Just Keep Reading: 2016

I'm going to attempt two challenges this year, mostly because these seem more doable than last year's Book Riot Challenge. As much as possible I won't choose picture books to fulfill the challenge but I will double (or triple) up if a single book meets multiple challenges; these books are denoted with an asterisk.

My local public library system's reading challenge:

A book by a local author or set in the DC / MD / VA area:

Cook Korean! A Comic Book With Recipes by Robin Ha (July)*

A book from a genre you don't typically read:

The Sympathizer by Viet Than Nguyen (April)*
The First Fifteen Lives of Henry August (June)*
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (August/September)
The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore (October)*
Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell (Simon & Schuster Audio) (October)*
Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley (November)*

An audiobook (CD, e-audio, etc.):

After the Funeral by Agatha Christie (Harper Audio) (July/August)
Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell (Simon & Schuster Audio) (October)*

A graphic novel or comic book:

Human Body Theater by Maris Wicks (January)*
SuperMutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki (March)
Trashed by Derf Backderf (March)*
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 2: Squirrel You Know It's True by Ryan North and Erica Henderson (March)
Manifest Destiny, Vol. 3: Chiroptera & Carniformaves by Chris Dingess, Matthew Roberts, and Owen Gieni (March)*
Monstress by Marjorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda (ongoing, reading single issues as they come out)*
Pretty Deadly by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Ríos (ongoing, reading single issues as they come out)*
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (volumes 1, 7, and 8 in English, volume 2 in Japanese) by Hayao Miyazaki (April)*
Paper Girls, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Matthew Wilson (April)*
The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks (April)*
Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride by Lucy Knisley (May)*
Space Battle Lunchtime by Natalie Riess (ongoing, reading single issues as they come out)
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier (read the ARC in May)*
Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean by Maris Wicks (May)*
Templar by Jordan Mechner, LeUyen Pham, and Alex Puvilland (May)*
Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova (June)
Lumberjanes, Volume 3: A Terrible Plan by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Carolyn Nowak, Maarta Laiho, Aubrey Aiese, Brittney Williams, Aimee Fleck, Faith Erin Hicks, Rebecca Tobin, Felicia Choo, and T. Zysk (June)*
Lumberjanes Gotham Academy by Chynna Clugston Flores and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell (ongoing, reading single issues as they come out)
Princeless, Volume 3: The Pirate Princess by Jeremy Whitley, Rosy Higgins, and Ted Brandt (June)*
Saga, Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (July)*
Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey by Ozge Samanci (July)*
Cook Korean! A Comic Book With Recipes by Robin Ha (July)*
Princeless, Volume 4: Be Yourself by Jeremy Whitley, Emily Martin, and Brett Grunig (July)*
Lumberjanes, Volume 4: Out of Time by Shannon Watters, Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, and Brooke Allen (July)*
Sweaterweather: & Other Short Stories by Sara Varon (July)
Ms. Marvel, Volume 4: Last Days by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona (August)*
Ms. Marvel, Volume 5: Super Famous by G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa, Adrian Alphona, and Nico Leon (August)*
New Super-Man by Gene Luen Yang and Viktor Bogdanovic (ongoing, reading single issues)*
Kingsway West by Greg Pak and Mirko Colak (ongoing, reading single issues)*
Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, Issue #1 by Julie Benson, Shawna Benson, and Claire Roe (September)
Compass South by Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock (September)*
The Worrier's Guide to Life by Gemma Correll (September)
Mirror, Volume 1: The Mountain by Emma Ríos and Hwei Lim (October)*
NewsPrints by Ru Xu (read the ARC in November)*
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (November)*
Paper Girls, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Matthew Wilson (December)*
Rutabaga the Adventure Chef, Book 2: Feasts of Fury by Eric Colossal (December)*

A book by an author whose race, religion, or ethnicity is different from your own:

