Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2022 Challenge - General
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2022 Challenge - I Finished!
Date you finished: 9/27/2022Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 507 (but it keeps changing)
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): "a book published in 2022" - my personal goal this year is to read as many books on my TBR as possible, so I spent a lot of time in December 2021 cross-referencing the categories for this year's challenge with the books on my 2000+ title long TBR. The Listopia lists help immensely, since I can just scroll down the lists and see what I've already marked as "want to read." That being said, the majority of the books I've read this year are older: 5 or more years. The chance to read a newer book on purpose was nice. I read A Perfect Equation, a fun romance series that I'm enjoying.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): I really loved a lot of books I read for this challenge this year. I guess I'll mention Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, which I finally got around to reading cover to cover. It's long-lasting inspiration on my own personal writing has been wonderful. The prompt was "a book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read" - lots of my book titles this year ended in E, so it was a no-brainer selection.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : The Trees was an unexpectedly fun but also heart-breaking read. I'd never heard of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, but this title was this year's winner, and it was excellent.
Least favorite prompt: "a book with a palindromic title" - I was trying to be as purist on this category as possible, but I didn't like most of the book choices others were reading. I read Otto: A Palindrama, and that was also a book I didn't enjoy, but at least it was short.
Prompt you hope to see again: I'm always happy to be pushed out of my comfort zone, so books that require me to diversify my reading by including different characters or reaching for books from different authors are my favorites, usually. This year, that was books by authors of colors (Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner, Latinx author, Pacific Islander author, romance by a BIPOC author, #ownvoicesSFF) and books featuring characters with disability aids or on the autism spectrum, books about gender identity, books featuring two languages, and a social-horror book.
Last prompt you finished: Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner - I started reading Beloved, but I felt like I needed SparkNotes or something to understand what I was reading better, at least at the beginning. After a few chapters, I DNF'd it. I put it off until the end, which worked out, since the new winner this year was a great book for me, The Trees
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yup!
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: I thought it was clever, and I enjoyed all the categories in the advanced section except that palindromic one.
Finally, are you in for 2023? Yup! Bring it on!
Date you finished: 10/4/22Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 254
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): 20. A book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read - The Song of Achilles
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Cemetery Boys - 37. A book about gender identity
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : This Poison Heart - 39. An #OwnVoices SFF (science fiction and fantasy) book
Least favorite prompt: A book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page (Only because this is hard for fox who's favorite authors are less contemporary writers)
Prompt you hope to see again: 27. A Hugo Award winner
Last prompt you finished: A book with an onomatopoeia in its title
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes, I always enjoy the Popsugar challenge. I end up reading so many books I probably wouldn't have read otherwise.
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: I did. I think the advanced ones were some of my favorite reads.
Finally, are you in for 2023? Yup
Date you finished: 09/30/2022Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 51
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): Title Beings with Last Letter of Previous Read - This gave me flexibility to select something already on my To Read List. I read Dating-ish by Penny Reid.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Familyby Clint and Ron Howard that I read for the two POVs prompt.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster that I read for the man-made disaster prompt.
Least favorite prompt: Hugo Award winner since I'm not much of a sci-fi fan.
Prompt you hope to see again: Book by Author you read in previous year.
Last prompt you finished: Book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes, I mostly was
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Yes, I found some good reads based off of those prompts.
Finally, are you in for 2023? I am a maybe but not because I didn't enjoy this challenge. I just have so many books on my To Read list that I want to tackle and found that I had to set many of those aside because they didn't fit a prompt.
Date you finished: October 6, 2022Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 241
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): There were quite a few a really enjoyed, but if I had to pick one I'd say book set in the 1980s purely for nostalgia purposes - I read Malibu Rising.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): There were several 5-star reads for me during this challenge. I think it's a 3-way tie between The Lincoln Highway (2), Cloud Cuckoo Land (7), and Jade Legacy (39)
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Song of the Exile was excellent and I might not have discovered it without searching specifically for a Pacific Islander author
Least favorite prompt: the last one I finished - book with a quote by your favorite author on cover or Amazon page. I don't have a single favorite author and I don't really pay attention to quotes on covers or Amazon pages - that isn't how I decide what to read.
Prompt you hope to see again: book featuring a man-made disaster - there are so many and it's important to know about them
Last prompt you finished: prompt 32
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Mostly
Finally, are you in for 2023? Probably
Date you finished: Oct 9Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): Nonpatriarchial Society. I read: The Cerulean
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): It's so hard to pick just one, I read a lot of good ones for the prompts this year. I guess my favorite would be Hide by Kiersten White. I read this for the social horror promptl.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : The Trees by Percival Everett for the anisfield wolf award prompt. I really enjoyed it and glad that I read it.
Least favorite prompt: The twin cities prompt. It was difficult to understand which cities were twin cities and then find a book to go with them.
Prompt you hope to see again: Man made disaster because I like reading dystopias.
Last prompt you finished: book becoming a tv show or movie in 2022
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: All but the twin cities prompts, the others I did like.
Finally, are you in for 2023? Absolutely!
Date you finished: 10/15/2022Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): Any prompt which offers me the greater number of options, such as a favorite prompt from a previous Popsugar challenge. I chose one from 2020 "A book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character)" and read I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro for a social-horror book.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. (An #OwnVoices SFF (science fiction and fantasy) book).
