In 2017, I started the POPSUGAR reading challenge as I’d lost my way with reading and wanted to see if taking part in a challenge would help me get back my love of reading. I started off well, but only managed to read 10 of the 40 books I’d chosen to go with the prompts.
Looking back, I think I was too restrictive in trying to choose all 40 books right at the beginning. This year I’m going to try and choose books that I want to read and see if they fit into a category rather than trying to find all 40 books ahead of time. Having said that, being the control freak I am, there are still a few books I’ve already picked out 🙂
I’ve already started the challenge as this weekend I finished reading A Winter Beneath the Stars by Jo Thomas which being set in Sweden fits in with A book set in Scandinavia. And about 2am this morning(!) I finished Without Merit by Colleen Hoover, which is A book about a family. I really enjoyed them both!
I’ve also got A book based on a true story covered as I have Matt’s copy of The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris to read. My pal Lauren over at Scrapbook Blog said this was one of her favourite reads of last year; I read the first few pages and I was like, OK, this looks good!
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt has been on my Kindle since 2014, and I’ve just never got round to reading it. It’s my choice for A book becoming a movie in 2019.
I’ve wanted to read When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi for a while now, and as it was published after his death, this will be A book published posthumously.
Save the Date by Morgan Matson was an easy pick because I’ve read all of Morgan’s other books and so I knew I had to get this one in there. This will be A book that includes a wedding.
Finally, A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads is one I chose from this list here; I went with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank as I picked up a copy of it when I visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam but have sadly never got round to reading the whole thing.
As for the other 34 books… Who knows?! I’ll be posting regular updates on my progress both here and via My Goodreads page – feel free to add me as a friend over there 🙂 I may also be popping up the books I’m reading on my Insta stories if that’s more your thing – I’m @zoebeeuk there, and I’ll be tagging social media posts with #popsugarreadingchallenge. One last thing: I’ve only chosen to do the core 40 books so I’ve not included the advanced prompts in the lists below.
The 2019 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
- A book becoming a movie in 2019
- A book that makes you nostalgic
- A book written by a musician (fiction or nonfiction)
- A book you think should be turned into a movie
- A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads
- A book with a plant in the title or on the cover
- A reread of a favourite book
- A book about a hobby
- A book you meant to read in 2018
- A book with POP, SUGAR, or CHALLENGE in the title
- A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover
- A book inspired by myth/legend/folklore
- A book published posthumously
- A book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie
- A retelling of a classic
- A book with a question in the title
- A book set on college or university campus
- A book about someone with a superpower
- A book told from multiple POVs
- A book set in space
- A book by two female authors
- A book with SALTY, SWEET, BITTER, or SPICY in the title
- A book set in Scandinavia A Winter Beneath the Stars by Jo Thomas ✓ 6-1-2019
- A book that takes place in a single day
- A debut novel
- A book that’s published in 2019
- A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature
- A book recommended by a celebrity you admire
- A book with LOVE in the title
- A book featuring an amateur detective
- A book about a family Without Merit by Colleen Hoover ✓ 8-1-19
- A book author from Asia, Africa, or South America
- A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in title
- A book that includes a wedding
- A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter
- A ghost story
- A book with a two-word title
- A novel based on a true story The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
- A book revolving around a puzzle or game
- Your favourite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading challenge
