Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion

I just completed the first book of my 2015 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge: Euphoria by Lily King. Wonderful story and set in an exotic location in the past as well. However it fulfills the task of reading a book by an author of the opposite sex.

I completed #17 Poetry. Forever Fifty and Other Negotiations by Judith Viorst

It was OK but probably not a poet whom I will continue to read.

I completed the task for reading a book written by the opposite sex as well. I read The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman and loved it.

Bea wrote: "I completed #17 Poetry. Forever Fifty and Other Negotiations by Judith Viorst

It was OK but probably not a poet whom I will continue to read."

I am not familiar with that poet. I am thinking about a Robert Frost book for my poetry reading. Currently reading Redeployment by Phil Klay was my award winner. A great group of stories so far

Steve wrote: "Bea wrote: "I completed #17 Poetry. Forever Fifty and Other Negotiations by Judith Viorst

It was OK but probably not a poet whom I will continue to read."

I am not fa..."

I read the Gaiman book last year and loved it as well it was the first Gaiman I had read. Would like to read more and have had American Gods recommended to me by several people

I read my first book for the challenge today. It was Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. I used it for the LGBTQ category (it's also a graphic memoir). Then I completed a second book (spent most of the day reading). It was Homeland and Other Stories which was for the short story collection task.

I interpreted the book published this year challenge as either 2014 or 2015, and read Garth Stein's A Sudden Light. Probably starting the romance category next, deciding between The Rosie Project and The Night Circus.

@Jake: I loved The Night Circus but haven't read The Rosie Project yet. I will be interested in your review of either.

@Kristianne: The Ocean at the End of the Lane was another book I really enjoyed. Neil Gaiman is an author that, so far, has not failed to entertain me with his books. Most recently I read The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes, which would fit in the Graphic Novel task.

@Steve: I think I would have enjoyed a more traditional (classic) poet much better.

@Kelly: Wow! I have always enjoyed the Barbara Kingsolver books I have read, but I had somehow missed the Homeland and Other Stories collection. Just added it to my TBR.

Steve wrote: "Steve wrote: "Bea wrote: "I completed #17 Poetry. Forever Fifty and Other Negotiations by Judith Viorst

It was OK but probably not a poet whom I will continue to read...."

I started American Gods a couple of days ago and like it. The beginning is a bit odd, but things fall into place. This is the second Gaiman I've read and I will probably read more by him, particularly his graphic novels.

I completed the task to read a book by or about someone who identifies as LGBTQ with Le bleu est une couleur chaude(Blue is the Warmest Color) - loved it, what a great start to the year and the challenge!

Just finishedKafka on the Shore - a book set in Asia (Japan). My first Murakami and it won't be my last. Wonderfully written.

Kelly wrote: "I read my first book for the challenge today. It was Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. I used it for the LGBTQ category (it's also a graphic memoir). Then I completed a second book (spent..."

Bea wrote: "@Jake: I loved The Night Circus but haven't read The Rosie Project yet. I will be interested in your review of either.

@Kristianne: The Ocean at the End of the..."</i>

<i>Steve wrote: "Steve wrote: "Bea wrote: "I completed #17 Poetry. [book:Forever Fifty and Other Negotiations by Judith Viorst

It was OK but probably not a poet whom I will continue to read...."

I have also heard good things about the Night Circus

Just finished The End of the Sentence (book published by an indie press). It was okay, I think I was expecting something...more.

Vanessa wrote: "I completed the task to read a book by or about someone who identifies as LGBTQ with Le bleu est une couleur chaude(Blue is the Warmest Color) - loved it, what a great start to the y..."

I was thinking of the newest Colm Toibin as my LBGTQ novel

Anne wrote: "Just finishedKafka on the Shore - a book set in Asia (Japan). My first Murakami and it won't be my last. Wonderfully written."

I have read three Murakami in the last year: Kafka, 1Q84, and Colorless Tsukuru. I have very mixed feelings about his books: I thought Kafka was good but had odd moments that I did not understand; 1Q84 I thought was excellent until book 3 which I thought diminished the whole; and Colorless Tsukuru I thought was outstanding until last 59 pages which I disliked immensely and thought were done to meet a publishing deadline as they seemed hurried and pedestrian to me.

I just read my first book of the challenge - One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, to fulfill the "book originally written in another language" category. I couldn't stop reading it. I just loves the characters, and how they moved in and out of the focus of the story (it spans many generations of the same family). I definitely recommend it!

I finished Task #7 - Book set in Asia. I read The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill, an interesting mystery that takes place in 1976 Laos/Vietnam. It was a fun read. I am not really into series, but I would definitely read more about Dr. Siri Paiboun

I loved Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic!
Kelly wrote: "I read my first book for the challenge today. It was Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. I used it for the LGBTQ category (it's also a graphic memoir). Then I completed a second book (spent..."

It's funny because I read Drama as my graphic novel task, but it ended up having gay characters as well. Vanessa wrote: "I completed the task to read a book by or about someone who identifies as LGBTQ with Le bleu est une couleur chaude(Blue is the Warmest Color) - loved it, what a great start to the y..."

My first task was Task 17 - A collection of poetry. I chose No Matter the Wreckage and loved it!

This is going to be a fun challenge!

First book done! Task #13 - Romance. Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare. I really enjoyed it, in part because the main character's focus was the desire to start her own brewery.