My Name Is Jason. Mine Too.: Our Story. Our Way. by Jason Reynolds, Jason Griffin (April)
Welcome to Braggsville by T. Geronimo Johnson (April/May)*
Princeless, Volume 3: The Pirate Princess by Jeremy Whitley, Rosy Higgins, and Ted Brandt (June)*
Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey by Ozge Samanci (July)*
Princeless, Volume 4: Be Yourself by Jeremy Whitley, Emily Martin, and Brett Grunig (July)*
Tru & Nelle by G. Neri (August)*
Ms. Marvel, Volume 4: Last Days by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona (August)*
Ms. Marvel, Volume 5: Super Famous by G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa, Adrian Alphona, and Nico Leon (August)*
How to Build a Museum: Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture by Tonya Bolden (September)*
Ghost by Jason Reynolds (October)*
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi (October)*

A book published this year:

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo (read the ARC in January)*
Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale by David Kudler (read the ARC in January/February)*
The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman (March)*
When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin (read the ARC in March)
The Inn Between by Marina Cohen (March)
Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers (March/April)
Paper Girls, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Matthew Wilson (April)*
The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks (April)*
When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin (read the ARC in April)*
The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kell (April)*
Poison is Not Polite (Wells and Wong #2) by Robin Stevens (May)
Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride by Lucy Knisley (May)*
Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban (May)*
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier (read the ARC in May)*
Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean by Maris Wicks (May)*
Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War by Mary Roach (read the ARC in May)*
Lumberjanes, Volume 3: A Terrible Plan by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Carolyn Nowak, Maarta Laiho, Aubrey Aiese, Brittney Williams, Aimee Fleck, Faith Erin Hicks, Rebecca Tobin, Felicia Choo, and T. Zysk (June)*
Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd (Flavia de Luce #8) by Alan Bradley (read the ARC in June)
Saga, Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (July)*
Some Writer!: The Story of E. B. White by Melissa Sweet (read the ARC in July)*
Cook Korean! A Comic Book With Recipes by Robin Ha (July)*
Lumberjanes, Volume 4: Out of Time by Shannon Watters, Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, and Brooke Allen (July)*
Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (read the ARC in July)*
Weekends with Max and His Dad by Linda Urban (July)*
Tru & Nelle by G. Neri (August)*
Ms. Marvel, Volume 4: Last Days by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona (August)*
Ms. Marvel, Volume 5: Super Famous by G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa, Adrian Alphona, and Nico Leon (August)*
Stiletto by Daniel O'Malley (August)*
The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye (August/September)*
Compass South by Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock (September)*
The Blackthorn Key #2: Mark of the Plague by Kevin Sands (September)*
Mirror, Volume 1: The Mountain by Emma Ríos and Hwei Lim (October)*
Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey (October)*
Ottoline and the Purple Fox by Chris Riddell (October)*
The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore (October)*
Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky (October)*
Ghost by Jason Reynolds (October)*
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi (October)*
Up From the Sea by Leza Lowitz (November)
Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley (November)*
You're Saying It Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words--and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse by Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras (read the ARC in October/November)*
Appetites: A Cookbook by Anthony Bourdain (November)*
Bad Girls of Fashion: Style Rebels from Cleopatra to Lady Gaga by Jennifer Croll and Ada Buchholc (read the ARC in November)*
Paper Girls, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Matthew Wilson (December)*

A nonfiction book:

Marching for Freedom: Walk Together Children and Don't You Grow Weary by Elizabeth Partridge (February)
The Tortoise and the Soldier: A Story of Courage and Friendship in World War I by Michael Foreman (March)
Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean by Maris Wicks (May)*
Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War by Mary Roach (read the ARC in May)*
The World of PostSecret by Frank Warren
Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey by Ozge Samanci (July)*
Some Writer!: The Story of E. B. White by Melissa Sweet (read the ARC in July)*
Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (read the ARC in July)*
Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad by M.T. Anderson (August)*
How to Build a Museum: Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture by Tonya Bolden (September)*
Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky (October)*
Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell (Simon & Schuster Audio) (October)*
You're Saying It Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words--and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse by Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras (read the ARC in October/November)*
Appetites: A Cookbook by Anthony Bourdain (November)*
Bad Girls of Fashion: Style Rebels from Cleopatra to Lady Gaga by Jennifer Croll and Ada Buchholc (read the ARC in November)*

