Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion

Use this space to discuss books you’re reading or that might fit the 11th 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-...

Loveless by Alice Oseman is the first and only book I’ve read (so far!) that fits this challenge, so thankfully it’s also one that I truly CANNOT RECOMMEND ENOUGH. It’s lovely and beautiful and beyond feeling seen, I am most obsessed with the way that Alice Oseman elevated friendship as the underrated magical force it is.

I’m super excited to see what other Ace and/or Aro books are out there that people recommend, as someone who happens to be in that little community.

I'm pretty sure I'm going with Loveless, but if I hadn't read them already The Murderbot Diaries (first book All Systems Red) would be my pick.

Some other options are Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger or Heartsong by T.J. Klune.

I think I will go with one of the following

book:Tash Hearts Tolstoy|29414576]
The Bone People
How to Be a Normal Person

But All Systems Red has been on my list for ages, and if that fits I might do that instead. Thanks Elizabeth!

Dread Nation

I've had Vicious sitting in my TBR for a while

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy

Brittany wrote: "The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy"

Same.

I recommend So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix. Jo appears to be asexual.

Bonnie G. wrote: "I think I will go with one of the following

book:Tash Hearts Tolstoy|29414576]
The Bone People
How to Be a Normal Person

But All Systems Red has been on my list for..."

I hear good things about The Bone People, but wanted everyone to know there is severe physical abuse of a child depicted repeatedly throughout the book, and the way other characters respond to this may also be triggering.

The Murderbot books are amazing!

Elizabeth wrote: "I'm pretty sure I'm going with Loveless, but if I hadn't read them already The Murderbot Diaries (first book All Systems Red) would be my pick.

Some other options a..."
Heartsong is #3 in a series. Can you read it as a standalone or must you read books 1 and 2 first?

Some lesser know authors who are own voices writing Aro & Ace characters that are personal favourites:
Claudie Arseneault
Claudie Arseneault
Elin Annalise

Also you can find more on a dedicated database: https://www.aroacedatabase.com/

Tiffany wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "I'm pretty sure I'm going with Loveless, but if I hadn't read them already The Murderbot Diaries (first book All Systems Red) would be my pick.

So..."

I would say you could read it as a standalone, but it would definitely make more sense as part of the series.

I recommend Every Heart a Doorway

I also recently read and adored The Love Hypothesis in which the character speculates she is on the asexual spectrum

For those that liked Elatsoe, A Snake Falls to Earth also has an ace MC

I'm currently leaning towards Elatsoe, which I've been meaning to get to for a bit, but I have a few other books on my tbr that would work for this task, so I'll see how I'm feeling.

I'll more than likely be reading my next in the Murderbot series for this one

I think Tintin would count, wouldn't he? He's definitely aromantic.

I strongly second Every Heart a Doorway, and would add If It Makes You Happy.

One of the main characters in this book qualifies: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Leslie Ann wrote: "I recommend So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix. Jo appears to be asexual."

If this is the case, I'm definitely going to be reading this for this prompt too.

Found this list for those looking

https://bookriot.com/asexual-books/

I have two books for this prompt. Pierced Peony, the second in a series or Failure to Communicate

This is one that I'm very prepared for! Here are some qualifying books that I've either read or intend to.
Books I've read and also recommend
Little Thieves (actually TWO asexual protagonists)
Every Heart a Doorway (which has already been recommended but I honestly can't recommend it enough)
A Pale Light in the Black
No Gods, No Monsters (this is told from like a dozen perspectives, so it's hard to pin down a main character, but one of the perspective characters is ace, and this is the only horror novel that I'm aware of for this category)
Books I want to read with ace and/or aro rep
A Natural History of Dragons
Baker Thief
Tash Hearts Tolstoy
Archivist Wasp
Beyond the Black Door

I’m planning to read an anthology of Sherlock Holmes stories for this challenge.

The Complete Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle

I recommend Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, which I read last year.

Marie wrote: "I recommend Every Heart a Doorway

I also recently read and adored The Love Hypothesis in which the character speculates she is on the asexual spectrum"

I loved Every Heart so much.

Just ordered The Love Hypothesis from BOTM but wanted to make sure it fits this challenge?

Margaret wrote: "Found this list for those looking

https://bookriot.com/asexual-books/"

Thanks for posting! <3

Just found this really cool database, while researching possible picks. https://www.aroacedatabase.com

Natalie Piccotti wrote: "Just ordered The Love Hypothesis from BOTM but wanted to make sure it fits this challenge?"

I don't see it. The female lead thinks she might be ace at the beginning, but it is only because she had not yet found the right partner. That said I loved this book and definitely recommend it.

Holly wrote: "Dread Nation"

I listed this one for the political thriller category...the blurb feels like it fits there, can anyone verify? Thanks!

