Book Riot's 2017 Read Harder Challenge

via GIPHY
I'm late to the party on this one, since the Read Harder Challenge started in January, but I'm going for it anyway. Because why the hell not? Who couldn't benefit from a little stretch?

Looking through the list of reading prompts, I have 18 covered already with what I've read so far this year. However, finishing the few that are left seems a bit too easy, so I'll be starting fresh and attempting to complete all 24 reading prompts between now and the end of the year.

Woo hoo! Here we go!

1. Read a book about sports. Beartown by Fredrik Backman ☆☆☆☆⭒ (A dying town that has pinned all its hopes for the future on the junior hockey team grapples with issues of loyalty after its star player rapes a classmate.)
2. Read a debut novel. Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill ☆☆⭒ (Decent writing, but not my cup of tea.)
3. Read a book about books. Touch Magic: Fantasy, Faerie & Folklore in the Literature of Childhood by Jane Yolen ☆☆☆☆☆ (Loved this collection of essays. Yolen lays out the many ways that fantasy literature is developmentally crucial to children, our sense of history, and society as a whole.)
4. Read a book set in Central or South America, written by a Central or South American author. In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez ☆☆☆☆ (Compelling historical fiction about the Mirabal sisters, Las Mariposas, and their fight for freedom during the reign of Trujillo in the Dominican Republic.)
5. Read a book by an immigrant or with a central immigration narrative. The Far Away Brothers by Lauren Markham ☆☆☆☆ (Combines the personal story of a family's struggle for survival and the larger political and economic factors that drive illegal immigration.)
6. Read an all-ages comic. Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur Vol. 1: BFF by Amy Reeder ☆☆ (I enjoyed the artwork, but there was too little story in the first volume.)
7. Read a book published between 1900 and 1950. Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey  ☆☆☆☆☆ (A childhood favorite! Simple, repetitive story and lovely black and white drawings.)
8. Read a travel memoir. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed ☆☆☆☆ (A woman, alone and ill-prepared, hikes a portion of the PCT to prove  she can. Raw and honest.)
9. Read a book you’ve read before. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson ☆☆☆☆ (Creepy classic ghost story/psychological thriller.)
10. Read a book that is set within 100 miles of your location. The Legend of Indian Mary and Umpqua Joe by Percy T. Booth ☆☆⭒ (Interesting local history of Southern OR with a dash of racism.)
11. Read a book that is set more than 5000 miles from your location. Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho ☆☆☆ (A young Slovenian woman decides to commit suicide because her life is boring and wakes up in a mental hospital.)
12. Read a fantasy novel. The Robe of Skulls by Vivian French ☆☆☆ (Cute fantasy-adventure for upper elementary readers.)
13. Read a nonfiction book about technology.
14. Read a book about war. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline ☆☆☆☆⭒ (I may be pushing this category a bit. The war in the story is not between nations, but instead between everyday people and an evil corporation attempting to seize control of the Oasis, an online virtual reality. Super fun 80s nostalgia and nonstop action.)     
15. Read a YA or middle grade novel by an author who identifies as LGBTQ+. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour ☆☆☆☆ (Evocative writing about grief, loneliness, and family.)
16. Read a book that has been banned or frequently challenged in your country. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn CURRENTLY READING
17. Read a classic by an author of color. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston CURRENTLY READING
18. Read a superhero comic with a female lead. The Adventures of Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks ☆☆☆☆☆ (Utterly charming artwork and story featuring an angsty, 20-something superhero struggling to save the world and still pay the rent.)
19. Read a book in which a character of color goes on a spiritual journey (From Daniel José Older, author of Salsa Nocturna, the Bone Street Rumba urban fantasy series, and YA novel Shadowshaper)
20. Read an LGBTQ+ romance novel (From Sarah MacLean, author of ten bestselling historical romance novels) Month of Sundays by Yolanda Wallace ☆☆☆ (Light and breezy contemporary romance.)
21. Read a book published by a micropress. (From Roxane Gay, bestselling author of Ayiti, An Untamed State, Bad Feminist, Marvel’s World of Wakanda, and the forthcoming Hunger and Difficult Women) The Legend of Indian Mary and Umpqua Joe by Percy T. Booth (B&B Publishing, Coos Bay, OR) ☆☆⭒ (Interesting local history of Southern OR with a dash of racism.)
22. Read a collection of stories by a woman. (From Celeste Ng, author Everything I Never Told You and the forthcoming Little Fires Everywhere) Dancing Girls and Other Stories by Margaret Atwood ☆☆☆☆ (Several stellar stories about relationships and how we wreck them.)
23. Read a collection of poetry in translation on a theme other than love. (From Ausma Zehanat Khan, author of the Esa Khattak/Rachel Getty mystery series, including The Unquiet Dead, The Language of Secrets, and the forthcoming Among the Ruins)
24. Read a book wherein all point-of-view characters are people of color. (From Jacqueline Koyanagi, author of sci-fi novel Ascension Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward ☆☆☆☆☆ (Beautiful writing and a haunting story; a perfect example of why I'm reading more books by women and POC this year; highly recommend.)

I loved this challenge because it lead me to stretch out of my comfort zone. Though I bought some new books in order to cover every category, I ran out of time to read them all this year. I'm currently in the middle of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, reading slowly and savoring the gorgeous writing. Looking forward to a productive and informative reading year in 2018.