✓ 34. A book that includes a wedding

I hear that this classic has a wedding in it. It has been a few years since I’ve read a book by Charles Dickens.

Great Expectations
Great Expectations

I also hope to read the book chosen for this prompt by the Ultimate PopSugar Reading Challenge group on Goodreads:

Update: I finished reading this book on May 30, 2019.

Crazy Rich Asians
Crazy Rich Asians


35. A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter

Ford Maddox Ford! This book is on my list of classics.

The Good Soldier
The Good Soldier


36. A ghost story

I’ve been wanting to read this. The format is unusual – that’s my main reason for wanting to indulge in a book that takes place in a cemetery (very morbid, in my opinion) … but I do want to experience the book format. Also, it won the Man Booker Prize so I have to guess it is very good.

Lincoln in the Bardo
Lincoln in the Bardo


✓ 37. A book with a two-word title

I read this early in the year, in January, 2019. This is a productivity book with some good ideas. I will be using these ideas this year to grow one of my websites.

Volcanic Momentum
Volcanic Momentum


✓ 38. A novel based on a true story

Based on the true story of Grace Marks. She was convicted of being involved in murdering her employer and his housekeeper in 1843 in Ontario, Canada. But controversy followed the conviction. Was she guilty, or was she an innocent, unsuspecting accessory to the crime? Hopefully this book will shed some light on that for me. I loved the author’s The Handmaid’s Tale, so I expect to like the writing style of this book too.

Update: I finished this novel on June 18, 2019. Here’s my Goodreads Review.

Alias, Grace
Alias, Grace


✓ 39. A book revolving around a puzzle or game

I’ll be reading this in January with the Goodreads Ultimate PopSugar Reading Challenge group.

Update! I finished this at midnight on January 4. What a wild ride it was. Here’s my Goodreads review.

The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle


40. Your favorite prompt from a past Pop Sugar Reading Challenge

From 2018: A book mentioned in another book. This is mentioned in One Day.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being
The Unbearable Lightness of Being


ADVANCED

41. A cli-fi (climate fiction) book

I’d be happy to read more from Margaret Atwood.

Oryx and Crake
Oryx and Crake




✓ 42. A choose-your-own-adventure book

I’m very unlikely to do this one. The last time I remember reading one of these, it was when I was a teenager, most likely, as my younger brother got some books like this and I read them too.

Oh look, here’s a whole page of them.

Oh well, why not give it a try… I choose this one.

Update: I read this book on June 7, 2019.

The Oregon Trail: An Interactive History Adventure
The Oregon Trail: An Interactive History Adventure


43. An “own voices” book

I have a copy of this memoir about a man escaping from North Korea.

A River in Darkness
A River in Darkness


✓ 44. Read a book during the season it is set in

I had to DNF the first book I tried for this prompt. I haven’t chosen another yet.

Update – I’ve been told The Great Alone will work for a winter book, though it is set in other seasons as well.

Another Update – I finished reading this book on February 22, and reviewed it at Goodreads.

The Great Alone
The Great Alone


45. A LitRPG book

Doesn’t sound like something I’d read. Lit- role playing games? Seriously, I avoid this kind of thing. Not that I think it is bad … it is great for those who love it. I just have enough other time consuming hobbies so role playing games, I’ll leave for others.

Update – this is recommended, so I’ll try reading it. It has been on my PopSugar Reading Challenge list before (in a past year) but I think I removed it and replaced with something else. Maybe this year, I’ll actually read it.

Ready Player One
Ready Player One


46. A book with no chapters/unusual chapter headings/unconventionally numbered chapters

I’m hearing a lot of good things about this chapter-less book.

Girl With a Pearl Earring
Girl With a Pearl Earring


47. Two books that share the same title (1)

The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty
The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty


48. Two books that share the same title (2)

The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke
The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke


49. A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom (e.g., Big Brother from 1984)

Apparently, this is the origin of “break the ice.”

Taming of the Shrew
Taming of the Shrew


50. A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent

I was going to read this last year and didn’t – so maybe this year.

Name of the Rose
Name of the Rose


There is so much more to a book than just the reading. - Maurice Sendak

Happy reading, everybody!

Image credits… the big photos are from Pixabay – I added the quotes and altered the images a little in Paint Shop Pro. The book covers, of course, are from Amazon.

Here’s the link to the PopSugar Reading Challenge for 2019.

The entire list for the PopSugar Reading Challenge, 2019, in case you need it…

There are a few other books on my radar that don’t fit into the reading challenge… I’m keeping track of them here so I don’t forget my resolve to read them.


Rebecca
Rebecca

The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed
Out the Window and Disappeared

I like American country and folk music and would like to know more about the Carter family.

Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone? The Carter Family & Their Legacy in American Music
Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone? The Carter Family & Their Legacy in American Music





Similar Posts:

  • My Progress on the PopSugar Reading Challenge for 2018
  • Book Lady’s January 2019 Reading Report
  • The Asian Readathon
  • My Progress on the PopSugar Reading Challenge for 2017
  • My 2019 Reading Plan and Tentative Schedule

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Comments

  1. Royvia says

    September 13, 2019 at 7:28 am

    Great post.

    Reply
  2. Jessica Holst says

    July 3, 2019 at 7:15 pm

    Thank you for the in-depth work you put into this post! I was googling “a book set in space” and will definitely be reading Cinder. Also just started 7 1/2 Deaths for the games one. Cheers!

    Reply
    • Linda Jo Martin says

      July 6, 2019 at 9:42 am

      Cinder was set on earth in Beijing. The second book in the series, Scarlet, is set mainly in France but has some outer space scenes/chapters. Great series! Easier to read than The Martian was!

      Reply

Trackbacks

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  7. The Asian Readathon - Linda Jo Martin says:
    April 29, 2019 at 3:57 pm

    […] going to do any readathons at Booktube this year because I’m so focused on finishing the 2019 PopSugar Reading Challenge, but since I’m almost halfway done with that challenge, and it is only the end of April, […]

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