Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion

Use this space to discuss books you're reading or that might fit the 2nd Read Harder task.

Hi everyone! Our rec post for this task is now live. https://bookriot.com/2019/12/05/fairy...

I'm going with Scavenge The Stars by Tara Sim, a lesbian sci fi retelling of The Count Of Monte Cristo, and it fits the bonus challenge as she's bi

Margaret wrote: "Is Pride and Prejudice a "classic of the canon"? I've been wanting to read Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin."

Pride and Prejudice is definitely a classic of the canon - so I think this fits.

I was hoping The Deep by Rivers Solomon would work as a take on mermaid myths in general -- but I see it is based upon a song.

The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston is my second idea.

The task link from BR says Beloved so I'm going with that - it's been on my shelf foreverrrr.

Margaret wrote: "Is Pride and Prejudice a "classic of the canon"? I've been wanting to read Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin.

(eta: Thanks, Karen!)"

I am also considering Ayesha at Last, and also Gods of Jade and Shadow

Ash by Malinda Lo works for this, as she is of Chinese heritage.

I am going for Oreo by Fran Ross

I'm going with Boy, Snow, Bird. I've been wanting to read some of Helen Oyeyemi's work for awhile.

What is Not Yours is Not YoursI'm having trouble deciding what to read for this prompt. There are just so many good options and this is a genre I love. So I'm considering several books. Many novels by Helen Oyeyemi (not an author I read before but I came across her work when planning for another challenge) would probably work.

The Icarus Girl
Mr. Fox
Boy, Snow, Bird
What is Not Yours is Not Yours
The Girl from the Well
Ash
A Blade So Black

But I'm also looking forward to seeing what other people might read and if anyone knows of a good Jane Austen (retelling besides Pride) that would fit the prompt.

Margaret wrote: "Is Pride and Prejudice a "classic of the canon"? I've been wanting to read Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin.

(eta: Thanks, Karen!)"

Awesome, I'll have to check that book out

I didn't get A Blade So Black read this year, so I am glad it fits for the 2020 challenge.

I have several Austen retellings on my list. I haven't read them yet, so I don't know about the quality:
Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors
Unmarriageable
Ayesha at Last
Polite Society
Just looking up these titles makes me want to rewatch Bride & Prejudice!

Eujean2 wrote: "I didn't get A Blade So Black read this year, so I am glad it fits for the 2020 challenge.

I have several Austen retellings on my list. I haven't read them yet, so I don't know ab..."

Thanks those all look great1

by Helen Oyeyemi

I own Pride, but I reeaaallly want to read Frankenstein in Baghdad, so I think that's what I'm going to go for. Pride will just have to continue waiting.

I'm going to read one of the following:


A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Rosencratz and Gildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard
Circe by Madeline Miller

I don't think Tom Stoppard or Madeleine Miller are people of color. Not sure about the other mentioned writer

I’ve had Ash by Malinda Lo on my TBR list for a while, so I’m going to use that for this task. It also works for task #11, debut novel by a queer author, for any double dippers out there.

Veronica wrote: "I own Pride, but I reeaaallly want to read Frankenstein in Baghdad, so I think that's what I'm going to go for. Pride will just have to continue waiting."
Oh! I was going to read Frankenstein in Baghdad last year, I might change my mind and read it for this challenge.

ProfBen10 wrote: "I'm going to read one of the following:


A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Rosencratz and Gildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard
Circe by..."

All three authors are not POC., so the books don't fit the task, sadly.

Dark and Deepest Red is going to be released in Jan 2020 and it is a retelling of The Red Shoes.

em wrote: "Dark and Deepest Red is going to be released in Jan 2020 and it is a retelling of The Red Shoes."

That sounds amazing

I think I'm going to read Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie, which is a contemporary retelling of Antigone about a British Pakistani family.

I've got The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan in my TBR pile for this. Thomas is Chinese-American.

I think I'll read . Would this one count?

Veronica wrote: "I own Pride, but I reeaaallly want to read Frankenstein in Baghdad, so I think that's what I'm going to go for. Pride will just have to continue waiting."
I read Frankenstein in Baghdad for the 2018 challenge. I thought it was fabulous. It really made me think differently about war, and about the classic Frankenstein.

I've spent hours looking for books that fit this, and are also adult not YA and have a thread of romance in them. No utterly no avail. I found 2 maybe 3, but I can't get them anywhere!

I'm going to read the 2nd in the series of The Star-Touched Queen with features a lot of Hindu myths.

Rodrigo wrote: "I think I'll read . Would this one count?"

I don’t think she is an author of color

Helen Oyeyemi writes predominately in this vein, as a few have mentioned above. There's been a spate of Pride & Prejudice retellings by authors from diverse backgrounds, including several by authors of color, like Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, and Ayesha at Last. Sonali Dev (the author of Other Flavors) has a Persuasion retelling, too, which comes out in May 2020.

