2023 Reading Challenges

 Tis past that time of year to get up my reading challenges...The best kind of challenge for me is a short month or two with no prompts. I can then focus on mood reading. But I do like to think about what kinds of books I read and get some prompts to help me focus and diversify from time to time and reading challenges with prompts fit that bill.

Book Challenge by Erin 18.0 is a private Facebook bookclub hosted twice a year. Anyone can signup. First round is January through April. I tried to pick books I own so I can work on that TBR own pile this year a bit more.

1. Prime Number <1000: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

2. Book with an unusual narrator: Watership Down by Richard Adams

3. Title with 1st letter of your first name (H): Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

4. Heart or love in the title: The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

5. Set in small town or rural setting: The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

6. Goodreads award winner: (history & biography) The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold 

7. Black or white in the title: Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine by Olivia Campbell

8. Author with 3 names: The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky

9. Book set in Australia or by an Australian author: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

10. Freebie: The Glass Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg

Build Your Library Reading Challenge 2023

I'm not sure exactly which books I'm going to read for this....I already know I'll never read 40 books for this. But I'm using it as a good way to diversify and get ideas for some more nonfiction and nature-related fiction.

I Read Horror Year-round Challenge 2023 hosted by Michelle at Castle Macabre

Not sure on this one quite yet...will update as I pick. There are various levels to pick from but I always go for bucks, even though I rarely complete this one.

Fairy-tale retelling:

Zombies, witches, vampires, or werewolves: Probably Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice. I have not yet read this series and I've been meaning to for a long time now.

Book by BIPOC author: Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones. It has a tentative release date for this year! I'm hoping!

Title with dead, blood, or bone

Something by Poe

Set in the past: The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Horrific cover

Folk horror

Winter theme or cover: Snow by Ronald Malfi

Black, red, or white cover: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Written by a woman: Darkly: Black History and America's Gothic Soul by Leila Taylor

Debut horror

1000 Books Before You Die--Banned Books 2023 Challenge hosted by Michelle at Gather Together and Read

First quarter is The Night Trilogy by Elie Wiesel. January will be Night. February is Dawn and March will finish with The Accident.

Second quarter will focus on Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

Third quarter- The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. I have already read this one. And while I liked it, I didn't love it enough to reread. So I plan on reading another of her books on my TBR.

Fourth quarter- Beloved by Toni Morrison. Also read this one a few years ago but I really enjoyed it and it's short so I plan on rereading.

I joined StoryGraph a couple of years ago. It's a great site to keep track of my personal reading challenges. They also host their own reading challenges every year. The one I joined is StoryGraph Reads the World 2023.

Argentina: Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrrica

Colombia: Either Love in the Time of Cholera or 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Cuba: Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy by Carlos Eire

Italy: From Scratch by Tembi Locke

Nigeria: Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Norway: Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset

Pakistan: Either The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood or The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

South Africa: Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

Syria: Others Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Trinidad & Tobago: Trinidad Noir: The Classics edited by Earl Lovelace & Robert Antoni

Whew! Should keep my reading interesting!

Reading Challenge Updates!

June was Sci-fi Summer Readathon hosted by Michelle at Seasons of Reading. I managed to get two books in

• Adulthood Rites by Octavia Butler
• Imago by Octavia Butler

Which finished off the Xenogenesis series for me. A very thought-provoking series and I'm still mulling on it. Hopefully I'll some reviews up soon!

It's also been awhile since I updated my all year long reading challenges. I know I haven't done a few reviews and I KNOW I'm really behind on a couple as well. The summer is just getting away from me.

I've been really enjoying stretching my usual horror readings with this one. 5/12 complete. I'm hoping to catch up by the end of the month. I finished off The Upstairs Wife by Rachel Hawkins in June. I'm hoping to complete The Good House and Asylum this month.

1. The Ascent by Ronald Malfi (Winter)
2. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James (Spirits or ghosts)
3. The Upstairs Wife by Rachel Hawkins (Psychological)
4. Hide and Seeker by Daka Herman (monsters)
5. The Route of Ice and Salt by Jose Luis Zarate (A body of water)
6. The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling (scary book cover)
7. Sawkill Girls by Claire LeGrand (A woman on the cover)
8. Asylum by Madeleine Roux or The Girl in the Well by Rue Chupeco(written by a woman)
9. The Good House by Tananarive Due (written by a best-selling horror author)
10. The Rust Maidens by Gwedolyn Kiste (Indie author)
11. The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell (Historical horror)
12. The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher (Folk horror)

I am super behind on this one. Classics are my nemesis which is why I chose to do this challenge...kick my butt in gear! 3/12. I am three behind. I am currently reading Black Beauty and The Little Prince so hopefully that will help me get back on track!

I just finished The Count of Monte Cristo! Clocked that bad boy in 6 months!

