This is my sixth year of doing the PopSugar Reading Challenge. This page will list books I read that fit the prompts of the challenge. I will modify the page as I read books throughout the year.
Currently Reading
49. A DNF book from your TBR list
I started reading this years ago as novel research, and now am rereading from the beginning and hope to finish it by the end of the year. It is about the lowlifes and criminals of early San Francisco history from the time of the gold rush until the turn of the century.
40. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
Year 2017 Prompt #10: A book with a cat on the cover – I love this cat-covered book.
Books I’ve finished reading for the challenge
1. A book that published in 2021
★★★ This is nonfiction – a history of the music industry in Los Angeles in the 1950’s and 1960’s – focusing mostly on Jan & Dean and associated musicians. It includes information on the Beach Boys and Nancy Sinatra, and many others. Here’s my review of Hollywood Eden at Goodreads.
Hollywood Eden: Electric Guitars, Fast Cars, and the Myth of the California Paradise, by Joel Selvin
2. An Afrofuturist book
★★★★★ This novel is so much better than I ever expected! Seriously, the title Invisible Man and the nondescript cover are not very enticing, but I was drawn in quickly and loved the story once I got started. It is about a young man trying his best to find his way in the world. Really great writing! I listened to an audiobook recording by Joe Morton and it was one of the best audio performances I’ve ever heard. Recommended! Here’s my review of The Invisible Man at Goodreads.
3. A book that has a heart, diamond, club, or spade on the cover
★★★ A boy growing up during four eras of his childhood. Definitely not the most exciting Newbery Honor Book I’ve read. It includes a long description of a baseball game, which I found barely readable. A child involved in school sports might like this. It is more of a boy book than a girl book. Boy books are necessary for all the boys to read. They don’t like girl books at all, normally. Here’s my review of What Hearts at Goodreads.
4. A book by an author who shares your Zodiac sign
★★★★★ This was my second time to read this book and once again I was startled by the sudden POV change on page 16… from Fern to Wilbur… but the story is so sweet and heart-pinging I could not help but love it to pieces. Again. The little girl is named Fern – so who is Charlotte? She’s the one with a web. She’s a spider! Here’s my review of Charlotte’s Web on Goodreads.
5. A dark academia book
★★★★★ Amazing book! This is a classic so you’ve probably heard of it before. It is about teenage boys at a boarding school in New Hampshire. It is 1942 and the boys are concerned about being drafted into World War II. This looming concern takes a toll on each one differently. Most importantly, this is the story of studious Gene Forrester and his roommate (and best friend) Phineas, a carefree athlete. Here’s my review of A Separate Peace on Goodreads.
6. A book with a gem, mineral, or rock in the title
★★★ I’d been wanting to read this for a few years. I remember liking the movie years ago. This was the first audiobook I listened to during 2021 and I was a little disappointed. It was a nice imagined story about what the relationship between Johannes Vermeer and the girl he painted might have been. In the novel, Griet was a maid in the painter’s household. I’d call this a slow-burn kind of novel and the slowness of the plot frustrated me. We never got to hear Griet’s deepest feelings about her employers because as a maid, she was suppressed. Here’s my Goodreads review.
7. A book where the main character works at your current or dream job
★★★★★ I very much love this middle grade novel about Calpurnia, a girl who wants to be a naturalist. She loves the study of nature and can do that with her grandfather who teaches her observation skills. Unfortunately, she’s a girl and is expected to be a wife and mother, not a scientist. Here’s my review of The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate on Goodreads.
8. A book that has won the Women’s Prize for Fiction
★★★★★ A novel about the family of William Shakespeare, beautifully written. Hamnet was his son. Here’s my review of Hamnet on Goodreads.
9. A book with a family tree
★★★★ This was my second attempt at this novel and this time, I succeeded. What an interesting book about a multi-generational family in a village. Odd people and situations reign supreme.
10. A bestseller from the 1990s
★★★★★ This is a page-turner. What a precious story! A young girl is entrapped into prostitution at a young age. She escapes a bad East Coast situation to go to California during the gold rush, and again becomes a prostitute. How will she ever get out of that life style? Great novel. Here’s my review of Redeeming Love on Goodreads.
11. A book about forgetting
★★★★ – I enjoyed reading this juvenile novel about a boy who lost his memories after falling off his roof. Here’s my review of Restart, by Gordon Korman.
12. A book you have seen on someone’s bookshelf (in real life, on a Zoom call, in a TV show, etc.)
★ – This book focuses on morbid issues and includes obituaries and an autopsy, among other things. I did not like it and did not think it was appropriate for the ages it was ostensibly written for. Here’s my review of Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos at Goodreads.
13. A locked-room mystery
Hercule Poirot is a thorough, intuitive and methodical detective and I’d love to read all the Poirot books, but this month had to satisfy myself with this one. It is a “locked-room” mystery because nobody could leave a train stuck in heavy snow.
14. A book set in a restaurant
★★★ This is a dark, depressing view of various personalities. Here’s my review of The Wayward Bus, by John Steinbeck at Goodreads.
