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Tag: popsugar reading challenge

  • These 16 Cozy Fantasy Books Have a Warm and Fuzzy Touch of Magic

    These 16 Cozy Fantasy Books Have a Warm and Fuzzy Touch of Magic

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    “Cozy fantasy” has quickly become one of the most popular niches in the fantasy genre, and there really is a lot to love about this style. It’s hard to pin down a single definition for cozy fantasy, but in general, it tends to avoid the enormous scope of epic or high fantasy while also steering clear of gritty, urban elements. Instead, these books have a vibe that’s more like your favorite comfort-watch TV show or a warm and cozy sweater, with a softer approach alongside stakes that can vary from small to large. They’re usually focused on familial, friendly, and/or romantic relationships just as much as — if not more than — the actual fantasy elements.

    With such a broad definition that hinges a lot on “vibes,” there’s a wide range of books that fall into the cozy category. Found family is a common theme, as in “The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches” by Sangu Mandanna or “Legends & Lattes” by Travis Baldree, while others, like “The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy” by Megan Bannen or “Witchful Thinking” by Celeste Martin, lean more into romance. Grab your favorite warm drink, find your favorite reading spot, and enjoy these cozy fantasy books!

    And to discover even more great genres and books, check out the 2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge.

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    Amanda Prahl

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  • Read These 15 Books With Dragons For High-Flying Fantasy Adventure

    Read These 15 Books With Dragons For High-Flying Fantasy Adventure

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    From “House of the Dragon” to “Fourth Wing” and more, dragons are having a bit of a moment in pop culture. These fire-breathing mythological creatures have been a staple of fantasy storytelling for a long time, and it’s no wonder — they’re powerful, magical, and they have enough lore to fit neatly into any story that needs an extra-powerful twist.

    Not all dragons are created equal, though, as the wide variety of books about dragons makes very clear. While most books featuring dragons are set in some kind of classic epic-fantasy world, others put more of a quirky twist on the legends. Our picks for the best books with dragons include rich, sweeping fantasies like “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros and “The Priory of the Orange Tree” by Samantha Shannon alongside more unconventional takes on dragon lore like “When Women Were Dragons” by Kelly Barnhill and “Tooth and Claw” by Jo Walton. Whether you like your dragons scary, silly, or somewhere in between, this roundup of recommendations has something for everyone. And if you want even more great books, check out the 2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge.

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    Amanda Prahl

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  • Ahoy! Read These 15 Books About Pirates For a Wild Ride

    Ahoy! Read These 15 Books About Pirates For a Wild Ride

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    Pop culture has always had a fascination with pirates, both real and fictional. There’s just something intriguing about the blend of high-seas adventure, quests for treasure, and living as roguish outlaws. It shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that there are tons of books about pirates, perfect for satisfying your thirst for adventure without ever leaving the comfort of home.

    There’s much more to swashbuckling fiction than the classics like Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island” or William Goldman’s “The Princess Bride.” We’ve got epic fantasies including “The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi” by Shannon Chakraborty and “Daughter of the Pirate King” by Tricia Levenseller alongside more historical, less fantastical tales like Katherine Howe’s “A True Account,” plus pirate lore mixed with romance like “The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels” by India Holton and “Destiny’s Captive” by Beverly Jenkins. If you can imagine a crew of outlaw misfits in search of treasure and adventure, you can put a pirate twist on anything! Here are just a few of our favorite books about pirates. And for even more great books, check out the 2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge.

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    Amanda Prahl

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  • 16 Books About K-Pop That Should Be on Every Fan's Reading List

    16 Books About K-Pop That Should Be on Every Fan's Reading List

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    As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you’ll like too. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work.

    While K-pop has been around for decades, it’s become especially popular in recent years. Groups like BTS and Blackpink are always at the top of the music charts. Seeing as K-pop is on everyone’s mind right now, it’s no surprise that a lot of authors have drawn inspiration from the K-pop industry and fan culture to pen their latest stories. So many books about K-pop focus on aspiring idols chasing their dreams and learning what it really takes to survive in the K-pop world. There are also stories about forbidden love between K-pop idols, as well as K-pop stars unexpectedly falling for non-famous people.

    For those who prefer nonfiction, there are also plenty of books about K-pop dedicated to real-life groups. They often document stars’ journey to fame — from their humble beginnings as trainees to their experiences as full-fledged K-pop idols. So if you’re eager to learn more about the industry, here are 16 books about K-pop that you’re sure to love.

    And for all book lovers, check out the 2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge.

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    Michele Mendez

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  • These 16 Romance Books Prove It's Never Too Late For a Second Chance at Love

    These 16 Romance Books Prove It's Never Too Late For a Second Chance at Love

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    As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you’ll like too. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work.

    Who doesn’t love the idea of a second chance at love? There’s nothing quite as heartwarming as a romantic redemption arc in which long-ago lovers get the chance to revisit what went wrong and try to find their happily ever after again. That sense of hope is precisely what makes second-chance romance such a popular trope in the world of romance books.

    Although the basics of the trope are pretty straightforward, different authors handle it in different ways. You might see childhood friends or first loves reconnecting as adults, like in “Seven Days in June” by Tia Williams or “Count Your Lucky Stars” by Alexandria Bellefleur. Some books focus on married couples who may or may not be able to revive their vows, such as Martha Waters’s “To Have and to Hoax” or “The Day of the Duchess” by Sarah MacLean. Others, like “I’m So (Not) Over You” by Kosoko Jackson, bring exes together to pretend they’re still a couple. However you like your second-chance romances, you’ll find plenty to love among these recommendations!

