Book Riot’s 2024 Read Harder Challenge

This is my third year of completing the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge, a set of 24 prompts “that invite readers to explore formats, genres, and perspectives that might go beyond their reading comfort zones.” I employed a genre substitution to complete one of the prompts, but otherwise, I remained true to each prompt’s objectives. Here is my list of books to meet the 2024 Read Harder Challenge.

1. Read a cozy fantasy book. Bookshops and Bonedust, by Travis Baldree. The Tea Dragon Festival, by K. O’Neill. The Tea Dragon Society, by K. O’Neill. The Tea Dragon Tapestry, by K. O’Neill.

2. Read a YA book by a trans author. When the Angels Left the Old Country, by Sacha Lamb. Most Ardently, a Pride & Prejudice Remix, by Gabe Cole Novoa. Compound Fracture, by Andrew Joseph White.

3. Read a middle grade horror novel. The Girl and the Ghost, by Hanna Alkaf.

4. Read a history book by a BIPOC author. What It Cost Us by the young authors of Shout Mouse Press (short-story anthology).

5. Read a sci-fi novella. Murderbot Diaries, #1: All Systems Red, by Martha Wells (Audiobook read by Kevin R. Free). Murderbot Diaries, #2: Artificial Condition, by Martha Wells (Audiobook read by Kevin R. Free).

6. Read a middle grade book with an LGBTQIA main character. Speak Up! by Rebecca Burgess. The Civil War of Amos Abernathy, by Michael Leali. Paige Not Found by Jen Wilde.

7. Read an indie published collection of poetry by a BIPOC or queer author. What It Cost Us by the young authors of Shout Mouse Press (Genre substitution: short-story anthology instead of a poetry collection.)

8. Read a book in translation from a country you’ve never visited. Cat Massage Therapy by Haru Hisakawa. One Piece : East Blue, Omnibus, Vol. 1 (Vol. 1, 2, and 3), by Eiichiro Oda.

9. Read a book recommended by a librarian. Wynd, Book 1, by James Tynion IV, illustrated by Michael Dialynas (Featured in a “Staff Picks” display at my local public library).

10. Read a historical fiction book by an Indigenous author. Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis with Traci Sorrell.

11. Read a picture book published in the last five years. My Rainbow by Trinity Neal and DeShanna Neal.

12. Read a genre book (SFF, horror, mystery, romance) by a disabled author. The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester, by Maya MacGregor. Love Letters for Joy by Melissa See.

13. Read a comic that has been banned. Heartstopper by Alice Oseman.

14. Read a book by an author with an upcoming event (virtual or in person) and then attend the event. A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat. Viewed through the Library Speakers Consortium: Graphic Novels are Life! Telling Your Own Story in a Graphic Novel with Dan Santat.

15. Read a YA nonfiction book. Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri (Categorized as “Fiction,” but described by its publisher as an autobiographical novel). The Gender Binary is a Big Lie by Lee Wind.

16. Read a book based solely on the title. The Gender Binary is a Big Lie by Lee Wind.

17. Read a book about media literacy. Verified, by Mike Caulfield and Sam Wineburg. Finally Heard, by Kelly Yang.

18. Read a book about drag or queer artistry. Martin McLean, Middle School Queen, by Alyssa Zaczek.

19. Read a romance with neurodivergent characters. The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester, by Maya MacGregor (primarily a murder mystery, but with a developing romantic relationship). When My Heart Joins the Thousand, by A.J. Steiger

20. Read a book about books (fiction or nonfiction). Bookshops and Bonedust, by Travis Baldree.

21. Read a book that went under the radar in 2023. What It Cost Us by the young authors of Shout Mouse Press (a short-story anthology published in February 2023 with only 8 ratings and 6 reviews on Goodreads as of November 2024).

22. Read a manga or manhwa. Cat Massage Therapy by Haru Hisakawa. One Piece : East Blue, Omnibus, Vol. 1 (Vol. 1, 2, and 3), by Eiichiro Oda.

23. Read a “howdunit” or “whydunit” mystery. The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester, by Maya MacGregor.

24. Pick a challenge from any of the previous years’ challenges to repeat!

From 2023, No. 5. Read a completed webcomic. Heartstopper by Alice Oseman. (The author has resumed posting on Webtoon, with what will be Vol. 6.) Vampire Husband, a slice-of-life comedy by Scragony.

From 2023, No. 21. Read a book of short stories. The Creativity Project, edited by Colby Sharp. What It Cost Us by the young authors of Shout Mouse Press. Night of the Living Queers, edited by Shelly Page and Alex Brown.

From 2021, No. 24. Read a book featuring a beloved pet where the pet doesn’t die. Compound Fracture, by Andrew Joseph White. (Not a spoiler: The author stated outright in a review on Goodreads and in a list of content warnings on his website, “The dog named Lady is fine, I promise.”)

From 2019, No. 21: A comic by an LGBTQIA+ creator: The Tea Dragon Festival, by K. O’Neill. The Tea Dragon Society, by K. O’Neill. The Tea Dragon Tapestry, by K. O’Neill. Speak Up! by Rebecca Burgess. Homebody by Theo Parish.

From 2019, No. 13. A book by or about someone that identifies as neurodiverse: A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold. Speak Up! by Rebecca Burgess. Dear Mothman by Robin Gow. Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt. The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester, by Maya MacGregor. My Rainbow by Trinity Neal and DeShanna Neal. Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos. Can You See Me? by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott. When My Heart Joins the Thousand, by A.J. Steiger. Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork. Paige Not Found by Jen Wilde. Compound Fracture, by Andrew Joseph White.

From 2016, No. 24. Read a book with a main character that has a mental illness. Moonflower, by Kacen Callender.

From 2015, No. 15: A book that is a retelling of a classic story (fairytale, Shakespearian play, classic novel, etc.): Most Ardently, a Pride & Prejudice Remix, by Gabe Cole Novoa.

https://bookriot.com/read-harder-2024/