Least favorite prompt: It is a toss-up between "a book with an onomatopoeia" and "a romance novel by a BIPOC author. The former offered little for me with the exception of a children's book and the latter because none of the books listed interested me. Thank you for the member that recommended on from an author I had already read, Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
Prompt you hope to see again: Prompt from the Popsugar past since it offers me the greatest number of possibilities.
Last prompt you finished: A book with a constellation on the cover..."
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?:Generally, with the exception to those already mentioned.
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: I just noticed this! Yes!
Finally, are you in for 2023? Does the baby bear shake his bottom at the end of the Charmin commercial?
Date you finished: October 16.Message number of your list post: 157 (the books can also be found on my Popsugar 2022 shelf).
Favorite prompt: “A social-horror book.� It’s the sort of genre that I need a push to check out, but I found White Tears by Hari Kunzru compelling and rewarding.
Favorite book: The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo, which I read for “a book featuring a party.� I was skeptical of the high concept of this Gatsby adaptation, but to my surprise, the supernatural elements work beautifully, with Vo critiquing and expanding on Fitzgerald’s work with artistry all her own.
A book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the challenge: I picked up The Bang Bang Club, a memoir by South African photographers Greg Marinovich and João Silva, just to fulfill “a book with an onomatopoeia in its title.� It was fascinating, and I learned a great deal.
Least favorite prompt: “A book with a palindromic title.� I don’t normally push myself to finish books that aren’t really working for me, but in the case of HHhH by Laurent Binet, I did, simply because I didn’t want to have to pick something else for this ridiculous category.
Prompt you hope to see again: Broadly speaking, I liked the way “a book set in the 1980s� and “a book set in Victorian times� pushed me toward historical fiction in time periods I wouldn’t normally seek out. (I read We Run the Tides by Vendela Vida and The Observations by Jane Harris.) More of that sort of thing would be welcome!
Last prompt you finished: “An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner,� for which I read Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie. It was beautiful and very affecting, though I prefer Shamsie's Home Fire.
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading? Yes! I’m happiest when I’m reading a very wide variety of books, and dipping in and out of challenges keeps me out of ruts.
Did you like the “double� theme for the “advanced� prompts? I thought it was a mixed bag. Two languages, parallel realities—great! But palindromic titles were, as previously mentioned, the worst.
Are you in for 2023? Absolutely! I’ve been doing this challenge for a while now, and I get ridiculously excited and impatient waiting for the new list to go up at the end of the year. (In the meantime, I’m making my way through the 2017 list, which was before my time, and I’m nearly done—only two prompts left! I’ll move on to 2016 after that.)
1. Date you finished: 22 October, 20222. Message number of your list post (if you've got one): I don't believe I made one, but here is the link to each book I read
3. Favourite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): 'A book set in a non patriarchal society'. The book read was Casket of Souls by Lynn Flewelling
4. Favourite book (and what prompt was it for?): The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley. The prompt was 'A different book from an author you read in 2021'
5. Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?): I wouldn't say I never would have read it as it was on my TBR, but I definitely wouldn't have read All Systems Red this year if it hadn't been for the challenge. The prompt was 'A Hugo Award winner'
6. Least favourite prompt: I had more than one prompt that I really disliked. They are: 'A book with a palindromic title', 'A book with a recipe in it', and 'A book with onomatopoeia in the title'
7. Prompt you hope to see again: 'A book you know nothing about'. I feel like it would open me up to more book options I wouldn't necessarily consider
8. Last prompt you finished: 'A different book from an author read in 2021'
9. Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yep! I managed to read all 50 books with more than two months left in the year
10. Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Not really. I found it very difficult to find books to match the prompts
11. Finally, are you in for 2023? For sure!
Date you finished: 10/30Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 20
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book with two POV/Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Remarkably Bright Creatures/A book you know nothing about
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : The Secret History/A book set in the 80’s
Least favorite prompt: A social-horror book
Prompt you hope to see again: There were several but the Hugo Award winner tops the list
Last prompt you finished: A social-horror book
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Those prompts were my favorite prompts of the whole challenge
Finally, are you in for 2023? Yes
Mod
Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 97 /topic/show/...
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner, because I'd never heard of this award, and there are a lot of good titles on the list. I read Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir, which I had been wanting to read for a while, so I appreciated this extra push to get to it.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): The Trees, which is a book I read for Tournament of Books, and then found a category for it in this Challenge (social horror, a sub-genre I'd never heard of, and was a little unsure what to do with, but when I read The Trees, I knew it was a PERFECT fit.)
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : my duology: All These Monsters & All These Warriors. I'd read a book by Amy Tintera before, and liked it, but for some reason I'd never read anything else by her. These books weren't even on my radar until I decided to look for a duology written by an Hispanic author during Hispanic Heritage month. I found quite a few promising duologies! This was the one I chose, and I LOVED it.
Least favorite prompt: that's a toss-up between "palindromic title" (I read Eve, and I liked the book okay, but the category was so limiting!!) and "A book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read" because it was so wide open and yet not easy! In the second half of the year I just kept checking books I was reading to see if they would fit. I finally got a hit with D: The Devil Takes You Home which I finished right after The Hurting Kind: Poems.
Prompt you hope to see again: I always like "a book published this year" and I trust it will be on every challenge.
Last prompt you finished: a Hugo award winner (I read The Empress of Salt and Fortune).
