Last year’s Book Riot Read Harder Challenge pushed me to not only knock a large number of books off my TBR list, but also to read a more diverse selection than I probably would have chosen without the challenge’s guidance. Many of the books I thought I was going to like turned out to be duds (I’m looking at you, Death Comes to Pemberley), and some of the books that I wouldn’t have chosen except to fulfill the challenge turned out to be some of my favorite reads of the year (Who knew, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency?). Plus I completed this goal within my Goodreads Reading Challenge of reading 45 books in 2015.
This year, I’m doing it again along with my Goodreads Reading Challenge of 50 books, which is probably pushing it for me. But hey, that’s why it’s called a challenge, isn’t it? I found last year that it helps to have a plan. None of these intentions are set in stone and some will definitely change throughout the year, but to get me start I’ve made an initial list of books I plan to read this year in order to fulfill this challenge:
1.) Read a horror book.
The Library at Mt. Char by Scott Hawkins
2.) Read a nonfiction book about science.
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
3.) Read a collection of essays.
Originally, I planned to fulfill this item with either The Givenness of Things: Essays by Marilynne Robinson or Annie Dillard’s The Abundance: Narrative Essays Old and New, which is scheduled for release in March, but on a whim I just started reading Maybe Baby: 28 Writers Tell the Truth About Skepticism, Infertility, Baby Lust, Childlessness, Ambivalence, and How They Made the Biggest Decision of Their Lives by Lori Leibovich.
4.) Read a book out loud to someone else.
We Mammals in Hospitable Times by Jynne Dilling Martin — And I’m not going to lie; I will probably read this to my cat. Or husband. But probably the cat.
5.) Read a middle grade novel.
Believe it or not, I have never read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.
6.) Read a biography (not memoir or autobiography).
Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell
7.) Read a dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel.
I’ve wanted to read The Stand by Stephen King for a while.
8.) Read a book originally published in the decade you were born.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1980s for the win!)
9.) Listen to an audiobook that has won an Audie Award.
This item is the only one I’ve completed so far. I “read” Yes, Please by Amy Poehler, which wasn’t as entertaining as I thought it was going to be. I can’t decide if that was because of the book itself or because I don’t like listening to audiobooks.
10.) Read a book over 500 pages long.
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
11.) Read a book under 100 pages.
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
12.) Read a book by or about a person that identifies as transgender.
I’m going to try Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. This one was hard to pick because this category is not one that I would typically seek out, so I wasn’t even sure where to begin with finding a book. I found a list on Goodreads of books with transgender characters and picked one that caught my interest.
13.) Read a book that is set in the Middle East.
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi — This book has been on my TBR list for years, but I keep putting it off because I haven’t read Lolita. But this year I’m planning to finally read it, and if I’m ambitious enough I’ll even read Lolita first.
14.) Read a book that is by an author from Southeast Asia.
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
15.) Read a book of historical fiction set before 1900.
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker or Hild by Nicola Griffith, both of which are from my TBR list.
16.) Read the first book in a series by a person of color.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
17.) Read a non-superhero comic that debuted in the last three years.
Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh, which is slated for release in October.
18.) Read a book that was adapted into a movie, then watch the movie.
Debate which is better.
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
19.) Read a nonfiction book about feminism or dealing with feminist themes.
The Notorious RGB: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon
20.) Read a book about religion (fiction or nonfiction).
God of Love: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam by Mirabai Starr or The Myth of a Christian Religion: Losing Your Religion for the Beauty of a Revolution by Gregory A. Boyd
21.) Read a book about politics, in your country or another (fiction or nonfiction).
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates — I think this could satisfy this item, and I’ve wanted to read it since it was released.
22.) Read a food memoir.
Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin — I’ve read this one before, but it’s been awhile and I remember loving it.
23.) Read a play.
A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
24.) Read a book with a main character that has a mental illness.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Book and Boot 