Pop Sugar Reading Challenge

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, adventures, and life philosophy.   She does not hold back, letting it all hang out. And she does a good percentage of it naked. She impresses me on a level I ’ve never experienced before. I’ve read a few memoirs from celebs. See my Amy Schumer blog from earlier. Usually, I come away from these books amused and entertained. Ms. Palmer’s book helped me through an existential crisis.  So, I ’m a writer. I write. I write books about romance, but I’ve explored other genres. The Wild Rose Press has published two of my novels, both romance. Recently, I have been working on a novella for a series other than my own. I wrote the story fast, so not surprisingly, it n...

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel fulfilled the “Book Seen Read on TV or in a Movie” category of the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. This novel was not originally on my List Challenge for the category. I decided to use it over Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court or Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time . Time is running out for the blog. I still have many novels to finish and some are very long. House of Leaves , I’m looking at you.  I opted to add a novel I’d already read in 2019. I’ve made three oops while doing this project. I read two for the category “A Book Written by Someone from Asia, Africa, or South America.” And I read two for the “Book Revolving around a Puzzle or Game” category. And I read The Life of Pi . I don’t know where I felt it fit, but the story works here.  My research shows novel was on Gilmore Girls . Checking a couple lists, I found it was at least mentioned. Footage of Rory or someone else actually reading th...

Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart fulfilled the “Book I Think Should Be Turned into a Movie” category of the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. If you haven’t read Barry Hughart, go now. Read. I’ll wait. Bridge of Birds is a self-proclaimed “history of ancient China that never was.” I’m not a historian and do not know who much Mr. Hughart made up, researched, or reinvented for the book, but it is a masterful historical comedy. That’s right. It’s a comedy. The author mixes pseudo-history with mysticism, ritual, and humor to create two unforgettable characters on an extensive, danger fraught adventure. Meet Number 10 Ox, an extra-large teen with a great heart and Master Li, a man with a small flaw in his character. The two run all over China to save the children of Number 10 Ox’s village. I cannot think of a better story for a movie. Hubby introduced me to the book back at the turn of the century. (Can we say that yet?) In fact, Hubby gave me many books when we first...

The Lost World by Michael Crichton fulfilled half of the “Two Books that Share the Same Title” category of the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. I also read The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as well. See the previous blog post for a stellar review on that story. Time to compare and contrast. I’m reaching deep for those sixth-grade writing skills. The Lost World by Mr. Crichton is a sequel to Jurassic Park , a runaway bestseller in the mid-nineties. I remember the book’s release. My boyfriend at the time was a biology major working for a certain Dr. Berg. She had a lab sequencing DNA back in 1995. When the book came out, she threw together a summer course to discuss the veracity of the plot. The boyfriend took the course. I refused to read the novel. Twenty years later, I read Jurassic Park and chose The Lost World for this category. I could not have chosen better novels. These two stories both tackle the concept of a hidden world somewhere on Earth where dinosau...

The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle fulfilled half of the “Two Books with the Same Title” category of the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. I also read The Lost World by Michael Crichton which I’ll be reviewing next. I ’ll do my best not to cross-reference too much in this review. The following one will be a complete compare and contrast. How can I not compare two books with the same title about the same subject? I debated for many titles for the category. Should I read Cat ’s Eye by Margaret Atwood and Stephen King? Or should I read Nightshift by Stephen King and Charlene Harris? In the end, it was an easy choice. I’d already finished both Nightshift titles and I have another Margaret Atwood on the blog already. Besides, I’m a huge Sherlock Holmes fan and I read Jurassic Park last year. (Twenty years late but who’s counting?) I ’ve read a few books this year that aren’t my usual cup of tea. Hard sci-fi and literary classics fall low on my to-read list. I love a co...

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi fulfilled the “Cli-fi (climate fiction) Book” for the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. Wow, did this book ever fit the category. This post-apocalyptic, hard sci-fi book about the destruction of crops and food sources scared me speechless. Well, almost speechless. I like to talk. Imagine in if you will Bangkok in the not-so-far distant future. The country has kept itself afloat (literally) during plagues and floods. The city is walled in to keep the ocean out and resources are scarce. That ’s the setting Mr. Bacigalupi gives us, then adds political issues, industrial espionage, and the morality of genetic tinkering with foodstuffs, animals, and humans. He packed so much into the novel. I’m still trying to sort it all out. The story scared me. This is my second Cl-Fi book. I read Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood two years ago and felt uncomfortable with the realism in her dystopia. Mr. Bacigalupi gave me those same vibes. The world seems...

Old and New by Lucinda Race fulfilled the “Book Published in 2019” category of the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. It is the first in the MacLellan Sisters series. The other novels are Borrowed and Blue . Ms. Race published all three this year, one in June and both of the last two in July. Rather impressive, huh? The series centers on three sisters who swear off marriage. Each is a career woman with her own goals, independence, and serious family ties. When their grandmother passed away, she leaves them a wedding gown with some magical realism sewn into the seams. The legend states that if you wear the dress and look in the mirror, you will see the person you ’ll marry. I don’t know if it would’ve worked if they had a brother, but it sure helped Jaime, the oldest of the sisters. I loved the novel. It s themes spoke to me, family (siblings), true love, and remaining true to yourself even if you’re with a partner. I have two sisters. We are as different as night and day. A...