Linda Jo Martin

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My Progress on the PopSugar Reading Challenge for 2018

November 7, 2018 By Linda Jo Martin 6 Comments

Updated . . . Once again, for the third year in a row, I’m participating in the PopSugar Reading Challenge.

Books change us.

This page is a living document to guide my reading in 2018. I will be adding to it, perhaps changing out a few titles, and crossing off items throughout the year as I read, each month. This is my third year with this challenge, and I’ve never managed to read all the books on the list. If I can get to 2/3 of them, I’ll think that’s wonderful. It is exciting to look for books that fit the various requirements of the reading challenge. I’ve found books and authors that I’ve never heard of before, that I’m really looking forward to reading.

12/14/17 – I’ve chosen 40 books, and skipped 10 selections. Two of them I will probably never use: Halloween and cyberpunk, whatever that is! [Hmm – it is defined as fiction in which society is controlled by computers to the detriment of people. A sub-genre of sci-fi.]

✓ 1. A book made into a movie you’ve already seen

I have never read Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, and I believe that time has come. I have seen the movie, but it was so long ago I believe it will not ruin my read.

Update: I finished reading this book in October 2018, and it was AWESOME.

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice


2. True crime

I was going to read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – but I found out there is a lot of profanity in the book – something I can live better without… so I switched to Caveat Emptor. It is a memoir of an art forger.

Caveat Emptor: The Secret Life of an American Art Forger
Caveat Emptor: The Secret Life of an American Art Forger


3. The next book in a series you started

Next in the series of Gilead… I really want to read both Home… and Lila….

Home, by Marilynne Robinson
Home


Lila, by Marilynne Robinson
Lila


4. A book involving a heist

I don’t own this book yet, but I’d really like to read The Gardner Heist: The True Story of the World’s Largest Unsolved Art Theft by Ulrich Boser, because I really love one of the paintings that were taken in the heist.

The Gardner Heist: The True Story of the World's Largest Unsolved Art Theft
The Gardner Heist


5. Nordic noir

Depends on results of a poll: PopSugar Reading Challenge group at Goodreads

Hmm… they chose The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo… and I’ve already read that series. So I’ll go with the second book on the poll list, The Snowman. I hope I don’t regret this. I’m not sure what I’m getting into.

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo
The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

Seriously? The NY Times bestselling author of Cockroaches? If I were responsible for creating cockroaches, I would never admit it in public or announce it on the cover of my novel… like seriously, what am I getting into? I will have to read it to find out.

✓ 6. A novel based on a real person

Maybe this one. A young woman is accused of a terrible crime in Iceland, and is sentenced to die.

Update: I read this in June, 2018. Great book!

Burial Rites - based on a true story
Burial Rites


7. A book set in a country that fascinates you

I’d like to read this novel:

Ireland by Frank Delaney
Ireland by Frank Delaney


8. A book with a time of day in the title

Maybe: She Read to Us in The Late Afternoons: A Life in Novels

Or this reprinted 1970 novel, set in Italy:

Bay of Noon by Shirley Hazzard
Bay of Noon


✓ 9. A book about a villain or antihero

I read The Bedlam Stacks … one of the antiheroes was a statue. Strange story!

Bedlam Stacks
The Bedlam Stacks


✓ 10. A book about death or grief

This has been on my radar for a while, about a dying Vietnam War veteran. I like the cover. Snow, trees, and an unpainted wood shack? Reminds me of home, the Klamath River Valley… and the cabin I lived in there.

Update: I read this in September, 2018.

The Life We Bury
The Life We Bury


11. A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym

Possibly something by George Eliot – Middlemarch or Mill on the Floss?

Really, I should read this one since it was on my list last year and I didn’t get to it.

Her Smoke Rose Up Forever - a collection of the best short stores by James Tiptree Jr.
Her Smoke Rose Up Forever


12. A book with LGBTQ+ protagonist

Considering this, though it seems Lani Garver is more of a question mark than an exclamation point. A book reviewer recommended this for “open minded Christians” . . . well, could that be me? I’ll let you know.

What Happened to Lani Garver
What Happened to Lani Garver


13. A book that is also a stage play or musical

Tales of the South Pacific
Tales of the South Pacific


✓ 14. A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you

Recommended by a friend on BookTube: So Far From the Bamboo Grove

Update: July 29, 2018 … I loved this short memoir… read it in only three days. I’m a slow reader so that’s pretty good for me. Others with better reading speed could read this in a few hours.

So Far From the Bamboo Grove
So Far From the Bamboo Grove


✓ 15. A book about feminism

Maybe: The Awakening by Kate Chopin.

I’m choosing a classic from 1937.

UPDATE: I read Their Eyes Were Watching God in February and March 2018.

Their Eyes Were Watching God
Their Eyes Were Watching God


✓ 16. A book about mental health

Maybe: Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen.

