Book Riot's 2022 Read Harder Challenge - Announcement & TBR

Happy Sunday everyone!  How is 2022 is right around the corner?  It seems like just yesterday that it was this time last year.  Then again, it also feels like an entire decade has passed, again.  Anyway, like 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 my resolution is to complete Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge, which is always a brilliant way to challenge myself to read more widely, broadly, and out of my comfort zone.  There are twenty-four tasks to complete over the course of the year.  You can read one book to complete multiple tasks, or read one book per task.  In order to get the most out of this challenge, I will be reading one book per task.  Here's the list of the twenty-four challenge tasks and my proposed reading list.  This year, rather than complete these in official task order, I'm going to change things up a bit: 

January

Read a history about a period you know little about.

My choice: Mavericks of the Sky: The First Daring Pilots of the U.S. Air Mail by Barry Rosenberg and Catherine Macaulay - I've been eyeing this one at my library for quite awhile.  I'm interested in early aviation especially with women, but in this context I know next to nothing.  Though I do know that that guy on the cover looks totally awesome.

Read a queer retelling of a classic of the cannon, fairytale, folklore, or myth.

My choice: Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron - This sounds like a cool new Cinderella retelling that I'll have to finally try.  I'm hoping to listen to it on audiobook since Bahni Turpin is one of my favorite narrators.

February 

Read any book from the Women’s Prize shortlist/longlist/winner list.

My choice: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - This was the 2021 winner and I'm really excited to get to it since Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is one of my all time favorites. 

Read a book in any genre by a POC that’s about joy and not trauma.

My choice: Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson - Jackson is one of my favorites and I can't believe I've somehow missed this, but I'm definitely going to listen to the audiobook production because it sounds like it will be outstanding.

March 

Read the book that’s been on your TBR the longest.

My choice: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden - Currently, this novel is listed as number one on my Goodreads want to read list and I added it to that list clear back on April 7, 2012.

Read an entire poetry collection.

My choice: Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg - I've heard a lot about this and the poet, but somehow I've never actually read it.  It's time to change that.

April

Read a book by a disabled author.

My choice: An Artificial Night (October Daye #3) by Seanan McGuire - I've really enjoyed what I've read from this author so far and it's time I catch up on this series.

Read a book set in a bookstore.

My choice: A Scandal in Scarlet (A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery #4) by Vicki Delany - Cozy mysteries aren't usually my thing, but I've really gotten into this series so far.  I can't wait to see what's next.

May

Read a biography of an author you admire.

My choice: Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon - Two for the price of one here, and it sounds like it will be a fascinating read.

Read an anthology featuring diverse voices.

My choice: Blackout edited by Dhonielle Clayton - I'm not all that favorite with a couple of the authors in the anthology but the others are among my favorites.

June

Read a “Best _ Writing of the year” book for a topic and year of your choice.

My choice: Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki - I've seen this on several best of sci-fi lists this year, and I'll admit that I was sold as soon as I heard Good Omens meets A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.

Read an award-winning book from the year you were born.

My choice: Weetzie Bat (Weetzie Bat #1) by Francesca Lia Block - I had no idea that this book was released back in 1989.  It's always been on my radar, but I don't really know what it's about.

July

Read a nonfiction YA comic.

My choice: Almost American Girl by Robin Ha - I've recently learned that I really like graphic memoirs and I can't let this one pass me by.

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

My choice: Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth Century America by Lillian Faderman - I've decided to read a book that fits the 2021 task to read an LGBTQ History book.

August

Read a classic written by a POC.

My choice: The Color Purple by Alice Walker - I honestly don't know why I've never read this novel before.

Read a memoir written by someone who is trans or nonbinary.

My choice: Sissy: A Coming-Of-Gender Story by Jacob Tobia - I've been meaning to try this since I saw it pop up in the BookPage magazine.  

September

Read a book with an asexual and/or aromantic main character.

My choice: Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee - I don't know why I've been putting this off since it's release, but it sounds like I've been missing out.

Read a new-to-you literary magazine (print or digital).

My choice: New Ohio Review, Issue #26: Poems and Poets Onscreen - I've heard of this magazine before, but I've never actually checked it out before.

October

Read a book whose movie or TV adaptation you’ve seen (but haven’t read the book).

My choice: Nightbooks by J.A. White - I watched the Netflix movie adaptation during  October and I absolutely loved it.  I can't wait to see how the original source material compares.  Plus, Kirby Heyborne is a fantastic narrator.

Read a horror novel by a BIPOC author.

My choice: The Good House by Tananarive Due - This sounds like it's going to be very creepy!

November

Read a romance where at least one of the protagonists is over 40.

My choice: Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson - This doesn't sound like it's in my wheelhouse, but it does sound like it will be good.

Read an adventure story by a BIPOC author.

My choice: Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava #1) by Roshani Chokshi - I haven't had the best of luck with this author in the past, but I really like the sound of this middle grade story.

December

Read a political thriller by a marginalized author (BIPOC, or LGBTQIA+).

My choice: While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams - I had no idea Stacey Abrams wrote fiction before now.

Read a book recommended by a friend with different reading tastes.

My choice: The Deepest South of All: True Stories From Natchez, Mississippi by Richard Grant - One of my friends reads a lot more historical fiction, nonfiction, and history than I do and she recommended this one.  I know next to nothing about the town but I'll be learning, won't I?

Are you taking part in this reading challenge? Have you read any of these books? As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!