Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion
Task Ideas/Resources/Discussions
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Finish Line
Thank you Book Riot, I will be looking forward to it!
Mod
Thumbs up! As long as you aren't advertising it as Read Harder or as affiliated with us ("inspired by Book Riot" is a-okay!) then go forth and have fun!
Wonderful -- Now to convince my library that it's a good idea :-)
Finish LineMy first challenge experience and it was awesome. I think many of the books I read I would have chosen anyway but it was exciting to keep track and be so meticulous. Whether you had done the challenge or not many of the books I read are recommendations that came from your podcasts. Thanks Book Riot people!
My favorite reads:
#5 lgbtq – A Little Life ★★★★★
#6 opposite gender – An Unnecessary Woman ★★★★
#7 setting in Asia – She Weeps Each Time You’re Born★★★★★ and A Tale for the Time Being★★★★★
#8 African author – The Fisherman ★★★★★
#9 Indigenous – Braiding Sweetgrass ★★★★★
#11 YA – Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. ★★★★★ Sherman Alexie to the rescue.
#17 poetry – Brown Girl Dreaming ★★★★★
Free Space – Between the World and Me ★★★★★
I did not expect to like:
#1 author under 25 – I ended up loving The Heart is a Lonely Hunter ★★★★
#13 romance – I don’t like it, never have, never will and I doubt the genre will suffer because of it. I went with The Little Paris Bookshop★★★ knowing that it was not a full-fledged romance.
#17 poetry - Brown Girl Dreaming ★★★★★ is now one of my all-time favorite reads
What stretched me:
#20 graphic – Ms. Marvel No Normal ★ (came with Book Riot Quarterly subscription)
#21 guilty pleasure – To challenge myself here I switched this to “something I would normally not read”. I went with Bird Box ★★★★, wow, loved it and can’t wait for the movie/TV show.
#22 before 1850 – Yes, I cheated and read a short story. Murders in the Rue Morgue ★. Please give an additional 50 years if you include this in the next challenge.
Finishing off the list:
#2 over 65 – God Help the Child ★★★ and Letter to My Daughter ★★★
#3 short stories – North American Lake Monsters ★★★★
#4 Indy Press – Almost Crimson ★★★★
#10 microhistory – A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail ★★
#12 sci-fi – Acceptance ★★★ and Authority ★★ (both from the Southern Reach Trilogy)
#14 book award – The Brief Wonderful Life of Oscar Woa ★★★★
#15 retelling – Uprooted ★★
#16 audio – Joyland ★★★ and The Night Guest ★★★
#18 recommendation – The Thirteenth Tale ★★★ and Claire of the Sea Light ★★★
#19 translated – Deep Down Dark: The Untold Story of 33 men Buried in a Chilean Mine ★★★
#23 published 2015 - Descent ★★ and Girl on the Train ★★★
#24 self-improve – Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation ★★
In general – It was very difficult to follow threads, in particular I would have liked to see what others read and who else read what I read all in one place. I did see some in the “bookshelf” but once a book was posted it could not be posted again. Maybe the Finish Line section will meet that need.
2016 are you here yet!
