Hello Readers! I usually try to do a quarterly reading challenge update post, but I blew right past that date and here we are more than halfway through the year. I like to do an update to gauge how I’m doing with the challenge and refocus my goals, if needed. I am ahead, having read 35/60 books so far. And I’ve actually read a few books that I could use in a couple of prompts but I’m leaving them off hoping I’ll get to the books I had originally planned on using. I have a feeling working on this post will mainly highlight the fact that I’ve barely stuck to my original books. Those pesky ARCs always take over my TBR. 😉

Here’s a link to my original post and what I had planned. Now, let’s see how I’m doing so far…

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• A book that’s published in 2021 – The Love Proof by Madeleine Henry | My Review
• An Afrofuturist book – The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
• A book that has a heart, diamond, club, or spade on the cover – The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren | My Review
• A dark academia book – The Maidens by Alex Michaelides | My Review
• A book with a gem, mineral, or rock in the title – Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare | My Review

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• A book where the main character works at your current or dream job – (Bookseller) The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
• A book with a family tree – The Duke and I (Bridgertons, #1) by Julia Quinn
• A book you have seen on someone’s bookshelf (in real life, on a Zoom call, in a TV show, etc.) – The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris (seen on an author’s shelf during a virtual book discussion) | My Review
• A book with a black-and-white cover – Brat: An ’80s Story by Andrew McCarthy | My Review
• A book that has the same title as a song – Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater (“Mister Impossible” by Phantogram) | My Review

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• A book about a subject you are passionate about – Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu (feminism, sexism – especially in high school)
• A book that discusses body positivity – Big Girl, Small Town by Michelle Gallen | My Review
• A genre hybrid – (YA, Historical Fiction, Mixed Media) We Are Not Free by Traci Chee | My Review
• A book set mostly or entirely outdoors – Float Plan by Trish Doller | My Review
• A book with something broken on the cover – Version Zero by David Yoon | My Review

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• A book with an oxymoron in the title – Opposites Attract by Camilla Isley
• A book about do-overs or fresh starts – Love at First by Kate Clayborn | My Review
• A book set in multiple countries – The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
• A book set somewhere you’d “like” to visit in 2021 – (New York) Astrid Sees All by Natalie Standiford | My Review
• A book whose title starts with “Q,” “X,” or “Z” – Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

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• A book featuring three generations (grandparents, parent, child) – The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous | My Review
• A book about a social justice issue – The Smash-Up by Ali Benjamin | My Review
• A book that has fewer than 1,000 reviews on Amazon or Goodreads – Happy Singles Day by Ann Marie Walker (This had under 1,000 reviews when I read it.) | My Review
• A book you think your best friend would like – Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir | My Review
• A book about art or an artist – What Could Be Saved by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz | My Review

Your favorite prompt from a past Popsugar Reading Challenge (I like to challenge myself by choosing a book from each past challenge, and I added one to round out my TBR to 60 books.)

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• Overall – Reread – Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare | My Review
• 2016 – Takes place during the summer – Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid | My Review
• 2016 Summer Challenge – A road trip book – Hadley & Grace by Suzanne Redfearn | My Review
• 2016 Fall Challenge – A book set in Fall/Autumn – Snowflakes at the Little Christmas Tree Farm by Jaimie Admans (This seems like a strange choice, but it’s mostly set in the fall, which I wish I would have known before I read it.) | My Review
• 2017 – A book by a POC – Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield | My Review
• 2019 – A Debut – Prepped by Bethany Mangle | My Review
• 2020 Summer Challenge – A book set on vacation – People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry | My Review
• 2020 Fall/Autumn Challenge – A book that includes someone falling – Anchored Hearts by Priscilla Oliveras | My Review

Advanced Prompts

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• The book on your TBR with the ugliest cover – Odd Woman Out: Exposure in Essays and Stories by Melanie Chartoff (I wasn’t a fan of the cover, but this memoir was hilarious!) | My Review
• A book from your TBR list you associate with a favorite person, place, or thing – (thing) Moonlighting: An Oral Story by Scott Ryan | My Review

It looks like I’ve read 14 books out of 35 in the prompts I originally had planned. I also read 4 books I had planned, but I moved them to different prompts. That’s almost half, so I’m good with that. 😉 But thanks to my ARCs, my Advanced Prompts are woefully behind. Hopefully I can read more of my backlist the second half of the year.

Are you participating in the Popsugar Reading Challenge? How’s your reading year going so far? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Wandering!