Eurovisionathon 2023

My third year joining this readathon. This year I overlapped it with Realmathon, Desertathon and Escape the Readathon.

As you can imagine, the goal is to read books from as many participating countries as possible. The little twist is that your points is calculated by how the countries fare in the contest, so you don’t always win by reading more books. I suppose you can call it read smarter, not faster, though that helps too. I think I am getting better at this game, I checked the betting sites and made sure I read the top 10, but nonetheless quite a few countries I’ve read got kicked out in semi-finals. Not that I would call that a waste of time reading those books…

The reason I so enjoy this readathon is that it introduces me to a lot of new authors and books from different countries. It definitely pushed me to read beyond what I normally do, and I learned much about history and cultures. Nonetheless, after a month, I feel overdosed with WWII stories and memoirs.

The 27 countries I’ve read:

Albania: Ghost Rider by Ismail Kadare
Armenia: Three Apples Fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan
Australia: Hemingway in Spain by David P Reiter (I read this for Spain only to realize I covered that country already, but lucky me, the author happens to be an Aussie!!!!)
Austria: The Devil in Vienna by Doris Orgel
Belgium: Ella in Europe by Michael Konik
Croatia:
Cyprus: Bitter Lemons of Cyprus by Lawrence Durrell
Czech Republic: The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe
Denmark: The Little Book of Lykke by Meik Wiking
Estonia:
Finland: Memory of Water by Emmi Itäranta
France: Not by Bread Alone by Debra Borchert
Georgia:
Germany: Belonging by Nora Krug
Greece: The Naked Olympics by Tony Perrottet
Iceland: Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson
Ireland: Danny Boy by Malachy McCourt
Israel: The Book of Jonah by R. O. Blechman
Italy: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
Latvia:
Lithuania:
Malta:
Moldova:
Netherlands: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Norway: Inadvertent by Karl Ove Knausgaard
Poland: We Won’t See Auschwitz by Jérémie Dres
Portugal: Charlie Hernández and the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo
Romania: A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson
San Marino:
Serbia:
Slovenia: You Do Understand by Andrej Blatnik
Spain: The Ambulance Man And The Spanish Civil War by Paul Read
Sweden: The Book of Eels by Patrik Svensson
Switzerland: Toni The Little Woodcarver by Johanna Spyri
Ukraine: You Don’t Know What War Is by Yeva Skalietska
UK: Love and Death Among the Cheetahs by Rhys Bowen

My favorite reads, regardless of their win or loss in Eurovision, are: The Book of Eels (Sweden), The Fault in Our Stars (Netherlands), Beautiful Ruins (Italy), The Devil in Vienna (Austria), Three Apples Fell from the Sky (Armenia)

And here are some of the books I didn’t get around to, or add from what other participants have read:
Albania: The Sworn Virgin or books by Ismail Kadare
Armenia: Jesus’ Cat by Grigor Shashikyan, Gerdame
Australia: Long Way Gone
Asutria: Last Train to London
Azerbaijan: Orphan Sky, Ali and Nino, Solar Plexis
Belgium: Nowhere Boy or Tin Tin
Croatia: Girl at War
Cyprus: Cake and Puppet, An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma
Czech Republic: Maybe We are Leaving, Kafka
Denmark: Mirror, Shoulder, Signal by Dorthe Nors
Estonia: When Doves Disappear, Purge, Ice Museum, Inner Immigrants
Finland: Norma
Georgia: Flight from the USSR
Luthuania: books by Ruta Sepetys, Words on Fire, From Fang with Love
Malta: Midwife of Venice
Moldova: The Good Life Elsewhere, Power of Language, Bessarion Stamps
Montenegro: Till Kingdom Come
Norway: Karl Ove Knausgaard
Serbia: Tea Obreht, House of Remembering by Filip David
Slovenia: You Do Understand
Ukraine: Land of Stone Flower, Dog Park

2023 Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge

My ninth year doing this challenge! Last year I didn’t complete it, but it seems a lot easier this year, nothing really out of my normal reading: Asian? African? Indigenous? Microhistory? Classic Retelling? Manga? Maybe they realize they overdid it last year, and decided that a graphic novel of a classic retelling drawn by an indigenous artist who is also LGBTQ is a bit too challenging?