But first I’d like to read this epistolary novel about an elderly Irish mental patient.

Update: Finished reading this in May. AWESOME book!

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry


✓ 17. A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift

A gift from my friend, Judy…

Update! Finished reading January 30, 2018 . . . fun book – cartoons about fire lookouts! Plus a lot of historical information about fire lookouts, especially from the 1960’s when the author/cartoonist was a fire lookout in Washington state.

The Story of Linda Lookout
The Story of Linda Lookout


18. A book by two authors

This looks good.

America's First Daughter
America’s First Daughter


✓ 19. A book about or involving a sport

Mmmm… bicycle touring!!!

Update: I finished this on May 13, 2019.

Miles From Nowhere
Miles From Nowhere



Update: September 3, 2018 – I’m still wanting to read the book above… but I have a copy of the book below so I’m more likely to read it. It was recommended by a friend. The book, Grandma Gatewood’s Walk, is about a woman who walked on and “saved” the Appalachian Trail. Non-fiction!

Grandma Gatewood's Walk
Grandma Gatewood’s Walk


✓ 20. A book by a local author

The author lives here in Idaho…

Update: Finished reading this on July 22, 2018. Great book – a WWII war story about two young people – one German, and one French.

All The Light We Cannot See
All the Light We Cannot See

Also, maybe: Small Town Ho: The Hilarious Story of Moving from the Big City to North Idaho by Duke Diercks.

21. A book with your favorite color in the title

I’ve already read The Green Mile and Anne of Green Gables, so maybe, The Green Ember by S.D. Smith.

The Green Ember
The Green Ember


22. A book with alliteration in the title

Another book set in Ireland. Maybe I’ll like it.

The Unkillable Kitty O'Kane
The Unkillable Kitty O’Kane


23. A book about time travel

Maybe: Timeline by Michael Crichton…

Or this:

Kindred
Kindred


24. A book with a weather element in the title

I just picked this one up at the local thrift store… it takes place in San Francisco, the city I lived in when young. I’m looking forward to reading it.

The Year of Fog
The Year of Fog


25. A book set at sea

The Light Between Oceans
The Light Between Oceans


✓ 26. A book with an animal in the title

After some indecisiveness, considering Beartown, I chose The Nightingale, by Kristen Hannah.

Update: I finished reading this on December 15. Excellent novel!

The Nightingale
The Nightingale


✓ 27. A book set on a different planet

Maybe this one. I hear it is good.

Update: Finished this on August 28. It was good! But… technical. Sci-fi – go figure.

The Martian
The Martian


28. A book with song lyrics in the title

Song lyric title cannot be resisted.

The Hour I First Believed
The Hour I First Believed


29. A book about or set on Halloween.

I’ll probably skip this one.

30. A book with characters who are twins

I’ve always thought this cover is awesome – and there are twins!

The Thirteenth Tale
The Thirteenth Tale


31. A book mentioned in another book

Mentioned in One Day, chapter one.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being
The Unbearable Lightness of Being


32. A book from a celebrity book club

Maybe: South and West: From a Notebook by Joan Didion.

However I just found this book at the thrift shop and it is calling me. It is about a battered woman on the run. It was an Oprah Book Club selection.

Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen
Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen


✓ 33. A childhood classic you’ve never read

Update: I’ve got this one about 3/4 read, and found out it isn’t really appropriate for children, but most people think of it as a children’s novel. Now that I know what’s in there, I would never give it to a child.

Update: Finished on January 19, 2019 … part 4 was my favorite. Here’s my Goodreads review.

Gulliver's Travels
Gulliver’s Travels


✓ 34. A book that’s published in 2018

I was going to read: Twist of Faith, but at the end of the year, I decided to read Stray: Memoir of a Runaway instead.

Stray: Memoir of a Runaway
Stray: Memoir of a Runaway


✓ 35. A past Goodreads Choice Awards winner

Try for this one again – it was on my list last year and I didn’t get to it though I have a copy in my living room.

Update – I read this during September 2018. What a great book! I very much recommend this book to anyone…

Salt to the Sea
Salt to the Sea


✓ 36. A book set in the decade you were born

Maybe: The Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson.

No… maybe this one instead. How cool to find a book set in the year I was born!

UPDATE: Finished this book in July or August, 2018.

The Buried Book
The Buried Book


✓ 37. A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn’t get to

So many! Here’s one that’s been on my TBR list three years now.

Update! July 29, 2018 … After three years on my TBR list I finally read this book. It took only three days to get through it. A page-turner… but then, it is an Agatha Christie novel, so that’s to be expected.

And Then There Were None
And Then There Were None


38. A book with an ugly cover

Maybe one of those Amazon Kindle classics. They all look the same, and very plain.

How about this one? Despite the gloomy cover, it won the National Book Award and is getting great reviews.

