For 2023, the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge invited readers “to explore settings, characters, formats, genres, and perspectives that might be outside of their reading norms.” Here are some books I read to meet the 2023 challenge.
1. Read a novel about a trans character written by a trans author. The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons. The (Un)Popular Vote, by Jasper Sanchez. Hell Followed With Us, by Andrew Joseph White. Felix Ever After, by Kacen Callender. Magical Boy, by Vincent Kao (The Kao).
2. Read one of your favorite author’s favorite books. Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction, edited by Joshua Whitehead (recommended by Darcie Little Badger).
3. Read a book about activism. Our Missing Hearts, by Celeste Ng.
4. Read a book that’s been challenged recently in your school district/library OR read one of the most-challenged/banned books of the year by a queer and/or BIPOC author. Gender Queer, by Maia Kobabe (#1 on the ALA’s Top 10 Most Challenged Books in 2022 and 2021). Lawn Boy, by Jonathan Evison (#2 on the ALA’s Top 10 Most Challenged Books in 2021).
5. Read a completed webcomic. Heartstopper, by Alice Oseman.
6. Finish a book you did not finish. Loveless, by Alice Oseman.
7. Listen to an audiobook performed by a person of color of a book written by an author of color. The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons, narrated by Jamie K. Brown. Let’s Talk About Love, by Claire Kann, narrated by Adenrele Ojo.
8. Read a graphic novel/comic/manga if you haven’t before; or read one that is a different genre than you normally read. Heartstopper, by Alice Oseman (romance genre).
9. Read an independently published book by a BIPOC author. Black from the Future, edited by Stephanie Andrea Allen and Lauren Cherelle.
10. Read a book you know nothing about based solely on the cover. Primer by Jennifer Muro and Thomas Krajewski, illustrated by Gretel Lusky.
11. Read a cookbook cover to cover. Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook for Young Readers and Eaters, by Jane Yolen (Adaptor), Heidi E.Y. Stemple (Recipes), and Philippe Béha (Illustrator).
12. Read a nonfiction book about BIPOC and/or queer history. Schomburg, the Man Who Built a Library, by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Unspeakable, the Tulsa Race Massacre, by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper.
13. Read an author local to you. Gender Queer, by Maia Kobabe. The (Un)Popular Vote, by Jasper Sanchez. “Fairytale Ending?” by Danielle Merchant, in Because of You anthology.
14. Read a book with under 500 Goodreads ratings. Queer Adolescence: Understanding the Lives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual Youth by Charlie McNabb (5 ratings, including my own, as of November 2023). Alebrijes, by Donna Barba Higuera (11 ratings in August 2023, prior to its scheduled publication in October 2023).
15. Read a historical fiction book set in an Eastern country. The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes, by Jamyang Norbu.
16. Read a romance with bisexual representation. Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann (asexual and biromatic protagonist). Love Letters for Joy by Melissa See (Of the two protagonists, one is asexual and panromantic; the other is pansexual).
17. Read a YA book by an Indigenous author. Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse.
18. Read a comic or graphic novel that features disability representation. Invisible Differences, by Julie Dachez. Camouflage: The Hidden Lives of Autistic Women, by Sarah Bargiela. The Oracle Code, by Marieke Nijkamp. Speak Up! by Rebecca Burgess.
19. Read a nonfiction book about intersectional feminism. Camouflage: The Hidden Lives of Autistic Women, by Sarah Bargiela.
20. Read a book of poetry by a BIPOC or queer author. The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo.
21. Read a book of short stories. Beasts & Beauty, by Soman Chainani. Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction, edited by Joshua Whitehead. Black from the Future, edited by Stephanie Andrea Allen and Lauren Cherelle. Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook for Young Readers and Eaters, by Jane Yolen (adapter), Heidi E.Y. Stemple (recipes), and Philippe Béha (illustrator).
22. Read any book from the Ignyte awards shortlist/longlist/winner list. Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction, edited by Joshua Whitehead.
23. Read a social horror, mystery, or thriller novel. Hell Followed With Us, by Andrew Joseph White. The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, by Andrew Joseph White. Before I Let Go, by Marieke Nijkamp.
24. Pick a challenge from any of the previous years’ challenges to repeat!
From 2015, No. 15: A book that is a retelling of a classic story: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Little Women, written by Rey Terciero and illustrated by Bre Indigo.
From 2017, No. 1: Read a novel about sports: The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons.
From 2017, No. 18: Read a superhero comic with a female lead: Primer by Jennifer Muro and Thomas Krajewski, illustrated by Gretel Lusky.
From 2019, No. 11: A book of manga: Chi’s Sweet Home, by Konami Kanata.
From 2019, No. 13: A book by or about someone who identifies as neurodiverse: Love Letters for Joy, by Melissa See. Ellen Outside the Lines, by A.J. Sass. Speak Up! by Rebecca Burgess. Hell Followed With Us, by Andrew Joseph White. The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, by Andrew Joseph White. Invisible Differences, by Julie Dachez. Camouflage: The Hidden Lives of Autistic Women, by Sarah Bargiela.
From 2019, No. 21: A comic by an LGBTQIA+ creator: The Cardboard Kingdom, by Chad Sell. Magical Boy by Vincent Kao (The Kao). Speak Up! by Rebecca Burgess. Gender Queer, by Maia Kobabe. Be Gay, Do Comics, from The Nib (featuring more than 30 cartoonists including Hazel Newlevant, Joey Alison Sayers, Maia Kobabe, Matt Lubchansky, Breena Nuñez, Sasha Velour, Shing Yin Khor, Levi Hastings, Mady G, Bianca Xunise, and Kazimir Lee).
Learn more about the 2023 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge at https://bookriot.com/read-harder-2023.
Looking ahead, here is the 2024 challenge: https://bookriot.com/read-harder-2024/
Browse prior years’ challenges: https://bookriot.com/tag/read-harder-hub/
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