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: sure!
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: yes.
Finally, are you in for 2023? Of course :-)
Date you finished: today!Message number of your list post (if you've got one): ?
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book about or set in a nonpatriarchal society - I read the End of Men
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Probably the Calculating Stars, as my pick for a Hugo Award Winner
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, for the sapphic prompt
Least favorite prompt: An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
Prompt you hope to see again: Hugo Award winner
Last prompt you finished: Hugo Award winner
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: No, forced me to complete a duology I didn't enjoy
Finally, are you in for 2023? Yes (if we're still doing it)
Date you finished: 11/11/22Message number of your list post: 585
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: I chose "A book from a series with more than 20 books (2020 prompt)" I read Cocaine Blues
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?):
The Liar’s Knot (A book about or set in a nonpatriarchal society)
Iron Widow (A book with a protagonist who uses a mobility aid) - her mobility aid ends up being a MECHA
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) :
The Heartbreak Bakery (A book with a recipe in it)
Least favorite prompt:
A book by a Pacific Islander author. It's actually a great prompt in the sense that I would love to read more books by PI authors. But the listopias and prompt suggestion threads were a mess, because people were pulling from AAPI author lists and so many of the books were actually by Asian or Asian American authors, and then there were arguments over whether the prompt was fulfilled by people of any ethnicity who lived on a Pacific Island or whether the prompt meant authors who were from PI indigenous cultures, and that was really hard info to track down, and of the books I could find I had already read the ones that looked most appealing to me. In the end I started three different books, and DNF'd them all early enough in my reading that none of them felt like they counted. They weren't bad books, they just weren't the right fit at the time, like the one about the Spanish Flu which was just too close to home right now.
Prompt you hope to see again: There were a few that delighted me, like "Oh! That's a fun way to think about what to read...":
- A book you can read in one sitting
- A book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page
- A book about someone leading a double life
Last prompt you finished:
An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner. I considered skipping this one because I haven't been able to read many heavy books this year. But in the end I am glad I read Hidden Figures because I can still feel it transforming me inside.
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: I was! I only started doing Popsugar in May, so my initial experience was actually more of a fun puzzle of fitting books I had already read into the different categories. I would say that the majority of the books I read solely to fulfill a Popsugar prompt (and there were only a handful, less than 10) were not that satisfying. But there are a few I am glad I read that I wouldn't have found otherwise.
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: I thought it was very clever! Well done, whoever writes the Popsugar challenge. The prompts definitely suited the puzzle-type approach I was bringing to my first year doing reading challenges.
Finally, are you in for 2023? Most likely, I'll probably look at the prompt list and decide then.
Date you finished: November 12, 2022 (My first finish since I started this three years ago, wooo!)Message number of your list post (if you've got one):I didn't do one.
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): Hugo Award winner was my favorite when I saw the list, because that's right in line with my reading tastes. I ended up reading This is How You Lose the Time War.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?):I read a lot of great books, so maybe I'm just giving it an advantage because it was one of my recent reads, but I loved The Women Could Fly (book about witches).
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?): I really enjoyed The last revival of opal and nev (band or musical group) and Bullet Train (Book becoming a TV show or movie), neither of which I'd heard of before.
Least favorite prompt: I agree with Lailah above me about the Pacific Islander prompt - great for encouraging diverse reading and I was glad of it in the end, but getting there was tough with a lack of info for some authors, then other authors that people were proposing but getting shot down. That was the prompt that took the most "work" to fill, though it was worthwhile.
I was also lucky that Seveneves was already on my to-read list for the palindrome prompt. If not for that I might really have had to force myself into getting through something I wasn't that into since the choices were so limited for that one.
Prompt you hope to see again:I actually like seeing new prompts, and there's always Favorite Prompt from a Past Challenge for the ones I want to repeat!
Last prompt you finished: So the other prompt that gave me a bit of angst - weirdly - was Victorian times. I couldn't satisfy myself about it for books not in the British Empire, or fantasies set within it (look if its a world with magic who knows what could be different?) So I read a book set in Europe in the right era (The Secret Life Of Laszlo, Count Dracula) mid-challenge, but didn't fill it in on my spreadsheet, so that became my last fill in with Becoming Jane Eyre.
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?:Absolutely, yes.
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: I did. I know it was tough for some people but I like when two prompts are linked (i.e. duology, sister cities)
Finally, are you in for 2023? Yes, can't wait for the new list!
Date you finished: 11/15/2022Message number of your list post (if you've got one): I did not post an original :)
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): Book set on a plane, train, or cruise ship. I read Hostage and absolutely devoured it.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): The Love Hypothesis - I read this one for a book about a character on the ace spectrum.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Sleeping Beauties - Read for a book about or set in a nonpatriarchal society
Least favorite prompt: Anisfield-Wolf Book award winner was hard for me because they don't have the largest variety of genres, but overall I liked the book I picked for it!
Prompt you hope to see again: An man made disaster
Last prompt you finished: A book by a Pacific Islander (I thought I finished this prompt so many times only to find the person was not originally from a Pacific Island but had heritage there)
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes!
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Yes!
Finally, are you in for 2023? DUH!!
