The Read Harder Challenge Made Me Do It: 2022 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge Wrap-up

This year, I Decided I Need a Challenge and took on the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge. The challenge consisted of 24 categories of books with the goal of reading outside of your comfort zone. I read 14 books out of 24 for the challenge and, honestly, I feel like that’s pretty good.

Most importantly, I stepped outside of my usual reading habits and ended up reading books, like an anthology of essays, that I wouldn’t normally read.

Because I love researching and reading about books, I also had a lot of fun looking up books and figuring out which to read for each category.

Below is a synopsis of what I read and what I didn’t.

p.s. Please forgive any typos. This is a long post and I’m being a lazy editor. 🙂

Categories I Read

Read a biography of an author you admire—Harriet Jacobs: A Life by Jean Fagan Yellin

I adored Harriet Jacobs: A Life. What a difficult story to read. I’m glad I know more about her. Did you know she was hidden in a space where she couldn’t stand up for 7 years? I’d forgotten that from reading Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl in college. Just, wow.

Read a book set in a bookstore—The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan

I do not care that this book can be described as “cute.” I loved it. It’s the story of an English woman who gets downsized from her library job and, despite being fairly square and timid to boot, she moves to Scotland, buys an old van, fixes it up as a traveling bookshop, and becomes the local book dealer.

There are some love interests. It reads like a Hallmark movie—if Hallmark movies were actually good. I enjoyed it thoroughly. There’s also a charming intro. by Colgan about the best places to read a book. I love her even more as an author after reading that.

Read any book from the Women’s Prize shortlist/longlist/winner list.—Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

This contemporary novel is part love story (or marriage story, more like), part introspection on the part of the protagonist Martha, and part family drama.

If someone had described the novel in that way to me, I’d probably have passed. But I came to it with no expectations, not really knowing what the book was about, and was immediately sucked in by Mason’s incredible writing. Here’s the Goodreads link if you need a better description than mine!

Read a book in any genre by a POC that’s about joy and not trauma—The Sisters are Alright: Changing the Broken Narrative of Black Women in America

What a wonderful category. It led me to The Sisters are Alright: Changing the Broken Narrative of Black Women in America by Tamara Winfrey Harris. Winfrey Harris explains the origins of stereotypes assigned to Black women and then takes them on, discussing the ways in which they hurt Black women and degrade their place in society.

From the “angry Black woman” stereotype to the “Mammy” stereotype, Winfrey Harris takes us on a journey of understanding. I finished this book a renewed sense of the unfairness and struggle placed on the shoulders of Black women.

The “joy” (per the prompt for this selection) is woven throughout, however. In interviews with Black women and experts who understand the issues, hope abounds. There’s also a section at the end of each chapter titled “Moments in Alright,” which presents examples of women, along with statistics, that defy the stereotypes society has put on Black women.

Read an anthology featuring diverse voices.—The Lonely Stories, Edited by Natalie Eve Garrett

In August, I read The Lonely Stories, a book of essays on the topic of loneliness. I found so many of these moving. The topics range from chronic illness to moving to a new country to taking care of an aging parent. I don’t normally like anthologies and I never seek them out, but I highly recommend this one.

Read a nonfiction YA comic—The Fire Never Goes Out by Noelle Stevenson

This is a lovely memoir by a well-known artist who got her start in web comics. Sprinkled throughout the drawings are actual photos from Stevenson’s life, plus some solid writing. It’s a quick but touching work. Do recommend.

Read a romance where at least one of the protagonists is over 40.—Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

This is the charming story of retired Major Pettigrew (68), who falls in love with the Pakistani woman who runs one of the local shops in his English village. Romance and foibles ensue. There is also a story line about his son with whom the Major has a rocky relationship, which I found interesting. The characters, story, and tone come across with depth and wryness—a tough combo that author Helen Simonson masters. Would recommend.

Read a classic written by a POC.—Quicksand by Nella Larsen

I fell in love with Nella Larsen last year after reading her perhaps more well-known classic Passing. There’s now a 2021 movie adaptation, which I have yet to watch. Need to get on that.

