Guest post by Kyle
Reading Challenge: Round 4
This round of the POPSUGAR book challenge might be the strongest group of 10 on my list, with one notable exception (see if you can figure out which one you won’t want to read!). There is still a lot of year left, so if you haven’t started the reading challenge yet, pick out a few books and get started!
No need to start in order, but come back to see my selections for Prompts 1-10, Prompts 11-20, and Prompts 21-30.
Now for the books. These are my picks for prompts 31-40:
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31. A book mentioned in another book
It’s interesting how many books mention other books. Last year’s list included this prompt, and I remember being surprised how quickly I found a mention of a book that I wanted to read. This year, I decided that I would read a few books and keep track of every book mentioned and then choose a book for this prompt when I was closer to the end of the reading challenge. That plan didn’t last long…
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (Cheryl Strayed) is mentioned in Talking as Fast as I Can. (Which I read for prompt 40, so you will read about it at the end of this list.) I knew when I saw it that it was going to be the book I read for this prompt. Unsurprisingly, I had already seen (and enjoyed) the movie. This book won a Good Choice Award on Goodreads, so I recently added it to my TBR (To Be Read) list.
This book is autobiographical. After the sudden death of her mother and the destruction of her marriage, Cheryl Strayed impulsively decides to solo hike the Pacific Crest Trail…without any training or experience. Driven by sheer will, she tackles the journey literally one step at a time.
*Careful, it might make you want to buy a pair of boots and a backpack.
32. A book from a celebrity book club
A lot of celebrities seem to be starting book clubs these days. There is only one book club that matters: Oprah’s. Several of Oprah’s selections are on Amazon’s 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime list, but The Underground Railroad (Colson Whitehead) isn’t among those. However, it did win a Choice Awards in 2016 for the historical fiction category.
In this book, the Underground Railroad is not a metaphor, but an actual railroad transporting runaway slaves in the south to freedom. Cora and Caesar attempt a daring escape and head north, while being pursued by Ridgeway, a dogged slave catcher.
33. A childhood classic you’ve never read
This wasn’t exactly a difficult prompt, but there weren’t that many books that I could think of to fit the description. Because it’s a children’s book, I intended to read Little House on the Prairie (Laura Ingalls Wilder) with our oldest son. But since it is not the first book in this series, I read Little House in the Big Woods first (which Megan had already read with Kman).
This book follows Laura’s family as they leave the big woods and travel to the Kansas territory and establish a homestead on the…wait for it…prairie. These books read like a “day in the life of” type book, covering the basics of daily living for early-19th century settlers. I haven’t seen any screen adaptation of this book, so I didn’t have anything with which to compare it. Additionally, any book you choose for this thread is absent any nostalgia element. So for me, I expected a book that never showed up, so I do think I was slightly disappointed after reading both books.
34. A book that’s published in 2018
I utilized a Kindle First book for this prompt. (This is a program for Prime members where you get to choose a free book every month.) The Birdwoman’s Palate (Laksmi Pamuntjak) was the literary fiction selection for January 2018 and follows Aruna, an Indonesian epidemiologist, who has a passion for food. Aruna researches a series of bird flu cases that popped up around the country. She uses the investigation as an opportunity to travel with her friends and indulge in the various dishes of the local cuisine.
35. A past Goodreads Choice Awards winner
Into the Water (Paula Hawkins) won the 2017 Choice Award in the mystery and thriller category. The only other book I had read by Paula Hawkins was The Girl on the Train. I saw that one advertised as “if you liked Gone Girl, you’ll love…” This turned out to be, how you say, not the case. The Girl on the Train disappointed me, so I actually wasn’t expecting much out of Into the Water.
It surprised me. I really like the chapter formatting of these books with the alternating perspectives, but sometimes they don’t pay off and seem to be predictable. Honestly, I do not think this book is Gone Girl level, but I didn’t predict the ending either. I’m generally hypercritical of mystery/thrillers because it’s my favorite genre (nordic crime fiction more specifically), but I don’t really have anything negative to say. I liked this book.
36. A book set in the decade you were born
1984 (George Orwell) had to be the book. I’m sure there are a lot of books out there set in the ’80s, but c’mon, this is the one. I’m not sure if this was assigned reading for me in school or not, but I vaguely remember starting it at some point. However, I know I never finished it. So this was a good opportunity to knock a classic off the TBR list. Also, with the current events in American politics, this book has seen a resurgence in popularity. So what better time than now to read it?
Big Brother is always watching in Oceania. Winston Smith enters into a love affair and finds the courage to join a revolutionary organization, The Brotherhood, dedicated to toppling the Party. Written as satire, this futuristic novel remains relevant almost 70 years after it was originally published.
37. A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn’t get to
Oh, don’t tell me. You’re not going to read this one. I’m shocked! Leadership Theory and the Community College (Carlos Navarez, J. Luke Wood, and Rose Penrose) is actually a really good book for anyone seeking to gain insight into leadership. If you are not interested in community colleges, there are other leadership books that are more fitting. I took part in a leadership academy through the North Texas Community College Consortium and this was the required text. This is also one of those cheat books, because I started reading it in 2017. But, because I intended to finish it in 2017 and didn’t, I counted it.
Community colleges are incredibly complex organizations, so the real value of this book is the case study presented at the end of each chapter. The case studies present unique situations in which the reader can think about how the different leadership styles are applied. If you know anyone who works for a community college, this is a short book and well worth the time.
38. A book with an ugly cover
No offense to anyone who designed this cover, but Glory in Death (J.D. Robb) has an ugly cover. Oddly enough, this isn’t the only version of the cover, but it is the ugliest. The second in the In Death series, this book finds Eve Dallas trying to solve a series of connected murders in 2058 New York City. She has no shortage of men close to the victims – one of which is her lover, Roarke. Awkward!
Seriously though, the two books I’ve read in this series have been entertaining. However, they do seem to follow the same form so I have decided not to continue the series. In fact, the only reason I read this one was because the Overdrive rental included the first five in the series.
39. A book that involves a bookstore or library
I had a hard time finding something suitable for this prompt. The Library Book (Rebecca Gray) was available on Overdrive, and I chose it for that reason alone. Published in support of local libraries, it’s an anthology of stories from famous writers and their experience with libraries. The writers share stories about childhood experiences in libraries or the importance that libraries had in their lives. Also, it is a call to action in helping preserving the library as an institution. Support your local library! Check out books!
40. Your favorite prompt from 2015-2017 POPSUGAR Challenge
I chose my prompt because I wanted to read Uncommon Type (Tom Hanks). I was going to use the 2016 prompt, “A book written by a celebrity,” to make that happen. Once again, I changed my plan. Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between) (Lauren Graham) won a Goodreads Choice award for humor, so I decided to read it instead.
I never watched Gilmore girls and this book didn’t make me want to start watching Gilmore Girls. But, if you have watched Gilmore Girls, I imagine you would really like this book. I’ve never seen Gilmore Girls, and I liked this book. I found it as funny as the Choice Award winners for that category written by actual comedians. That might say more about the actual comedians, but I’ll leave it alone for now…
What’s on Your Book Challenge?
What books are you reading? Have you started the reading challenge? If so, let me know what you chose to read for these prompts. Comment below with your suggestions. These prompts may be used again next year, so I might need recommendations.
Don’t forget to check out my other picks for this year’s challenge:
My Pick:
Here’s @oscarshead with my favorite book out of this set of prompts.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (Cheryl Strayed)