2019 draws to an end and I have to admit defeat on this years Popsugar Reading Challenge.

I read 49 out of 50 prompts which is a decent effort but Christmas festivities meant I had too many books and too little time in December.

One mistake I this year was leaving all of my least favourite prompts until the end. This meant I had a few reads in Nov and Dec that felt like a chore which goes against everything I believe about reading.

The category I missed – a book with over a million Goodreads ratings.

My intended read for this was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I’ve had a copy of this since it was first published and have still not got around to reading it! 🙈

So what did I manage to read?

Here’s the full list of prompts and choices for 2019:

A book becoming a movie in 2019: The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn ⭐⭐

A book that makes you nostalgic: Look Alive 25 by Janet Evanovich ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book written by a musician: Headhunters by Jo Nesbo ⭐⭐⭐

A book you think should be turned into a move: Still Lives by Maria Hummel ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book with at least one million Goodreads ratings – FAIL 😕

A book with a plant in the title or on the cover: The Girl at the Window by Rowan Coleman ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A reread of a favourite book: The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book about a hobby: For the Love of Books by Graham Tarrant ⭐⭐⭐

A book with “pop”, “sugar” or “challenge” in the title”: A Spoonful of Sugar by Belinda Ashford ⭐⭐⭐

A book you meant to read in 2018: Dear Mrs Bird by A. J. Pearce ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover: American Royals by Katharine McGee ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book inspired by mythology, legend or folklore: Bone China by Laura Purcell ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book published posthumously: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle ⭐⭐⭐

A retelling of a classic: Lydia by Natsha Farrant ⭐⭐⭐

A book with a question in the title: Are We Nearly There Yet? By Lucy Vine ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book set in a university or college campus: Truly Wildly Deeply by Jenny McLachlan ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book about someone with a superpower: The Beckoning Shadow by Katharyn Blair ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book told from multiple characters pov: More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book set in space: This Splintered Silence by Kayla Olson ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book by two female authors: The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen by Ada Bright and Cass Grafton ⭐⭐⭐

A book with a title that contains “salty”, “sweet”, “bitter” or “spicy”: Sweet Tea and Secrets by Joy Avon ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book set in Scandinavia: The Boy in the Headlights by Samuel Bjork ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book that takes place in a single day: Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day by Winifred Watson ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A debut novel: The Paper and Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book that’s published in 2019: On The Come Up by Angie Thomas ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature: The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book recommended by a celebrity you admire: The Unexpected Return of Josephine Fox by Glaire Gradidge ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book with ‘love’ in the title: Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Katherine Webber ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book featuring an amateur detective: Murder in a Country Garden by Betty Rowlands ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book about a family: The Death of Mungo Blackwell by Lauren H. Brandenburg ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book written by an author from Asia, Africa or South America: Marilyn and Me by Ji-Min Lee ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book with a zodiac sign or astrological term in the title: Under a Dancing Star by Laura Wood ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book that includes a wedding: A Wedding at the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter: Bethlehem by Karen Kelly ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A ghost story: The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book with a two-word title: No Shame by Anne Cassidy ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A novel based on a true story: Monsters by Sharon Dogar ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A book revolving around a puzzle or game: The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder by Sarah J. Harris ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Your favourite prompt from a last Popsugar Reading Challenge: The Places I’ve Cried in Public by Holly Bourne ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Advanced Prompts:

A cli-fi book: The Overstory by Richard Powers ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A choose-your-own-adventure book: My Lady’s Choosing by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris ⭐⭐⭐

An “own voices” book: With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read a book during the season in which it is set: A Summer Escape and Strawberry Cheesecake at the Cosy Kettle by Liz Eeles ⭐⭐⭐

A LitRPG book: Inside Out by Ellis Michaels ⭐

A book with no chapters/unusual chapter headings/unconventionally numbered chapters: The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Two books with the same title – book 1: The Snow Angel by Lauren St John ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Two books with the same title – book 2: The Snow Angel by Lulu Taylor ⭐⭐⭐

A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom: Casino Royale by Ian Fleming ⭐⭐

A book set in an abbey, cloister, vicarage, monastery or convent: The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I’ve read some really great books this year and have given 14 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ratings to my Popsugar choices.

There were only 3 books I didn’t enjoy – LitRPG which was always going to be a tough sell, The Woman in the Window which is a huge bestseller but not for me, and Casino Royale which I don’t think has stood the test of time.

And while writing this wrap up, I discovered that I’d read two book for the folklore category- so I did read 50 after all! 😆🙈

I’m looking for to the 2020 Popsugar Reading Challenge and already have a stack of books on my TBR pile that will fit the new prompts.

Happy Reading everyone!