A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25: You Don’t Know What War Is

A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65

A collection of short stories (either by one person or an anthology by many people): There’s Nothing Romantic About Washing the Dishes

A book published by an indie press: We’re Still Here

A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ

A book by a person whose gender is different from your own: The Man Who Invented Christmas

A book that takes place in Asia: Tua and the Elephant

A book by an author from Africa

A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Native Americans, Aboriginals, etc.): Pushing the Bear

A microhistory: The Book of Eels

A YA novel: Scion of the Fox

A sci-fi novel: Space Race

A romance novel

A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade

A book that is a retelling of a classic story (fairytale, Shakespearian play, classic novel, etc.): The Palace of Illusions

An audiobook: Never Wave Goodbye

A collection of poetry: I Am Loved, Too

A book that someone else has recommended to you: Babel

A book that was originally published in another language: The Librarian of Auschwitz

A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind: Zom 100

A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure (Read, and then realize that good entertainment is nothing to feel guilty over)

A book published before 1850

A book published this year

A self-improvement book (can be traditionally or non-traditionally considered “self-improvement”)

2023 Popsugar Reading Challenge

My sixth year of this challenge. The year has started off slow – in reading, not in life… Mid March already and I’m only 15th books in. I kept thinking I must have missed journaling some books but nope, I am just not reading much… Hopefully I can finish this year’s challenge.

1. A book you meant to read in 2022: The Book of Jonah
2. A book you bought from an independent bookstore
3. A book about a vacation: Ella in Europe
4. A book by a first-time author: Crossings
5. A book with mythical creatures: The School for Good and Evil
6. A book about a forbidden romance: The Palace of Illusions
7. A book with “Girl” in the title: Paper Girls #1
8. A celebrity memoir
9. A book with a color in the title: Chasing Redbird
10. A romance with a fat lead
11. A book about or set in Hollywood: Beautiful Ruins
12. A book published in spring 2023
13. A book published the year you were born
14. A modern retelling of a classic: The Palace of Illusions
15. A book with a song lyric as its title: Last Train to Paradise
16. A book where the main character’s name is in the title: Tua and the Elephant
17. A book with a love triangle: Mary Modern
18. A book that’s been banned or challenged in any state in 2022: The Bluest Eye
19. A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past challenge
20. A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2023
21. A book set in the decade you were born:
22. A book with a queer lead
23. A book with a map: Babel
24. A book with a rabbit on the cover: Drawing Europe Together
25. A book with just text on the cover
26. The shortest book (by pages) on your TBR list
27. A #BookTok recommendation
28. A book you bought secondhand: Last Train to Paradise
29. A book your friend recommended: Babel
30. A book that’s on a celebrity book-club list
31. A book about a family: The Snow Child
32. A book that comes out in the second half of 2023
33. A book about an athlete/sport: The Naked Olympics
34. A historical-fiction book: Pushing the Bear
35. A book about divorce
36. A book you think your best friend would like
37. A book you should have read in high school: The Devil in Vienna
38. A book you read more than 10 years ago
39. A book you wish you could read for the first time again
40. A book by an author with the same initials as you

2023 GoodReads Around the Year in 52 Books

Life has been so busy – time just really seems to fly by stealthily. I didn’t get to set this page up till late March! My reading is very slow though, I only got to 15 books three months into the year. Hopefully all the readathons in April will help! I’ve been doing this challenge since 2019.

THE 2023 LIST
1. A book set in a location that begins with A, T, or Y: The Snow Child (Alaska)
2. A book by an author you read in 2022: The Tarantula In My Purse
3. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 list
4. A book with an interracial relationship:
5. A book with 4 or more colors on the cover: Zom 100 vol 1

6. A book where books are important: The Man Who Invented Christmas
7. A book with ONE of the five “W” question words in the title: You Don’t Know What War Is
8. An author’s debut book: Crossings
9. A book nominated for an award beginning with W

10. A book related to one of the Spice Girls’ “personalities”
11. A book about a person/character with a disability: Scion of the Fox
12. A book connected to birds, bees, or bunnies: Chasing Redbird
13. A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover: Three Apples Fell from the Sky

14. A book with a con, deception, or fake: Never Wave Goodbye
15. -17. Three books, each of which is set in a different century
Set during Mythological Times (Ancient BCE): The Naked Olympics
Set Pre-19th Century (BCE through the 1700s)
Set in the 19th Century (1800s)
Set in the 20th Century (1900s): Last Train to Paradise
Set in the 21st Century (2000s)
Set Post-21st Century (2100 and Beyond)

18. A book related to science: The Disappearing Spoon
19. A book related to the arts
20. A book with a cover or title that includes a route of travel
21. A book by an Asian diaspora author
22. A book with a faceless person on the cover: The Ghost Rider

23. A book with a body of water in the title: The Blood Runs Like a River Through My Dreams
24. A character that might be called a Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, or Spy: The Librarian of Auschwitz
25. A book with a tropical setting: Last Train to Paradise
26. A book related to pride

