ReadHarder Challange 2018 – The Plan!

ReadHarder challenge is created every year by BookRiot to widen our minds and ensnare our senses 😉

This year it contains 24 tasks where one book can cover one or more tasks. I will strive to have only one book per task, but we’ll see.

Below is a summary of the task and my planned reading and options for the tasks.

Enjoy!

ReadHarder 2018

1. A book published posthumously

Northanger Abby by Jane Austen

2. A book of true crime

Currently deciding between In Cold Blood by Truman Capote or If I Did It: Confessions of a Killer by O J Simpson

It seems In Cold Blood is regarded as the first ever true crime book so I should read it, but O J Simpson’s book is also very tempting. does anyone have any advice on this, please?

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

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

4. A comic written and illustrated by the same person

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

This is an own-voice comic about growing up in Iran during the 70’s and the revolution. Its written and drawn by the author. It quite excited about this selection and can’t wait to pick it up 😁

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

Archangel by Robert Harris

6. A book about nature

Beastly Brain by Nancy F Castaldo or Into the Wild by Jack Krakauer.

7. A western

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

8. A comic written or illustrated by a person of colour

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Same as task 4.

I do kinda want to read Monsteress by Marjorie Liu. But not entirely sure if it qualifies for this task (I feel a little bit judgemental writing that…)

9. A book of colonial or postcolonial literature

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

10. A romance novel by or about a person of colour

When Dimple Meet Raish by Sandhya Menon

11. A children’s classic published before 1980

Got a few options for this one. I could read Heidi by Johanna Spyri, or Dr Doolittle by Hugh Lofting.

12. A celebrity memoir

A choice between An Autobiography of Gucci Mane by Gucci Mane, Agatha Christie’s Autobiography, and Johnny Cash’ Autobiography.

13. An Oprah Book Club selection

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

14. A book of social science

Empires of the World: A Language History of the World by Nicholas Ostler

This books basically explains why we talk the way we do and how history has affected our languages. Its a brick of a book, but it’s a subject is quite enjoy 😊

15. A one-sitting book

Got several options but will wait and see which ones I actually end up reading in one sitting.

16. First book in a new-to-you YA or middle-grade series

Too many options! I’ll end up having several on this one as I’m constantly starting new series.

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

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

In a futuristic world where love is viewed as a sickness, the main character can wait for her vaccinations. She’s seen how love destroyed her sister/aunt and doesn’t want to go through it, like ever. The only problem is she can’t get her vaccinations before her 18th birthday, and that’s a few months away.

Based on that synopsis, I’m guessing she falls in love and tries to find out why the government doesn’t want love in society. But that’s a guess only 😊

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

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Same as task 8 and task 4.

19. A book of genre fiction in translation

The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho

I don’t know too. much about it apart from the fact that everyone seems to praise it highly. It is also short 🙂

20. A book with a cover you hate

This is such a tricky one. Why? I don’t want to read a book with an ugly cover, it doesn’t look interesting. But I’ve selected Lisey’s Story by Stephen King as it’s been on my shelf for years and it’s not a pretty cover.

Yes I judge books by their cover…

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

Inspector Singh Investigates: A Deadly Cambodian Crime Spree by Shamini Flint.

I’ve never read anything by Shamini Flint, but this book has been on my list since I went to Cambodia last year on holiday.

22. An essay anthology

Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed. 16 writers on their dédisions not to have children. Edited by Meghan Daum.

I had some other options too, but once I found this one it was a no-brainer.

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

Again a bit tricky as a lot of “elderly” protagonist turns out to be in their 50s, which to me is not “elderly”. I already read Elizabeth is Missing last year, but I do have several options including The Lady in the Van, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and any of the Miss Marple books

24. An assigned book you hated or never finished

I went to school in Norway were the assigned reading is either self-selected or extracts. This means I either finished them because I loved them or because they were short. However, after some searching, I found a reading list for the current year which included additional reading options. I’ve selected one of those as I never read it; Hunger by Knut Hamsun.

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That’s my plan for the year. Thoughts?