Every year, I try the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge. I've never made it, but this is the year I've come the closest to it. I only finished 11 of the items, but I at least started a book for each of the 24 items. And I can't wait to try again because this list always expands how I read and pushes me to read new genres, many of which I end up really enjoying. This year, this list gifted me a new book on my list of very favorite books (Lonesome Dove), a book I never would have picked up on my own, and made me fall in love with YA novels. So much good reading this year with Book Riot!
**1. Read a novel about a trans character written by a trans author: Cemetary Boys by Aiden Thomas
3/6/23
This is the best book I've read in a long, long time. Thomas created both compelling characters and a compelling story. Each character is round, full, and incredibly human, with endearing moments and mistakes. It was one of those stories where it's clear so many of the characters have been through deeply hurtful experience in their past, but within the current story, their motivations are so caring and considerate. I say all that without even mentioning that it starts with a murder mystery that has twists and turns throughout the book. This book is inspiring me to dive a bit deeper in to recent YA literature because I loved this journey.
***2. Read one of your favorite author’s favorite books & 24. Pick a challenge from any of the previous years’ challenges to repeat!: 2020: Read a book that takes place in a rural setting: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty
6/11/23
I cannot remember the last time I fell so unexpectedly, deeply in love with a book. I added this book to my queue as part of one of the Book Riot 2023 challenges: Read one of your favorite author's books. While Kurt Vonnegut is my favorite author, Stephen King is up there and talks frequently about other authors. When I Googled King's favorite book, I was surprised to see it is Lonesome Dove. I really wasn't looking forward to it, especially when it arrived and was 858 pages. Then, I read the forward... and dreaded it even more. It took maybe 50 pages or so to get me hooked. The characters are incredible, from the main characters to the side characters to the villains. I understand why this book may have lost favor because it's definitely a "Cowboys and Indians" story, and there is plenty of racism and prejudice against Indigenous people. Yet, it is told through the perspective of cowboys, cattlemen, Texas Rangers, and a handful of people who lived among them, including sex workers, barmen, musicians, cooks, etc. It feels honest of the perspectives of the time, yet gives such depth and breadth in characters and experiences. While the main group certainly holds harmful prejudice against the Indigenous people of the West, McMurty also artfully demonstrated how both groups were taught to fear the other; how both had both violent and peaceful tendencies, depending on the individual or group; how the fears could cause injuries and deaths and how those involved often knew it was simply a misunderstanding, not evil--though there were truly evil characters of many races/ethnicities; how each group also had instances of showing each other peace and kindness; and how all were affected by the decimation of the buffalo population. McMurty presented each character, except the most violent ones, with humanity and wholeness, showing how they each had something special to offer the world and how they could each care for others in unexpected ways. I have not sobbed so much reading a book in years and years, and I did so multiple times because I grew to care so deeply for the characters. I was also very sad when I reached the last few pages and realized I was at the end of the tale. I still can't stop thinking about Gus, Deets, Lorena, and Newt. And Po. And Walbinger. Just wow.
**3. Read a book about activism & 4 Read a book that’s been challenged recently in your school district/library OR read one of the most-challenged/banned books of the year by a queer and/or BIPOC author. The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas
I have been meaning to read The Hate You Give for awhile now and finally made it happen with a push through the Book Riot 2023 Read Harder Challenge item: "Read a book that’s been challenged recently in your school district/library OR read one of the most-challenged/banned books of the year by a queer and/or BIPOC author." As far as I know, very few books are banned in the Chicago Public Library system (though I'm sure they get plenty of challenges), so I went with one of the most-challenged/banned books, and now I understand why this one is so challenged: because it's incredible. If you've ever struggled to understand systemic racism and the anger that has spurred both protests and riots over the assaults and murders of Black people at the hands of the police, this book provides a really powerful first-person narrative of the complexities and emotions following a murder by cop. This is yet another YA book I've loved this year, and I highly recommend it for young adults, mid adults, older adults, etc. If you have a preteen/teenager, encourage them to read it--and read it yourself. If you don't, also just read it. It also has a fantastic list of resources and "read next" lists that I'm definitely going to use, as I continue to my own work and consider the ways I engage in activism.
*5. Read a completed webcomic: Succubishez
12/15/23
First, thank you to Chris Krone for explaining to me what a webcomic is, so I could find one I might like.
Succubishez was totally up my alley. A super honest take on being a young woman--or, rather young demon. The world is full of angels and demons, indicated with halos and horns, and these distinctions don't seem to have anything to do with if someone is good or bad. Plus, it the drawings are cute, and I saw a lot of myself in the main character.
6. Finish a book you’ve DNFed (did not finish): White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
12/24/23
Over 10 years ago, one of my students' moms (who worked at the university) gave this book to me because she'd noticed I like to read and thought I'd like it. At the time, I probably got 20% through and then put it down. I think I read part of it, left it at work one day, and forgot about it because while I thought it was okay, I just wasn't that interested in it. I picked it back up for this Book Riot item, and honestly, it's just okay. I could have easily never finished it again.
