Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion

Use this space to discuss books you’re reading or that might fit the 4th Read Harder task. Sign up for our new Read Harder newsletter to get recommendations for each task delivered straight to your inbox! https://bookriot.com/newsletter/read-...

I'm looking at Black Woman in Green: Gloria Brown and the Unmarked Trail to Forest Service Leadership. It might be very specific to my career, but is a book I've been wanting to read for a while, and seems like it's more focused on Brown's successes over challenges in the field.

I'm thinking of reading My Year Abroad by Chang-rae Lee.

I have some Kwame Alexander books on my TBR list--can anyone confirm whether would qualify?

I feel like I'll Be the One is just pure joy.

I'm so late but I'll finally read the Brown Sisters trilogy by Talia Hibbert :)

While on my search for Poetry Collections I came across two that might also count for this category.

How Far You Have Come: Musings on Beauty and Courage
Where Hope Comes From: Poems of Resilience, Healing, and Light

So I might read one of these for both categories.

Hana Khan Carries On or
Ayesha at Last

So many choices! I am deciding between

Music Is History
My Year Abroad
Xeni
Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food in America
Jonny Appleseed
The Son of Mr. Suleman: A Novel

I'm planning to read Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold by Bolu Babalola.

I am leaning toward My Year Abroad or Where Hope Comes From: Poems of Resilience, Healing, and Light for this prompt.

Any book from Jasmine Guillory's Wedding Date series would work for this prompt, but I've read them all. So, I will use her By the Book when it comes out in May.

I also highly recommend the Brown Sisters trilogy from Talia Hibbert.

Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude

The Book of Delights was delightful for sure!

I think I Am a Girl from Africa would be a good pick. I read it earlier this year and it was very inspirational.

I think I might read Radical Friendship: Seven Ways to Love Yourself and Find Your People in an Unjust World

Has anyone read Skye Falling or Juliet Takes a Breath? Do you think either of these would work for this?

Matthew wrote: "I have some Kwame Alexander books on my TBR list--can anyone confirm whether would qualify?"

I don't think it qualifies, it's mainly about anger and grief...

I'm thinking Seven Days in June or The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

I'm going to read the Jasmine Guillory - Buy The Book - that's coming out in May. I love her romance books!!!

I'm already planning on reading Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert and Rebel by Beverly Jenkins, so whichever I get to first will likely be what I use for this task.

I’m planning on reading When Dimple Met Rishi!

If you’re into YA I recommend Blackout or Loveboat, Taipei

This one is kind of tricky for me. I mainly read a lot of nonfiction so I'm not sure I can come up with any related to this topic.

If anyone has any suggestions that would be great.

For anyone that's looking to add some more graphic novels to their reading this year (and have a LGBT option!), I highly suggest Bingo Love.

Mandie wrote: "For anyone that's looking to add some more graphic novels to their reading this year (and have a LGBT option!), I highly suggest Bingo Love."
That sounds delightful! Thank you!

I'm thinking of Honey Girl, but maybe one of the Tristan Strong series would work?

During an attic purge, I found some books intended for some MFA research, and amongst them is Mouloud Feraoun's Le fils du pauvre. So I will read that.

More rom-coms by BIPOC:

- Dial A for Aunties, which will have a Netflix series; second book comes out in March 2022
- You Had Me at Hola and its sequel, A Lot Like Adios

A lot of the books I own have some form of tragedy. If anyone can help me out with some nonfiction books about joy that would be great.

I’m currently reading, and maybe will finish it in 2022, depending on how much it pulls me in, the poetry collection about grace and light (in a secular sense for the most part, even though Zondervan is a publisher, it’s not heavy for me with Christian themes).

Anyway it’s [All Along You We’re Blooming: Thoughts for boundless living] by Morgan Harper Nichols.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

That’s the link for All along you were blooming: thoughts for boundless living by Morgan Harper Nichols that I tried to link in my last post. I have been away from GR for a while and so trying to get things figured out again.

I have so much privilege that I'm sad at how hard it is to find this for a Black protagonist. It seems that Latino and Asian characters have it only a little easier.

I'm going to try to get in some books that are coming out in 2022. Planning on Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter

I'd love a sci-fi or fantasy rec for this one, along the lines of Becky Chambers Wayfarer series! If anyone knows of any?

Kari wrote: "I'd love a sci-fi or fantasy rec for this one, along the lines of Becky Chambers Wayfarer series! If anyone knows of any?"

It wasn't my personal favorite but a good book:

Also,
(MG - there are a lot of MG fantasy) (these last two have a bit more trauma)

I think these work for joy but all still have conflict and plot

M wrote: "I feel like I'll Be the One is just pure joy."

I'm going with this!

Would The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden work for this one?

Brittany wrote: "I'm going to try to get in some books that are coming out in 2022. Planning on Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter"

Is there any easy way to see what's coming this year? Or do you follow certain authors?

I'm looking at Mr Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo.

I'm thinking I'll read Ascension.

Ron wrote: "This one is kind of tricky for me. I mainly read a lot of nonfiction so I'm not sure I can come up with any related to this topic.

If anyone has any suggestions that would be great."

This list has a few NF, but I'm also still looking myself.
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1...

Erin wrote: This list has a few NF, but I'm also still looking myself.
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1..."

Thanks for the help.

cherie wrote: "The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu would fit."

OH! Oh, that's fantastic! Thank you!

A couple I've read recently that could work for this:

A Deadly Inside Scoop cozy mystery in an ice cream shop
The Princess Trap any of her books, really
You Should See Me in a Crown delightful YA book

I'm going with the YA fantasy Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi after seeing it described on a list of Black joy.

While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory (any of her Wedding Date series would be great in this category)

Tricia wrote: "Brittany wrote: "I'm going to try to get in some books that are coming out in 2022. Planning on Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter"

Is there any easy way to see what's ..."

I usually google anticipated books or reads for the next year in November or December and will come across several different lists so I can add stuff to my tbr.

Has anyone read Elatsoe, Klara and the Sun, Raybearer or Binti? Do any of these qualify for this task?

M wrote: "I feel like I'll Be the One is just pure joy."

I love this book! I would watch triggers--there is fatphobia and mentioned homophobia, and possibly some other elements I'm forgetting? But it's definitely a comfort book for me.

Camille wrote: "Romance would be a good genre for this prompt - so many of the best romcom (my favourite subgenre) authors are WOC!"
That is a great idea!