Date you finished: 11/16/22Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 22
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book set on a plane, train, or cruise ship - Luck and Last Resorts
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Bend Toward the Sun - A book featuring a party
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : The Whale Rider - A book by a Pacific Islander author
Least favorite prompt: A book with a misleading title
Prompt you hope to see again: A book that takes place during your favorite season
Last prompt you finished: A book set in Victorian times
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes, but the prompts were more challenging than I thought they would be.
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Yes, but they were also much harder than I initially thought they would be. Especially the duology prompt.
Finally, are you in for 2023? Yes!
Date you finished: November 18, 2022Message number of your list post (if you've got one): Currently 355
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title (just weird enough...) In My Dreams I Hold a Knife
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): In the Woods - A different book by an author you read in 2021
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : So many. Kindred (own voices SFF) Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe A Duology How to Be a Normal Person - A book with a character on the Ace Spectrum
Least favorite prompt: Palindrome. Because I have to be exact and the entire title had to fit. And I ended up not enjoying the book I chose.
Prompt you hope to see again: Found Family was good.
Last prompt you finished: A book set in the 80s Shuggie Bain
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Yes
Finally, are you in for 2023? Of course! Hurry up and Release the Prompts!!!
Nadine in NY wrote: "Here's the place to celebrate when you finish! Congratulations!Date you finished: 19/11/22
Message number of your list post (if you've got one): Message 6
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book that takes place in your favourite season
Favor..." Black Summer
Date you finished: 11/17/22Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 644
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book about a "Found Family". An Unseen Attraction
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Hunt the Stars, A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?): I don't usually read YA books, so Year of the Reaper was a real treat for the book by a Pacific Islander author prompt.
Least favorite prompt: I read for enjoyment, so the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner prompt was a bit heavier than I liked.
Prompt you hope to see again: A book about a "Found Family"
Last prompt you finished: A duology (2)
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes.
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Yes
Finally, are you in for 2023?: YES!
Hi, folks! I wish I had known about this group a while ago! It would've been exciting to do this journey alongside fellow readers. I have been doing the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge for a few years now, but this is the first time I actually completed it! Wahoo! Last year, I read 55 books, but didn't actually complete the challenge itself. This year, I set my GoodReads Challenge to 55, and I happened to finish both at the same time! I am now counting down to 2023 being published soon! :D Date you finished: November 18, 2022
Message number of your list post (if you've got one): N/A
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book you know nothing about (for its potential!) � I read “The Witch Haven� by Sasha Peyton Smith and loved it. Also my favorite every year is A book published in [current year] � this year “The Woman in the Library� by Sulari Gentill � LOOOVED IT!
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): “Star Mother� by Charlie N. Holmberg � A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Yes! “The Graveyard Book� by Neil Gaiman for the prompt A Hugo Award Winner (2009 Winner);
Least favorite prompt: A book with an onomatopoeia in its title; A book with a palindromic title;
Prompt you hope to see again: A different book by an author you read in 2022
Last prompt you finished: A book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page. This was one of the toughest for me. My favorite authors are mostly the dead ones. I picked “The Librarian Spy� by Madeline Martin with a blurb from Kelly Rimmer, and it was one of the worst I read this year �
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes.
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Yes
Finally, are you in for 2023? I can’t wait! I’m counting down to the new list being published soon! <3 <3 <3
Date you finished: November, 22nd 2022Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 37
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): #14. A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title (Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner)
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators� Revolution by R.F. Kuang (#34. A book set in Victorian times)
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies: A Lyric Essay by Julian Aguon (#15. A book by a Pacific Islander author)
Least favorite prompt: #43. A book with a palindromic title (Agapē Agape by William Gaddis) I thought the concept was excellent and really fun but there were just so few options. Also I felt the prompt was confusing as well. What does palindromic mean? Does the entire title have to be a palindrome (I.e. Mem or Seveneves?) does it just have to have a palindrome in the title (I.e. Anna Karenina) or is it a book that has the same words forward and backwards (I.e. Sing, Unburied, Sing)?
Prompt you hope to see again: #29. A different book by an author you read in 2021 (Defekt by Nino Cipri)
Last prompt you finished: #4. A book with a tiger on the cover or "tiger" in the title (Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life by Alice Wong)
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes!
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Yeah! Yeah!
Finally, are you in for 2023? Definitely!
Date you finished: Nov. 24 Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 356
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?):
I was actually kind of happy to see A book set in the 1980's because I'm an 80's child.
Brat: An '80s Story
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?):
Golden Girl - Book about the afterlife
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?):
Some Girls Do for a Sapphic book. I honestly had to look up what that word was cause I had never heard of it before.
I Wish You All the Best for book about gender identity. LOVED this book, def a must read.
Least favorite prompt:
Book with a recipe in it....surprisingly hard to find one I liked. Also, Book with a misleading title...it's a little too interpretive.
Prompt you hope to see again:
A Book you know nothing about was interesting. It forces you too branch out in your reading.
Last prompt you finished: Sister Cities
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?:
Well I can say I did read a bunch of interesting and good books for the advanced prompts.
Finally, are you in for 2023? I think so.