7. Listen to an audiobook performed by a person of color of a book written by an author of color: The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
7/15/23
I (audio)read this for the Book Riot 2023 Read Harder Challenge item "Listen to an audiobook performed by a person of color of a book written by an author of color." I'm wondering if I might have liked this book better if I'd read it instead of listened to it. This is the second time I've listened to an audiobook with an ensemble cast, and I don't think I like that style. I find it really bumpy to either hear someone's name right before they're about to speak or to have to pay attention and remember the different voices to remember who is speaking. Weirdly, this book does both. So there was the bumpiness of hearing the name and also sometimes just jumping in without knowing who is speaking. And there are a LOT of characters. And some cameos. I tried to look up how many, and every source listed 7 names and then added "full cast." I can't tell if that means there were only 7 or if there are more than 7. What I did like is that the story itself felt so realistic that I, like many other readers, stopped to Google if it were a true story. It's not, but it feels like it could be. Walton weaves in real-life events and people into the telling of the story of this interracial rock duo, which is fascinating. I do think it would have made for a better novella or short story though. Everything seems to build up to this one event, which holds many family secrets, and the event itself is quite a scene. But then it goes on. And on. Like, there's a whole Part 3 after the climax of the story. And the events in Parts 1 and 3 just aren't that interesting. They're just people navigating a music career and life. So realistically that it was a bit boring because I feel like I've heard so many similar stories. I wish I'd liked it enough to try reading it to see if I enjoyed that more, but I just don't really want to put anymore time into this story.
8. Read a graphic novel/comic/manga if you haven’t before; or read one that is a different genre than you normally read: G.I. Joe European Missions "Ice Spy..."
12/27/23
This is only slightly off the genre I've read before, which is superheroes, but it definitely read differently because no one had special powers. It did have the same themes of good versus bad and the bad trying to pull tricks to gain power. I don't think the G.I. Joe series is one I'm going to revisit because I'm really not into worshipping war and demonizing "the other," but this issue was a quick read and I wasn't sure how they were going to remedy the situation. I am confused about why (spoiler alert) there was a glass "diamond" though.
*13. Read an author local to you: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
At just 2 hours and 18 minutes, this book packs a big, intricate story. It is as series of vignettes told by a young girl, Esperanza, coming of age in a Chicago neighborhood. She dislikes her neighborhood and yearns for her own house, somewhere else, and some of her stories make her reasons very clear. Other stories, however, are really lovely, showing the complexity of growing up and living in an impoverished area. It's a really beautiful, quick read.
14. Read a book with under 500 ratings on Goodreads: A Spectre, Haunting: On the Communist Manifesto by China Mieville
Awhile back, I signed up for Haymarket Book's book subscription, where subscribers are sent one book a month. Honestly, they sent a lot of really interesting reads... that I couldn't keep up with, so I discontinued my subscription (for now). Because it's a smaller publisher though, many of the books they've sent fit this Book Riot Read Harder Challenge item perfectly, as many have under 500 reviews on Goodreads. When I'd checked this one, it had only 125. While most of it was over my head, I am really glad I picked this one because about a third of the book is actually just a reprinting of the Communist Manifesto, something I've never read. I've been curious about Marx, particularly once his name started circulating in popular culture again because of #BlackLivesMatter and their Marxist philosophy. While it's called the Communist Manifesto, it's really just a critique of an extremely stratified class system, one which we are certainly seeing widen in recent times because of late-stage capitalism, well past what Marx and Engels saw in the 1840s. It's also a statement of the power of the working class, as they are the ones who generate wealth for the elite. They explain how the working class needs to acknowledge and use their power to create a more equitable system for all. Both the Manifesto itself and Mieville's commentary on it were really striking at this immediate moment, when both the Writer's Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA are on strike, with very high-level celebrities supporting the movement and demanding that those who are not lucky enough to be in their positions be compensated and treated fairly because even they acknowledge that it is the billionaires who control the studios who are benefiting from the unfair compensation of the majority of the workers in the field. At this moment, there's also a looming threat of a UPS strike, which could really shake up the country as a whole. I'm totally here for this hot strike summer and am really glad I took on this read, so I could better understand the historical context of Marxism and workers taking up the power they have. Real talk: I hope higher ed is next.
*16. Read a romance with bisexual representation: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
3/20/23
This was a really lovely story. Some pieces were predictable, but also, there were enough surprises that it didn't feel like a trite or dragging love story. Even in the last chapter, I had no idea how the author could possibly tie up the loose ends and leave us with a satisfying ending, but they did. I particularly loved how Addie had a complicated relationship with The Dark. It reminded me of how dark places and times can have their own appeal, even if we truly want to reject them completely. I also really adored the magical realism of making an impossible wish, like being truly free from the expectations of others, and then needing to live with all of the consequences of such a thing. It felt so much like a story of desperately wanting to be seen and valued, which is so human.
*17. Read a YA book by an Indigenous author & 22. Read any book from the Ignyte awards shortlist/longlist/winner list: A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger
5/31/23
I'm officially into current YA lit. It took me a bit to get into this book, but it maintained my interest from the start. Then, the plot really took off, and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I highly recommend it for young adult and fully adult readers. Nina and Oli's intertwined stories are so lovely and wholesome and relevant. It reminded me of the importance of holistic ways of thinking about our world and all the beings in it and how Indigenous ways of understanding could do so much to heal what we've broken--yet we still exclude and dismiss them. I'm eager to read more books by Little Badger, Indigenous writers, and YA authors!
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