Book Riot's 2024 Read Harder Challenge - Announcement & TBR

Happy Thursday everyone!  It's almost 2024 everyone and that means it's time to share my plans for Book Riot's 2024 Read Harder Challenge.  Anyway, just like 2017-2023, one of my 2024 resolutions is to complete Book Riot's annual challenge.  It 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 with two books per month.  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.  Keep reading to see what I'm hoping to read in the coming year.

January

Read a book by an author with an upcoming event (virtual or in person) and then attend the event.

My choice: Fevered Star (Between Earth and Sky #2) by Rebecca Roanhorse - This prompt was the most difficult for me to figure out, but then I realized you can watch saved virtual author events on YouTube.  Then, I found one featuring Rebecca Roanhorse for this book from 2022 so I'm going to have to watch it and get caught up on this series.  If you'd like to check out the video, you can find it here.

Read a book based solely on the title.

My choice: The Dead Take the A Train (Carrion City #1) by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey - The title of this is very enticing as is the cover!  Plus, it doesn't hurt that I've seen some pretty great reviews of it so far.

February

Read a middle grade book with an LGBTQIA main character.

My choice: Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee - This just sounds really dang cute!

Read a romance with neurodivergent characters.

My choice: Solitaire (Solitaire #1) by Alice Oseman - I can't resist Alice Oseman's books and I'm looking forward to catching up.

March

Read a history book by a BIPOC author.

My choice: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson - I've been meaning to pick this out since it came out, but I kept putting it off but now I'm giving myself a real excuse to finally read this.

Read a YA nonfiction book.

My choice: The Bones of Birka: Unraveling the Mystery of a Female Viking Warrior by C.M. Surrisi - I've been eyeing this at my library since it arrived and I'm finally going to be taking it home one day soon.

April

Read a “howdunit” or “whydunit” mystery.

My choice: In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad #1) by Tana French - I've been told I'd love this mystery series opener and I hope I will!

Read an indie published collection of poetry by a BIPOC or queer author.

My choice: the sun and her flowers by Rupi Kaur - I don't read poetry all that often but I've read this author before and I figured I couldn't go wrong with more from her.

May

Read a cozy fantasy book.

My choice: Sweep in Peace (Innkeeper Chronicles #2) by Ilona Andrews - I really enjoyed the first installment of this series and the GraphicAudio production was a lot of fun.  I can't wait to listen to book 2.

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

My choice: Royal Assassin (The Farseer Trilogy #2) by Robin Hobb - The first book in this series was amazing and I can't wait to see where it goes.

June

Read a YA book by a trans author.

My choice: Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas - I loved Cemetery Boys and The Sunbearer Trials and I can't wait to read this.

Read a book about drag or queer artistry.

My choice: The Boy in the Red Dress by Kristin Lambert - This YA historical mystery sounds absolutely fascinating.

July

Read a manga or manhwa.

My choice: Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 1 by Kamome Shirahama - I've heard nothing but great things about this manga series.  It sounds like so much fun!

Read a comic that has been banned.

My choice: Drama by Raina Telgemeier - I've read other books from this author and I'm looking forward to seeing what all the hype is about here as well.

August

Read a historical fiction book by an Indigenous author.

My choice: The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich - This author is one of my favorites and I can't believe I'd missed this one.

Read a book that went under the radar in 2023.

My choice: Stateless by Elizabeth Wein - Wein has been one of my favorites for YA historical fiction and I can't believe this book hasn't had near the hype of some of her other releases.

September

Read a book about books (fiction or nonfiction).

My choice: The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester - I've been meaning to read this for ages and it sounds like something else.

Read a book about media literacy.

My choice: True or False: A CIA Analyst's Guide to Spotting Fake News by Cindy L. Otis - A long time ago back when I was in high school, I was in an information media literacy class.  It seems like it would be even more important these days.

October 

Read a genre book (SFF, horror, mystery, romance) by a disabled author.

My choice: Angel of the Overpass (Ghost Roads #3) by Seanan McGuire - This author is one of my favorites and I can't wait to see how this trilogy ends.

Read a middle grade horror novel

My choice: The Whispering Pines (Exit 13 #1) by James Preller - I saw this pop up at my library and I have to know more.

November

Read a sci-fi novella.

My choice: Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries #2) by Martha Wells - I've really enjoyed what I've read from Wells so far and it's time I start to get caught up.

Read a picture book published in the last five years.

My choice: Creepy Crayon! by Aaron Reynolds - I don't know about you, but this looks delightful.

December

Read a book in translation from a country you’ve never visited.

My choice: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami - I've never visited Japan, but I would love to one day.

Read a book recommended by a librarian.

My choice: The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota, and an American Inheritance by Rebecca Clarren - Starting around a month ago, a patron at the library recommended this to all of us.  A few have read it so far, and have come back with high praise for it, so I'll have to give it a try - just quite a bit later on.

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!