I have never done a challenge like this, and it was fun. I read great things I probably would have never read like Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow and finally read things I had intended to for years like Frankenstein. For the categories where I had more than one book that filled the bill I tried to use the one to which I gave the most stars. Can't wait for the 2016 list. Here are my picks A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25 Frankenstein (5 stars)
A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65 Lila (5 stars)
A collection of short stories (either by one person or an anthology by many people) Redeployment (5 stars)
A book published by an indie press Simply Wicked (2 stars)
A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef (4 stars)
A book by a person whose gender is different from your own Nora Webster (4 stars)
A book that takes place in Asia My Year of Meats (4 stars)
A book by an author from Africa Americanah (5 stars)
A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Native Americans, Aboriginals, etc.) The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (4 stars)
A microhistory Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America (5 stars)
A YA novel Everything I Never Told You (3 stars)
A sci-fi novel The Bone Clocks (4 stars)
A romance novel Wicked Intentions (5 stars)
A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade All the Light We Cannot See (4 stars)
A book that is a retelling of a classic story (fairytale, Shakespearian play, classic novel, etc.) Bitter Greens (5 stars)
An audiobook Maine (4 stars)
A collection of poetry Brown Girl Dreaming (5 stars)
A book that someone else has recommended to you Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (4 star)
A book that was originally published in another language The Master and Margarita (5 stars)
A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind (Hi, have you met Panels?) Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow (4 stars)
A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure (Read, and then realize that good entertainment is nothing to feel guilty over) Romancing the Duke (5 stars)
A book published before 1850 Persuasion (5 star)
A book published this year A God in Ruins (5 stars)
A self-improvement book (can be traditionally or non-traditionally considered “self-improvement”) I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend (5 stars)
I finished the challenge last week and really enjoyed it. Most of the books used were on my TBR or at least on my radar and this was a great way to direct my reading and help me decide what to read next. For some categories, I have multiple books that fit, but these are the ones I used in the BR bingo card:A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25
Less Than Zero 3 stars
A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65
Stone Mattress: Nine Tales 5 stars
A collection of short stories (either by one person or an anthology by many people)
Redeployment 4 stars
A book published by an indie press
When Bad Things Happen to Rich People 3 stars
A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ
Mislaid 3 stars
A book by a person whose gender is different from your own
The Maid's Version 4 stars
A book that takes place in Asia
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 4 stars
A book by an author from Africa
Americanah 5 stars
A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Native Americans, Aboriginals, etc.)
Maria Tallchief: America's Prima Ballerina 4 stars
A microhistory
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
4 stars
A YA novel
All the Bright Places 4 stars
A sci-fi novel
The Martian 4 stars
A romance novel
The Garden of Letters 2 stars
A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade
All the Light We Cannot See 5 stars
A book that is a retelling of a classic story (fairytale, Shakespearian play, classic novel, etc.)
Boy, Snow, Bird 3 stars
An audiobook
On Immunity: An Inoculation 4 stars
A collection of poetry
Citizen: An American Lyric 4 stars
A book that someone else has recommended to you
Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading 4 stars
A book that was originally published in another language
A Man Called Ove 4 stars
A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind
March: Book One 4 stars
A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure
The Knockoff 5 stars
A book published before 1850
Persuasion 5 stars
A book published this year
Go Set a Watchman 3 stars
A self-improvement book
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up 2 stars
And it's a wrap! Can't to to play again in 2016!
Thanks, Book Riot, for giving me a challenge that went beyond "how many books can I read this year".
I would love to just have the categories as the thread topics, and have people add their read to that thread rather than individual threads for the books.. I don't know if that's possible, but it would be MUCH easier to follow! I had to stop reading all the threads because there were so many (and it was eating up valuable book time!) Despite that, I loved doing this challenge and I'm looking forward to next year's list.
Finally finished. I put off reading the romance selection until the very end as I am not a fan of romance. Loved the challenge. Made me much more aware of making more diverse reading choices. Hope there will be a new one for 2016.
Becky wrote: "I would love to just have the categories as the thread topics, and have people add their read to that thread rather than individual threads for the books.. I don't know if that's possible, but it w..."I agree. That would be helpful and consolidate things a bit more.
As I think about this past year's challenge, and look forward to next year's, I think for me the biggest benefit came from all the book recommendations - from Book Riot and from all the commenters, here and on facebook. So just wanted to say thank you to all who shared the titles of your favorite books!!
I just finished tonight. As a whole, I really enjoyed the challenge and was forced outside my traditional reading comfort zone. My favorite reads were The Invention of Wings (Book Written by Someone Older Than 65), A Long Road Home (Book that Takes Place in Asia), All The Light We Cannot See (a Pulitzer Winner from the Last Decade), and Night (Book Originally Published in Another Language). With the exception of A Long Road Home, they are all within my history comfort zone, so I'm not too surprised that three of these were my favorites.I'm not a fan of poetry, so reading a book of poetry forced me the most outside of my comfort zone. I read The World Will Follow Joy: Turning Madness Into Flowers. I didn't really like it, but I read each and every poem, sometimes more than once.
I didn't expect to like the Science Fiction novel, because I'm not into Science Fiction at all; however, I was very surprised that I truly enjoyed The Martian.
All in all, I'm glad I did this challenge (my first) and am looking forward to next year's.