    And if you want to explore even more great books, check out POPSUGAR’s 2024 Reading Challenge.

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    Amanda Prahl

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  • Trust Us: You'll Love These Books With Unreliable Narrators

    Trust Us: You'll Love These Books With Unreliable Narrators

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    As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you’ll like too. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work.

    If you love reading mysteries and thrillers, you’ve probably encountered an unreliable narrator or two in your time. Everything seems fine at first, but then all of a sudden, details aren’t adding up. That sinking feeling that something might be wrong — compounded with the whodunnit nature of a thriller — can have you racing to read the last page. The reveal that the narrator has been hiding something, per your suspicions, is even better. Non-thrillers that feature unreliable narrators can be just as satisfying, because they inject an eerie atmosphere into an otherwise standard story. Or the narrator’s unreliability can make them more sympathetic.

    If you love books that are full of twists and turns, whether they’re thrillers or not, an unreliable narrator can make the story jump off the page. If you’re seeking a few more books for the 2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge, we bet one of these novels is just the thing. Unlike these narrators, you can trust us.

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    Kaley Rohlinger

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  • Join the 2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

    Join the 2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

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    As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you’ll like too. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work.

    The best time of year has arrived. And no, we’re not talking about the holidays — the 2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge is here. For a decade now, our annual Reading Challenge has delighted our community of readers across the globe with 50 book prompts, driving loyal fans and new readers alike to discover the magic of the written word.

    This year, we have a fun theme you’ll see pop up throughout our prompts — in keeping with embracing the magic of words, you’ll find subtle references to dictionaries. Maybe you’ll learn the proper definition of a literary genre or look up a new word in the process. You’ll also see several prompts related to the number 24, given this is our 2024 challenge.

    Download our printable list of book prompts here, which allows you to easily check them off as you go. This year, we’re also introducing an awesome new element: a tracker that allows you to paste your chosen book covers to each corresponding prompt.

    And as you embark on reading, be sure to join the POPSUGAR Book Club on Facebook, a community of POPSUGAR editors and readers from around the world who delight in the challenge each year. You can discuss challenging prompts, swap picks, and more.

    Without further ado, keep reading for the 2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge prompts and tracker, along with book suggestions courtesy of our editors.

    2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Prompts

    1. A book with the word “leap” in the title
    2. A bildungsroman
    3. A book about a 24-year-old
    4. A book about a writer
    5. A book about K-pop
    6. A book about pirates
    7. A book about women’s sports and/or by a woman athlete
    8. A book by a blind or visually impaired author
    9. A book by a deaf or hard-of-hearing author
    10. A book by a self-published author
    11. A book from a genre you typically avoid
    12. A book from an animal’s POV
    13. A book originally published under a pen name
    14. A book recommended by a bookseller
    15. A book recommended by a librarian
    16. A book set 24 years before you were born
    17. A book set in a travel destination on your bucket list
    18. A book set in space
    19. A book set in the future
    20. A book set in the snow
    21. A book that came out in a year that ends with “24”
    22. A book that centers on video games
    23. A book that features dragons
    24. A book that takes place over the course of 24 hours
    25. A book that was published 24 years ago
    26. A book that was turned into a musical
    27. A book where someone dies in the first chapter
    28. A book with a main character who’s 42 years old
    29. A book with a neurodivergent main character
    30. A book with a one-word title you had to look up in a dictionary
    31. A book with a title that is a complete sentence
    32. A book with an enemies-to-lovers plot
    33. A book with an unreliable narrator
    34. A book with at least three POVs
    35. A book with magical realism
    36. A book written by an incarcerated or formerly incarcerated person
    37. A book written during NaNoWriMo
    38. A cozy fantasy book
    39. A fiction book by a trans or nonbinary author
    40. A horror book by a BIPOC author
    41. A memoir that explores queerness
    42. A nonfiction book about Indigenous people
    43. A second-chance romance
    44. An autobiography by a woman in rock ‘n’ roll
    45. An LGBTQ+ romance novel

    Advanced Prompts

    1. A book in which a character sleeps for more than 24 hours
    2. A book with 24 letters in the title
    3. A collection of at least 24 poems
    4. The 24th book of an author
    5. A book that starts with the letter “X”

    2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Tracker

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    Lisa Robinson

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  • 25 Essential Books by Trans and Nonbinary Authors to Add to Your Reading List

    25 Essential Books by Trans and Nonbinary Authors to Add to Your Reading List

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    As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you’ll like too. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work.

    Nov. 20 marks Transgender Day of Remembrance, an annual observance that honors the memory of trans folks whose lives were lost in acts of anti-trans violence. The last few years have seen an increase in anti-trans violence, a devastating and terrifying reality. There are many ways everyone can support the queer community all year long, but Trans Day of Remembrance is also a good opportunity to read or revisit works by trans and nonbinary authors.

    From beautifully illustrated collections of poetry to compelling fiction novels to poignant memoirs, this list has something any reader at any level can enjoy. We’ve included names of staple pioneering trans authors, as well as some fresh faces we hope to introduce you to.

    Whether you are a part of the LGBTQ+ community, a loyal ally, or someone looking to live through the lenses of these well-written authors, this list is something you can (and should) return to beyond Trans Day of Remembrance.

    — Additional reporting by Lena Felton

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    Marlo Willows

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