My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite fulfilled the “Book from Asia, Africa or South America.” I read it by accident after reading Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. I thought Mr. Noah’s book had more bite to it, so I included it in the original fifty. My Sister, the Serial Killer was a …
The puzzle book was another category I doubled up on. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein fulfilled the category “Book revolving around a puzzle or game” in the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. I read the book for the challenge not realizing I had already fulfilled the category with The Lying Game. I went …
I accidentally read more than one story for the “Book Written by Musician” category of the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. In fact, I read three. Which is funny because I struggled to find one that was not ginormous and still interesting. I tried Wildwood, but it was huge and the audio did not suit me. …
Redwall by Brian Jacques fulfilled the “Book Set in an Abbey, Cloister, Monastery, Vicarage, or Convent” category of the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. It is the last item on the list and my last book for the blog. I had a tough time finding a novel for this one. I purchased and downloaded from Audible …
Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure by Emily Campbell Webster fulfilled the “Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Book” category of the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. As a child of the 80s, I read Choose-Your-Own-Adventure stories voraciously. In fact, I can remember with the first five writing all the page numbers and rereading until I hit every …
Zodiac by Neal Stephenson fulfilled the “Book with a Zodiac Sign or Astrology Term in Title” of the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. Okay, I cheated a little on this one. I understand the intention of the category and I tried to honor it. I started a cozy mystery about an astrologist. After about ten pages, …
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 …
Ginny Frost