I'm comin along! A few more for this challenge and ten more for the goodreads challenge. Just finished Things Fall Apart for the book by an African Writer--and damn if that last paragraph isn't just completely devastating. I hope there is another challenge next year.
Yea, I just finished. My last completed challenge--a book of poetry. That is something I would not have read without the challenge.
Finished! **drops mic and walks offstage**
I just finished reading at least one book for each category, still working on adding additional reads to some of the categories. I did enjoy reading books in some areas I would not have naturally been attracted to. I also found a new love, listening to audio books in my car during my commute. Who knew?
Not sure if I'd do this challenge again. Reason? I only have time to read 25-30 books a year. I have so many backed up that I want to read that don't fit the categories, I'd like to dig into some of the backlog. I will look at next years challenge and try to work in some of them into next years reading, but perhaps not all of them. So much to read, so little time to do it.
Book Riot wrote: "Have you finished the Read Harder challenge? Feel free to share your experiences here. What were your favorite reads? What stretched you the most? What did you like that you didn't expect to?If y..."
Can I send a scan of the finished list? My camera isn't working and haven't gotten a new one yet.
Finished!! Three other challenges still left to finish but high hopes that I will be able to complete them all in time. Eagerly awaiting next year's list of categories. :)
Finished! My favorite reads were The Girls at the Kingfisher Club (retelling of a classic story) and Somewhere Towards the End (book written by an author over the age of 65). I didn't expect to enjoy The Mysteries of Udolpho (pre-1850) as much as I did - but I ended up liking almost everything I read for this challenge :)
The "almost" in "almost everything" is because of Not Quite a Husband (romance novel) - I love romance in general, and Sherry Thomas is usually one of my go-to authors, but I hated this book.
Can't wait to see next year's list of categories so I can start planning!
I finished the challenge last night. I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it without using some books more than once since I started late. I did! This challenge reignited my love of reading. I've averaged 5 books a year for a long time. I am up to 32 books already this year. My favorite part was the poetry reading, which surprised me. It inspired me to try and write a bit. I now have a notebook next to the bed with the beginnings of some poems and short stories.
My least favorite part was romance. It's the only category I feel I sort of cheated on.
I loved searching out books for all the different categories. My TBR has grown and expanded. I can't wait for next year's challenge!
Book Riot wrote: "Maureen wrote: "I am on my last two books - this has been quite fun...but I am dying to know - will we get to do it again next year?"We will be doing it again in 2016 and we're working hard on th..."
Woohoo! I just found out about this challenge and can't wait to start it in 2016.
24/24 Challenge Completed!!!A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25
A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65
A collection of short stories
A book published by an indie press
A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ
A book by a person whose gender is different from your own
A book that takes place in Asia
A book by an author from Africa
A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Native Americans, Aboriginals, etc.)
A microhistory
A YA novel
A sci-fi novel
A romance novel
A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade
A book that is a retelling of a classic story
An audiobook
A collection of poetry
A book that someone else has recommended to you
A book that was originally published in another language
A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind
A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure
24/24 Challenge Completed!!!
A book published before 1850
A book published this year
A self-improvement book
I have resigned myself to the fact that, despite my best efforts, I will not be completing this challenge. I quit smoking in September of 2014 and although I started this challenge in January of this year, I did not realize the effect the cessation of smoking would have on my reading. As of today, I have only completed 13 of the challenges, and with only a month to go, I don't see myself reading 11 more books, since I've only managed to read 15 this year total. (Typically it's 100+ a year!)
I am looking to the 2016 challenge and giving that a go. I make no promises to myself, but I'll give it a shot!
Shannon wrote: "I have resigned myself to the fact that, despite my best efforts, I will not be completing this challenge. I quit smoking in September of 2014 and although I started this challenge in January of th..."Congratulations on quitting smoking Shannon. You have given yourself and your family a wonderful gift - your health!
The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer is killing me. I think I will be reading it until the 31st! Knowing what next year's challenge will be would really cheer me up, LOL!
Maureen wrote: "The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer is killing me. I think I will be reading it until the 31st! Knowing what next year's challenge will be would really cheer me up,..."
I have had Naked and the Dead sitting next to my bed for years, and every time I go to pick it up I get intimidated. Maybe it will fit a category in the 2016 challenge (Novels about war? Mid-century novels written by unpleasant men?) and I will finally dive in.