In the meantime, I enjoyed reading Quicksand in April 2022. The story centers on Helga Crane, a woman who quits her comfortable teaching job despite the security it offers and goes from situation to situation, moving to Harlem, Denmark, and eventually to Alabama for various reasons. Race is a major theme as Crane has her own thoughts about how her race (she is half Black, half white) has affected her life and situation.

This is a story about a woman trying to find herself and the various geographical locations she finds herself in each teach her something about who she is and what she wants. The ending leaves Helga’s own ending to the imagination, which is both frustrating and a perfect ending in different ways.

Read a political thriller by a marginalized author (BIPOC, or LGBTQIA+).–Forbidden City by Vanessa Hua

This is a bit of a cheat. It’s not a thriller exactly, but it is political, and because I generally hate the political thriller genre, this is as good as we’re gonna’ get. I’m still counting it.

Anyway, what a great concept for a story. Apparently, Chairman Mao loved ballroom dancing and while he was in power, his underlings organized dances for him and his comrades featuring the company of beautiful teenage girls plucked from all over China for his entertainment (and bedding). This story features the rise and fall of one of these young women.

Read an entire poetry collection.—The Wild Iris by Louise Gluck

I said I would read this one and I did. It’s WONDERFUL. I began reading it in February and finished it in August, which is kind of perfect because the book takes you through the seasons from the perspectives of the plants that grow throughout each.

This may be my new favorite book of poetry. The imagery and perspective are so unique, with the content being both playful and profound at turns. If you like poetry, and especially if you are obsessed with plants like me, this is a great volume for you.

Read an adventure story by a BIPOC author.—Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

I LOVED Washington Black by Esi Edugyan. This is a heart-rending story of slavery and a young Black boy’s coming of age. The adventure comes in when Washington Black, an 11-year-old enslaved boy who lives on his master’s sugar plantation in Barbados, is selected by the master’s brother to assist him as he builds a “cloud-cutter,” a giant gas-powered balloon-like flying machine. Wash’s story is woven with heartbreak, adventure, love, and joy, and I lived it right along with him.

Read a book whose movie or TV adaptation you’ve seen (but haven’t read the book).—The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

Did you know this book was the second in a series? I had no idea. There are more Hannibal Lecter books, apparently. News to me.

If you’ve seen the movie, you know the story. The book was just as gritty as the movie, but I found it slightly less dramatic because it’s definitely a police procedural. Not my usual brand, but I still enjoyed reading the book, then watching the movie again for comparison.

Read a horror novel by a BIPOC author.—Mirror Girls by Kelly McWilliams

On the recommendation of an old friend who commented on a Facebook post asking for suggestions, this was my selection. Mirror Girls is a gothic-y YA novel set in the South at the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. It centers on two sisters, one Black and one passing for white, who have just found out that they are sisters. Drama ensues. It’s good, but I don’t know that I was in the mood for the breeziness of a typical YA novel. It wasn’t too scary and it didn’t delve deeply enough emotionally for my tastes.

Read a queer retelling of a classic of the canon, fairytale, folklore, or myth.—Beast by Brie Spangler

Of course the Read Harder Challenge would have me read a retelling. I do not like retellings. I was becoming disheartened in my search for a good one back in March, finding all the books a bit plodding, and with my inability to suspend disbelief, it wasn’t going well. But I happily stumbled on Beast by Brie Spangler and it was great.

First, I couldn’t resist that pretty cover art. Second, I didn’t find it plodding. Third, the “retelling” part of the retelling was more of a theme than this overriding airy-fairiness that I usually can’t abide in retellings.

It’s about an exceptionally large and hairy teenager named Dylan. In the first scene he falls or jumps off of a roof–we don’t know whether he’s fallen or jumped, but readers will have their suspicions. After doctors treat his broken leg, Dylan’s mom sends him to group therapy because she has her own suspicions.