Date you finished: 05/11/22Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): It’s hard to choose just one, but a book set in a non-patriarchal society (The Priory of the Orange Tree), a Hugo Award Winner (The Obelisk Gate), and a book with a palindromic title (Ada, or Ardor: A Family Chronicle) are up there
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Conversations with Friends (book becoming a tv series/film in 2022), All Systems Red (book with a character on the ace spectrum), The Obelisk Gate (Hugo award winner), No One Is Talking About This (book with a quote from a favourite author on the cover or Amazon page), and Orlando (book about gender identity)
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Get a Life, Chloe Brown (romance by a BIPOC author)
Least favorite prompt: Book with a band or musical group, or a book that takes place in your favourite season
Prompt you hope to see again: a book that features two languages
Last prompt you finished: a book that fulfils your fav prompt from a past Popsugar challenge
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Yes
Finally, are you in for 2023? Absolutely
Date you finished: November 20, 2022Message number of your list post (if you've got one): #189
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): I love the prompt for a new book each year. This year I read The Winners by Fredrik Backman
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid for the #booktok recommendation. I found a new favorite author once I read this book.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo for a book with a recipe in it. I just loved this book and now plan to read more by Acevedo.
Least favorite prompt: the Ansfield-Wolf award winner. I just felt like there were not many to choose from.
Prompt you hope to see again: I love the prompt that makes me read from different cultures. I have discovered some great books that way.
Last prompt you finished: Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult. I had to wait for it to be released in October, which The Winners was also released then. So I had to wait until October to read the last two books. Both of which were great and worth the wait.
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: I loved this year's list. But I'm easy to please and am just happy to branch out and read just about anything.
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: I didn't do the advanced prompts because I chose instead to complete the 2015 Popsugar challenge. I am about halfway done with it now.
Finally, are you in for 2023? Absolutely yes! Every year!!
Date you finished: November 27, 2022Message number of your list post: #54
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): My favorite prompts are the book published in the current year. I used You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty and it was just ok for me.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): I had 3 five star reads this year that fit into the prompts:
1) Carrie Soto Is Back - Set in the 1980s
2) Black Cake - Recipe
3) Beasts of a Little Land - Tiger
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Beasts of a Little Land, this book was so good and it's highly underrated (which I do not understand). It hit all the right notes for me. I used it for the prompt with a Tiger on the cover.
Least favorite prompt: Onomatopeia, Ainsfield- Wolf Winner, Pacific Islander, and OwnVoices SFF
Prompt you hope to see again: Book to Movie, Published in Current year
Last prompt you finished: Ainsfield-Wolf: The Trees
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes! Of course, I wish I had finished sooner, but at least I got done a little over a month early.
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Yes, it was really fun.
Finally, are you in for 2023? HELL YES!!!!! So excited for the list.
I finished!Date you finished: 11/27/22
Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 488
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): Ooh I think it was the "two books set in set in sister cities" because it really challenged me once I decided NOT to choose New York, or London, etc. I wound up reading Queen Move (set in Atlanta) and Lagoon (set in Lagos) to complete.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): A Study in Brimstone, with which I fulfilled the "protagonist uses a mobility aid" prompt. Not only was it a pure delight, it introduced me to the deranged and wonderful twist on Sherlock Holmes that is the Warlock Holmes series. 5 books so far and I'm hoping for more!
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes, which fulfilled "book about a band or musical group." Really satisfying contemporary romance.
Least favorite prompt: A book becoming a movie or TV series in 2022. I know they do it every year. Still, I wish they'd stop with this one because it usually requires me to read a work of literary fiction or a thriller that I'm not interested in. If BBC didn't insist on making and remaking Agatha Christie novels over and over I'd really be out of luck.
Prompt you hope to see again: A book about a "found family" because there were SO many options and it's one of my favorite tropes to find in any book I read!
Last prompt you finished: Duology, Book Two. I wound up very happy with the duology I picked but it's WEIRDLY DIFFICULT to find a duology, especially if you're not in the mood for YA fantasy.
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes, I feel pretty satisfied.
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Yeah, especially the more creative takes, like the "reflection or mirror" one.
Finally, are you in for 2023? I think so! Depends on how many snooty book award challenges there are.
Date you finished:11/27/2022Message number of your list post (if you've got one):639
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): Ooh tough question. I really liked the "sister cities" concept because I had no idea what that meant and it made me pay attention to the settings of my books. Also, led me to consider starting a book challenge where I read a book from every state next year. I read Stories from the Tenants Downstars by Sidik Fofana which takes place in NYC (Harlem) and The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood which takes place in London. I read several books that took place in both cities that could have fit under this prompt.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?):
You cannot possibly expect me to choose a favorite! The Villains Duology (Vicious and Vengeful), The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (board game in the title for life), and The Mirror Season (mirror in the title) all are 5-star books for me. Most of my choices though are 4-star (imo) books so it's really hard to pick a favorite.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) :
A book by a Pacific Islander author: Pina by Titaua Peu. First of all, it was hard to even find a book by a Pacific Islander! This book is a genuine masterpiece to me that not many will ever know about because it's only recently been translated into English. Beautiful prose and heartbreaking story.
Least favorite prompt: Palindromic title. Too limiting for me and I had to just be okay with finding a palindrome within a title. Anna Dressed in Blood was pretty good though.
you hope to see again: A social-horror book. I'd never known about this genre so it was interesting to look around.
Last prompt you finished: Technically, a book with a reflected image on the cover or mirror in the title but I didn't like the idea of using Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King for two prompts so I decided to read Gallant by V.E. Schwab for a book featuring a parallel reality to have 50 unique books.
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Very much so.
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Yup, three of my new favorite books come from the advanced challenge.
