Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge (2017 prompt - a book from a nonhuman perspective)


TW: Harm to animals, harm to children, violence, gore, racism, sexism, infidelity



Stephen King's Cujo is a classic in terms of horror. Even not having read the book or seen the film, most people would likely associate the name Cujo with a horrible monster of a dog. There's a reason this book is a classic - it's haunting, terrifying, and outright sickening.


There's a lot of bad luck going 'round the small town of Castle Rock. There's infidelity, a downturn in business, toxic masculinity, emotional abuse, a monster in the closet. Not to mention it wasn't very long ago a police officer was found guilty of the brutal murder of multiple women and girls in the town. Now there's a different monster in town, one that used to be so innocent. When Very Good Boy Cujo chases a rabbit down a hole, his life changes for the worst, and the town along with it. 



This book was likely the least supernatural King book I read. There's just a touch of supernatural within the pages, and it could be argued there's none at all. I've seen the movie version, years back, and for the most part, remembered the plot. But I was severely shocked multiple times throughout the novel, which I'm unsure of the attribution - did I forget these integral pieces of the story or was it actually different? I'll definitely have to rewatch to find out. Either way, this book made me sick to my stomach at times because it is horrid, in a way that's terrific for a horror story, but would be seriously traumatic in real life. Stephen King certainly knows how to creep into the crevices of your imagination and scare the living daylights out of you.





I would 100% not recommend this book to anyone with children, which may be safe to say for mostly any King novel. As always, his character development is otherworldly, almost to a fault. There's so much back story, so much detail and history, it can almost spin you into a web of this world he's built. It's truly genius, because you'll forget about the horrid details of one piece of the horror tale while getting lost in the totally realistic horror of other family dynamics. He really is the master of horror, and this novel is on par with his others. Terrifying, nightmare-inducing, gorey horror.

Sleep with the lights on, and maybe put your pup in a different room for the night.



Goodreads rating: ★★★★★

Most of us likely struggle with being organized (or not being organized) regularly. There are those are who are pretty dang good with organizational skills, those who are a total mess, and those like me, who are tidy, but messy, but it all seems to make sense - right? If you're anything like me, you may go through cycles of being super organized (or attempting to be) and then feeling overwhelmed with disorganization. Of course, you may also go through periods of being very busy, and later having a bit of a lull. Those lulls can be some of the best times to be organized - and for the many folks who are super into Marie Kondo (I never got into it), clearing the clutter may be a high priority on your list of to-dos. Here are five things you can work on organizing over these next few weeks (just in time for the school year to pop back up).



Declutter Your Home

Your home is your haven, and as such, should really be a place you enjoy coming back to each day or after a vacation. But it's easier said than done when your home is cluttered. Every so often, it’s important to declutter your home because it can be incredibly easy to collect things that you don’t really need (and you likely collect these things on a regular basis). I'm really bad at gathering things because they're free or I may "need them later." Then it ends up making its way back home and into a place where you end up finding it months or years later. We're in the process of trying to buy a home, so decluttering before a big move is a big goal of ours. If you're not going anywhere anytime soon, you can also make a check-list and go room-by-room. Check out these tips for an organized kitchen, or how to make your own kitchen command center.



Sort Out The Social Calendar

Creating social connections and developing friendships and relationships are a critical piece of life. I am a strong believer in theories revolving around "belonging." That doesn't mean you've got to have millions of friends, but a network of at least one or two people you can connect with is crucial. If you've got friendships like mine, you and some of your closest buds may be super busy with work, family, and other important tasks. Between my friends and I, we usually have to make plans at least a month in advance. Take a look at your social calendar and think about friends or family members you’ve not seen a while, or feel a strong need to chat with or see soon. Even if it’s just a quick message to tell them that you want to see them but you’re really busy, they’ll likely appreciate that you've thought of them enough to reach out. Work and personal life may get in the way, but it’s important to keep your friendships maintained.