Bonnie wrote: "Maureen wrote: "The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer is killing me. I think I will be reading it until the 31st! Knowing what next year's challenge will be would rea..."
It is good, don't get me wrong - just longer and denser than I had expected.
I finished the challenge this morning! I really enjoyed visiting the boards to see what other people were reading (I got so many great suggestions), so here's what I read:1. A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
2. A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65: In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume
3. A collection of short stories: How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosley
4. A book published by an indie press: A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride
5. A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ: The First Bad Man by Miranda July
6. A book by a person whose gender is different from your own: Funny Girl by Nick Hornby
7. A book that takes place in Asia: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
8. A book by an author from Africa: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
9. A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
10. A microhistory: Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil (probably not a true microhistory, but as close as I could figure out)
11. A YA novel: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
12. A sci-fi novel: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
13. A romance novel: The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. by Adelle Waldman (possibly not a true romance novel, but this Flavorwire article says that it counts)
14. A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize, or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
15. A book that is a retelling of a classic story: The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
16. An audiobook: Nobody Move by Denis Johnson
17. A collection of poetry: Dark Sparkler by Amber Tamblyn
18. A book that someone else has recommended to you: The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
19. A book that was originally published in another language: Lovers on All Saints' Day: Stories by Juan Gabriel Vásquez
20. A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home by Joss Whedon
21. A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure: Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
22. A book published before 1850: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
23. A book published this year: Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum
24. A self-improvement book: Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
Kathleen wrote: "I finished the challenge this morning! I really enjoyed visiting the boards to see what other people were reading (I got so many great suggestions), so here's what I read:1. A book written by som..."
I did the Absolutely True Diary too...wouldn't it be cool if they could analyze all the lists and come up with the congruences?
Maureen wrote: "...wouldn't it be cool if they could analyze all the lists and come up with the congruences? "Absolutely! I'll bet there's a lot of overlap in certain categories, like Absolutely True Diary and Americanah. That data would be really interesting.
I'm there! Some of my books fit more than one category, but I read one of each for total of 24 and then some.A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25- THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE
A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65- THE WRIGHT BROTHERS; LAST NIGHT IN THE O.R.; ON THE MOVE: A LIFE
A collection of short stories (either by one person or an anthology by many people)- THE HEART OF THE CITY
A book published by an indie press- ASHES IN MY MOUTH, SAND IN MY SHOES
A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ- NOT MY FATHER'S SON; THE ANDY COHEN DIARIES; I AM NOT MYSELF THESE DAYS
A book by a person whose gender is different from your own- OUR SOULS AT NIGHT
A book that takes place in Asia-NIGHT DRAWS NEAR; A TALE OF LOVE AND DARKNESS
A book by an author from Africa- LOOKING FOR TRANSWONDERLAND: TRAVELS IN NIGERIA
A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Native Americans, Aboriginals, etc.)- THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN
A microhistory- MISSOULA: RAPE AND THE JUSTICE SYSTEM IN A COLLEGE TOWN
A YA novel- THE BOOK THIEF
A sci-fi novel- THE HITCHHIKER'S GUILD TO THE GALAXY
A romance novel- BET ME
A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade- REDEPLOYMENT; COLD MOUNTAIN
A book that is a retelling of a classic story (fairytale, Shakespearian play, classic novel, etc.- GAP IN TIME
An audiobook- THIRTEEN DAYS IN SEPTEMBER; THE BOOK OF JOAN; MIZZOULA; NOT MY FATHER'S SON; I AM NOT MYSELF THESE DAYS; THE ANDY COHEN DIARIES; THE BOOK THIEF;10% HAPPIER; COLD MOUNTAIN; THE HITCHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
A collection of poetry- Testimony, a Tribute to Charlie Parker: With New and Selected Jazz Poems
A book that someone else has recommended to you- BELIEVER
A book that was originally published in another language- A TALE OF LOVE AND DARKNESS; ASHES IN MY MOUTH, SAND IN MY SHOES; SO YOU DON'T GET LOST IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind- MAUS II
A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure (Read, and then realize that good entertainment is nothing to feel guilty over)- THE BOOK OF JOAN
A book published before 1850- NORTHANGER ABBEY
A book published this year- IT'S WHAT I DO
A self-improvement book (can be traditionally or non-traditionally considered “self-improvement”)- 10% HAPPIER; CLICK; YOU ARE NOT SMART
It has been fun to see what everyone else chose. Appreciate all your suggestions and reviews. Good luck to all!