15. A book with a black-and-white cover
★★★ This is a YA adventure/horror novel. Interesting, but I’m not a big fan and won’t be reading the sequels. Here’s my review of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs at Goodreads.
16. A book by an indigenous author
★★★★★ This is a fantastic middle grade novel about a 12-year-old boy with an OCD habit of counting all the letters people use when they talk to him. The book starts as he’s being expelled from yet another Los Angeles area school because he’s the victim of bullies due to his OCD. His father decides to send him to his mother who he’s never met in Minnesota. She’s Ojibwe and he has to adjust to life on the Fond du Lac reservation near Duluth. Here’s my review of The Brave, by James Bird at Goodreads.
17. A book that has the same title as a song
★★★★ Memoirish fiction about a teenager raised in a radical Pentecostal church in a very urban setting. Well-written. James Baldwin’s writing is immersive. Here’s my review of Go Tell It on the Mountain, by James Baldwin at Goodreads.
18. A book about a subject you are passionate about
★★★★★ I’m passionate about Christian testimonial memoirs. Here’s my review of Hiding in the Light, by Rifqa Bary at Goodreads.
19. A book that discusses body positivity
★★★★ You can get an education on modern day teen slang by reading chapter one of this novel. Fortunately the rest of the novel takes it down a bit. The protagonist is a thirteen-year-old girl who is obsessed with the idea that her skin is too dark – an idea she got from a couple of adults in her life. She’s a precious character and I liked reading her story. This is a 2020 Newbery Honor Book. Here’s my review of Genesis Begins Again, by Alicia D. Williams at Goodreads.
20. A book on a Black Lives Matter reading list
★★★★★ This is an important American memoir that should be required reading in every high school. It grieves my heart to know this book has been suppressed and consigned to history when the message is just as important today as it was at the time it was written, just prior to the Civil War.
21. A genre hybrid
★★★★★ World War II as seen by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. – anything could happen. Here’s my review of Mother Night, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. at Goodreads.
22. A book set mostly or entirely outdoors
★★ This is an older Newbery Medal winner about the Navajo tribe. As a source of anthropological information about the tribe’s culture, it is a resource. However the fictional plot dragged. Info dumps interfered with the action. Here’s my review of Waterless Mountain, by Laura Adams Armer at Goodreads.
24. A book by a Muslim American author
★★★★ A poetic middle grade novel about a young Syrian refugee. The story starts in Syria so we get to learn why she had to leave. In Ohio she meets relatives and adjusts to life in the USA. Recommended!
26. A book with an oxymoron in the title
★★ This book is ostensibly poetry for children but I found that some things in here were not appropriate for children. Warning for violent images. Here’s my review of Falling Up, by Shel Silverstein at Goodreads.
✓ 27. A book about do-overs or fresh starts – Persuasion, by Jane Austen
✓ 28. A magical realism book – When You Trap a Tiger, by Tae Keller
✓ 29. A book set in multiple countries – The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson
✓ 30. A book set somewhere you’d like to visit in 2021 – (Oregon) A Girl From Yamhill, by Beverly Cleary
33. A book featuring three generations (grandparent, parent, child)
★★★★ This is a Newbery Honor Book of 2009. It is very juvenile and amusing. A girl expects to receive a “savvy” on her thirteenth birthday. Everyone in her family does. My Goodreads review: Savvy.
34. A book about a social justice issue
★★★ A Newbery Medal winner from the 1950’s – this book follows the life of Amos Fortune from his African village into slavery and eventually, freedom, in New Hampshire. Based on a true story. Here’s my review of Amos Fortune, Free Man, by Elizabeth Yates at Goodreads.
35. A book in a different format than what you normally read (audiobooks, ebooks, graphic novels)
★★★★★ This is a play written for children, possibly around middle school level. It contains poetic monologues, nonfiction explanations, and helpful footnotes to explain Medieval history, habits and customs. Here’s my review of Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village, by Laura Amy Schlitz at Goodreads.
36. A book that has fewer than 1,000 reviews on Amazon or Goodreads
★★ A Mayan boy must grow a crop of corn to help feed his family during hard times. This is a 1957 Newbery Honor Book. Here’s my review of The Corn Grows Ripe, by Dorothy Rhoads at Goodreads.
37. A book you think your best friend would like – At Home in Mitford, by Jan Karon
My best friend is a Christian and might appreciate this classic Christian novel series.
38. A book about art or an artist
★★★★★ A San Francisco graffiti artist meets a sweet Christian single mother. Here’s my review of The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers at Goodreads.
41. The longest book (by pages) on your TBR list
This is about a man traveling from New York to California for the 1849 gold rush. Because it is quite long I’m reading it slowly over a number of months.
42. The shortest book (by pages) on your TBR list
This is a 42-page picture book with wacky surealistic poetry. It was plenty of fun to read but for me, the art stole the show.
47. A book from your TBR list you associate with a favorite person, place, or thing
This is fiction set around 1850 with a Native American main character. It is a local self-published book and is hard to find online.
PopSugar Reading Challenge Links
1. The 2021 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Is Here — Ready, Set, Read! – at the PopSugar website
2. Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge – a Goodreads group
3. POPSUGAR Book Club – a Facebook group
I finished the PopSugar Reading Challenge in 2020!
