If you are anything like me, at the start of 2020 you committed to a reading challenge… or several. I find them IMPOSSIBLE to resist. I’m a very goal-oriented person, I love checking things off lists and pushing myself to read outside my comfort zone. Which might explain why I joined three pretty sizeable challenges, with a combined 100 prompts: Reading Women, PopSugar and Book Riot’s Read Harder. I also joined (or I guess ran since I picked the languages!) the Translation Fiction challenge on The StoryGraph. But as I was going to be reading 50% translated fiction anyway, this fit in more naturally with my reading.
Reading Women and Book Riot are the two which I’d say are more ‘serious’. They encourage participants to read outside of their usual genres, with excellent prompts such as ‘Read a picture book written/illustrated by a BIPOC author’ and ‘Read a book with a main character with a disability’. These prompts encourage readers to seek out experiences different to their own.
PopSugar is a bit more random, with prompts such as ‘Read a book with a pink cover’ and ‘Read a book with gold, silver or bronze in the title’. These prompts appeal to the list-making side of me, and I enjoy scouring my shelves to see what I have that will fulfil a prompt.
Reading Challenge Progress
So far I have completed 14 out of 24 prompts for Book Riot, 15 out of 26 for Reading Women, and 42 out of 50 for PopSugar. I’m pretty pleased with that! But I’m very aware that it’s now September. We all know that at this point, October, November and December go by in a flash and before we know it’s the New Year! Which will hopefully be less terrible than 2020.
The other night I sat down (for far too long) and decided on which books I’d read for the remaining prompts so that I can complete all three by the end of December! Of course, it isn’t mandatory that you finish them… But I am me, and I must complete them.
I thought I’d share the prompts I have left and the books I’m reading for them. Then if you’re also doing these challenges, you might find some inspiration for prompts you’ve been stuck on!
Book Riot’s Read Harder Reading Challenge
Read a Retelling of a Canon, Myth or Fairytale by a BIPOC Author
For this prompt I’ll be diving into the weird and wonderful world of Helen Oyeyemi. Her novel Mr Fox is apparently based on different stories, including Bluebeard.
Read a Graphic Memoir
I think this is the hardest reading challenge prompt for me! I have never read a graphic novel, mainly because they are EXPENSIVE and I am stingy. However, I will treat myself to a copy of Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi for this prompt.
Listen to an Audiobook of Poetry
In January this prompt gave me nightmares because I wasn’t into audiobooks then and I didn’t do poetry. Now at least I am into audiobooks, so it’s just the poetry part that’s a challenge. A few months ago, Libro.fm included Space Struck* by Paige Lewis in their ALCs so I downloaded and I guess we’ll see how I get on with it! You can use my code ABREADS to get two audiobooks for the price of one when you sign up for a Libro.fm monthly membership!
Read a Romance Starring a Single Parent
This is another prompt that’s been difficult for me. I don’t read a tonne of romance, but I have started reading a few more rom-coms this year. I’ve decided on The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune. It’s more fantasy with a romance element I believe. And the ‘single parent’ is described as a ‘caretaker’ in the blurb, but we all know family is a lot more than blood. I’ve heard only good things about this book so I’m really looking forward to it!
Read a Sci-Fi or Fantasy Novella under 120 Pages
This is not really my genre, and when I read fantasy I tend to go large. However, I have my eye on Forest of Memory by Mary Robinette Kawal.
Read a Picture Book with a Human Main Character from a Marginalised Community
I actually haven’t decided what to read for this one… I promise the rest of the post is not this disorganised! But I need my library to reopen for browsing so I can find one for this – picture books are expensive!
Read a Middle Grade Book Not Set in the US or UK
I had fun browsing my library website for this one! I think I’m going to read Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing by Guo Yue for this prompt.
Read a Book Where the Main Character Has a Disability
Another one where I’m doubling up with Reading Women, with Get a Life, Chloe Brown!
Read a Literary Magazine
I have an issue of Token Magazine that I’ll be reading for this prompt.
Read a Book by a Native, First Nations or Indigenous Author
For this I’ll be reading The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. I’m seriously lacking when it comes to Indigenous literature, I might make it a goal next year to read one book by an Indigenous author a month.