I finished the challenge this week! My full list of books can be found in the Challenge Plans discussion. I teach junior high English, so I generally tend to focus my reading on middle grade and young adult books. One of the things I appreciate the most about Book Riot is how it introduces lots of other books that I find interesting, but until this challenge I still didn't often take the time to search out those books to read. Several of the books on this list are young adult, but there are also more adult reads and a more diverse selection than I've read during a single year in quite a while.
Another of the great things about this challenge was finally figuring out the kinds of audiobooks I enjoy. Until this year, I had never made it all the way through an audiobook. I've discovered fiction via audio just does not work well for me, but I really enjoy listening to non-fiction. Thanks to my library and the OverDrive app, I now almost always have an audiobook available for listening while driving.
Finished my challenge yesterday! This is the first reading challenge (other than counting the number of books read in a year) that I've ever done, and I had a lot of fun picking books to fit the categories.Favorites for me were:
Carry On (LGBT)
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (set in Asia)
Americanah (author from Africa)
All is Forgotten, Nothing is Lost (indie publisher)
Cloud Atlas (science fiction)
What stretched me the most: poetry. I like reading individual poems, but I really disliked sitting down to read a book of poetry all at once. I think it made me like the poems less than I would have if I'd spaced it out more.
My biggest disappointment was The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories (story retelling)--the idea of feminist fairy tale retellings combined with the book's great reputation made me really excited, but the stories themselves mostly fell flat for me. I also really disliked The Sense of an Ending (award-winning).
What I liked that I didn't expect to: audiobooks. I have a hard time listening for extended periods of time and was really cynical about trying audiobooks. I actually ended up listening to 5 (!) this year, but the one that I counted was my favorite, Ready Player One.
I finished the challenge on Saturday.My favourites were:
The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe (author over the age of 65)
Nice Girls Still Don't Get the Corner Office: Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers (self-improvement)
A Brief History of Seven Killings (National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade)
A Brief History of Seven Killings was definitely the book that stretched me the most as a large proportion of the book was written in Jamaican English (a form with which I have very little familiarity).
The worst book for me was Bitin' Back. I cannot believe that it won a literary award.
I'm finished! I read a wide range of books, so for the most part completing this list wasn't that difficult. As of now, early December, I've read/listened to just over 100 books, so the reason for not completing the challenge list until now was that I was reading those other 75, give or take. I'm also working on a separate challenge with 50 items; I have about 10 tasks yet to do, so that won't get done by the end of the year.The only categories in this challenge that fell outside my usual scope were a romance novel and self-improvement. I have no doubt that there are many excellent and enjoyable romance novels, but the one I read annoyed the heck out of me, and I was rolling my eyes throughout.
Favorites from this list included the poetry book, Brown Girl Dreaming; I listened to the audio, which I think was narrated by the author herself, and was enraptured. I also particularly liked Love Minus Eighty (sci-fi) by Will McIntosh; it was a very unusual "love story," unlike anything I'd ever read. The Good Lord Bird (National Book Award), was an amazing read, often very funny while dealing with the very serious subject of slavery and events leading up to the Civil War.
My list:
Under 25: The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi
Over 65: Catherine the Great by Robert Massie
Short stories: Stories: All New Tales by Neil Gaiman
Indie press: Ragnarok: The End of the Gods by A.S. Byatt
LGBTQ: Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
Different gender: A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash
Asia: Moonlight Palace by Liz Rosenberg (set in Singapore)
African author: Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela (Sudanese)
Indigenous culture: The Broken Shore by Peter Temple (Aboriginal culture, Australia)
Micro history: Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Katherine Boo
YA: Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein
Sci-fi: Love Minus Eighty by Will McIntosh
Romance: Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison
Award winner: The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
Retelling of Classic Story: Re Jane by Patricia Park (Jane Eyre)
Audiobook: Tongues of Serpents, Naomi Novick
Poetry: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Recommended: Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer
Translation: If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino
Graphic novel: Superman Red Son
Guilty pleasure: The Lure of the Moonflower by Lauren Willig
Before 1850: The Complete First Edition of the Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
Published this year: Get in Trouble, Kelly Link
Self-Improvement: The Blue Zones: 9 Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest, Dan Buettner
Just finished!! Whew, almost didn't make it but the reason I almost didn't make it was because of the challenge. Because of this challenged I discovered the I actually like romance novels, comics and graphic novels, and audiobooks; and because of that I ended up reading a lot more of those and not focusing on the rest of the list. I discovered that most of the books I was already reading fell right into the challenge. I learned my reading is more diverse than I thought, but not as diverse as I like.