1. A 19th century classic: any book first published from 1800 to 1899

• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

2. A 20th century classic: any book first published from 1900 to 1971. All books must have been published at least 50 years ago; the only exceptions are books which were written by 1971 and posthumously published.

• Go Tell It on a Mountain by James Baldwin

3. A classic by a woman author.

• The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

4. A classic in translation, meaning any book first published in a language that is not your primary language. You may read it in translation or in its original language, if you prefer. 

• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Epinay

5. A classic by BIPOC author; that is, a non-white author.

• Dust Tracks on a Road: An Autiobiography by Zora Neale Hurston

6. A classic by a new-to-you author, i.e., an author whose work you have never read.

• A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf

7. New-to-you classic by a favorite author -- a new book by an author whose works you have already read. 

• Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

8. A classic about an animal, or with an animal in the title. The animal can be real or metaphorical. (i.e., To Kill a Mockingbird).

• Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

9. A children's classic. 

• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin

10. A humorous or satirical classic.

• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
• Slaughter-house Five by Kurt Vonnegut
• Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

11. A travel or adventure classic (fiction or non-fiction). It can be a travelogue or a classic in which the main character travels or has an adventure. 

• Gulliver's Travels by Jonathon Swift
• The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Thor Heyerdahl

12. A classic play. Plays will only count in this category.

• A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

This is by far my most up-to-date! I'm actually ahead on this one. I'm a big non-fiction fan. 7/12 complete! I'm hoping to read Cork Dork this month. I'm leaving a few more of the heavy hitters for later, though. We shall see how it all plays out later...

1. Biography

You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington by Alexis Coe

2. Travel

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn

3. Self-help

The Self-driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson

4. Essay Collection

Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby

5. Disease

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks

6. Oceanography

The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson

Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us About Ourselves by James Nestor

The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery

7. Hobbies

World Travel: An Irreverent Guide by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever

8. Indigenous Cultures

Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs by Camilla Townsend

1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann

Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present by David Treuer

9. Food

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

Cork Dork by Biana Bosker

Wine Girl by Victoria James

Blood, Bones, & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton

10. Wartime experiences

A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City by Anonymous

Last Witnesses: An Oral History of the Children of World War II by Svetlana Alexievich

The Unwomanly Face of War by Svetlana Alexievich

11. Inventions

Broad Band: The Untold Story of Women Who Made the Internet by Claire L. Evans

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel

12. Published in 2021

Cosmic Queries: StarTalk's Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We're Going by Neil deGrasse Tyson and James Trefil

Mini Book Reviews: Akata Witch...

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

Published: April 4th, 2011 by Viking Children's

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Format: Paperback, 349 Pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars 

Publisher's Summary:

Akata Witch transports the reader to a magical place where nothing is quite as it seems. Born in New York, but living in Aba, Nigeria, twelve-year old Sunny is understandably a little lost. She is albino and thus, incredibly sensitive to the sun. All Sunny wants to do is be able to play football and get through another day of school without being bullied. But once she befriends Orlu and Chichi, Sunny is plunged in to the world of the Leopard People, where your worst defect becomes your greatest asset. Together, Sunny, Orlu, Chichi and Sasha form the youngest ever Oha Coven. Their mission is to track down Black Hat Otokoto, the man responsible for kidnapping and maiming children. Will Sunny be able to overcome the killer with powers stronger than her own, or will the future she saw in the flames become reality?

My Thoughts:

I read this one a loud with G. I had read this one a few years ago before the second one in the series had come out and so I decided this would be a fun one to read with G. He wasn't disappointed. I love how Sunny embodies both cultures of being a black American and also an Igbo-speaking Nigerian. We loved watching Sunny befriend Orlu and Chichi and Sasha and how they finally work together and use their magic to save the world. Okorafor is not afraid to treat kids like they know things. Kids can handle all sorts of stuff and she's excellent at bringing really hard things into her books without getting too graphic age inappropriate. Her world-building of magic is phenomenal and she definitely doesn't skim on her characters. We just started the second book Akata Warrior!

Hide and Seeker by Daka Hermon

Published: September 15th, 2020 by Scholastic Press

Genre: Horror, Juvenile Fiction

Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages, Library

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher's Summary:

One of our most iconic childhood games receives a creepy twist as it becomes the gateway to a nightmare world.

I went up the hill, the hill was muddy, stomped my toe and made it bloody, should I wash it?

Justin knows that something is wrong with his best friend. Zee went missing for a year. And when he came back, he was . . . different. Nobody knows what happened to him. At Zee's welcome home party, Justin and the neighborhood crew play Hide and Seek. But it goes wrong. Very wrong.

One by one, everyone who plays the game disappears, pulled into a world of nightmares come to life. Justin and his friends realize this horrible place is where Zee had been trapped. All they can do now is hide from the Seeker.