Finally, are you in for 2023? Yup! Just a few more days before it comes out and I can start planning!
Date you finished: 9/5/2022Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 645
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book with a misleading Title - Beach Read
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): - House of Sky and Breath - A book about a 'found family'
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Year of the Reaper - A book by a Pacific Islander author
Least favorite prompt: A book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read
Prompt you hope to see again: #ownvoices
Last prompt you finished: A book with a tiger on the cover or tiger in the title
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: yes
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: yes
Finally, are you in for 2023? YES
Finished just in time for the new list to drop!Date you finished: 29th Nov
Message number of your list post: #23
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?):
A book about witches and Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May. I have so many witch books this was a super useful but also specific prompt.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?):
Our Wives Under the Sea for a sapphic book.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) :
Lots that I didn't especially enjoy, but I might not have read The Lady Astronaut of Mars short without having the challenge of finding a Hugo winner I hadn't read yet and was in the mood for. I cried a lot and am glad I sought it out.
Least favorite prompt:
No surprise here for palindromic title. Never again!
Prompt you hope to see again:
I love the niche sub-genre prompts.
Last prompt you finished:
Set in the 1980's (I read I Must Betray You).
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?:
I had a few too many meh books to really say I fully enjoyed the challenge this year.
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?:
Fine in theory but I didn't like the multiple two-connected books prompts. I'd rather have ten well thought out optional prompts rather than forcing them into a theme.
Finally, are you in for 2023?
Of course, but I'm gonna replace any awful prompts with an ATY reject because I can't have another year of reading things I don't want to read. 🤣
I Finished �Date you finished: Nov. 16, 2022
Message number of your list post (if you've got one): #647
/topic/show/...
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book set in a non-patriarchal society. The Island of Sea Women Lisa See
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): The Island of Missing Trees Elif Shafak
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : The Whale Rider Witi Ihimaera
Least favorite prompt: Social-Horror
Prompt you hope to see again: A different book by an author you read last year
Last prompt you finished: Hugo Award Winner
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Yes
Finally, are you in for 2023? Yes
This is the third year I've attempted the challenge and the first year I've a) taken it seriously and b) actually finished!Date you finished: 26th November
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): Has a Pacific Islander Author was probably my favourite prompt because the research alone opened me up to a lot of books that I probably wouldn't have come across otherwise. I read Year of the Reaper for this prompt and really enjoyed the world building and how invested I was in the characters. Would have loved this to be a series but actually as a stand-alone novel it was pretty good!
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster for the prompt Featuring a man-mad disaster because I'm just fascinated by this event in our history and whether we have actually learnt from our mistakes or not.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Again, would have to say Year of the Reaper
Least favorite prompt: Has to be Title begins with the last letter of previous read, spent way too much time trying to get my order correct without adding in another book!
Prompt you hope to see again: Probably A book you know nothing about as I just wandered into the library and picked something at random for that and it was quite fun.
Last prompt you finished: Set during a holiday which was Hercule Poirot's Christmas that I really wanted to read a little closer to Christmas, but as it was the last book on my list I thought I'd just get on with it!
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes, although I would have liked to have read more books - I doubled up some of the prompts which kind of felt like cheating but I still managed to do it
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Not sure, it was difficult to get the twin cities right and there aren't that many duologies that I actually wanted to read - most series come as trilogies these days.
Finally, are you in for 2023? Of course!
Date you finished: December 1Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 305
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book about or set in a nonpatriarchal society. I read Woman World
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): To Say Nothing of the Dog, which I read for a book set in Victorian times.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Obit, which I read for the Anisfield-Wolf Award Winner.
Least favorite prompt: Book set in your favorite season. Loved the book I read for it, but it took a while to find. Most of the easy to find autumn books were about Halloween, which is in spring here in Australia.
Prompt you hope to see again: The Hugo Award winner prompt. There were a lot of books on that list that I was interested in reading.
Last prompt you finished: The second sister city prompt.
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Yes, it was lots of fun.
Finally, are you in for 2023? Yes! Looking forward to it.
Mod
How did you like that one? I have had it on my TBR, but I've had mixed luck with webcomics so I never seem to want to read it. Was it good?
Date you finished: December 1, 2022 Though I've read 92 books and counting this year, I am not going to finish the 6 prompts I have left on the Advanced list. I'm sure if I sat down with my list, I could back fill some of the prompts, but I'm satisfied with having finished the regular prompts.Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 77
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): I liked the prompt "a book about a secret" and I read Eight Perfect Murders
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Beartown Ironically, I read this book for the prompt "your favorite prompt from a prior challenge" and the prompt I chose was "a book that you DNF'd." Previously, I had started and stopped Beartown at least 3 times. This time it finally struck the right chord. I knew I would love it, it just had to be the right time, right mood.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : I read The Cailiffs of Baghdad, Georgia for the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award prompt. I never would have found that book without the prompt.
Least favorite prompt: I don't like the "books becoming movie/tv series" prompts.
Prompt you hope to see again: Book you can read in one sitting. Those are always easy to check off!
Last prompt you finished: Book set in Victorian times
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading? For the most part, yes. I struggled with many of the prompts this year
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: No.
Finally, are you in for 2023? Of course!
