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Guest LOVE ME AND DESPAIR

I was wondering if anyone here was doing any Reading Challenges?

 

Every year I do the general Goodreads challenge where you set a number goal for amount of books to read in a year. However, this year I'm also working on Book Riot's 2018 Read Harder Challenge and the Goodreads Ultimate Summer Reading Challenge. Though with the second one I'm going to mostly aim to do the Beginner level and see what I can manage to also fill in on the Expert level in the process, and what ones from BR's challenge might fit tasks on GR's challenge. Especially since as much as I'd love to read that many books in a month, I don't know if I'll be able. -- Note: Summer got away from me so didn't really do any of the GR Ultimate Summer Reading Challenge. Instead just decided to focus on my generic GR reading goal and the BR Read Harder Challenge.

 

At the moment I've mapped out possible book options for my Read Harder Challenge as follows:
Task 1: I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
Task 2: I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
Task 3: The Princess Bride by William Goldman OR Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte OR The Once and Future King by T.H. White
Task 4: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
Task 5: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden - CURRENTLY READING
Task 6: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer OR Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
Task 7: The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson OR Sawbones by Melissa Lenhardt  OR Topaz by Beverly Jenkins 
Task 8: TBD
Task 9: Rebecca Roanhorse - Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™ (short story) - COMPLETED
Task 10: An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole
Task 11: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett OR A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Task 12: Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
Task 13: TBD
Task 14: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander OR The Courtiers: Splendor and Intrigue in the Georgian Court at Kensington Palace by Lucy Worsley
Task 15: Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur OR The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman OR The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Task 16: The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso - COMPLETED
Task 17: Sunshine by Robin McKinley - COMPLETED
Task 18: TBD
Task 19: Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation by Ken Liu
Task 20: TBD
Task 21: TBD
Task 22: TBD
Task 23: TBD
Task 24: TBD

 

Any suggestions are welcome, of course. And the nice thing is if you struggle, you can check the GR Groups or Social Media or (in the case of the Read Harder Challenge) each task is linked to a page with some book ideas. So far for me in terms of finished I've only managed one, but going to remedy that soon.

 

Anyone else doing these types of things? What is your progress? What books are going to possibly fill your tasks? Or are you going to wing the choices?

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I haven't done a book challenge is SUCH a long time, but I decided I needed to start getting back into reading regularly again (I haven't read regularly since I was in HS and that's just shameful??). I went with Book Riot's challenge, 'cause they had helpful suggestions to go along with the challenge as well lol. So this is what I have so far! I'll add the next six in once I finish this first batch.

 

Task 1: 2666: A Novel by Roberto Bolano
Task 2: Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer 
Task 3: Frederica by Georgette Heyer
Task 4: octopus pie by Meredith Gran
Task 5: The Calcutta Chromosome by Amitav Ghosh
Task 6: The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

 

Caught my eye: The Spy Who Couldn't Spell by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, Night Song by Beverly Jenkins, The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery

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Guest LOVE ME AND DESPAIR

Totally decided just not to do the GR Ultimate Summer Reading Challenge and focus on my BR 2018 Read Harder Challenge. With that and my personal # of books to read goal on GR it's just easier. I've met some more of my goals and updated my first post accordingly so upside. How goes your reading challenge, @perry the platypus? Also if anyone else is doing this challenge or other ones, feel free to post in and chat about it. =D

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Guest LOVE ME AND DESPAIR

So approaching the end of 2018 so I'm trying to finish as many tasks as possible before then. Making decent progress. However, I can say that even if I don't complete one or both of them? Really proud of my reading accomplishments this year and will start earlier on next year's Book Riot and PopSugar reading challenges.

 

How is everyone else doing?

 

 

MY PROGRESS - Final Results as of 12/28/2018

Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge

Completed Tasks

  • 3. A classic of genre fiction (i.e. mystery, sci fi/fantasy, romance).

    • The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Richard Howard (Translator)

  • 4. A comic written and illustrated by the same person.

    • Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

  • 5. A book set in or about one of the five BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, or South Africa).

    • The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

  • 6. A book about nature.

    • No Flight Without the Shatter by Brooke Bolander

  • 8. A comic written or illustrated by a person of color.

    • Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet, Vol. 1 by Ta-Nehisi Coates

  • 9. A book of colonial or postcolonial literature.

    • Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™ by Rebecca Roanhorse (short story)

  • 10. A romance novel by or about a person of color.

    • The Duchess War by Courtney Milan

  • 11. A children’s classic published before 1980.

    • The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Richard Howard (Translator)

  • 15. A one-sitting book.

    • The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur

  • 16. The first book in a new-to-you YA or middle grade series.

    • The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso

  • 17. A sci fi novel with a female protagonist by a female author.

    • Sunshine by Robin McKinley

  • 18. A comic that isn’t published by Marvel, DC, or Image.

    • Lumberjanes Vol. 1 by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis

  • 19. A book of genre fiction in translation.

    • The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Richard Howard (Translator)

  • 20. A book with a cover you hate.

    • A Springtide Meeting by Emily Murdoch

  • 21. A mystery by a person of color or LGBTQ+ author.

    • Playing Nice With God’s Bowling Ball by N.K. Jemisin

Incomplete Tasks

  • 1. A book published posthumously.

  • 2. A book of true crime.

  • 7. A western.

  • 12. A celebrity memoir.

  • 13. An Oprah Book Club selection.

  • 14. A book of social science.

  • 22. An essay anthology.

  • 23. A book with a female protagonist over the age of 60.