Here’s the page with the list of all books I read for this challenge in 2020.
My notes about what I may be reading for each of the prompts
(My book choices are subject to change as the year progresses. I changed most of the titles in March when I decided to focus more on Newbery list books this year.)
★ – reading this month
☆ – still need to read
✓ – finished
REGULAR
1. A book that published in 2021 – Jewel of the Nile, by Tessa Afshar
✓ 2. An Afrofuturist book – Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison
✓ 3. A book that has a heart, diamond, club, or spade on the cover – by What Hearts, by Bruce Brooks
✓ 4. A book by an author who shares your zodiac sign – reread… Charlotte’s Web, by EB White
✓ 5. A dark academia book – A Separate Peace, by John Knowles
✓ 6. A book with a gem, mineral, or rock in the title – Girl With a Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier
✓ 7. A book where the main character works at your current or dream job – The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
✓ 8. A book that has won the Women’s Prize for Fiction – Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell
✓ 9. A book with a family tree – 2nd attempt… One Hundred Years of Solitude,by Gabriel García Márquez
✓ 10. A bestseller from the 1990s – Redeeming Love, by Francine Rivers
✓ 11. A book about forgetting – Restart, by Gordon Korman
✓ 12. A book you have seen on someone’s bookshelf (in real life, on a Zoom call, in a TV show, etc.) – Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos
✓ 13. A locked-room mystery – Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie
✓ 14. A book set in a restaurant – The Wayward Bus, by John Steinbeck
✓ 15. A book with a black-and-white cover – Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs
✓ 16. A book by an indigenous author – The Brave, by James Bird
✓ 17. A book that has the same title as a song – Go Tell It on the Mountain, by James Baldwin
✓ 18. A book about a subject you are passionate about – (Christian testimonies/memoirs) Hiding in the Light, by Rifqa Bary
✓ 19. A book that discusses body positivity – Genesis Begins Again, by Williams
✓ 20. A book on a Black Lives Matter reading list – Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, by Frederick Douglass
✓ 21. A genre hybrid – Mother Nighto, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
✓ 22. A book set mostly or entirely outdoors – Waterless Mountain
☆ 23. A book with something broken on the cover – The Headless Cupid, by Zilpha Keatley
✓ 24. A book by a Muslim American author – Other Words for Home, by Jasmine Warga
☆ 25. A book that was published anonymously – The Kneeling Christian, by An Anonymous Christian
✓ 26. A book with an oxymoron in the title – Falling Up, by Shel Silverstein
✓ 27. A book about do-overs or fresh starts – Persuasion, by Jane Austen
✓ 28. A magical realism book – When You Trap a Tiger, by Tae Keller
✓ 29. A book set in multiple countries – The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson
✓30. A book set somewhere you’d like to visit in 2021 – (Oregon) A Girl From Yamhill, by Beverly Cleary
☆ 31. A book by a blogger, vlogger, YouTube video creator, or other online personality – Todd’s novel
☆ 32. A book whose title starts with “Q,” “X,” or “Z” – Zlateh The Goat and Other Stories, by Isaac Bashevis Singer
✓ 33. A book featuring three generations (grandparent, parent, child) – Savvy, by Ingrid Law
✓ 34. A book about a social justice issue – Amos Fortune, Free Man, by Elizabeth Yates
✓ 35. A book in a different format than what you normally read (audiobooks, ebooks, graphic novels) – Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village, by Laura Amy Schlitz
✓ 36. A book that has fewer than 1,000 reviews on Amazon or Goodreads – The Corn Grows Ripe, by Dorothy Rhodes
✓ 37. A book you think your best friend would like – At Home in Mitford, by Jan Karon
✓ 38. A book about art or an artist – The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers
✓ 39. A book everyone seems to have read but you – Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine
★ 40. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge – Year 2017 Prompt #10: A book with a cat on the cover – Whittington, by Alan Armstrong
ADVANCED
✓ 41. The longest book (by pages) on your TBR list – The World Rushed In
✓ 42. The shortest book (by pages) on your TBR list – A Visit to William Blake’s Inn
☆ 43. The book on your TBR list with the prettiest cover – The Girl Who Drank the Moon
☆ 44. The book on your TBR list with the ugliest cover – The Tale of Despereaux
☆ 45. The book that’s been on your TBR list for the longest amount of time – The Story of Mankind
☆ 46. A book from your TBR list you meant to read last year but didn’t – Scary Stories for Young Foxes
✓ 47. A book from your TBR list you associate with a favorite person, place, or thing – The Valley of Little Rivers, by Wally Coleman
☆ 48. A book from your TBR list chosen at random – Bright Island, by Mabel Robinson
★ 49. A DNF book from your TBR list – The Barbary Coast, by Herbert Asbury
☆ 50. A free book from your TBR list (gifted, borrowed, library) – White Poplar, Black Locust, by Louise Wagenknecht
[…] why I’m not getting enough reading done these days. I spent much of the day bringing my 2021 PopSugar Reading Challenge page up to date. Did not even finish that, but most of the updates are done. I discovered I failed […]