This is where he meets Jamie, a trans girl with issues of her own. The thing is, when they first meet, Dylan doesn’t hear Jamie say that she’s trans. Dylan falls in love and complications ensue. There’s a lot about identity in this one (and not just gender identity) so if you like books with that as a central theme, I recommend this one.

Categories I Didn’t Read

Read the book that’s been on your TBR the longest.

Read a new-to-you literary magazine (print or digital).

Read a book recommended by a friend with different reading tastes.

Read a memoir written by someone who is trans or nonbinary.

Read a “Best _ Writing of the year” book for a topic and year of your choice.

Read an award-winning book from the year you were born.

Read a book with an asexual and/or aromantic main character.

Read a history about a period you know little about.

Read a book by a disabled author.

Pick a challenge from any of the previous years’ challenges to repeat!

Can you tell I ran out of steam after awhile? It would’ve been so easy to pick a category to repeat from a previous year or to read about a historical period I knew little about. And Ben recommended at least 10 ideas for the “read a book recommended by a friend with different reading tastes” category.

But after awhile, I couldn’t be bothered. I just wanted to read what I wanted to read.

So here we are at the end of the challenge year. All in all, not too shabby.

Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays, friends!

2022 Read Harder Challenge, What Shannon Read

What Shannon Read: February 2022

Wow, February walluped me with the terrible weather and corresponding winter blues. I’m not sad to see it in the rearview mirror. March is being kind to us so far, but I know what’s coming–at least one random snow storm and a damp cold that chills to the bone. And that’s the official weather report.

Two super fun events saved February from being a total loss. One, at the very end, we went to Vegas and saw a Metallica concert, among other delights.

Here we are outside the venue, ready to rock.

The weekend prior to that was the grandbaby’s baby shower and it was a hit!

We and the parents-to-be are all so grateful to our family and friends who came out to celebrate and shower them with gifts.

That’s the life update. Now, how about those books?

What Shannon Read in February

I read 8 books in February, including some repeats.

Some notes:

Less than Angels

I continue to work my way through Barbara Pym’s catalog. This was good, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as Quartet in Autumn or Excellent Women. I believe this is exactly what I said last month about Jane and Prudence. Ah, well. Something keeps me coming back to Pym anyway, it seems.

Bookseller books

I re-read these in January….and then again in February—an unheard of turnaround for me as far as re-reads go. It seems I can’t get enough of Wigtown and Bythell’s snark.

Harriet Jacobs: A Life

This was fantastic. I read Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl in college and it was one of my favorite required reads. It helped me to really feel the evils of slavery better (as a middle-class, suburban white girl), which I’m sure was the professor’s intent for us, a class of similar women.

At any rate, it affected me greatly, so I was excited to read this biography of Harriet Jacobs. It’s also my book for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge category “book about an author you admire.”

It was fantastic. As with all good biographies, it gave excellent cultural background for the events that took place in Jacobs’ life. Also, I was reminded that she spent 7 years—7 years!!!—hiding in a tiny attic space where she couldn’t stand up. Jesus. This country.

A Sand County Almanac

This is a classic of nature writing and I was glad to see it listed on Audible. I enjoyed it so very much. If you enjoy nature writing, I highly recommend it. I was floored by the essay “Good Oak,” through which Leopold tells the history of Wisconsin’s land and people. Here it is if you’re interested.

Educated

I tried to read this book when it came out and couldn’t get into it. And I’m not sure why because this time, I read it in a day. A memoir about growing up in a Christian fundie family with a mentally ill and volatile father, this book was what the critics call “gripping.”

Also, why are all fundie fathers mentally ill? Every time I read a book by the children of these uber-Christians, the father, set up to be the “head” of the family, has lost his shit in one way or another—mostly via untreated mental illness. And, cut off from society at-large, the father gets no treatment and conducts a reign of terror over his family. Mental illnes + fundamentalist Christianity—conincidence? I think not.