27. A book by an author from continental Europe: We Won’t See Auschwitz
28. A book that is dark
29. A book that is light
30. A book related to a chess piece
31. A book found by inputting a favorite author on https://www.literature-map.com

32. A book set in a UNESCO City of Literature
33. A book by an author with a first name popular in 1923
34. A novella
35. A book with a school subject in the title

36. A book that has been translated from another language: The Woman in the Dunes
37. A book with the theme of returning home: Never Wave Goodbye
38. A book with the sun, moon, or stars on the cover: Solar
39. A western

40. A book with a full name in the title: Charlie Hernández and the League of Shadows
41. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists
42. A book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom, or specter
43. A book that involves a murder: Love and Death Among the Cheetahs
44. A book where the cover design includes text that is not completely horizontal: The Tarantula In My Purse

45. A book whose author has published more than 7 books: Squirm
46. A title that contains a word often found in a recipe: Bitter Lemons of Cyprus
47. A book related to a geometric shape: I am Maru
48. A book with an unusually large version of an animal in the story

49. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2022
50. A second book that fits your favorite prompt
51. A book published in 2023
52. A book with an unusual or surprising title: Pushing the Bear

Eurovisionathon 2022

Congratulations to Ukraine for winning the song contest!!

I believe this is my second year joining this readathon. As you can imagine, the goal is to read books from as many participating countries as possible. The little twist is that your points is calculated by how the countries fare in the contest. The first year I simply read whatever books I had handy, not knowing much about the singing competition itself. This year, a bit more experienced, I checked out the betting odds and plan my books accordingly. That said, I am as usual bad at placing bets, so while I read the books for Ukraine and UK, I didn’t quite finish the top 10.

It was a fun reading challenge, and definitely pushed me to read beyond what I normally do, and I learned much about history and cultures. Nonetheless, after a month, I am ready to take a break from all the stories about war and all the lost lives and loves.

The 24 countries I’ve read:

Armenia: Orhan’s Inheritance
Australia: Roundabout
Austria: The Making of the Sound of Music
Bulgaria: East of the West
Cyprus: The Island of Missing Trees (They didn’t make it pass semi-final but definitely one of my top reads)
Czech Republic: The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Denmark: Hamlet’s Father
Estonia: The Inner Immigrant
Finland: The Year of the Hare
France: The Amazing Remarkable Monsieur Leotard
Germany: Address Unknown
Greece: Gods Behaving Badly
Iceland: Moonstone
Italy: Around the World in 80 Days
Lithuania: Thanks to My Mother
Netherlands: Dutch, I Presume
Norway: Odin’s Child
Poland: The Dollmaker of Krakow
Portugal: The Land at the End of the World
Romania: Voices of Dracula
Sweden: A Man Called Ove
Switzerland: Vinzi
Ukraine: The Holocaust by Bullets
UK: The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye

And some books I didn’t get around to this year but hopefully for next time:
Albania: The Sworn Virgin or books by Ismail Kadare
Azerbaijan: Orphan Sky, Ali and Nino
Belgium: Nowhere Boy or Tin Tin
Croatia: Girl at War
Georgia: Flight from the USSR
Luthuania: books by Ruta Sepetys
Malta: Midwife of Venice
Moldova: The Good Life Elsewhere
Montenegro: Till Kingdom Come
Serbia: Tea Obreht
Slovenia: You Do Understand
Ukraine: Land of Stone Flower

2022 GoodReads Around the Year in 52 Books

As usual, the GoodReads challenge is a bit easier than PopSugar and BookRiot, even though it has more prompts. The prompts are more generic and easier for me to fit my regular reads into them.

THE 2022 LIST
1. A book with a main character whose name starts with A, T, or Y: The Sari Shop Widow
2. A book connected to a book you read in 2021: LaRose
3. A book with 22 or more letters in the title: The Ones We’re Meant to Find
4. A book that fits your favorite prompt that did not make the list – A book related to a rabbit: The Empress of Salt and Fortune
5. A book by an author with two sets of double letters in their name: The Amazing Remarkable Monsieur Leotard by Eddie Campbell

6. A book with an image of a source of light on the cover: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
7. A book related to psychology, neuroscience or the mind: Wide Awake and Dreaming
8. 3 books set on three different continents – Book 1: The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Europe)
9. 3 books set on three different continents – Book 2: Walkabout (Australia)

10. 3 books set on three different continents – Book 3: The Secret Piano (Asia)
11. A book from historical fiction genre: The Seer of Shadows
12. A book related to glass: Summer at Tiffany
13. A book about a woman in STEM: The Girl in His Shadow