Reading Women Challenge
Read a Picture Book Written by a BIPOC Author
Whatever I pick for the Book Riot challenge prompt that’s similar will fit for this one too!
Read a Stella or Women’s Prize Winner
The 2020 Women’s Prize winner will be announced on 9th September, so if it happens to be Girl, Woman, Other (fingers crossed!) or Weather then I’m totally cheating and retroactively counting those. If not, I may read this year’s winner or Bel Canto by Ann Patchett.
Read a Non-Fiction by a Woman Historian
This one scares me because I don’t really read history books. However, I’ve been enjoying non-fiction on audio lately, so I’m going to listen to A Black Women’s History of the United States by Daina Ramey Berry and Kali N. Gross. That’s TWO women historians, not that anyone is counting or anything… (Edit, I’ve now read this and it was great!)
Read a Book About a Woman Artist
By the time I post this I will have completed this one – maybe. I’m currently reading Sunlight Hours* by Caroline Caugant, translated by Helen Stevenson. The main character is a Parisian artist!
Read and Watch a Book-to-Film Adaptation
I’m going to (finally) be listening to Becoming by Michelle Obama and then watching the Netflix version.
Read a Book About a Woman Who Inspires You
Can you believe it’s 2020 and I still haven’t read I Am Malala? That will be changing VERY soon.
Read a Biography
Like history books, I don’t really do biographies. I prefer memoirs. However, I am planning to listen to Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister by Anne Choma. Anne Lister is known as the ‘first modern lesbian’, and lived in Yorkshire, not far from me, so I’m very interested in her life!
Read a Book Featuring a Woman with a Disability
For this prompt I’m going to be reading the much-loved Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert. I believe Chloe suffers from fibromyalgia.
Read a Book from the 2019 Reading Women Shortlist or Honourable Mentions
I’ll either go back to Know My Name by Chanel Miller, in physical format this time, or treat myself to a copy of Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis.
PopSugar Reading Challenge
Read a Book with a Book on the Cover
I’m surprised I haven’t read anything that’s fulfilled this prompt already! However, I will be reading Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson.
Read a Medical Thriller
Two genres combined I don’t read much of. I was browsing the challenge page on The StoryGraph and noticed The Farm by Joanne Ramos on there. I already own that one so that’s an easy one to check off!
Read a book with a Robot, Cyborg or AI Character
I thought I’d be able to check this one off when I read Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers but alas, it’s all centred around humans in space! So I’m going to read Scythe by Neal Shusterman. He’s an author I’ve been meaning to read for ages anyway.
Read a Fiction or Non-Fiction Book About a World Leader
Becoming by Michelle Obama will be my book for this prompt too.
Read a Banned Book During Banned Book Week
Banned Book Week is 27 September until 3 October, and I will be reading Animal Farm by George Orwell. The book was banned in the Soviet Union after its release, and is still banned in some countries.
Read a Book With 20 or Twenty in the Title
I’ll need to buy a book for this prompt as I’ve got nothing on my stacks that fits! I’ve got my eye on Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth by Xiaolu Guo.
Read a Book Set in the 1920s
I want to read Passing by Nella Larsen by the end of the year, especially after loving The Vanishing Half. That book will fit this prompt nicely.
Read a Book from a Series of More than 20 Books
There seem to be two main options for this: Terry Pratchett or Agatha Christie. And I’m not really a fan of either. However, I really don’t get on with Pratchett’s humour and I do enjoy a good mystery on a rainy afternoon, so Christie wins it. I’ll be reading The ABC Murders from the Poirot series.
That’s it!
I best get reading if I’m going to finish all of these by 31 December. Let me know if you’re taking part in a reading challenge, especially any of these, and if we’ll be reading any of the same books!
I have just finished the Reading Women reading challenge and read Cantoras for the 2019 Reading Women shortlist prompt, would definitely recommend that! I thought it was beautifully written, very visual and the characters are interesting, also interesting history-wise
Oh yay! Well done! I definitely will read Cantoras at some point anyway, even if not for this year’s challenge.