Pop. 1280 by Jim Thompson fulfills the “Book with POP, SUGAR, or CHALLENGE in the Title” category of PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. This was the third novel I tried. The first two were poorly written and trite. This story was odd and not to my taste. Perhaps because it was published in 1964. Pop. 1280 …
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang fulfilled the “Debut Book” category of the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. Ms. Hoang’s book debut to great acclaim in 2018. It is a steamy romance with a happy ending. The book is perfect. I’ve studied romance writing for about ten years. The natural arc of a romance has been …
The Circle by Dave Eggers fulfilled the “Book with no chapters/unusual chapter headings/unconventionally numbered chapters” for the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. The novel has no chapters. It is one long set of text, broken up by single blank lines. I listened to the audio and was not aware of the non-chapters. The book was stream …
The Magicians by Lev Grossman fulfilled the “Book Set on College or University Campus” category for the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. The novel takes place in a magical college somewhere in the wilds of upstate New York. Untamed places like Poughkeepsie and Wappingers Falls. The Magicians is a well-written story with gorgeous details, an interesting …
What I Did for Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips fulfilled the “Book with the Word Love in the Title” category of the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. As a romance author and reader, I had so many choices for this one. I wish I’d chosen better. Okay, that was mean. I usually love SEP’s books and …
The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde fulfills the “Book with a Plant in the Title or on the Cover” for the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. Technically, there are trees on the cover of my copy. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I will admit this one is a bit of a cheat. I’m …
Survival Quest by Vasily Mahanenko fulfilled the “LitRPG Book” from the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. LitRPG is a new genre for me. I read Ready Player One last year because it mentioned Zork. (Yes, I’m that old.) I enjoyed the novel, but Survival Quest blew me away. Let me qualify the blog post. I’m an …
Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers fulfilled the “Book with a Question in the Title” of the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. I’m a huge Agatha Christie fan and have been trying to read her complete words for the past two years. Ms. Sayers seemed an easy fit. I liked the novel but didn’t love it, …
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman fulfilled the “Book Set in Scandinavia” category of the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. The novel is set in Sweden and is one of the best books I’ve read this year. Ove (pronounced Ah-vey) is a grumpy old man. He polices his little neighborhood, checking to make sure everyone …
The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer fulfilled the “Book Written by a Musician (fiction or nonfiction)” for the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. Amanda Palmer is an indie musician and was once part of the band, The Dresden Dolls. I am so very glad I read this. In the book, Amanda Palmer describes her story, …
Ginny Frost