Personally, I plan to read Melissa Bashardoust's Girl, Serpent, Thorn, which also comes out in May, and which is inspired by a story from the Shahnameh - a bit rarer in the anglophone canon than Snow White and Jane Austen retellings, unfortunately!

Cassidy wrote: "I've spent hours looking for books that fit this, and are also adult not YA and have a thread of romance in them. No utterly no avail. I found 2 maybe 3, but I can't get them anywhere!

I'm going ..."

Maybe Pride or Ayesha at Last or Unmarriageable?

I'm going to stretch this one hard and read Spin the Dawn, which is described as Mulan crossed with Project Runway.

No one said we can't stretch the point

〰️Beth〰️ wrote: "Rodrigo wrote: "I think I'll read . Would this one count?"

I don’t think she is an author of color"

Looking at her author's picture, I wouldn't be sure about that.

Especially the picture here

I recommend The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. It is a retelling of the Mahabharat, and it is told from the viewpoint of a woman, Panchaali. I read it earlier this year and loved it!

Roxana wrote: "Helen Oyeyemi writes predominately in this vein, as a few have mentioned above. There's been a spate of Pride & Prejudice retellings by authors from diverse backgrounds, including several by author..."

Oh... I might wait and read the Persuasion retelling and it'll work for a prompt in my popsugar challenge that I left open "a book published in 2020."

I'm thinking about doing The Mythic Dream for this one. It's a collection of short stories that are mythological retellings including many by authors of color.

Lianne wrote: "〰️Beth〰️ wrote: "Rodrigo wrote: "I think I'll read . Would this one count?"

I don’t think she is an author of color"

Looking at her author's picture, I wouldn..."

Thank you Lianne for not only identifying her as an aoc but for that link of books she guest edited.

Cassidy wrote: "I've spent hours looking for books that fit this, and are also adult not YA and have a thread of romance in them. No utterly no avail. I found 2 maybe 3, but I can't get them anywhere! ..."

If you are ruling out YA because you think it will be simple or otherwise unsatisfying, there’s lots out there that is well-written & complex, some of it pleasingly dark and twisty. If you are ruling it out for some other reason, that’s fine, but it’s where a lot of retellings are happening.

For books without the YA label, what about For Her Dark Skin, by Percival Everett? It’s the story of Jason and Medea. I don’t know if it’s widely available, but my library can get a copy through an inter-library loan. More readily available is Kamila Shamsie’s retelling of Antigone. It’s titled Home Fire. (Shamsie is British Pakistani.)

Does the Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald qualify as a classic of a canon? If yes... I wanted to read No one is coming to save us by Stephanie Powell Watts which is a retelling of the classic.

Does the Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald qualify as a classic of a canon? If yes... I wanted to read No one is coming to save us by Stephanie Powell Watts which is a retelling of the classic.

i would say Gatsby qualifies.

I'm thinking it's going to be Beloved for me, which also fits one of the Reading Women bonus tasks (a book by Toni Morrison).

Thank you Bonnie.

Amy J. wrote: "ProfBen10 wrote: "I'm going to read one of the following:


A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Rosencratz and Gildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard
[book:..."

I'm such a moron! Didn't see the second part of the task.

Good thing I had friends to point me in the right direction. Lol.

Lianne wrote: "I'm going to stretch this one hard and read Spin the Dawn, which is described as Mulan crossed with Project Runway.

No one said we can't stretch the point"

My book club is reading this in January! Thank you for the suggestion!

ProfBen10 wrote: "Amy J. wrote: "ProfBen10 wrote: "I'm going to read one of the following:


A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Rosencratz and Gildenstern are Dead by Tom ..."

Luckily there are lots of other great options!

Karen wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Is Pride and Prejudice a "classic of the canon"? I've been wanting to read Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin."

Pride and Prejudice is..."

I agree - and Pride by Ibi Zoboi
is another excellent retelling

Mya wrote: "Cassidy wrote: "I've spent hours looking for books that fit this, and are also adult not YA and have a thread of romance in them. No utterly no avail. I found 2 maybe 3, but I can't get them anywhe..."

I'm avoiding YA because every time i read them, i usually have to force myself to finish them and just generally don't like them. I find I don't connect to teenagers anymore. Their decisions and problems make me want to throw my book across the room because of their teenagerness.

Thorn by Intisar Khanani would work for this, I think - it's a retelling of "The Goose Girl."

There's also Dragon Sword and Wind Child by Noriko Ogiwara, based on Japanese myth - I've read this one before and really enjoyed it.

Beth wrote: "I'm thinking it's going to be Beloved for me, which also fits one of the Reading Women bonus tasks (a book by Toni Morrison)."

What is that a retelling of?

Book Riot is saying Beloved is a retelling of Medea -- I would not have made that leap, but it has been a long time since I read either.