I finished the first week of November. My books never counted because I didn't understand how to set up my site. They are listed but somehow I didn't follow an HTML code or something. Now I can't find my list at all. Frustrating. I was 131 in the 2022 list...and kept adding books that fit prompts. I'd just like to see the list and copy it for myself. I had a great time finding books for the prompt...Now I can't even choose which was my favorite prompt or favorite book. Please help.
Mod
Don't worry, your books still "count" because no one else is keeping track, this is your challenge and you track your own progress.
Your post is still comment #131 - it's here: /topic/show/...
Date you finished: 11/16/22Message number of your list post (if you've got one): Didn't post
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book with a character on the ACE spectrum. Read "Beyond the Black Door"
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): "House of Sky and Breath"- A book published in 2022
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) :
"A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" Prompt was Two books set in twin towns (sister cities)
Least favorite prompt: An Anisfield-Wolf Award Winner
Prompt you hope to see again: A book about witches
Last prompt you finished: A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title. Read "Jepp, Who Defied the Stars"
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: YES!
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Loved it!
Finally, are you in for 2023? Absolutely
Date you finished: 6 December 2022Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 347
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A Book set in Victorian Times - The Brothers Karamazov
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): A book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read - Leviathan Wakes
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?): A book set on a plane, train, or cruise ship: Strangers on a Train
Least favorite prompt: An #OwnVoices SFF - Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening
Prompt you hope to see again: A book that fulfills a favorite prompt from a previous year
Last prompt you finished: A book about gender identity - Middlesex
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Looking back, not terribly! I found most of my reads to be just okay. I also didn't like this years prompts as much as I have like previous years.
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: I didn't participate in the advanced challenge
Finally, are you in for 2023?: Probably. I have been doing the Popsugar Challenge for several years and appreciate the 40-book general goal. However, I have considered other challenges for next year simply because I find that the Popsugar Listopias (which I do rely on) tend to be populated by readers that have different preferences than I (ex: there are too many YA recommendations for me). I don't mind getting out of my comfort zone a little, but YA just isn't for me.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Kaia wrote: "... A book about or set in a nonpatriarchal society. I read Woman World..."How did you like that one? I have had it on my TBR, but I've had mixed luck with webcomics so I never seem..."
I enjoyed it. It wasn't anything profound, but it was a quick read and made me laugh. I must admit, I read it on New Year's Day (my first read of the year), so my memory of it is a bit hazy.
Date you finished: 12/06/2022Message number of your list post (if you've got one): n/a
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A Social-Horror book, mainly because that's one of my preferred genres. For this prompt I read "Conviction" by Denise Mina and I loved it.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz. Used for the prompt: "A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title"
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Yes! American Dirt by Jeannie Cummins for the prompt: A book that features two languages. I put this off for a long time because it's just not something I would typically read and thought it would be bad. Turned out to be very good and one of the best books I read this year.
Least favorite prompt: A book set in Victorian times and A romance novel by a BIPOC author. I don't typically read either genre so these were struggles for me.
Prompt you hope to see again: A social horror book and A book about someone leading a double life
Last prompt you finished: A Duology book 2 which was Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes, very much
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Yes, these were fun.
Finally, are you in for 2023? Not sure yet. A lot of the prompts don't suit me so we shall see.
Date you finished: 7/12/2022Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 433
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): 14. A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis 10/8/2022...love trawling the local library shelves for particular book cover prompts to see where they take me because I often select on cover so this usually takes me somewhere different
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover 19/9/2022 11. A #BookTok recommendation
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) :10. An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner Deacon King Kong by James McBride 18/6/2022
Least favorite prompt: 32. A book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page.....too difficult because a)hard to choose a favorite author, b)hard to find a book that an author may have commented on c)too hard to search for
Prompt you hope to see again: 2. A book set on a plane, train, or cruise ship
Last prompt you finished: 35. A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: When I started out I wasn't sure that I would complete this year as I wasn't that excited about some of the prompts; but I am glad I did!
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Didn't actually clock the "double" theme until now - just waded through it!!
Finally, are you in for 2023? Probably...I'm into lists....
Date you finished: 12/4/22Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 649
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book about or set in a nonpatriarchal society � The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Dread Nation � social horror or The Priory of the Orange Tree � sapphic book
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?): Under the Whispering Door � book about the afterlife
Least favorite prompt: constellation on the cover or in the title or quote from favorite author. I generally don't like prompts about the cover
Prompt you hope to see again: a book you know nothing about
Last prompt you finished: quote from favorite author on the Amazon page or cover
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: yes. There were definitely some duds, but I actually started a couple of series I might not have otherwise read that I really enjoyed
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Yes, though it meant I actually ended up reading three separate duologies (Spellbreaker/Spellmaker, Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom, Dread Nation/Deathless Divide) because I kept finding other prompts that those books worked better for
Finally, are you in for 2023? You know it!
Mod
LOL that's funny!!!
Date you finished: 12/7/22Message number of your list post (if you've got one):267
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): 13. A book set in the 1980s - Brat: An '80s Story
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): 46. A book about someone leading a double life - Ordinary Grace
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : 31. A book featuring a man-made disaster - Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster
Least favorite prompt: 43. A book with a palindromic title - Mem
Prompt you hope to see again: 17. A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2022
Last prompt you finished: 27. A Hugo Award winner
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: yes
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: yes
Finally, are you in for 2023? yes
Date you finished: 12/3/2022Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes
Finally, are you in for 2023? Maybe
Date you finished: I'm just starting my last book but I wanted to do this before I forgot!Message number of your list post (if you've got one): NA.