I'm still undecided if I'll do it next year but I'm looking forward to finding out what the challenge items are.
I just finished! I'll update later with my list and my thoughts on the challenge.Here's my list
1. A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25: Sense and Sensibility
2. A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65: The Gospel According to Jesus Christ
3. A collection of short stories: Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd
4. A book published by an indie press: Flat-Out Love
5. A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ: Will Grayson, Will Grayson
6. A book by a person whose gender is different from your own: The Midnight Palace
7. A book that takes place in Asia: Norwegian Wood
8. A book by an author from Africa: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
9. A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture: The Bone People
10. A microhistory: Just My Type: A Book About Fonts
11. A YA novel: An Abundance of Katherines
12. A sci-fi novel: The Martian
13. A romance novel: Me Before You
14. A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize, or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade: Wolf Hall
15. A book that is a retelling of a classic story: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
16. An audiobook: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
17. A collection of poetry: Una Temporada en el Infierno y Otros Poemas
18. A book that someone else has recommended to you: Fangirl
19. A book that was originally published in another language: Let the Right One In
20. A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind: The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
21. A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure: Where She Went
22. A book published before 1850: Frankenstein
23. A book published this year: The Girl on the Train
24. A self-improvement book: How to Be a Woman
The hardest task: Poetry.
The ones I don't normally read and I enjoyed very much:Graphic novel and a book from an author from Africa.
Favorite book: I loved The Martian and How to be a Woman.
Least favorite book: Una temporada en el infierno y Norwegian Wood.
Can't wait for next year's challenge
How will it be acknowledged that we've finished? I've been done for a couple weeks? Will I hear something from Book Riot? Loved the challenge! 2016 !!!
From the BookRiot web siteSo many (SO MANY) of you beautiful people have committed to completing the Read Harder challenge (even the romance task!) that we wanted to give you a reward. Actually, we’re giving you two of them!
When you’ve completed the challenge, send a photo of this checklist filled out with the titles you read for each task to [email protected] to get a 30% discount on one purchase in the Book Riot store. (Can I recommend a Book Riot hoodie for the cold winter months?)
http://bookriot.com/2015/09/17/finish...
I submitted my list and got an email with the 30% off code. I should get my Read or Die shirt on Thursday. Yay! I thought about the hoodie, but in Texas, a t-shirt will get more use all year.http://bookriot.com/2015/09/17/finish...
Victory! I completed all twenty four tasks. For some tasks I had a ton of books that fit the metric, so I usually just picked the one I liked the best. Here's my list:1. A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25: The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories by Marina Keegan.
2. A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65: Lila by Marilynne Robinson.
3. A collection of short stories: In the Country: Stories
4. A book published by an indie press: The Revelator
5. A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ: A Brief History of Seven Killings
6. A book by a person whose gender is different from your own: The Shepherd's Life: A People's History of the Lake District
7. A book that takes place in Asia: The Incarnations
8. A book by an author from Africa:Americanah
9. A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture: Fortune Smiles
10. A microhistory: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599
11. A YA novel: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
12. A sci-fi novel: The Sparrow
13. A romance novel: A Bollywood Affair
14. A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize, or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade: Between the World and Me
15. A book that is a retelling of a classic story: Uprooted
16. An audiobook: How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
17. A collection of poetry: Crush
18. A book that someone else has recommended to you: The Martian
19. A book that was originally published in another language: Purge
20. A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind: Bitch Planet, Vol 1: Extraordinary Machine
21. A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure: Jurassic Park
22. A book published before 1850: Beowulf
23. A book published this year: Fates and Furies
24. A self-improvement book: The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
Romance and poetry were definitely the hardest tasks for me.
