top of page

Part 2: 2018 Popsugar Reading Challenge


Here in Atlanta we were just walloped with a large, unpredicted, amount of snow. Granted, any snow is an uncomfortable amount for Atlanta. But 10 inches is a large amount by anyone who lives in the southeast United States.

The Harrison’s enjoyed the snow until our power was knocked out. For FOUR days! Fortunately, my in-laws took us in for three of those days. Of course, once we got home, everything in our fridge and freezer had to go :-(

So now that my fridge is cleaned out, my muddy floor mopped, and firewood mess is vacuumed; I’m ready to get back to blogging!

Here’s the second half of the 2018 Popsugar Reading Challenge! I was able to pull more books from my TBR list for this half. Ready, set, read!

A book with your favorite color in the title

Gray Mountain By: John Grisham

I like gray. It just kinda goes with anything. I typically don’t read thrillers much less legal thrillers. I was a little concerned that Gray Mountain only had a 3.53 score on Goodreads, but out of the 221 books John Grisham has written, his average is 3.88. So not terrible.

A book with an alliteration in the title

I love alliterations! I just love how it flows when spoken and how smooth they look when written. It’s the small things, right? I also love foodie books. And I love pulling books from my TBR shelf. This book is getting all three!

A book about time travel

All Our Wrong Todays by: Elan Mastai

All Our Wrongs Today was a semi-finalist on the GoodReads 2017 Best Science Fiction. Tom is from 2016, but how the people from 1950’s imagined 2016, complete with flying cars. The part of the summary that really hooked me was:

In a time-travel mishap, Tom finds himself stranded in our 2016, what we think of as the real world. For Tom, our normal reality seems like a dystopian wasteland.

A book with a weather element in the title

Flame in the Mist by: Renee Ahdieh

I love YA. I didn’t put this on my TBR all that long ago, just this October. But I’m glad that I get a quick chance to read it. It was initially advertised as a Mulan retelling (and I love Mulan!), but this is set in Japan, not China, and the main character doesn’t go to war. The girl dressing up as a boy is Mulan-ish, I guess.

A book set at sea

Ship of Magic by: Robin Hobb

This book is on my Christmas list this year. I love Robin Hobb and was super excited that she released a new book in 2017. I hadn’t read her Liveship Traders trilogy yet, but I was told that the newest trilogy ties in several of her series set in the Realm of the Elderlings, so I need to backtrack a little bit.

A book with an animal in the title

One Good Dog by: Susan Wilson

Yet another TBR find! I put One Good Dog on my list in December 2016. It’s an underdog story about a guy and a dog.

A book set on a different planet

The Color of Magic by: Terry Pratchett

I’m ashamed to say that I have yet to read the Discworld series by the legendary Terry Pratchett. I'll be reading this second from last. I have the next book in the series to read next so I can read the whole series after I finish the challenge.

A book with song lyrics in the title

Stardust by:Neil Gaiman

Stardust has been in my TBR list for a while. So I Googled “Stardust song lyric.” Did you know a song titled Stardust was first recorded in 1927? And it has been redone 8 times, most recently in 2002 by Michael Buble. Hooray!

A book about or set on Halloween

The only Ray Bradbury book I've read was Fahrenheit 451. I really enjoyed it and I'm interested in seeing how his writing translates from dystopian to horror. I'm also interested in seeing why my two favorite authors had very different reviews.

A book with characters that are twins

I have picked up and put down this book many times. Each time I went, “Eh.” But I figure if it’s been popping up so many times, it means I should read it. This prompt gives me that chance.

A book mentioned in another book

Candide by: Voltaire

Candide was mentioned in Robin Sloan’s Sourdough (which was a really good book by the way. Read my review here). Candide is a French satire first written in 1759. It follows Candide as he adventures around the world.

A book from a celebrity book club

The Alice Network by: Kate Quinn

It seems like World War II fiction is hot this year. It's a genre that I can't seem to get into. I've seen The Alice Network mentioned a few times, most recently in Reese Witherspoon’s book club. I like her a lot, I find her funny and authentic. I hope we have the same taste in books.

A childhood classic you’ve never read

National Velvet by: Enid Bagnold

Growing up, I read a ton of scrappy girl and horse books. But I don't think I've read National Velvet.

A book published in 2018

The Thief by: J.R. Ward

I'm so happy that I get to put The Black Dagger Brotherhood on my list twice (and it gives me a reason to buy it!). The Thief is number 16 in the excellent series. It's set to release April 3rd 2018.

A past Goodreads Choice Awards winner

Yes Please by: Amy Poehler

I loved Amy Poehler in Sisters and Parks & Rec. I'm looking forward to see how much of it is that I like her characters, and how much of it is that I like Amy Poehler. Yes Please has been on my TBR since November 2016. It was also Goodreads Choice Award winner in 2014.

A book set in the decade you were born

Magic America by: C.E .Medford

Magic America is set in an alternative New Jersey in the 1980’s. When I read the summary, which included words like “radioactive cats” and “cocky fairy godmothers,” it made me laugh. Also, I've always liked magical realism.

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

Lingus by: Mariana Zapata

I got Lingus from a BOGO sale that Audible was having. It looks like a cute contemporary romance that begins at a porn convention……. Yea. It's OK if you read that twice. :-D

A book with an ugly cover

Airborn by: Kenneth Oppel

So, this cover isn't so much ugly as much as it is extremely uninteresting. I had put it on my TBR December 2016. And every time I've gone to my TBR to look for a new book, my eyes would travel down the list and completely skip over Airborn. It's a boring, dark, ugly cover. It made me forget why I put it in my list.

A book that involves a bookstore or library

Ash and Quill by: Rachel Caine

Ash and Quill is book three of The Great Library series and was published this year. The series is set around the parameter that the Libraries of Alexandria were not destroyed. And now libraries basically run the world by controlling knowledge. It's a YA, but excellently written.

Your favorite prompt from 2015, 2016 or 2017

Borne by: Jeff VanderMeer

I really wanted to read Borne, it looks really interesting and was a finalist for Goodreads Choice Award for science fiction. I didn't have a favorite prompt, since I've only participated in 2017. So I looked for a prompt that Borne would fit. A prompt from 2016, a dystopian novel, fit perfectly!

bottom of page