Kanea wrote: "Loveless by Alice Oseman is the first and only book I’ve read (so far!) that fits this challenge, so thankfully it’s also one that I truly CANNOT RECOMMEND ENOUGH. It’s lovely and beautiful and bey..."

I did read this, but I honestly found the ace/aro rep to be a little disappointing. If you've never heard of asexuality or aromanticism, it does explain things well, especially why it is difficult to be ace and aro. However, there is definitely loads of amatonormativity and even some questionable consent issues so I would advise ace and/or aro readers to look elsewhere for something more affirming.

I’ve chosen Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann, which appeared when I searched my local library via Libby for books with asexual themes, and it was also on Buzzfeed’s list of recommended books with asexual main characters.

The protagonist in the book is Alice, a black college student who identifies as bi and asexual, and is comfortable and confident with those points. The book starts with Alice promptly getting dumped by someone who doesn’t understand asexuality. I’m not far along but it’s charming so far and I appreciate this particular POV in a YA book.

Update: I'm about 13% in and I'm going to finish the book but I'm really not enjoying the writing. The protagonist's ways of describing her feelings keeps making me cringe, no better than Anastasia Steele's "inner goddess" in 50 Shades (my apologies for bringing up 50 Shades).

I'm going to read Elatsoe for this challenge.

Ellen wrote: "Holly wrote: "Dread Nation"

I listed this one for the political thriller category...the blurb feels like it fits there, can anyone verify? Thanks!"

You might be able to describe it as a political thriller, but it would be a bit of a stretch. It deals with corrupt politicians, but in more of a Western way then a political thriller way. I would describe the genre overall as Western meets Zombie Apocalypse (that being said, it definitely works for this prompt)

If you like nonfiction, I can absolutely recommend Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex. It really made me question my own sexuality and also answered a lot of questions for me.

I read Convenience Store Woman and found it meh. Good ending but meh. And this is what I am afraid of with the challenge - reading books that are just not that good.

Bonnie G. wrote: "Natalie Piccotti wrote: "Just ordered The Love Hypothesis from BOTM but wanted to make sure it fits this challenge?"

I don't see it. The female lead thinks she might be ace at the ..."

Just because someone finds a partner and has sex with them doesn't mean they are not asexual. Asexual by definition is not feel sexual attraction and has nothing with the actual act of sex. It is absolutely valid to be sex favourable and still be asexual. Also demisexual is under the aspec umbrella - not feeling sexual attraction until the emotional bond is formed.

Hope that helps!

Thanks, I didn't realize demisexual was included. In love Hypothesis she does feel sexual attraction well before emotional attraction, but if demisexual counts people might want to check out A Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole.

If people are not really feeling any of the suggestions this far, I think the fantasy novel Clariel might fit the bill even though she does not refer to herself specifically with the language of ace/aro.

I just finished Klara and the Sun - my first book started and finished in 2022. Klara is an artificial person and completely without any kind of sexual or romantic programming or feeling (as far as I can tell). Does this count or are we looking specifically for ace/aro humans here?

Someone recommended Vicious for this category and I quickly picked it up as it's been on my To Read pile, but I just finished it and it does not fit the category. Unless my understanding of this category is way off, the main character is very much enamored of his best friend's girlfriend, and the other main character is that best friend, who is clearly sexual. So unfortunately, I'm going to remove this book from this category and try again.

Tricia wrote: "Someone recommended Vicious for this category and I quickly picked it up as it's been on my To Read pile, but I just finished it and it does not fit the category. Unless my understanding of this ca..."

I haven't read Vicious, but the author did confirm Victor Vale is asexual though it's not outright stated in the text itself. I think if you want to count it, you could - but there are a ton of great books out there that fit this prompt too!

Valery wrote: "I just finished Klara and the Sun - my first book started and finished in 2022. Klara is an artificial person and completely without any kind of sexual or romantic programming or fe..."


Does this have a character older than 40 that falls in love?

Every Heart a Doorway prominently features an asexual protagonist.

Leslie Ann wrote: "I recommend So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix. Jo appears to be asexual."

Oh, if this is the case, it's going to be hard for me to choose between this and Loveless!

ChezJulie wrote: "I'm going to try Have You Seen Luis Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde. The main character is an asexual biracial teen who meets an elderly Jewish woman in his apartment building and hel..."
A Lady's Guide To Petticoats and Piracy is also an alternative that isn't really SFF or romance. It's mostly a historical fiction adventure story, although there are still some fantasy elements.

I haven't seen this book yet, but Gods Behaving Badly would be perfect with Artemis as the main narrator. She never outright says she's asexual, but she explains her feelings against sex really well.

For those who have read A Little Life, I’m curious if people think it qualifies for this prompt? In reference to the central character, Jude.