Pop Sugar Reading Challenge

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate fulfills the “Based on a True Story” category of the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. Yes, another choice from the Kids’ Section . There will be a few more. Sometimes you have to read a YA or Children’s book to give your life perspective or to add some happy into your universe. Since romance novels don’t fit into many of the PopSugar categories, I had to find my Happily Ever After somewhere. And spoilers, this one as a HEA. The One and Only Ivan is told from the point of view of Ivan, a 20-something silverback who lives in a mall. He ’s wonderful. The voice of the story absolutely sounds male and gorilla-ish. The author perfectly depicts Ivan’s character—his thoughts, his wants, his needs, his heart. If my daughters were small, I’d totally read this book aloud to them. In an ape-like voice.  When the story opened in a shopping plaza zoo (shudder), I knew we were in for some seriously emotional moments. And damn the book ma

Born a Crime fulfills the “A Book Where the Author is from Asia, Africa, or South America ” category of the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. I think I double-dipped on this list item. I read Trevor ’s book and also My Sister, the Serial Killer , both authors being from Africa. But it’s all good. The perspective shift I received from Born a Crime helped me better understand the storyline of the other book. But I’m getting ahead of myself.  Born a Crime is an autobiographical tale of Trevor Noah ’s childhood in South Africa. He was ten when Apartheid finally ended there. Being a mixed-race child, he spent those ten years unable to be with his father, hiding his heritage, and living a life I could never imagine. And when Apartheid fell, not much changed for him. The book chronicles many events and circumstances that created the man we know from The Daily Show . Noah used humor, language, and deep insights to help curb the tough topics discussed throughout the entire book

This book fulfills the Favorite Prompt from 2018 on the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. That prompt was Audio Book. Honestly, I ’ve read most of the books on the blog as audio. I love audio. Love is the theme for this blog post because I love reading. Anyway… I ’m a cozy mystery junkie. I love to read all the little mysteries and wallow in the fun, hobby info, and, usually, romantic elements. I also love a traditional mystery. I’ve been trying to finish up Agatha Christie for the past year. Every one of her books makes me happy on some level. I enjoy a police procedural with all the details, gritty forensics, and bold/broken heroes/heroines. In short, I love a mystery. I did not love this book. Sigh. I work at a library and I see Louise Penny books go out often. I ’d heard so much hype about her books and especially Still Life, I assumed it would be the read of the year. Yeah, I assumed. I know what that makes me. It’s not that it’s a bad book. Not really. It’s okay.

Book 6:  Planet of the Damned by Harry Harrison This book fulfills the Author with the Same First and Last Initial requirement on the PopSugar 2019 reading challenge. Old school Sci-Fi and I are not friends. Well, not good friends. We get along pretty well, but we have some varying opinions. Sometimes we have to snooze each other on Facebook. Planet of the Damned depicts a superhuman male selected to rescue a planet in dire need. The place is about to be blown sky high by two warring factions—natives and the neighboring planet ’s inhabitants. All fighty and no negotiating so they bring a champion in. One from another planet millions of miles away.  Okay. Oh, and he has a team, another über male—superior and smart, cunning and ready. And SPOILER——He ’s dead by page 42. (Ironic? Nah. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy wasn’t written until around 1979.) There is also a female scientist from Earth on the journey. A token female. One. Just one woman in all the whole