Clean Up Your Phone And Laptop Storage

Yikes. This one's a tough one for me. But if you've got some time, or maybe you're just bored (lol, when?), a great task to do that needs very little brainpower is cleaning up your phone and laptop storage. It doesn’t take long nowadays to take way too many photos on your phone (I had to buy extra iCloud storage just for this purpose) or use up all the space on your laptop or desktop drive. So, take advantage of any downtime you have to go through these devices. If you’re transferring data onto a new computer, then this guide https://setapp.com/how-to/sync-data-between-two-macs should certainly come in handy.



Review Your Finances

Finances are a touchy subject, and for good reason. It's not uncommon to live paycheck-to-paycheck, and savings? Forget it! So, getting your finances in check is something that’s worth organizing and spending time on. Even when I've hardly got extra money to spare, I'm terrible about going out for lunch, and coffees really do add up. I often justify these things as treats, or self-care, but there comes a point when I, for one, could be a little better about my spending. Try tracking your finances on a monthly or bi-weekly basis and have a budget plan in place to make sure your finances couldn't be better spent (even if just $5).



Go Through Your Emails

And finally, having a bit of quiet time can help when it comes to tasks like going through your emails. I hate a notification bubble, so I will open emails to clear the bubble out, but forget to read the email or never respond to it. Set aside some time to organize and delete emails that are cluttering your inbox. An inbox can soon build up if ignored, so keep on top of it all by going through them and deleting them from your main feed so that it doesn’t overwhelm you every time you go on it.




Hopefully, with these tips, you can work towards a lifestyle that’s more organized in every aspect.

















*This is a collaborative post. 

The Printed Letter Bookshop* by Katherine Reay ★★★★☆
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: N/A

Brief synopsis: I was pleasantly surprised by this sweet novel, which features a fun, flawed set of characters: Madeline, Janet, and Claire. After inheriting her beloved aunt's treasured bookshop, Madeline intends to sell it right away. Her relationship with her aunt was strained, and she's way too busy to try to deal with her inheritance and all that's come along with it. But Janet and Claire have been running the bookstore for weeks, and they're not quite ready to let go.

Overall thoughts: I thought this book was sweet and heartfelt. I loved all the fun little nods to other books I love. I loved the female friendships and empowerment. But I thought the ending was a bit too sugarcoated for me and I could've really appreciated something a little different, with some things left out of place. Full review here.






The Bobcat* by Katherine Forbes Riley ★★★☆☆
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: N/A

Brief synopsis: This novel follows Laurelie, a 20-something college student trying to get through her last semester of art school after transferring to a small liberal arts college following a sexual assault at her previous school that left her feeling traumatized. In her new town, she babysits a little boy who she often takes into the woods to explore. When one day they come across an unruly hiker and an injured bobcat he'd been following for many miles, Laurelie starts to piece herself back together through art and experience.

Overall thoughts: While this novel was beautifully written and full of poetics and prose, the symbolism and metaphors were all just a little too much. I read to escape and this was quite too literary to truly appeal to my tastes. But it was a gorgeous book and others may really love it. Full review here.




Recursion by Blake Crouch ★★★★★
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: N/A

Brief synopsis: This terrifying and exhilarating sci-fi novel follows two main characters - New York cop Barry and brilliant scientist Helena - in a story about memory versus reality. Barry's story focuses on a new disorder plaguing the city, False Memory Syndrome (FMS), which is literally driving people insane and ruining lives. Helena is working on a memory cure of sorts, something to help ail her mother's deep-set Alzheimers.

Overall thoughts: Blake Crouch is quite literally a genius. I have no clue how his brain function sin the way it does. He's so smart and so is his writing. Though this book is sci-fi, it's easy to read and understand, while also being mind-bending. I loved this book so much, and reading it was such a rush. Full review here.





These Witches Don't Burn by Isabel Sterling ★★★★☆
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: N/A

Brief synopsis: Hannah lives in Salem. That's right - that Salem, and she's part of a coven of elemental witches - meaning the power to control one or more of the elements. Her ex is part of the same coven and let's just say things are tense. But there appears to be dark magic suddenly appearing in town, and the adults don't really believe it's anything to be concerned about. So, obviously she has to team up with her ex to figure out who's behind it all. Oh, throw in some town newbies and a cute new crush. DRAAAAAMA!

