Book Riot's 2017 Read Harder Challenge - September Update: Parable of the Sower & Batgirl, Volume 1: The Batgirl of Burnside

It doesn't seem possible that September has already come and gone!    This month for Book Riot's 2017 Read Harder Challenge I completed tasks seventeen and eighteen which required me to read a classic by an author of color and to read a superhero comic with a female lead.  For the tasks, I selected Parable of the Sower (Earthseed #1) by Octavia E. Butler and Batgirl, Volume 1: The Batgirl of Burnside by Brenden Fletcher, et al. respectively.  Read on to see my mini reviews and what's next for October:

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I've been meaning to read more by Octavia E. Butler after having read Kindred back while I was in college. I just finally got around to it thanks to the 2017 Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge. I didn't know much about the Parable of the Sower before going into it, but I'd heard so many wonderful things about the two book Earthseed series. Now, I can totally see why it's considered a classic example of dystopian. Although this novel was released in 1993, it still feels incredibly timely in today's world - and 2026 is just around the corner now. Like The Road by Cormac McCarthy and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, try Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. I will definitely be continuing on to the sequel, Parable of the Talents.


I read this novel from September 17 - 18, 2017 and my review is also on Goodreads
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This is my first ever Batgirl comic book! I'm only really familiar with the character from other media, though. While I felt out of the loop at times, the story is still more or less self-contained. I have to admit that I wish she was still a librarian or at least in training, but I'm still intrigued with this version of the character. I'm not all that familiar with DC characters, but I'd also like to get to know Dinah Lance better. I may be continuing this run in the future.


I read this graphic novel on September 3, 2017 and my review is also on Goodreads.

Next up for the October portion of the Challenge:

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)

My choice - Labyrinth Lost (Brooklyn Brujas #1) by Zoraida Cordova - I'm really excited for this fantasy adventure novel featuring Latinx culture.

20. Read an LGBTQ+ romance novel (From Sarah MacLean, author of ten bestselling historical romance novels).

My choice - The Magpie Lord (A Charm of Magpies #1) by KJ Charles - I've been told that this is for fans of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and M/M romance as well.  Since I love Johnathan Strange & Mr Norrell, I'll have to try this one.

Congrats if you made it this far!  Have you read any of these books or have you taken on Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge before?  Thanks as always for visiting my blog, and perhaps even commenting down below!