Pop Sugar 2022 Challenge Plan

The 2022 Pop Sugar Challenge is up! I have done this challenge in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, so I'm excited to get started. I thought I'd just write up a little bit about my research process and my secondary goals for this challenge.  Goodreads has a group that has a conversation about each one of the prompts, so that's where I generally start my search and I branch out from there.  I try to have two or three solid options for each prompt before the year starts and then I just start picking based on what's available from the libraries I have access to since I try to avoid buying books if I can help it. I don't stay strictly to the list - if another book I'm reading meets one of the prompts, I'm not averse to adding another book or switching categories for books.

The other thing that I'm going to *try* to do, although I admit I might not be 100%, is read only books by women/gender ambiguous/genderfluid for the purpose of this project. I feel like I'm making things harder on myself than I have to, but it wouldn't surprise someone if I read an entire list made up of male authors, so it should be doable, right?

Here are the prompts and some of my ideas for each prompt. I try not to learn too much about a book because I sometimes form opinions before I've read a word, so I tried to put genre after the book, but honestly some of that is a guess based solely on what the book was shelved on Goodreads by other people. If I need help on a prompt, I'll ask! You guys all seem to be big readers - maybe you have something perfect.

(As to how do I read so much? I do not watch television or movies - during time when you're doing that sort of thing, I read. I also occasionally listen to audiobooks when I'm walking the dog and I walk her a lot. If I'm not working for pay, exercising, cooking, or doing pet maintenance, I'm probably reading.)

The list!

1. A book published in 2022: I have already pre-ordered The Secret (Single in Seattle #1) by Kristen Proby (romance) on my Kindle and it is scheduled to be released in early March.

2. A book set on a plane, train, or a cruise ship:
Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot #11) by Agatha Christie (classic mystery) - Already requested on Libby.
Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am by Julia Cooke (non-fiction)
Shipped by Angie Hockman (romance)

3. A book about or set in a nonpatriarchal society:
Woman World by Aminder Dhaliwal (graphic novel) - Have a paper copy from the library on my bookshelf.
The Priest (Ginecean Chronicles #1) by Monica La Porta (sci-fi romance)
The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird (sci-fi)

4. A book with a tiger on the cover or "tiger" in the title:
(I'd like another option for this prompt, but was struggling to find one that interested me.)
The Tiger's Daughter (Their Bright Ascendency #1) by K. Arsenault Rivera (YA fantasy romance)
The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo (historical fiction) - I have already tried to read this book and gave up after two chapters, so I really need help here!

5. A sapphic book:
King of Scars (King of Scars #1) by Leigh Bardugo (YA fantasy)
That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston (alternate history/fantasy romance)
Persephone Station by Stina Leicht (sci-fi)

6. A book by a Latinx author:
Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera (YA romance) 
American Dreamer (Dreamers #1) by Adriana Herrera (romance)
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (horror)

7. A book with an onomatopoeia in its title:
(I'm not sold on the first one and I'm struggling to find a library copy of the second one, so I'd take some assistance with recs for this prompt!)
Buzz Off (Queen Bee Mystery #1) by Hannah Reed (cozy mystery)
Click: One Novel, Ten Authors by David Almond, Eoin Colfer, Roddy Doyle, Deborah Ellis, Nick Hornby, Margo Lanagan, Gregory Macguire, Ruth Ozeki, Linda Sue Park, Tim Wynne-Jones (fiction anthology)

8. A book with a protagonist who uses a mobility aid:
Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots (superheroes)
Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig (memoir)
Second Position (District Ballet Company #1) by Katherine Locke (romance)

9. A book about a "found family":
The Hands of the Emperor (Lays of the Hearth-Fire #1) by Victoria Goddard (fantasy)
Seafire (Seafire #1) by Natalie C. Parker (fantasy)

10. An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner:
Obit by Victoria Chang (poetry)
Great House by Nicole Krauss (short story/fiction/WWII?)

11. A #BookTok recommendation:
(I'm not going to lie - I'm a bit resistant to reading any of these books because I hate being "trendy.")
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (historical fiction, romance, LGBT, fantasy)
A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas (new adult, fantasy, romance)
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (thriller, mystery)

12. A book about the afterlife:
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo (coming of age infused with Chinese folklore)
Passage by Connie Willis (sci-fi) - Doomsday Book by Connie Willis is honestly a book I've been thinking about for the last two years, so I really think I should give this one a try.
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (YA fantasy)
Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Kline (fantasy, LGBT)

13. A book set in the 1980s:

(I really should just reread a Kinsey Milhone book.  Do you have any suggestions for this prompt?)
We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry (YA, fantasy, sports)
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys (YA, historical fiction)

14. A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title:
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson (YA, romance, mental health)
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead (thriller/mystery)
The Knife Man: Blood, Body Snatching, and the Birth of Modern Medicine by Wendy Moore (non-fiction)

15. A book by a Pacific Islander author:
Last Guard (Psy-Changeling Trinity #5) by Nalini Singh (this is already on hold through Libby - it's a series I've been reading for a while) (romance)
The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera (NZ myths)
Shark Dialogues by Kiana Davenport (Hawaiian family drama)
Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier (fantasy)

16. A book about witches:
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (romance)
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (already on Libby hold) (fantasy)
The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec (fantasy/myth, retelling)

17. A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2022:
Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith (thriller)
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue (historical fiction)
Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan (thriller)

18. A romance novel by a BIPOC author:
(So many to choose from here. My cup runneth over)
The Roommate Risk by Talia Hibbert
A Hope Divided (The Loyal League #2) by Alyssa Cole 
The Duchess War (Brothers Sinister #1) by Courtney Milan 
Donut Fall In Love by Jackie Lau 
Butterfly Swords (Tang Dynasty #1) by Jeannie Lin 
Any book by Beverly Jenkins

19. A book that takes place during your favorite season:
(My favorite season is fall.)
On the Day I Died: Stories from the Grave by Candace Fleming (YA short stories, horror)
The Witches of New York by Ami McKay (historical, fantasy)
I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem by Maryse Conde (historical fiction)
A Door Behind a Door by Yelena Moskovich (Wisconsin, LGBT)
The Comfort of Monsters by Willa C. Richards (Milwaukee, mystery/fiction)

20. A book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read:
(I'll have to pay attention to my book list to see if this accidentally happens or you know I'll have to be desperately doing it in December)

21. A book about a band or musical group:
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton (historical fiction)
Space Opera (Space Opera #1) by Catherynne M. Valente (sci-fi)
If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich (LGBT romance)

22. A book with a character on the spectrum:
That Kind of Guy (Ravenswood #3) by Talia Hibbert (I'd probably read the other two in this series before I jumped into the third one) (romance) 
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen (non-fiction)
Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann (YA romance)

23. A book with a recipe in it:

Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron (romance)
All Stirred Up: Suffrage Cookbooks, Food, and the Battle for Women's Right to Vote by Laura Kumin (non-fiction)
Cold-Hearted Rake (The Ravenels #1) by Lisa Kleypas (historical romance)

24. A book you can read in one sitting:
The Shop Dogs of Parnassus by Ann Patchett (60 pages)
The Deep by Rivers Solomon, Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, Jonathan Snipes (166 pages, mermaids!)
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (176 pages, historical fiction)

25. A book about a secret:
Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher (YA, mystery, romance)
One of Us is Lying (One of Us is Lying #1) by Karen M. McManus (YA, mystery)

26. A book with a misleading title:
A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian by Marina Lewycka (family drama)
The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy (American in 1950s Paris)
Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett (YA romance)

27. A Hugo Award winner:
Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1) by Seanan McGuir (YA, fantasy, LGBT, mystery)
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar (Hugo novella win)
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

28. A book set during a holiday:
A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli (romance)
The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer (romance)
The Ghost at the Table by Suzanne Berne (family drama)
The Five Wounds by Kirsten Valdez Quade (family, LGBT)

29. A different book by an author you read in 2021:
Well Played (Well Met #2) by Jen DeLuca (sequel to Well Met) (romance)
Book Lovers by Emily Henry (expected publication date in May, read People We Meet on Vacation this year) (romance)
A Rogue of One's Own (A League of Extraordinary Women #2) by Evie Dunmore - Sequel to Bringing Down the Duke 

30. A book with the name of a board game in the title:
Still Life (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #1) by Louise Penny (mystery)
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman (romance)
Sorry Not Sorry by Sophie Ranald (romance)

31. A book featuring a man-made disaster:
Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich (non-fiction)
The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - And Why by Amanda Ripley (non-fiction)
Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (YA SFF romance)
Obernewtyn (The Obernewtyn Chronicles #1) by Isobelle Carmody (YA SFF)