Overall thoughts: I loved that there was so much LGBTQ representation in this book, but felt it was lacking in POC characters. The story was fun and eventful. Though the writing was slow at first, it quickly strengthened and I wholeheartedly enjoyed the story. It was a bit predictable, but I am looking forward to reading the next in this new series. Full review here.

TW: Animal death, death, dark magic, violence 



I caught a glimpse of These Witches Don't Burn months ago on Goodreads and certainly knew I wanted to read it just by the title and the cover. What I didn't realize was that the book wasn't only about teenage witches, it was about LGBTQ teenage witches and the book was a mystery/thriller type of sorts. And according to Goodreads, this one is just the first in what will be a series. What I didn't love was that (per the cover art), there are no teenage witches of color - at least within the main character group.


Hannah lives in Salem. That's right - that Salem, and she's part of a coven of elemental witches - meaning the power to control one or more of the elements. Her ex is part of the same coven and let's just say things are tense. But there appears to be dark magic suddenly appearing in town, and the adults don't really believe it's anything to be concerned about. So, obviously she has to team up with her ex to figure out who's behind it all. Oh, throw in some town newbies and a cute new crush. DRAAAAAMA!


I was super excited when I saw this was an extra for Book of the Month and one of the YA Book of the Month June picks. I'm a BOTM BFF, so I got to choose an extra book for my birthday - obviously I had to grab this one. It was a fairly quick read and I mostly read it on a flight to NYC. I will say I struggled in the beginning. The story was pretty standard rom-com with a mix of magic (which was a ton of fun), but the writing did not start off strong. I really had to push through those first couple of chapters. Eventually the writing matured and I felt a bit more invested in the characters and the surrounding story.

I thought the story was predictable, and while my mind jumped from character to character trying to figure out the suspect at first, I did figure it out fairly early in the book. There were a few other twists though, that weren't major plot points that I found surprising and that was fun.





Within this book, I both laughed and cried. I also got pretty endlessly annoyed and frustrated. Overall, I thought the story was pretty unique. I loved the diversity in terms of gender and sexuality, but I really would've loved if there were more POC characters, and I felt that was strongly lacking within the story. Though the story was pretty predictable, I can definitely see myself reading the next book in the series (once released). I say if you were of a fan of Undead Girl Gang, you'd likely enjoy this one as well.


Goodreads rating: ★★★★☆

TW: Death, violence



I've been waiting for Recursion since the very moment I found out about it. Dark Matter is high on my list of all-time favorite novels, and while I've yet to read the series - I loved the tv adaptation of Wayward Pines (specifically season one). Though I had no clue what the book was about going into it (I seriously just jumped on the chance to read it), I have to say that Recursion absolutely did not disappoint.


This terrifying and exhilarating sci-fi novel follows two main characters - New York cop Barry and brilliant scientist Helena - in a story about memory versus reality. Barry's story focuses on a new disorder plaguing the city, False Memory Syndrome (FMS), which is literally driving people insane and ruining lives. Helena is working on a memory cure of sorts, something to help ail her mother's deep-set Alzheimers. 


It's so difficult to talk about this novel in a way that doesn't spill any part of the story. There is so much I want to share and discuss, but to do so would give away critical pieces of the plot. Honestly, though, Crouch is an actual genius. I cannot even fathom the way his brain works to be able to write these sci-fi novels that could totally become real-life. It's all very Black Mirror, and in a way that's mind-boggling but also makes me feel smart because I understand what's actually happening. I will say, however, there were two parts of the story I thought didn't add up with earlier plot points/theories within in the story, but that may just have been me trying to understand science fiction and things I swear my mind is not equipped to handle.






I will say this - read this book. Blake Crouch is a phenomenal writer that tells stories that are so original and enthralling. This book started off at a sprint and never slowed down. It's such a good story. So good, in fact, it's being turned into a Netflix original created by Shonda Rhimes (yes, THE Shonda). Pick this book up immediately. Or better yet, add it to your next Book of the Month box, or even to the new YA Book of the Month box (they have some great picks, too).




Goodreads rating: ★★★★★