I finished my first book today. A book someone recommended to you.My friend has read the whole shopaholic series.I quite liked it, easy to read and funny in places. The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic

Completely unintentionally, I knocked off three categories with Blake Hoena's Jack and the Beanstalk, illustrated by Ricardo Tercio. It's a graphic novel retelling the classic story, published by an indie press.

My personal rule is that each book can only count toward one category but this was too good not to mention :)

Happy reading!

Done task 21, the guilty pleasure, read Invincible by Amy Lawrence it's about Arsenals unbeaten league season and I loved it.

I just finished my first yesterday. Pissing in a River for Task 4, the indie press category. Technically it also hits Task 5 as well as it's by or about someone who identifies as LGBTQ+, but I'm only doing one book per category.

Kristianne wrote: "I completed the task for reading a book written by the opposite sex as well. I read The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman and loved it."

That was my very favorite book of 2014! I recommend it to everyone! I'm glad you loved it too!

The audiobook for The Ocean at the End of the Lane is outstanding. Neil Gaiman narrates it himself, and his voice is mesmerizing.

I completed numbers 4 (indie press) — All the Dancing Birds — which I could not recommend more highly; and 12 (sci fi) — The Book of Strange New Things — which I also enjoyed.

I completed #15: retelling of classic story or fairy tale
Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Leisl Shurtliff
Middle-grade novel that will delight that age group.

Task 12 completed. The Martian

I am wrapping up some books I started prior to the challenge first, but I'm going tp start The Long Fall this week for a book recommended to me.

Just completed The Monk I read this for the book written by someone before they were 25. The author, Matthew Gregory Lewis, was 21 when the story was published. I read the first published version it was evidently edited under threat of blasphemy charges.

I'm surprised I hadn't heard of this book previously, its a good example of a gothic romance opening with the lead character who is an example of all that is good and virtuous and you just know they won't end well.

I completed task #13 on 1/1/15 with Broken Bonds by Karen Harper; technically romantic-suspense but still in the romance genre.

Just finished Flight of the Sparrow: A Novel of Early America, which was a book recommended to me.

I started out my year/challenge reading a book that my best friend recommended to me and sent me for my birthday. It was The Explanation for Everything: A Novel by Lauren Grodstein and it definitely made me think. I journaled three pages of thoughts about this book.

first task done for me was number 11, a YA. I chose to read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and I'm so glad I did it! this is such a lovely book, I wanted to reread the minute I finished reading it. I think the story will stick with me for quite some time.

and if you haven't picked a YA book for this challenge just yet, you should absolutely try Aristotle and Dante

I finished Redeployment by Phil Klay yesterday for book two of the challenge, covering the award winner category. I cannot overstate the brilliance of this book. The stories reverberate throughout your day and mind. The prose is sparse and powerful. Simply a great book.

I read a YA book called The Silent Storm. Great book! And my first task done.

I finished "Jackaby" by William Ritter. Don't know which task I'm going to assign it to - YA or Indie Press.

I really like this challenge. Alot were categories I had been wanting to read anyway. I finished my first - for award winner - I read The Color Purple by Alice Walker. It won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1983.

Michelle wrote: "I really like this challenge. Alot were categories I had been wanting to read anyway. I finished my first - for award winner - I read The Color Purple by Alice Walker. It won the Pulitzer Prize for..."

OH - I apparently missed the memo that this had to be an award within the last decade... But oh well I'm still counting it ;)

My first book for the challenge was The Gates by John Connolly. It satisfies task 11-the YA novel. I'm moving on to The Jungle Book-I though it would fit for the 1850 book, but it was a few years after that. So I'm going to count it for the author who is a different gender than myself!

Srividya wrote: "I finished "Jackaby" by William Ritter. Don't know which task I'm going to assign it to - YA or Indie Press."

Oh, I recently read this as well! I thought it was very good! Also, I followed the author on Twitter, and he's so gracious and nice. Responded to me more than once! :)

Finished 2 tasks - #16 Audiobook The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry - what a disappointment, it had a lot of raves but I found it predictable tearjerking chick lit - and #20 graphic novel/memoir Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant? which is both funny and touching.

Working on short stories The First Thing Smoking, which I received for Xmas from a cousin who knows I like to read diverse writers, and The Luminaries for the prizewinning book.

First two tasks - #1 and #2 - are completed. I read What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang for #1. It was an interesting young adult, dystopian-type fiction story. It wasn't totally my cup of tea, but it wasn't bad.

For #2, I read a novella by Doris Lessing, Adore. It was well-written, but the subject matter was certainly a little unsettling. I will definitely say, however, that I'm totally intrigued by Doris Lessing, the person and author, and want to delve into her works some more.

Off in search of a good collection of short stories. Maybe Jhumpa Lahiri, finally, to move her off of my TBR list.

I just completed my first task: #15, a retelling of a classic story. I read Cinder by Marissa Meyer, and, if you are interested, you can find my review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm currently working on Cat Stories edited by Diana Secker Tesdell as my second task.

I completed my first task by reading a translated book (Hungarian) titled The Burning of the World: A Memoir of 1914.

I just complete Task #23 - a book published this year (2014). I chose Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Although I'm not a fan of dystopian fiction, the character development and plot structure of this novel made it a book I highly recommend.

Polished off Task #3 with Almost Famous Women: Stories by Megan Mayhew Bergman. Such a great collection of short stories, highly recommend it if you're looking for a short story collection or a work of feminist fiction.

Finished task #20 with Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson. I liked it. It didn't blow my mind, but I thought Kamala was funny. She's awkward and she feels like she doesn't fit in and she starts off as a really hapless superhero, but she wants to do well and help. I liked her.