14. A book with fewer than 5000 ratings on Goodreads: A Tuscan Childhood
15. A book without a person on the cover: Cobwebs and Cream Teas
16. A book related to Earth Day: Ada’s Violin
17. A book from NPR’s Book Concierge: Pax

18. A book by an Asian or Pacific Islander author: Convenience Store Woman
19. A book that involves alternate reality, alternate worlds, or alternate history: Just Like Beauty
20. A fiction or nonfiction book that is set during 1900 -1951: Viral Modernism
21. A book with one of the Monopoly tokens on the cover: My Lead Dog Was a Lesbian
22. A book with a Jewish character or author: The Dollmaker of Krakow

23. A book that features loving LGBTQIA+ relationship: The Island of Missing Trees
24. A book related to inclement weather: The Ones We’re Meant to Find
25. A book less than 220 pages OR more than 440 pages: The Thief and the Dogs
26. 2 books with the same word in the title – Book 1: Neither Wolf Nor Dog

27. 2 books with the same word in the title – Book 2: Lone Wolf
28. A book that won an award from Powell’s list of book awards: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
29. A book set on or near a body of water: The Voyage of the Frog
30. A book related to mythology: Gods Behaving Badly

31. A book published at least 10 years ago: The Real Food Revival
32. A book where the main character is a female detective/private eye/police officer: The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
33. The next book in a series: Eat Prey Love
34. A book with an academic setting or with a teacher that plays an important role: Mister Pip
35. 2 books related to flora and fauna – Book 1: Baree

36. 2 books related to flora and fauna – Book 2: To See Every Bird on Earth
37. A book that uses all five vowels in the title and/or author’s name: The Bicycle Spy by Yona Zeldis McDonough
38. A book by a Latin American author: City of the Beasts
39. A book from the TIME list of 100 Best YA Books of All Time: Darius the Great Is Not Okay

40. A book related to one of the 22 Tarot Major Arcana cards: The Third Angel
41. A book with a theme of food or drink: From Hardtack to Home Fries
42. A book with a language or nationality in the title: How to Love a Jamaican
43. A book set in a small town or rural area: Cobwebs and Cream Teas
44. A book with gothic elements: Voices of Dracula

45. A book related to a game: The Stuff of Legend
46. A book with a non-human as one of the main characters: My Dog Skip
47. A book with handwriting on the cover: Mockingbird
48. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2021 or 2022: One of Us is Lying

49. A book connected to the phrase “Here (There) Be Dragons”: Ember and the Ice Dragons
50. A book that involves aging, or a character in their golden years: Mrs. Perivale and the Blue Fire Crystal
51. A book published in 2022: Beyond the Next Village
52. A book with a time-related word in the title: The Year of the Hare

2022 Popsugar Reading Challenge

My fifth year of the Popsugar Challenge. This one is always quite a challenge with 40 prompts. As usual, I learn a few new words.

• A book published in 2022: Counterfeit
• A book set on a plane, train, or cruise ship: The Train in the Meadow
• A book about or set in a nonpatriarchal society: Monstress
• A book with a tiger on the cover or “tiger” in the title: The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen
• A sapphic book: Cinderella Is Dead
• A book by a Latinx author: City of the Beasts
• A book with an onomatopoeia in its title: Five Go Bump in the Night
• A book with a protagonist who uses a mobility aid: Pax
• A book about a “found family”: A Man Called Ove
• An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner: The Dew Breaker
• A #BookTok recommendation: One of Us is Lying 
• A book about the afterlife: The Seer of Shadows
• A book set in the 1980s: Sisters
• A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title: The Duchess Who Wouldn’t Sit Down
• A book by a Pacific Islander author: Kapaemahu
• A book about witches: The Last Fallen Star
• A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2022: Around the World in Eighty Days
• A romance novel by a BIPOC author: The Sari Shop Widow
• A book that takes place during your favorite season: Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding
• A book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read: The Dutch, I Presume?
• A book about a band or musical group: Yonen Buzz vol 1
• A book with a character on the ace spectrum: Gods Behaving Badly
• A book with a recipe in it: The Real Food Revival
• A book you can read in one sitting: Address unknown
• A book about a secret: The Bicycle Spy
• A book with a misleading title: Remote Control
• A Hugo Award winner: The Empress of Salt and Fortune
• A book set during a holiday: Odin’s Child
• A different book by an author you read in 2021: LaRose
• A book with the name of a board game in the title: Five Go Bump in the Night
• A book featuring a man-made disaster: The Ones We’re Meant to Find
• A book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page: A Dog’s Purpose
• A social-horror book: The House of Dies Drear
• A book set in Victorian times: Voices of Dracula
• A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title: Navigating The Golden Compass
• A book you know nothing about: The Third Angel
• A book about gender identity: The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist
• A book featuring a party: Wide Awake and Dreaming
• An #OwnVoices SFF (science fiction and fantasy) book: The Ones We’re Meant to Find
• A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge – A book you think your best friend would like: Without Reservations