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book with a tiger on the cover or "tiger" in the title- What We Fed to the Manticore by Talia Lakshmi Kolluri.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): A book about or set in a nonpatriarchal society- The Bone Ships by RJ Barker.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : Paper Girls Vol 1 by Brian Vaughan, A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2022
Least favorite prompt: There were a lot that I hated and that's part of the reason I probably won't be doing the challenge again: An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner and a Book You Know Nothing About were two especially bad ones from the general challenge. I didn't like a lot of the advanced challenge prompts.
Prompt you hope to see again: book by an author you read in the previous year
Last prompt you finished: last half of duology: Shadowscale by Rachel Hartman
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: sort of. I did other challenges and used a lot of those prompts for Popsugar as well or I would not have done this challenge on its own.
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: No. I did not like the palindrome prompt especially and really had to stretch for it. At this point I don't want to "settle" for choosing a book that I don't really want to read.
Finally, are you in for 2023? I don't think so unless Popsugar lines up with a lot of other books I'm reading anyway. I liked Nadine's 23 challenge better than the Popsugar prompts!
Date you finished: December 4, 2022Message number of your list post (if you've got one): N/A
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): A book with. character on the ACE spectrum: Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): a Duology (1): The Handsmaid Tale by Margret Atwood
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : a boo with a recipe in it: Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
Least favorite prompt: A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title
Prompt you hope to see again: A book publish in (insert year)
Last prompt you finished: A book featuring a parallel reality: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes, I've read things I've wouldn't have read otherwise. It took me longer to finish due to relying on the library for books
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Yes
Finally, are you in for 2023: Probably not as it is wedding year for me!
Date you finished: December 11, 2022Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 313
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): Misleading title People We Meet on Vacation and a book about a "found family" Almost Flying. I thought misleading was a creative prompt and found family was unique.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Too many to choose but Red, White & Royal Blue stands out. So does Mooncakes and Broken Horses
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?): Every Heart a Doorway (A Hugo Award winner) and Breadfruit (A book by a Pacific Islander author)
Least favorite prompt: An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner, A book with a palindromic title
Prompt you hope to see again: A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge. This is always a fun free space for me.
Last prompt you finished: Breadfruit(A book by a Pacific Islander author)
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yes!
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: Yes most of them were great except for palindrome was particularly tough and didn't have a great selection of books I was interested in.
Finally, are you in for 2023? Yes! Of course, although the new prompts don’t seem as exciting or challenging as this years challenge prompts. But still should be fun to participate and see what other great books others are reading.
Date you finished: 12/8/2022Message number of your list post (if you've got one): 101
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): "A book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read" and for that I read Everyone Behaves Badly: The True Story Behind Ernest Hemingway's Masterpiece The Sun Also Rises by Lesly MM Blume
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, which I used for the #BookTok prompt (even though I got an ARC from NetGalley and read it long before #BookTok got a hold of it!)
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?) : The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare, which I used for the prompt "A book you know nothing about"
Least favorite prompt: anything that limits you to book award winners, always
Prompt you hope to see again: "A book about witches"
Last prompt you finished: "A book about or set in a nonpatriarchal society"
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: yes, but also no. I finished, but I felt like it took me much, much longer this year.
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: LOVED it. Those were the ones I finished first.
Finally, are you in for 2023? Of course!
Date you finished: 12/13/2022Message number of your list post (if you've got one): Didn't post one this year. Last year at this time work was too busy.
Favorite prompt (and what book did you read for it?): About a Found Family, #9. I officially used Paladin's Grace for it, but I read a bunch of books that fit that this year.
Favorite book (and what prompt was it for?): Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories. I've read a lot of books on writing, and this was one of the only ones that made me actually start writing as soon as I finished it. Didn't use for PS prompt officially, but it won the Hugo this year, so #27, a Hugo Award Winner.
Was there a book you especially enjoyed that you never would have read if not for the Challenge? (and what prompt was it for?): Oddly, Crushing It. After I read People We Meet on Vacation, I went looking in Libby for books like it, and it recommended this one. I never would have found this book without having first read the other, and I never would have read that if not for this group. I used Crushing It for prompt #25, About a Secret.
Least favorite prompt: With a Misleading Title #26 or A Social-Horror #33. I ended up shoehorning two Hugo nominee reads into these categories, but neither were especially great fits.
Prompt you hope to see again: Book You Can Read in One Sitting #24
Last prompt you finished: With a Recipe in It #23. I fully expected to have this happen by chance, and it never did. I ended up needing Dina's apple cake recipe from Sweep of the Heart to count. (But the full recipe is there, so it does.)
Were you overall satisfied with your Challenge reading?: Yep. There's a few I could have put more effort into finding more appropriate, but I'm happy with what I picked.
Did you like the "double" theme for the "advanced" prompts?: I did. I read a lot more duologies this year than I realized, and the sister cities was fun to figure out.
Finally, are you in for 2023? Yep!
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Swimming in the Dark (other topics)The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death (other topics)
The Tea Dragon Society (other topics)
Obit (other topics)
Afterlife with Archie, Vol. 1: Escape from Riverdale (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jean-Dominique Bauby (other topics)Victoria Chang (other topics)
Kay O'Neill (other topics)
Tomasz Jedrowski (other topics)
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (other topics)
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