I’ve had some extra time lately (and my internet issues seem to have finally sorted themselves out somehow), so I’ve had a chance to do a little more blogging. I’ve joined in the Just Jot It January 2017 challenge hosted by Linda on her Linda G. Hill blog.

Thanks to that challenge, I found another one the other day. I saw a post on Cyn K’s blog “that cynking feeling” about the Read Harder challenge. I’m a pretty fanatic reader. I read everything I can get my hands on. Constantly reading a book, magazine, kindle, or even the labels on the condiments at mealtimes if I get desperate. 😉

I clicked on over to the Book Riot blog to find out more about the challenge. It looks interesting. It looks like a fun challenge. I’m doing it!

Just as in years past, there are 24 tasks, averaging to two per month over the course of the next 12 months. You may count one book for multiple tasks, or read one book per task. I’ve said it the last two challenges, so it bears repeating: “We encourage you to push yourself, to take advantage of this challenge as a way to explore topics or formats or genres that you otherwise wouldn’t try. But this isn’t a test. No one is keeping score and there are no points to post. We like books because they allow us to see the world from a new perspective, and sometimes we all need help to even know which perspectives to try out. That’s what this is – a perspective shift – but one for which you’ll only be accountable to yourself.”

You can read a book for each task, or one book could work for more than one task. For instance, I recently read “Fifty Shades of Grey”. I could count that as #2 (debut novel) and/or #12 (fantasy novel- maybe not technically, but a fantasy as far as I’m concerned- considering when would I ever meet a gorgeous billionaire who falls in love with me and we have kinky sex all day every day?).

Here’s the challenge (or click the link). I copied this from the Book Riot blog post, the links below are theirs. They’ll take you to some interesting (and relevant to the challenge) resources. Enjoy…

1. Read a book about sports.
2. Read a debut novel.
3. Read a book about books.
4. Read a book set in Central or South America, written by a Central or South American author.
5. Read a book by an immigrant or with a central immigrationnarrative.
6. Read an all-ages comic.
7. Read a book published between 1900 and 1950.
8. Read a travel memoir.
9. Read a book you’ve read before.
10. Read a book that is set within 100 miles of your location.
11. Read a book that is set more than 5000 miles from your location.
12. Read a fantasy novel.
13. Read a nonfiction book about technology.
14. Read a book about war.
15. Read a YA or middle grade novel by an author who identifies as LGBTQ+.
16. Read a book that has been banned or frequently challenged in your country.
17. Read a classic by an author of color.
18. Read a superhero comic with a female lead.
19. Read a book in which a character of color goes on a spiritual journey (From Daniel José Older, author of Salsa Nocturna, the Bone Street Rumba urban fantasy series, and YA novel Shadowshaper)
20. Read an LGBTQ+ romance novel (From Sarah MacLean, author of ten bestselling historical romance novels)
21. Read a book published by a micropress. (From Roxane Gay, bestselling author of Ayiti, An Untamed State, Bad Feminist, Marvel’s World of Wakanda, and the forthcoming Hunger and Difficult Women)
22. Read a collection of stories by a woman. (From Celeste Ng, author Everything I Never Told You and the forthcoming Little Fires Everywhere)
23. Read a collection of poetry in translation on a theme other than love. (From Ausma Zehanat Khan, author of the Esa Khattak/Rachel Getty mystery series, including The Unquiet Dead, The Language of Secrets, and the forthcoming Among the Ruins)
24. Read a book wherein all point-of-view characters are people of color. (From Jacqueline Koyanagi, author of sci-fi novel Ascension)