Advanced

• A book with a reflected image on the cover or “mirror” in the title
• A book that features two languages
• A book with a palindromic title
• A duology (1)
• A duology (2)
• A book about someone leading a double life
• A book featuring a parallel reality
• A book with two POVs
• Two books set in twin towns, aka “sister cities” (1)
• Two books set in twin towns, aka “sister cities” (2)

2022 Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge

I looked it up and I have been doing this challenge since 2015. Book Riot says that it’s their eighth year, so that would mean I have been doing it since their first one! Look forward to another year of interesting and unusual reads, though… must I read political thrillers and horrors? X (

So… I didn’t finish this year’s challenge. I only managed 1/3 way through The Best American Food Writing 2021. I thought I’d have plenty of time to finish reading it, considering we have 5 hours to drive to our friend’s place for NYE celebration. Unfortunately I was so overworked I fell asleep part of the time, not to mention that my eyes are getting old, and reading on my phone in a moving car in the dark was too tiring for my eyes. I did enjoy reading the essays in the book and will try to finish it in 2023.

1. Read a biography of an author you admire: In the Weeds
2. Read a book set in a bookstore: Prose and Cons
3. Read any book from the Women’s Prize shortlist/longlist/winner list: The Island of Missing Trees 
4. Read a book in any genre by a POC that’s about joy and not trauma: The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down
5. Read an anthology featuring diverse voices: Paris In Mind
6. Read a nonfiction YA comic: Sisters
7. Read a romance where at least one of the protagonists is over 40: The Sari Shop Widow
8. Read a classic written by a POC: A Bond Undone
9. Read the book that’s been on your TBR the longest: How To Solve a Murder (12 years!!!)
10. Read a political thriller by a marginalized author (BIPOC, or LGBTQIA+)： While Justice Sleeps
11. Read a book with an asexual and/or aromantic main character: Gods Behaving Badly
12. Read an entire poetry collection: The Lost Words
13. Read an adventure story by a BIPOC author: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
14. Read a book whose movie or TV adaptation you’ve seen (but haven’t read the book): Rascal
15. Read a new-to-you literary magazine (print or digital): 3cents
16. Read a book recommended by a friend with different reading tastes: Odin’s Child
17. Read a memoir written by someone who is trans or nonbinary: The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist
18. Read a “Best _ Writing of the year” book for a topic and year of your choice.
19. Read a horror novel by a BIPOC author: Meddling Kids
20. Read an award-winning book from the year you were born: The Egypt Game
21. Read a queer retelling of a classic of the canon, fairytale, folklore, or myth: Cinderella is Dead
22. Read a history about a period you know little about: Midnight in Peking
23. Read a book by a disabled author: The Reason I Jump
24. Pick a challenge from any of the previous years’ challenges to repeat! – Read a historical fiction with a POC or LGBTQ+ protagonist: The Book Of Negroes

2021 GoodReads Around the Year in 52 Books

I finished most of the prompts fairly early, as the prompts are rather general, compared to prompts like “read a sff book by a LGBTQ+ author”. The only challenge is I somehow get the word “Chip” by the random word generator, and did have to rack the brain a bit to link the books I’ve read with the word. Chocolate chips cookie comes to mind but I didn’t read a book about cookies. I read a book about See’s candies but they don’t make cookies. I thought about computer chips, but didn’t read a book about computers. I thought about robots, and Klara and the Sun may work if I haven’t used it for another prompt. Finally, I was reading The Persian Pickle Club for a readathon and realized that, hey, pickle chips is a thing. I hate pickles, but hey challenge completed.

1. A book related to “In the Beginning…”: Tunkashila
2. A book by an author whose name doesn’t contain the letters A, T or Y: The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer
3. A book related to the lyrics for the song “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music: Girls Made of Snow and Glass
4. A book with a monochromatic cover: Medicine Walk
5. A book by an author on USA Today’s list of 100 Black Novelists You Should Read: Brown Girl Dreaming
6. A love story: The Prodigal
7. A book that fits a prompt suggestion that didn’t make the final list – A book about an invention or discovery: Brightstorm
8. A book set in a state, province, or country you have never visited: Bring Jade Home
9. A book you associate with a specific season or time of year: The Autumn Castle
10. A book with a female villain or criminal: The Puffin of Death
11. A book to celebrate The Grand Egyptian Museum: Elsewhere, Home
12. A book eligible for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation: Things We Lost in the Fire
13. A book written by an author of one of your best reads of 2020: Mexican Gothic
14. A book set in a made-up place: The Lust Lizard Of Melancholy Cove
15. A book that features siblings as the main characters: The Sacrifice
16. A book with a building in the title: The House in the Cerulean Sea
17. A book with a Muslim character or author: The Olive Season
18. 3 books related to “Past, Present, Future” – Book 1: The Reluctant Assassin
19. 3 books related to “Past, Present, Future” – Book 2: Before the Coffee Gets Cold
20. 3 books related to “Past, Present, Future” – Book 3: We Are the Weather
21. A book whose title and author both contain the letter “u”: The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich
22. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads: Klara and the Sun
23. A cross genre novel: The Archer (self help + fiction)
24. A book about racism or race relations: This Is What America Looks Like
25. A book set on an island: Claire of the Sea Light
26. A short book (<210 pages) by a new-to-you author: Doppler
27. A book with a character who can be found in a deck of cards: Castle in the Air
28. A book connected to ice: My Penguin Year
29. A book that you consider comfort reading: The Tale of Hill Top Farm
30. A long book: Braiding Sweetgrass
31. A book by an author whose career spanned more than 21 years: Aleph by Paulo Coelho
32. A book whose cover shows more than 2 people: My Two Moms
33. A collection of short stories, essays, or poetry: Japanese Fairy Tales
34. A book with a travel theme: Gullible’s Travels
35. A book set in a country on or below the Tropic of Cancer: Things We Lost in the Fire
36. A book with six or more words in the title: The Woman Who Died a Lot
37. A book from the Are You Well Read in World Literature list: The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes
38. A book related to a word given by a random word generator (chip): The Persian Pickle Club
39. A book involving an immigrant: The Buddha in the Attic
40. A book with flowers or greenery on the cover: The Olive Tree
41. A book by a new-to-you BIPOC author: Cadwell Turnbull
42. A mystery or thriller: Gone Bamboo
43. A book with elements of magic: The Bear and the Nightingale
44. A book whose title contains a negative: We of the Never-Never
45. A book related to a codeword from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet: Secret Daughter (India)
46. A winner or nominee from the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards: The Midnight Library
47. A non-fiction book other than biography, autobiography or memoir: What If?
48. A book that might cause someone to react “You read what?!?”: Mauve
49. A book with an ensemble cast: The Power
50. A book published in 2021: The Immortal Boy
51. A book whose title refers to person(s) without giving their name: The Boy from Baby House 10
52. A book related to “the end”: Armageddon Summer

2021 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge

i managed to finish this year’s challenge with a week or so to spare, yay!! The has quite a lot of LGBTQ+ and POC representation, which honestly does push my boundary a bit, in a good way. Definitely would not have read those books if not for the challenge, and I don’t regret reading them.

Read a book you’ve been intimidated to read: We of the Never-Never
Read a nonfiction book about anti-racism: This Is What America Looks Like
Read a non-European novel in translation: Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Read an LGBTQ+ history book: Gentleman Jack
Read a genre novel by an Indigenous, First Nations, or Native American author: The Master Butcher Singing Club
Read a fanfic: Hikaru’s Game (Hikaru no Go + Ender’s Game)
Read a fat-positive romance: Fat Chance, Charlie Vega
Read a romance by a trans or nonbinary author: If I Was Your Girl
Read a middle grade mystery: Lady Margaret’s Ghost
Read an SFF anthology edited by a person of color: Love After the End
Read a food memoir by an author of color: Eat a Peach
Read a work of investigative nonfiction by an author of color: Push Out
Read a book with a cover you don’t like: Keeper of the Female Medicine Bundle
Read a realistic YA book not set in the U.S., UK, or Canada: Goong
Read a memoir by a Latinx author: In the Dream House
Read an own voices book about disability: Waking
Read an own voices YA book with a Black main character that isn’t about Black pain: A River of Royal Blood
Read a book by/about a non-Western world leader: Peace Is Every Breath
Read a historical fiction with a POC or LGBTQ+ protagonist: The Book of Salt
Read a book of nature poems: Poems for a Small Park
Read a children’s book that centers a disabled character but not their disability: Brightstorm
Read a book set in the Midwest: My Two Moms
Read a book that demystifies a common mental illness: Losing My MInd
Read a book featuring a beloved pet where the pet doesn’t die: Bring Jade Home

2021 Popsugar Reading Challenge

Another new year of reading! I’ve joined this challenge since 2018, so this is my fourth year participating.

Last year I wrote “Of all the challenges I participate in, this one really takes me out of my comfort zone, not to mention introduces me to some new genres and words” and seems like this continues to be true! I’ve never heard of Afrofuturist? And what is dark academia? And locked room mystery is definitely something I would read only for a challenge.

Dec 23: I completed this relatively easily this year. with time to spare, and nothing too out of my ordinary routine.

REGULAR
1. A book that published in 2021: The Immortal Boy
2. An Afrofuturist book: The Lesson
3. A book that has a heart, diamond, club, or spade on the cover: Martin Misunderstood
4. A book by an author who shares your zodiac sign: Eat a Peach by David Chang
5. A dark academia book: Mexican Gothic
6. A book with a gem, mineral, or rock in the title: Bring Jade Home
7. A book where the main character works at your current or dream job: The Tale of Hill Top Farm
8. A book that has won the Women’s Prize for Fiction: The Power
9. A book with a family tree: Brown Girl Dreaming
10. A bestseller from the 1990s: Jazz by Toni Morrison
11. A book about forgetting: The Book of Lost Names
12. A book you have seen on someone’s bookshelf (in real life, on a Zoom call, in a TV show, etc.): Brightstorm
13. A locked-room mystery: The Sanatorium
14. A book set in a restaurant: The Apprentice
15. A book with a black-and-white cover: Girls Made of Snow and Glass
16. A book by an indigenous author: Medicine Walk
17. A book that has the same title as a song: Gone Bamboo
18. A book about a subject you are passionate about: See’s Famous Old Time Candies
19. A book that discusses body positivity: Fat Chance, Charlie Vega
20. A book on a Black Lives Matter reading list: Push Out
21. A genre hybrid: Keeper of the Female Medicine Bundle
22. A book set mostly or entirely outdoors: Row for Freedom
23. A book with something broken on the cover: The Woman Who Died a Lot
24. A book by a Muslim American / Muslim British author: This Is What America Looks Like
25. A book that was published anonymously: The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes and of His Fortunes and Adversities
26. A book with an oxymoron in the title: Elsewhere, Home
27. A book about do-overs or fresh starts: My Maasai Life
28. A magical realism book: The Midnight Library
29. A book set in multiple countries: The Book of Lost Names
30. A book set somewhere you’d like to visit in 2021: A Van of One’s Own
31. A book by a blogger, vlogger, YouTube video creator, or other online personality: What If?
32. A book whose title starts with “Q,” “X,” or “Z”: Quiet
33. A book featuring three generations (grandparent, parent, child): Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
34. A book about a social justice issue: My Two Moms
35. A book in a different format than what you normally read (audiobooks, ebooks, graphic novels): Poems for a Small Park
36. A book that has fewer than 1,000 reviews on Amazon or Goodreads: Gullible’s Travels
37. A book you think your best friend would like: The Buddha in the Attic
38. A book about art or an artist: The Last Nude
39. A book everyone seems to have read but you: Before the Coffee Gets Cold
40. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge – (2019)  A book inspired by myth/legend/folklore: The Moorchild

ADVANCED
41. The longest book (by pages) on your TBR list
42. The shortest book (by pages) on your TBR list
43. The book on your TBR list with the prettiest cover
44. The book on your TBR list with the ugliest cover
45. The book that’s been on your TBR list for the longest amount of time
46. A book from your TBR list you meant to read last year but didn’t: Things A Little Bird Told Me
47. A book from your TBR list you associate with a favorite person, place, or thing
48. A book from your TBR list chosen at random
49. A DNF book from your TBR list
50. A free book from your TBR list (gifted, borrowed, library)

Dewey October 2020 Readathon

Six months since April, still in a stay-at-home hermit-like existence, which means I get to participate fully in the readathon again! More than my average “fully”, I’m to host a Twitter party as well as a mini challenge, woohoo!! This does side track me from reading more, but at least I get to knock off a few Ballycumbers, I hope.

Conclusion: Well, the page count is rather dismay. I just can’t seem to pull the 1000 pages I used to do. I seriously need to lock my phone away… : ( But at least I cleared off some of my Ballycumbers. Also, it was fun hosting the Twitter party and I’d like to do it again if given the chance. A little sad my challenge only got 3 replies though.

Total Pages read so far: 569

Dreaming Water pgs 188-288 (101)
Sexing the Cherry pgs 70-144 (75)
Soaring with Fidel pgs 140-286 (147)
A Street Cat Named Bob pgs 50-232 (183)
The Song That Owl God Sang pgs 1-62 (63)

Total Time spent reading so far: 10 hr

Mini-challenges I’ve entered:
Fall/Autumn Reference
Readathon Snack Attack

Make Their Dreams Come True

Have you ever read about a character who has financial woes and you just so wish you can help them? Well, here’s your chance! Help them achieve their dreams, and imagine a better life for them!

I wonder if anybody else is reading memoirs today? A good one can be as much a pageturner as the best novels. For this readathon, one of the books I am reading is The International Bank of Bob by Bob Harris. The author travels around the world to find out how microloans are helping people in developing countries, which inspires this mini challenge.

Kiva.org is a nonprofit that links people in need with those who can help. When you visit the site, you can check out the borrower profiles and see who you would like to lend your money to: an artisan in Bali, a bookstore in Kenya, a coffee grower in Nicaragua…

For this challenge, you will help a book character write their story, in a few short paragraphs, about them and what they aspire to do with the loan. You can click on a few profiles on Kiva.org to get some idea how the profile looks like.

Here’s an example:

Liz is a high school senior in Indiana who lives with her grandparents and her brother. She has excellent grades in school and plays the clarinet as well as compose music. Liz is accepted into a prestigious college, and she hopes that Kiva loaners can help her with her education fees. She hopes to play in the orchestra in college and her dream is to become a doctor and cure her brother’s sickle cell disease. (You Should See Me in a Crown) 

Please post your loan profile, or a link to your reply, below. I will randomly select a winner for a Kiva gift card, so you can make a real life loan to help someone. You will need to provide me with an email for me to send the prize.

2020 April Dewey Readathon

I haven’t participated in Dewey’s 24 Hr Readathon much in the last few years; April and October are busy travel seasons for me. However, this year… everybody is staying home due to the coronavirus.  I still have to work, but it’s easy enough to arrange the day off.

That said, while my phone clocked me at reading close to 16 hours, I have to admit that I do spend a good chunk of time being distracted on my phone, what with Pokemon and Animal Crossing, which definitely slowed down my reading speed. I did finish a few books, but if I did the math, the page count per hour is probably dismal.

I’ve read and finished:

Raspberries on the Yangtze (148 pages)
Revenge of the Mooncake Vixen (214 pages)
(both of which are for the OWLs Readathon as well)
Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids (189 pages)

as well as read partially:

Rescue Road
Tall, Dark & Hungry

 

2020 Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge

This is the sixth year of the Read Harder Challenge and my fourth year participating.  This challenge really does help me “break out of your reading bubble and expand your worldview through books”.  This year’s challenge seems relatively easy, or rather, not too far from what I normally read. The only one that’s a little challenging is the play, which I won’t imagine picking up to read unless I’m in a class, lol. 

1. Read a YA nonfiction book – Tisha

2. Read a retelling of a classic of the canon, fairytale, or myth by an author of color – Revenge of the Mooncake Vixen

3. Read a mystery where the victim(s) is not a woman – The Fire Kimono

4. Read a graphic memoir – Dare to Disappoint

5. Read a book about a natural disaster – The Preservationist

6. Read a play by an author of color and/or queer author – Yellow Face

7. Read a historical fiction novel not set in WWII: A Mercy

8. Read an audiobook of poetry – Poetry of K.Y. Robinson

9 Read the LAST book in a series – Silvertongue

10. Read a book that takes place in a rural setting: Driving Over Lemons

11. Read a debut novel by a queer author: You Should See Me in a Crown

12. Read a memoir by someone from a religious tradition (or lack of religious tradition) that is not your own: The Betrayal

13. Read a food book about a cuisine you’ve never tried before: Gastronaut

14. Read a romance starring a single parent: Born to Bite

15. Read a book about climate change: South Pole Station

16. Read a doorstopper (over 500 pages) published after 1950, written by a woman: Midnight Sun

17. Read a sci-fi/fantasy novella (under 120 pages): The Artemis Fowl Files (includes two novellas)

18. Read a picture book with a human main character from a marginalized community: The Last Story of Mina Lee

19. Read a book by or about a refugee: I Shall Not Hate

20. Read a middle grade book that doesn’t take place in the U.S. or the UK: Lara’s Gift

21. Read a book with a main character or protagonist with a disability (fiction or non): Ghost Boy

22. Read a horror book published by an indie press: Slightly Spooky Stories

23. Read an edition of a literary magazine (digital or physical): Tiny Words

24. Read a book in any genre by a Native, First Nations, or Indigenous author: The Song the Owl God Sang