Ghost Girl

This was a hard-to-stomach re-read. At one point in my life as a younger mother, I was contemplating taking in foster children, along with a career in social work with a focus on “troubled” kids. I gobbled up books about professionals working with children in need of some kind of services. Hayden’s books were among them. I wanted to re-read this to see what I thought of it as an older adult. I see now that the writing is sensational, but I found the story to be just as engrossing, though, I imagine, mostly for its shock value. Remember the book A Child Called It? This is similar, except that it’s written from the perspective of of a professional who helps a terribly abused child. As I said, hard to stomach.

I’m a Wild Seed

I was browsing graphic novels for the Read Harder Challenge and just happened upon this one. The art is wonderful and the story is touching and affirming. This is a memoir about identity in which Sharon Lee De La Cruz illustrates the challenges of coming of age as a queer, minority woman.

Possibly a bit of a boring recap here, sorry. I’ve got a more interesting mix planned for February. I leave you with my new favorite reading meme:

2022 Read Harder Challenge, That Reading Life

I decided I need a challenge…

…and the 2022 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge seems to fit the bill.

I debated about doing the Classics Challenge and the When Are You Reading Challenge, but neither suited my mood this year.

With classics, I’d rather just see where my natural impulses take me. (So far, they’ve taken me to The Women of Brewster Place, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Barbara Pym.)

And, with historical fiction, well, I read a lot of it last year and I’ll probably continue reading it this year, with no prompts needed. It is one of my favorite genres after all.

I decided I wanted to break out of my usual genres/themes and also learn a little more about contemporary fiction.

The Read Harder Challenges seems to offer some new-to-me types of categories and I will definitely enjoy looking for books to fit them.

All that said, here’s the list for the Read Harder Challenge and my best laid plans. We all know what happens to those. 😉

Read a biography of an author you admire.

Read a book set in a bookstore.

Read any book from the Women’s Prize shortlist/longlist/winner list.

Read a book in any genre by a POC that’s about joy and not trauma.

Read an anthology featuring diverse voices.

Read a nonfiction YA comic.

Read a romance where at least one of the protagonists is over 40.

Read a classic written by a POC.

Read the book that’s been on your TBR the longest.

Read a political thriller by a marginalized author (BIPOC, or LGBTQIA+).
I hate political thrillers, but I’m trying to keep an open mind.

Read a book with an asexual and/or aromantic main character.

Read an entire poetry collection.
I’m already rolling on this one because I received this for my bday last year. It’s becoming one of my favorite books of all time. I have to read it slowly because every poem kills me. Right in the feels.

Read an adventure story by a BIPOC author.
Cool, I was planning to read this anyway.

Read a book whose movie or TV adaptation you’ve seen (but haven’t read the book).
This is a tough one for me because I usually read a book then look for and watch the adaptation. Just me? Welp, maybe this is the year I finally read the books made into Merchant Ivory films. Howard’s End perhaps? A Room with a View? Maybe…

Read a new-to-you literary magazine (print or digital).
After I stopped submitting my poetry to them (with middling success), literary mags pretty much fell off the map for me. This looks like a good list though.

Read a book recommended by a friend with different reading tastes.
That’ll be easy. I don’t know anyone who has the same taste as me. I’ll ask Ben and see what he picks for me.

Read a memoir written by someone who is trans or nonbinary.
I just like the cover.

Read a “Best _ Writing of the year” book for a topic and year of your choice.
I’m not looking forward to this. I can’t seem to get through these contemporary anthologies.

Read a horror novel by a BIPOC author.
Can’t resist a creepy/haunted house story.

Read an award-winning book from the year you were born.
1980, here we come?
Actually, this is post-WWII literature. But it won the National Book Award in 1980.

Read a queer retelling of a classic of the canon, fairytale, folklore, or myth.
Definitely don’t like retellings. But, sigh, we’ll giver her a whirl.

Read a history about a period you know little about.
I rarely read histories focused on time periods. Rather, I read histories of specific people. It’s hard for me to look at a straight history book and be like, yes, that’s the one for me. I’ll give this one a whirl.

Read a book by a disabled author.
Torn between this and Hellen Keller’s autobiography.