*I also read this one as part of my I Read Horror Year-Round Reading Challenge hosted by Michelle at Castle Macabre as part of the Monster Prompt.

My Thoughts:

This is a truly creepy little book about the Hide and Seek monster that will still children away if they break any of the rules. I don't remember playing hide and seek quite like this as a kid but it's a universal game, which really adds to the creep factor. The book also uses the monster to help the kids deal with grief and trauma. One of the reasons I love horror. It's a perfect genre to do that with.

Before the Ever After by Jaqueline Woodson

Published: September 1st, 2020 by Nancy Paulson Books

Genre: Fiction, Juvenile Fiction

Format: Hardcover, 176 Pages, Library

Rating: 5 stars

Publisher's Summary:

For as long as ZJ can remember, his dad has been everyone's hero. As a charming, talented pro football star, he's as beloved to the neighborhood kids he plays with as he is to his millions of adoring sports fans. But lately life at ZJ's house is anything but charming. His dad is having trouble remembering things and seems to be angry all the time. ZJ's mom explains it's because of all the head injuries his dad sustained during his career. ZJ can understand that--but it doesn't make the sting any less real when his own father forgets his name. As ZJ contemplates his new reality, he has to figure out how to hold on tight to family traditions and recollections of the glory days, all the while wondering what their past amounts to if his father can't remember it. And most importantly, can those happy feelings ever be reclaimed when they are all so busy aching for the past?

My Thoughts:

Heart-breaking! Woodson's way with words is beautiful and sad, poignant, for sure. What is the cost of loving American football so much? This is a look at the tragedies so many families have endured with regards to playing this very dangerous sport from the eyes of a child. It's a must-read.

The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher

The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher

Published: October 1st, 2019 by Gallery/Saga Press

Genre: Horror

Format: Paperback, 381 Pages, Library

Rating: 4 stars 

Publisher's Summary:

When a young woman clears out her deceased grandmother’s home in rural North Carolina, she finds long-hidden secrets about a strange colony of beings in the woods.

When Mouse’s dad asks her to clean out her dead grandmother's house, she says yes. After all, how bad could it be?

Answer: pretty bad. Grandma was a hoarder, and her house is stuffed with useless rubbish. That would be horrific enough, but there’s more—Mouse stumbles across her step-grandfather’s journal, which at first seems to be filled with nonsensical rants…until Mouse encounters some of the terrifying things he described for herself.

Alone in the woods with her dog, Mouse finds herself face to face with a series of impossible terrors—because sometimes the things that go bump in the night are real, and they’re looking for you. And if she doesn’t face them head on, she might not survive to tell the tale.

From Hugo Award–winning author Ursula Vernon, writing as T. Kingfisher.

My Thoughts:

It was funny and creepy. I enjoyed the slow burn of something not quite right in the house, and with her dead grandmother, and the forest out back...Her dog Bongo was a hoot too. Kingfisher helps us make sense of why Mouse doesn't leave immediately and makes it believable...granted a few of the things that happened towards the end were a little out there for believability, especially when it comes to her neighbors helping out! But hey you can't fight Evil without neighbors and a dog!

The mystery of her step-grandfather and the white people was really interesting. Kingfisher explains she took it from a really old story and went from there. I thought the world-building was well-done and those poppets were creepy as...well, they were pretty damn creepy!

I like folk horror, especially in movies cuz you just never know which route it's going to take, but I haven't read any folk horror in books so I'm not sure what to compare it to, but I really enjoyed this one and look forward to more horror from T. Kingfisher!

Read as part of my I Read Horror Year-Round Reading Challenge (folk horror prompt)

I Read Horror Year-Round Reading Challenge

Image Source

I always love a good horror book. I've noticed I've been reading more of them throughout the year rather than just during Halloween time. So thankfully, Michelle at Castle Macabre is hosting a brand new horror reading challenge! I'm excited to branch out and find books I normally wouldn't think of based on her prompts. I'm very excited! There are even levels to keep you going from Spooky to Horrifying!!!

I think I'll take a look at some future books that fall into each category. I'd like to read books I own or can borrow from the library and I do not want to pick up a shiny new book that happens to get published this year! (squirrel!) I will update possible reads soon.

My possible prompt list (can change at any time)

1. The Ascent by Ronald Malfi
2. Ghost Story by Peter Straub
3. Bird Box by Josh Malerman
4. Hide and Seeker by Daka Herman
5. The Deep by Alma Katsu
6. 
   
   The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling...the cover really creeps me out!
7. Sawkill Girls by Claire LeGrand
8. Asylum by Madeleine Roux
9. The Good House by Tananarive Due
10. The Rust Maidens by Gwedolyn Kiste
11. The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
12. The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher