Popsugar Book Challenge Update

Surprisingly this book challenge has gotten me to a wide variety of books and put me on the path to reading authors I’d debated but never ended up picking up. A lot of that is due to the fact that I’m not reading rewritten fairy tales whilst rewriting my own. Same with Witch Murder Mysteries or…. you know. The stuff I’m up to. So….finding new authors who write stuff I’d never write, but do it well… that’s where I’m at. My favorite book this year, barring Maggie Stiefvater, has been Hard Magic by Larry Correia. I liked it so much I’ve read nearly everything else by him. I have three books to go.

I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy which my friend has been telling me to read forever.

I read Catch-22 also on my reading list since forever. I probably won’t, however, read a classic this month as I don’t see being done with good ole Larry by then. And at this point, I’m going straight through his catalog. The Grimnoir books are, by far, superior to his other works. They are all, however, pretty fun.

I’ve read things I liked, things I’ve hated, things that are a combination. But it’s been fun. Here’s my book challenge so far:

A book with more than 500 pages — Can You Forgive Her? By Anthony Trollope
A classic romance – The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
A book that became a movie – The Pearl by John Steinbeck
A book published this year – As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley
A book with a number in the title – Catch-22
A book written by someone under 30 – The Outsiders by SE Hinton
A book with nonhuman characters – Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia
A funny book – Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome
A book by a female author — Whose Body by Dorothy L. Sayers
A mystery or thriller – A Blunt Instrument by Georgette Heyer
A book with a one-word title – Warbound by Larry Correia
A book of short stories – Grimnoir Shorts by Larry Correia (Tokyo Raider and Murder on the Orient Elite)
A book set in a different country – The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
A nonfiction book – Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
A popular author’s first book — Looking for Alaska by John Green
A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet — Monster Hunter Vendetta by Larry Correia
A book a friend recommended — Any Witch Way You Can by Amanda M. Lee
A Pulitzer Prize-winning book – The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
A book based on a true story —
A book at the bottom of your to-read list — The Road by Cormac McCarthy
A book your mom loves —
A book that scares you — Monster Hunter Legion by Larry Correia
A book more than 100 years old — Phineas Finn
A book based entirely on its cover –Dead Six by Larry Correia
A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t – The Awakening by Kate Chopin
A memoir –

A book you can finish in a day — Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming
A book with antonyms in the name — The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit – The Weed that String’s the Hangman’s Bag by Alan Bradley
A book that came out the year you were born —
A book with bad reviews —
A trilogy – Paper Magician by Charlie Holmberg, Glass Magician by Charlie Holmberg, Master Magician by Charlie Holmberg (haven’t read the last one yet, it’s out in June)
A book from your childhood –
A book with a love triangle –Hard Magic by Larry Correia
A book set in the future —
A book set in high school —
A book with a color in the title — Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
A book that made you cry –
A book with magic – Spellbound by Larry Correia
A graphic novel —
A book by an author you’ve never read before – Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R. L Levers
A book you own but have never read – The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley
A book that takes place in your hometown —
A book that was originally written in a different language —
A book set during Christmas – I am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
A book written by an author with the same initials –Any Witch Way You Can by Amanda M. Lee
A play —
A banned book – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A book based on or turned into a TV show –
A book you started but never finished –
*A book of man-cheese – Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

*I added this category.

Anyhoosen, reading books for random reasons has been fun. Who knows what I’ll do when I’m done with Larry Correia. Perhaps I’ll revisit JK Rowling, Jane Austen, and Maggie Stiefvater. They are, after all, my very favorite writers.

On the writing front, I continue to edit Snow White and draft Persuaded to Love. They’re not going swimmingly–not because of the books but because of the war on sleep my two-year-old is enacting. I’ve added the “hunter” element to my fairy tale. And loving how it naturally takes on a character I already had. Persuaded to Love revisits old friends from Compelled to Love and has some pranking. Yes pranking. You’ll see…