Happy Sunday everyone! I've been thinking about participating in the Popsugar Reading Challenge for awhile now, and this coming year I'm actually taking the plunge. The 2020 challenge looks like it will really live up to it's name. There are 40 regular prompts and an additional 10 advanced prompts which are connected to 2020 in some way. Between this and Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge, I think I'm going to have pretty great reading year! Keep reading to see my TBR for the Popsugar Reading Challenge:
1. A book that's published in 2020
My choice: The King of Crows (The Diviners #4) by Libba Bray - I love this series and I've been dying for the finale. I plan on listening to the audiobook which will be narrated by January LaVoy, as I have with all previous installments.
2. A book by a trans or nonbinary author
My choice: The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders - I liked All the Birds in the Sky, and I'd like to try more from this author. There have been some middling reviews, but I like the sound of it.
3. A book with a great first line
My choice: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng - I'm always on the lookout for books set in my state.
4. A book about a book club
My choice: The Readaholics and the Falcoln Fiasco (Book Club Mystery #1) by Laura DiSilverio - I love bookish books and this cozy mystery sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Plus, there's even a cat on the cover!
5. A book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics
My choice: The Lady From the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Millicent Patrick - This sounds like it's going to be a fascinating biography of one of Disney's first female animators and creator of The Creature from the Black Lagoon.
6. A bildungsroman
My choice: The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson - All I had to hear was Stranger Things meets Stand By Me.
7. The first book you touch on a shelf with your eyes closed
My choice: A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1) by Brigid Kemmerer - I've liked what I've read from Kemmerer so far, and this Beauty and the Beast retelling sounds like it could be cool.
8. A book with an upside-down image on the cover
My choice: Spellslinger (Spellslinger #1) by Sebastien de Castell - I've been meaning to start this series for ages.
9. A book with a map
My choice: Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) by Sarah J. Maas - I love this series so much and it's time I finally finish it.
10. A book recommended by your favorite blog, vlog, podcast, or online book club
My choice: Wayward Son (Simon Snow #2) by Rainbow Rowell - I loved Carry On and I can't wait to see what's next for Simon and Baz.
11. An anthology
My choice: Shadowed Souls edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes - There are so many of my shorts featuring my favorite worlds, especially The Dresden Files from Jim Butcher and Cal Leandros by Rob Thurman.
12. A book that passes the Bechdel test
My choice: Doomsday Book (Oxford Time Travel #1) by Connie Willis - I've heard so many amazing things about this series and it's about time I've pick it up.
13. A book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it
My choice: Invictus by Ryan Graudin - I've really liked what I've read from Graudin and I can't resist a time travel story.
14. A book by an author with flora or fauna in their name
My choice: Resistance Reborn (Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) by Rebecca Roanhorse - I've loved her Sixth World series so far and I'm excited to see anything else she cares to write. I'm really looking forward to seeing what she does with Poe Dameron and Finn especially.
15. A book about or involving social media
My choice: Ghoster by Jason Arnopp - I loved his previous release and I can't wait to see this.
16. A book that has a book on the cover
My choice: Inkheart (Inkworld #1) by Cornelia Funke - I love the movie, even though I've heard it's much different, and I'm looking forward to finally giving this a try.
17. A medical thriller
My choice: The Andromeda Strain (Andromeda #1) by Michael Critchton - Not my usual genre, but I usually enjoy Crichton's work so we'll see what I think about it.
18. A book with a made-up language
My choice: A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R.R. Martin - I've been meaning to continue this series for ages. Then, I'll have to catch up on the tv series.
19. A book set in a country beginning with "C"
My choice: Scott Pilgrim, Volume 2: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Scott Pilgrim #2) by Bryan Lee O'Malley - I love the movie adaptation of this and I need to continue on with the graphic novels that inspired it.
20. A book you picked because the title caught your attention
My choice: Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah - I won a copy of this a while back and I still need to read it because it sounds so good.
21. A book published the month of your birthday
My choice: This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - This just sounds so cool. I can't resist anything time travel.
22. A book about or by a woman in STEM
My choice: The Calculating Stars (Lady Astronaut #1) by Mary Robinette Kowal - I've always been interested in the WASP and the space race, so this alternate history novel sounds absolutely awesome.
23. A book that won an award in 2019
My choice: A Study in Honor (The Janet Watson Chronicles #1) by Claire O'Dell - I'm always ready for a cool Sherlock Holmes retelling.
24. A book on a subject you know nothing about
My choice: Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet by Claire L. Evans - This sounds like a fascinating history read.
25. A book with only words on the cover, no images or graphics
My choice: One Word Kill (Impossible Times #1) by Mark Lawrence - Like I said, I love time travel.
26. A book with a pun in the title
My choice: Equal Rites (Discworld #3) by Terry Pratchett - I love this series so much. There's so much to explore.
