I can’t resist a good list or a good challenge, especially when books are involved. After taking a look at how paltry few books I was able to finish in 2015, I’m hoping the structure provided by Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge 2016 will be what I need not only to keep reading, but also to discover some new literary loves I might not have otherwise.
To keep myself honest and to avoid scrambling for my next read, I’ve plotted out the books I’d like to read for each category. I’m not married to these and willing to swap out if I get better recommendations, so. Have a favorite that fits? Read one of these and it’s terrible? Come at me.
Also, keep me honest and play along?
Read a horror book. Christina Henry’s Alice.
Read a nonfiction book about science. George Musser’s Spooky Action at a Distance: The Phenomenon That Reimagines Space and Time--and What It Means for Black Holes, the Big Bang, and Theories of Everything.
Read a collection of essays. Ryann Britt’s Luke Skywalker Can’t Read: And Other Geeky Truths.
Read a book out loud to someone else. E.B. White’s Stuart Little.
Read a middle grade novel. Katrina Nannestad’s When Mischief Came to Town.
Read a biography. Nancy Milford’s Zelda.
Read a dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel. Marie Lu’s Legend.
Read a book originally published in the year that you were born. William Gibson’s Burning Chrome.
Listen to an audio book that has won an Audie Award. Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book.
Read a book over 500 pages long. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah.
Read a book under 100 pages. Shannon Hale’s The Princess in Black.
Read a book by or about a person who identifies as transgender. Charlie Jane Anders’ Six Months, Three Days.
Read a book that is set in the Middle East. G. Willow Wilson’s Cairo.
Read a book that is by an author from Southeast Asia. Shawna Yang Ryan’s Water Ghosts.
Read a book of historical fiction set before 1900. Emily Holleman’s Cleopatra’s Shadows.
Read the first book in a series by a person of color. Zen Cho’s Sorcerer to the Crown.
Read a non-superhero comic that debuted in the last three years. Danica Novgorodoff’s The Undertaking of Lily Chen.
Read a book that was adapted into a movie, then watch the movie. Debate which is better. Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted.
Read a nonfiction book about feminism or dealing with feminist themes. Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist.
Read a book about religion (fiction or nonfiction). Alice Hoffman’s The Dovekeepers.
Read a book about politics, in your country or another (fiction or nonfiction). Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.
Read a food memoir. William Alexander’s 52 Loaves.
Read a play. Aristophanes’ Lysistrata.
Read a book with a main character that has a mental illness. Neal Shusterman’s Challenger Deep.