The Ninth Hour
The Ninth Hour


39. A book that involves a bookstore or library

Maybe: The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan.

✓ 40. Your favorite prompt from the 2015, 2016, or 2017 PopSugar Reading Challenges

I choose 2016’s #5 question: A book set in your home state.

FINISHED 1/15/18 – awesome novel… I recommend it highly.

Idaho
Idaho



ADVANCED

41. A bestseller from the year you graduated from high school

Maybe: Summer of the Swans – Newbery Medal winner.

I’ve settled on a Mary Stewart book – first in a series of four: The Arthurian Saga.

The Crystal Cave
The Crystal Cave


42. A cyberpunk book

Undecided. I’m very unlikely to do this one…

43. A book that was being read by a stranger in a public place

Undecided.

44. A book tied to your ancestry

Because some of my ancestors came from Georgia/Tennessee/Kentucky.

Thirteen Moons
Thirteen Moons


45. A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title

The House on Mango Street
The House on Mango Street


46. An allegory

This one:

Name of the Rose
Name of the Rose


✓ 47. A book by an author with the same first or last name as you

I just found this author while looking for my last name at Goodreads – and I’m so excited to start reading his books!

UPDATE: 2/9/18 – I finished reading the book… will review it on my booktube (youtube) channel in a few days.

Long Way Gone, by Charles Martin
Long Way Gone


✓ 48. A microhistory

Tracing the history of a book, the ancient, mysterious, Sarajevo Haggadah, based on a true story.

Update – I finished this one on December 31 within an hour before midnight!

People of the Book
People of the Book


49. A book about a problem facing society today

Adoption… Georgia Tan style, is a major problem these days.

Before We Were Yours
Before We Were Yours


✓ 50. A book recommended by someone else taking the PopSugar Reading Challenge

Update – I finished this on January 27, 2018. Great book! See my video review below.

Sourdough
Sourdough



Books are a uniquely portable magic. - Stephen King

Happy reading, everybody!

Image credits… the big photos are from Death to Stock Photo – 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 2018.

The entire list for the PopSugar Reading Challenge, 2018, 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 Night Circus
The Night Circus

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

Similar Posts:

  • Linda Book Lady’s November 2021 Reading Report & Diary
  • My Progress on the PopSugar Reading Challenge for 2019
  • The Asian Readathon
  • Linda Book Lady’s July 2022 Reading Report & Diary
  • Book Lady’s September 2019 Reading Report



Comments

  1. Margaret Schindel says

    December 7, 2018 at 12:44 pm

    What a fascinating challenge! I had never heard of this before reading your post. I’m pretty intrigued. Although there are quite a few prompts/categories that I wouldn’t be interested in doing, there are many more that I’d like to try to broaden my reading horizons. I’m enjoying seeing which books you’ve chosen. Thanks for introducing me to this!

    Reply
    • LJ Martin says

      December 15, 2018 at 9:24 am

      Hi Margaret! I have a lot of fun with the PopSugar Reading Challenge. I love choosing the books. I never finish all of them because I’m a slow reader, but I read enough that I feel enriched by the process. I read quite a few good books this year!

      Reply
  2. Brittany says

    March 28, 2018 at 7:50 am

    Linda,
    This is so awesome! I love reading also, and I am glad to have discovered that you consider yourself a “Book Lady” too:)
    I am reaching out because I am penning a memoir in which I detail how the Lord has been a stronghold for me in times of trouble. One situation I discuss in detail in my battle with the Indiana Department of Child Services. I have already started posting FREE previews to my website, and was hoping that I could share this information with people who visit your website, as many of the tactics that were used against me I am sure are being used against others.
    You were the first person i thought to share this information with, as your website was the source of inspiration and information that I turned to when fighting to get my kids back. I will leave the link in the comment here: brittanylcoley.net . Please let me know the best way to share this with others on your site, and please take some time and mosey over to my site and provide your feedback on what I have published so far!
    Many thanks to you!

    -Brittany

    Reply
    • LJ Martin says

      March 28, 2018 at 11:57 am

      Hi Brittany – I will definitely be by to visit your site and learn more about your memoir. Thanks for letting me know about it.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Book Lady’s June 2019 Reading Report - Linda Jo Martin says:
    June 1, 2019 at 12:29 pm

    […] ☆ Nonfiction: Grandma Gatewood’s Walk, by Ben Montgomery – [from the 2018 challenge list] […]

    Reply
  2. My 2019 Reading Plan and Tentative Schedule - Linda Jo Martin says:
    December 30, 2018 at 7:34 am

    […] PSRC #34. A book that includes a wedding Nonfiction: Grandma Gatewood’s Walk – from the 2018 challenge list YA: The Oregon Trail – PSRC #42. A choose-your-own-adventure book ☆ Art: TBA ☆ […]

    Reply

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