I am so happy to be done. I was cutting it close & was worried I would not make it. What a year!Thanks for the challenge.
I've hit my Goodreads goal for the year (60+ books, hurrah) so the rest of the month is going to be devoted to finishing Read Harder. I only found out about it in September, I think, though luckily I had already read books for a number of the challenges.I have seven books left to read/listen to (this was the year I discovered audiobooks and fell in love), so it will be down to the wire. Luckily, I find that Christmas travel tends to be good for reading habits :)
Completed 20151213A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65
In the Unlikely Event Judy Blume
A collection of short stories (either by one person or an anthology by many people)
Welcome to the Monkey House Kurt Vonnegut
A book published by an indie press
On Days Like This Dan Quisenberry
A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ
Tales of Neveryon Sam Delaney
A book by a person whose gender is different from your own
The Glass Castle Jennette Walls
A book that takes place in Asia
The White Tiger Aravind Adiga
A book by an author from Africa
We Need New Names NoViolet Bulawayo
A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Native Americans,Aboriginals, etc.)
The Queen of Water Laura Resau
A microhistory
One Summer Bill Bryson
A YA novel
Divergent Veronica Roth
A sci-fi novel
The Martian Andy Weir
A romance novel
Flirting With Felicity Gerri Russell
A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade
The White Tiger Aravind Adiga
A book that is a retelling of a classic story (fairytale, Shakespearian play, classic novel, etc.)
A Thousand Acres Jane Smiley
An audiobook
A Walk in the Woods Bill Bryson
A collection of poetry
On Days Like This Dan Quisenberry
A book that someone else has recommended to you
What To Do When It’s Your Turn Seth Godin
A book that was originally published in another language
In Praise of the Stepmother Mario Vargas Llosa
A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind (Hi, have you met Panels?)
The Complete Persepolis
A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure (Read, and then realize that good entertainment is nothing to feel guilty over)
In Praise of the Stepmother Mario Vargas Llosa
A book published before 1850
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
A book published this year
In the Unlikely Event Judy Blume
A self-improvement book (can be traditionally or non-traditionally considered “self-improvement”)
The Power of Habit Charles Duhigg
1.- A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25The Bone Season - Samantha Shannon
2.- A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65
The St Zita Society - Ruth Rendell
3.- A collection of short stories (either by one person or an anthology by many people)
Nine Unlikely Tales - Edith Nesbit
4.- A book published by an indie press
The Storied Life of AJ Fikry - Gabrielle Zevin
5.- A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ
The Paying Guests - Sarah Waters
6.- A book by a person whose gender is different from your own
Ocean Sea - Alessandro Baricco
7.- A book that takes place in Asia
Shanghai Redemption - Qiu Xiaolong
8.- A book by an author from Africa
A Beautiful Place to Die - Malla Nunn
9.- A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Native Americans, Aboriginals, etc.)
The Blessing Way - Tony Hillerman
10.- A microhistory
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot
11.- A YA novel
Uglies - Scott Westerfeld
12.- A sci-fi novel
Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
13.- A romance novel
The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
14.- A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade
Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel
15.- A book that is a retelling of a classic story (fairytale, Shakespearian play, classic novel, etc.)
The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova
16.- An audiobook
The Children Act - Ian McEwan
17.- A collection of poetry
The Wasteland and other Poems - T. S. Eliot
18.- A book that someone else has recommended to you
Everything you Never Told Me - Celeste Ng
19.- A book that was originally published in another language
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler - Italo Calvino
20.- A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind
Fun Home - Alison Bechdel
21.- A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure (Read, and then realize that good entertainment is nothing to feel guilty over)
Sheltering Rain - Jojo Moyes
22.- A book published before 1850
Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
23.- A book published this year
A Paris Affair - Tatiana de Rosnay
24.- A self-improvement book
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo
Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (other topics)Stones for Ibarra (other topics)
Breathing Room: Open Your Heart by Decluttering Your Home (other topics)
Ashes in My Mouth, Sand in My Shoes: Stories (other topics)
Glaciers (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Alexis M. Smith (other topics)Harriet Doerr (other topics)
Per Petterson (other topics)
S.E. Hinton (other topics)
Lauren Rosenfeld (other topics)
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Passed this off to the person in charge and we'll let you know soon.