Book Riot's 2021 Read Harder Challenge - September Update: Spoiler Alert & The Woman Who Would Be King

 

Happy Thursday everyone!  I hope everyone's been staying healthy and happy.  I can't believe it's almost October already.  Anyway, that means that I've now completed 18 tasks of Book Riot's 2021 Read Harder Challenge.  The tasks I completed this month required me to read a fat-positive romance and a book about a non-Western world leader.  I selected Spoiler Alert (Spoiler Alert #1) by Olivia Dade and The Woman Who Would Be King by Kara Cooney.  Read on to see my mini reviews and what's coming up for October:

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Spoiler Alert (Spoiler Alert #1) by Olivia Dade is a cute romance with good characters.  I'll be the first to admit that romance isn't really my sort of thing at all.  Generally, I prefer minimal romance or romance that takes a backseat to the rest of plot.  This novel is primarily a romance, but I did like the geeky pop culture elements and the tv behind the scenes things as well.  I wasn't as interested in the fan fiction parts, though, that was just a little bit odd.  Finally, I could have totally done without the smut.  The romance was fine, but that just wasn't for me.

My review is also on Goodreads.

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The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt by Kara Cooney is a fascinating look back at ancient Egyptian history.  I've always enjoyed learning about the topic and Cooney has done her research in presenting Hatshepsut.  Not as much is known about her historically in comparison to other pharaohs, but this was still well put together and reasoned out.  I love that the author also included great narrative moments of what her life could have been like.  If you enjoyed this book, I also highly recommend The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women by Nancy Marie Brown.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Next Up For October:

Read a book with a cover you don't like

My choice: Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #1) by Laurell K. Hamilton - A friend of mine likes this series quite a bit and it's time I finally jumped in on the fun.  I don't care for this cover though.

Read a food memoir from an author of color 

My choice: Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi - I'm not familiar with Onwuachi, but this sounds delicious especially since I'm told it has recipes.

Have you read either of these books?  Are you taking part in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge this year?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!