  • 24. An assigned book you hated (or never finished)

PopSugar Reading Challenge

Completed Tasks

  • 1. A book made into a movie you've already seen

    • The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Richard Howard (Translator)

  • 3. The next book in a series you started

    • White Knight by Jim Butcher

  • 7. A book set in a country that fascinates you

    • The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

  • 8. A book with a time of day in the title

    • Nighttime in Caeli-Amur by Rjurik Davidson

  • 9. A book about a villain or antihero

    • Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

  • 10. A book about death or grief

    • Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher

  • 12. A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist

    • The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso

  • 14. A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you

    • The Duchess War by Courtney Milan

  • 15. A book about feminism

    • Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

  • 16. A book about mental health

    • Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher

  • 17. A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift

    • Sunshine by Robin McKinley

  • 19. A book about or involving a sport

    • The House That George Guilty by Harry Turtledove

    • The Star and the Rockets by Harry Turtledove

  • 23. A book about time travel

    • The Girl Who Stepped Into the Past by Sophie Barnes

  • 24. A book with a weather element in the title

    • Sunshine by Robin McKinley

  • 25. A book set at sea

    • Titanic 1912: The original news reporting of the sinking of the Titanic by Ken Rossignol

  • 26. A book with an animal in the title

    • The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

  • 28. A book with song lyrics in the title

    • The Walking Dead Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore (Illustrator)

  • 31. A book mentioned in another book

    • The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Richard Howard (Translator)

  • 32. A book from a celebrity book club

    • The Duchess War by Courtney Milan

  • 33. A childhood classic you've never read

    • The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Richard Howard (Translator)

  • 34. A book that's published in 2018

    • The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark

  • 35. A past Goodreads Choice Awards winner

    • The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur

  • 37. A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to

    • The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

  • 38. A book with an ugly cover

    • A Springtide Meeting by Emily Murdoch

  • 39. A book that involves a bookstore or library

    • The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso

  • 40. Your favorite prompt from the 2015, 2016, or 2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenges - 2016: A Book Under 150 pages.

    • The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark

  • 1Adv. A bestseller from the year you graduated high school

    • The Walking Dead Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman,  Tony Moore (Illustrator)

  • 2Adv. A cyberpunk book

    • Party Discipline by Cory Doctorow

  • 3Adv. A book that was being read by a stranger in a public place

    • Sunshine by Robin McKinley

  • 5Adv. A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title

    • Variations on an Apple by Yoon Ha Lee

    • The Golden Apple of Shangri-La by David Barnett

  • 6Adv. An allegory

    • The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Richard Howard (Translator)

  • 9Adv. A book about a problem facing society today

    • Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

  • 10Adv. A book recommended by someone else taking the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

    • Lumberjanes Vol. 1 by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis

 

Incomplete Tasks

  • 2. True Crime

  • 4. A book involving a heist

  • 5. Nordic noir

  • 6. A novel based on a real person

  • 11. A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym

  • 13. A book that is also a stage play or musical

  • 18. A book by two authors

  • 20. A book by a local author

  • 21. A book with your favorite color in the title

  • 22. A book with alliteration in the title

  • 27. A book set on a different planet

  • 29. A book about or set on Halloween

  • 30. A book with characters who are twins

  • 36. A book set in the decade you were born

  • 4Adv. A book tied to your ancestry

  • 7Adv. A book by an author with the same first or last name as you

  • 8Adv. A microhistory

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I also usually set myself a goal with Goodreads (it's 35 this year!), but I have done the Popsugar challenge before, so I decided to see how many I had accidentally completed for 2018's and I didn't actually do too badly!

 

2. True Crime: Zodiac by Robert Graysmith

3. The next book in a series you started: Shriek: An Afterword by Jeff VanderMeer

4. A book involving a heist: The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett

6. A novel based on a real person: The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge

7. A book set in a country that fascinates you: The White Castle by Orhan Pamuk

8. A book with a time of day in the title: Night Watch by Terry Pratchett

9. A book about a villain or antihero: The Steel Remains by Richark K. Morgan

22. A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist: Under the Poppy by Kathe Koja

24. A book by an author of a different ethnicity to you: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

25. A book about feminism: The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood

35. A past Goodreads Choice Awards Winner: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

36. A book set in the decade you were born: It by Stephen King

37. A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn’t get to: Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb

38. A book with an ugly cover: Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin

39. A book that involves a bookstore or library: The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

40. (favourite prompt from past Popsugar challenges) A book by a favourite author that you haven’t read before: Borne by Jeff VanderMeer

 

Advanced:

 

9. A book about a problem facing society today This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein

 

Other books I read that didn’t fit into the categories:

 

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

The Voyeur by Alain Robbe-Grillet

The Royal Succession by Maurice Druon

The Poisoned Crown by Maurice Druon

On the Beach by Nevil Shute

The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton

The Butcher of Anderson Station by James S.A. Corey

Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey

The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin

The Honourable Schoolboy by John le Carré

The Great Warming: Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations by Brian Fagan

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China by Jung Chang

Desperation by Stephen King

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss

Zone One by Colson Whitehead

Fool’s Quest by Robin Hobb

 

 

 

Edited by Mord Proxy
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  • 3 weeks later...
Guest LOVE ME AND DESPAIR

And though I completed neither challenge for 2018, I'm satisfied with my results(updated in prior post) since I started them both late. Plus I did read more this year than the previous one which is a positive. My Goodreads challenge was 30 but I read 32/30 so that's nice, and I've already chosen books for the 2019 challenges I'll be doing: PopSugar, Book Riot, Reading Women, Jane Austen(w/ a personal twist to make it more a challenge than just read x books by Austen so I've added a retellings & classics goal), and Read It Again, Sam(only doing since some of the PopSugar challenges for 2019 involve re-reads. I'm also aiming to see how many series I can knock off my list. 😃

 

Anyways, see ya'll in 2019 and good luck with your challenges if you choose to do them.

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