2018 Popsugar Reading Challenge

It's the new year, and that means a new reading challenge.  I've quite liked Popsugar's in the past for having a broad variety of categories, and ones that mostly change from year to year, so I'm going with that one again.  Here's the category list and some preliminary thoughts on titles.  One thing I'm doing this year is trying to fulfill most of the categories with books that I already own; and, if I don't own a title for a category, trying to fill it with a book that I'd be purchasing anyway for book clubs or because it's a title I was already planning on buying when it came out in 2018.  And if I really can't do it that way, I'm hoping to fill in the gaps from the library!

-A book made into a movie you've already seen.  Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones

-True crime.  Lost Girls, Robert Kolker

-The next book in a series you started.  Cobweb Empire, Vera Nazarian

-A book involving a heist.  The Palace Job, Patrick Weekes

-Nordic noir.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Steig Larsson

-A novel based on a real person.  Circling the Sun, Paula McLain

-A book set in a country that fascinates you.  Sky Burial, Xinran--this is one that I'll be reading for a book club and so will need to obtain somehow.

-A book with a time of day in the title.  Light in the Gloaming, J. B. Simmons

-A book about a villain or antihero.

-A book about death or grief.

-A book by a female author who uses a male pseudonym.  I want to use the new Robert Galbraith (aka J. K. Rowling) book for this but it doesn't have a release date, so if it doesn't work out I'll use a work by one of the Bronte sisters, who used male pseudonyms.

-A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist.  Wanted, a Gentleman, K. J. Charles--this one isn't actually one I own or is lined up for a book club, but it was reportedly one of the best romance novels of the year and historical romances with LGBTQ+ bends are fairly rare, so I'm going to go for it.

-A book that is also a stage play or musical.  Anna and the King of Siam, Margaret London

-A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you.  The Bollywood Bride, Sonali Dev

-A book about feminism.

-A book about mental illness.  The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath

-A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift.  Clockwork Prince, Cassandra Clare

-A book by two authors.  Burn for Me, Ilona Andrews--this is a pen name used by a writing team of Ilona and Andrew Gordon, who are married and write books together!  #relationshipgoals

-A book about for involving a sport.  Riding Lessons, Sara Gruen

-A book by a local author.

-A book with your favorite color in the title.  Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote--yes, Tiffany blue is my favorite color.  It's just such a gorgeous shade of blue-green that no other color quite captures.

-A book with alliteration in the title.  Salt & Storm, Kendall Kulper

-A book about time travel.  Drums of Autumn, Diana Gabaldon

-A book with a weather element in the title.  Tempests and Slaughter, Tamora Pierce

-A book set at sea.  The Unimaginable, Dina Silver

-A book with an animal in the title.  Big Fish, Daniel Wallace

-A book set on a different planet.  The Sparrow, Mary Dorica Russell--this is the sci-fi book for discussion this year in the Deliberate Reader book club that I'll need to get.

-A book with song lyrics in the title.  Catch Me If You Can, Rank W. Abagnale--this is like a million songs, apparently, though I'm not familiar with any of them.

-A book about or set on Halloween.

-A book with characters who are twins.  The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield

-A book mentioned in another book.

-A book from a celebrity book club.

-A childhood classic you've never read.  -The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett--I don't own this one but I don't have a lot of "childhood classics" lying about, so I'll have to get one no matter what.

-A book that's published in 2018.  A Reaper at the Gates, Sabaa Tahir

-A past Goodreads Choice Awards Winner.  Into the Water, Paula Hawkins

-A book set in the decade you were born.

-A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to.  Arcana Rising, Kresley Cole

-A book with an ugly cover.  Brave New World, Aldous Huxley--I know there are tons of editions of this book, but mine has these weird blood cell-like things on the cover and it is weird and gross.

-A book that involves a bookstore or library.  Smoke and Iron, Rachel Caine

-Your favorite prompt from the 2015, 2016, or 2017 Popsugar Reading Challenges.  Beauty, Robin McKinley, from the 2016 category "A book based on a fairy tale."

-A bestseller from the year you graduated high school.  Silver Borne, Patricia Briggs--I don't own this one, but I've been reading the entire series through the library so continuing just makes sense!

-A cyberpunk book.

-A book that was being read by a stranger in a public place.

-A book tied to your ancestry.  In the Garden of Beasts, Erik Larson--I'm half German so I picked a book that takes place in Germany, since I don't think there's anything both more specific and particularly interesting in my ancestry that there'd be a good book about.

-A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title.  The Garlic Ballads, Mo Yan--yes, garlic is a vegetable!  It is actually a type of onion.  #themoreyouknow

-An allegory.  Watership Down, Richard Adams--another book club title.

-A book by an author with the same first or last name as you.

-A microhistory.  The Radium Girls, Kate Moore

-A book about a problem facing society today.  Sex Object, Jessica Valenti

-A book recommended by someone else taking the Popsugar Reading Challenge.

I have to comb through my library in search of books for some of these other categories, but I'm confident I can fulfill most of them; I might also inadvertently end up with books that fill some of them throughout the year through places such as Book of the Month.  I'm optimistic that this year I won't have to go searching for titles for many categories like I sometimes have in the past!