32. A book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page:
(I honestly don't even know where to start researching this type of thing. Is there a database for this sort of thing? I chose Becky Chambers as my "favorite" author and found a reddit AMA from Chambers listing a couple of her favorites. I'm going to go with one of them. Heaven help me if I don't finish one of these books.)
Dawn (Xenogenesis #1) by Octavia Butler
A Fire Upon the Deep (Zones of Thought #1) by Vernor Vinge

33. A social-horror book:
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen
The City We Became (Great Cities #1) by NK Jemisin

34. A book set in Victorian times the time of Victoria's reign as Queen in the United Kingdom: June 20, 1837 - January 22, 1901):
Bombshell (Hell's Belles #1) by Sarah MacLean (historical romance)
Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March (historical mystery)
The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry (YA historical mystery)

35. A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title:
Corvus: A Life with Birds by Esther Woolfson (memoir)
Written in the Stars (Written in the Stars #1) by Alexandria Bellefleur (queer romance)
The Vela by Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, Rivers Solomon, SL Huang (queer SFF)

36. A book you know nothing about:
The Light Years (Cazalet Chronicles #1) by Elizabeth Jane Howard - recommended to me on a podcast (the "High Tension" episode of Too Scary; Didn't Watch, to be specific)
Flying Solo by Linda Holmes - This book is scheduled to come out this summer. I assume it's a romance novel based on her previous book, but I know nothing about it, other than the author.
Jade City (The Green Bone Saga #1) by Fonda Lee - I know nothing except this book is on the list of r/fantasy's top books written by women.

37. A book about gender identity:
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callendar (YA LGBT)
Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin (YA LGBT)
She Who Became the Sun (The Radiant Emperor #1) by Shelley Parker-Chan (LGBT fantasy)

38. A book featuring a party:
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (historical fiction, family drama?) - I've never read a Reid book I didn't immediately start casting a movie for in my head.
Ruby Red (Precious Stone Trilogy #1) by Kerstin Gier (YA SFF romance)
The Last Guest House by Megan Miranda (thriller)
The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (romance)

39. An #OwnVoices SFF book:
Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (LGBT)
Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse 
Binti (Binti #1) by Nnedi Okorafor (novella)

40. A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past Pop Sugar Reading Challenge:
(At some point I'll read a book and just start looking for past prompts that it meets. I'm pretty chill about what "favorite" means here.)

Advanced list!!
41. A book with a reflected image on the cover or "mirror" in the title:
Life After Life (Todd Family #10 by Kate Atkinson (historical fiction) - I've tried to read this book several times and never gotten very far - is this the push I need?
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel (mystery)
Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1) by Kasie West (YA SFF)
Veritas: A Harvard Professor, a Con Man, and the Gospel of Jesus's Wife by Ariel Sabar (non-fiction)
The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey (SFF)

42. A book that features two languages:
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley (YA mystery)
Gaudy Night (Lord Peter Wimsey #10) by Dorothy L. Sayers (mystery)
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala (cozy mystery)

43. A book with a palindromic title:
Madam by Phoebe Wynne (gothic mystery)
Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead (middle grade fantasy)
Eve by Elissa Elliott (biblical fiction)

44. A duology (1):
Slayer by Kiersten White (YA Buffy! fiction post-tv show)
In the After by Demitria Lunetta (YA dystopia)

45. A duology (2):
Chosen by Kiersten White
In the End by Demitria Lunetta

46. A book about someone leading a double life:
American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson (historical fiction)
The Huntress by Kate Quinn (historical fiction)
Geekerella (Once Upon a Con #1) by Ashely Poston (YA romance)
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott (non-fiction)

47. A book featuring a parallel reality:
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson (LGBT SFF)
A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1) by Claudia Gray (YA SFF)
The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop by Kate Saunders (middle grade fantasy)
The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett (romance)

48. A book with two POVs:

The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis (historical fiction)
Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon (non-fiction)
The Trouble with Hating You by Sanjni Patel (romance)
The Broken Girls by Simone St. James (mystery)
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (French fiction)

49. Two books set in twin towns, aka "sister cities" (1)
(These were tricky, to be honest. I wasn't sure which cities to use and then I had to search for each individual city. Argh! I choose Dublin, Ireland and Liverpool, England.  We'll see how this goes.)
The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad #4) by Tana French (mystery)
Dining Out Around the Solar System by Clare O'Beara (SFF)
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue (historical fiction, LGBT?)

50. Two books set in twin towns, aka "sister cities" (2)
The Dressmaker by Beryl Bainbridge (historical fiction)
Ruby Flynn by Nadine Dorries (historical fiction)
The September Girls by Maureen Lee (historical fiction)