27. A book featuring one of the seven deadly sins
My choice: It by Stephen King - I'm finally going to take the plunge!
28. A book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character
My choice: Wires and Nerve (Wires and Nerve #1) by Marissa Meyer - I honestly don't know why I haven't read this Lunar Chronicles companion graphic novel series featuring Iko.
29. A book with a bird on the cover
My choice: Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi - I've seen a lot of lower and middling reviews, but I'm still looking for it.
30. A fiction or nonfiction book about a world leader
My choice: She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth by Helen Castor - This is going to be a fascinating read.
31. A book with "gold," "silver," or "bronze" in the title
My choice: Iron Gold (Red Rising Saga #4) by Pierce Brown - I love this series and I need to continue it.
32. A book by a WOC
My choice: Do You Dream of Terra-Two by Temi Oh - I've heard this compared to The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, so I'm really looking forward to it.
33. A book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads
My choice: The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicles #1) by Patrick Rothfuss - I don't know why I've been putting this off, but it's time to get to it.
34. A book you meant to read in 2019
My choice: The Red Scrolls of Magic (The Eldest Curses #1) by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu - Alec and Magnus are my favorite characters in this universe so I can't wait to read this.
35. A book with a three-word title
My choice: And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga #1) by Kiersten White - I've been wanting to read this trilogy for ages, and now that it's complete it seems the perfect time to get going on it.
36. A book with a pink cover
37. A Western
My choice: True Grit by Charles Portis - I've had this on my tbr for ages. I love the movie adaptation starring Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld (less so the John Wayne movie), and I'd really like to see how the source material compares.
38. A book by or about a journalist
My choice: All the President's Men by Carl Bernstein - The movie adaption of this is fantastic and I'd like to see how this goes, especially when knowing more about the true story.
39. Read a banned book during Banned Books Week
My choice: The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls - I've been told over and over that I need to read this, so it's about time I made good on that.
40. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
My choice: The Republic of Thieves (Gentleman Bastard #3) by Scott Lynch - I chose this from the 2018 heists prompt. I've become really attached to this series and I can't wait to see what's next for Locke and Jean. I plan on listening to it on audiobook since the production of the first two were so great.
Advanced
1. A book written by an author in their 20s
My choice: They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera - I've loved what I've read from Silvera in the past and it's about time to pick up more.
2. A book with "20" or "twenty" in the title
My choice: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne - I've never read anything from Verne and this seems like as good a place to start as any.
3. A book with a character with a vision impairment or enhancement (a nod to 20/20 vision)
My choice: Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom - I've been thinking of borrowing this from my library since it first arrived.
4. A book set in Japan, host of the 2020 Olympics
My choice: Stormdancer (The Lotus Wars #1) by Jay Kristoff - I've loved everything I've read from him so I'm looking forward to trying this series.
5. A book set in the 1920s
My choice: Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham - I've heard a lot of great things about this YA historical mystery. I'm really looking forward to it.
6. A book by an author who has written more than 20 books
My choice: Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy #1) by Stephen King - Since all three books are complete, what a better time than to begin this series.
7. A book with more than 20 letters in its title
My choice: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1) by Michelle Hodkin - I've seen a lot of reviews that are all over the place for this series, but I'd still like to try it out.
8. A book published in the 20th century
My choice: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - This was never required reading when I was in high school, but I'd still like to try it now since it's such a classic.
9. A book from a series with more than 20 books
My choice: Mort (Discworld #4) by Terry Pratchett - I love this series and there's so much more I have to explore.
10. A book with a main character in their 20s
My choice: The Secret History by Donna Tartt - I've been meaning to read a Donna Tartt novel and I've heard this compared to If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio which was amazing.
Congrats if you've made it this far! That was a long post, wasn't it? Have you read any of these books? Are you participating in this challenge? What should I read first? As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!
Wow, great list! And I love this challenge. I'm excited to read all your reviews next year. I've loved a bunch of these books myself, so looks like you have lots of great reading ahead😁
ReplyDeleteThanks! I can't wait to read them. :)
DeleteI always want to do this challenge but never actually do! Maybe I'll join you and do it next year. :)
ReplyDeleteKrystianna @ Volumes and Voyages
The more the merrier!
DeleteThanks for coming over, Krystianna.
Great list! I tried the PopSugar challenge last year, but it just doesn't work for me. I think its just too ambitious for me lol. All the best with your reading!
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely ambitious that's for sure. We'll see what happens for me. :)
DeleteA great reading list Lauren. While I had a couple of small reservations about Where the Forest Meets The Stars, I ultimately enjoyed it - hope you do too. I REALLY admired the writing in This Is How You Lose The Time War, so clever and thought-provoking. Good luck with this challenge!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I can't wait to get to them!
Delete