A memoir, biography, or autobiography of someone who is still alive:

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik (February)*
Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride by Lucy Knisley (May)*
Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey by Ozge Samanci (July)*
Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (read the ARC in July)*

A book that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, children to adults:

Human Body Theater by Maris Wicks (January)*
Puppy Pool Party!: An Underwater Dogs Adventure by Seth Casteel (read the ARC in April)
When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin (read the ARC in April)*
Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean by Maris Wicks (May)*
Cook Korean! A Comic Book With Recipes by Robin Ha (July)*
Hot Pink Flying Saucers and Other Clouds by Gavin Pretor-Pinney (August)
How to Build a Museum: Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture by Tonya Bolden (September)*
Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky (October)*

A book that has been made into a movie:

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (volumes 1, 7, and 8 in English, volume 2 in Japanese) by Hayao Miyazaki (April)*

A book recommended by another person or organization (like your library!):

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik (February)*
Trashed by Derf Backderf (March)*
When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin (read the ARC in April)*
Jazz Day: The Making of a Famous Photograph by Roxane Orgill and Francis Vallejo (April)
Space Battle Lunchtime, Issue #1 by Natalie Riess (May)*
Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban (May)*
Templar by Jordan Mechner, LeUyen Pham, and Alex Puvilland (May)*
Some Writer!: The Story of E. B. White by Melissa Sweet (read the ARC in July)*
Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (read the ARC in July)*
Weekends with Max and His Dad by Linda Urban (July)*
Ghost by Jason Reynolds (October)*

An award winner:

The Sympathizer by Viet Than Nguyen (April)*
Paper Girls, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Matthew Wilson (April)*
Welcome to Braggsville by T. Geronimo Johnson (April/May)*
The First Fifteen Lives of Henry August (June)*
Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad by M.T. Anderson (August)*
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (August)
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (August/September)*
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (November)*

BONUS: A book that takes place in the future:

New Super-Man by Gene Luen Yang and Viktor Bogdanovic (ongoing, reading single issues)*

Book Riot's 2016 Read Harder Challenge:

Read a horror book:

Monstress by Marjorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda (ongoing)*

Read a nonfiction book about science:

Human Body Theater by Maris Wicks (January)*
Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean by Maris Wicks (May)*
Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War by Mary Roach (read the ARC in May)*
Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky (October)*

Read a collection of essays:

Read a book out loud to someone else:

Read a middle grade novel:

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo (read the ARC in January)*
Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale by David Kudler (read the ARC in January/February)*
When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin (read the ARC in March)
The Inn Between by Marina Cohen (March)
Nooks & Crannies by Jessica Lawson (April)
When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin (read the ARC in April)*
The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kell (April)*
The Blackthorn Key (The Blackthorn Key #1) by Kevin Sands (April)*
Poison is Not Polite (Wells and Wong #2) by Robin Stevens (May)
Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban (May)*
Lou Lou and Pea and the Mural Mystery by Jill Diamond and Lesley Vamos (read the ARC in June)
Weekends with Max and His Dad by Linda Urban (July)*
Tru & Nelle by G. Neri (August)*
Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong by A.J. Low, Adan Jimenez, Felicia Low-Jimenez, and Drewscape (September)
The Blackthorn Key #2: Mark of the Plague by Kevin Sands (September)*
Ottoline and the Purple Fox by Chris Riddell (October)*
Ghost by Jason Reynolds (October)*
First Class Murder (Wells and Wong #3) by Robin Stevens (November)
Book Uncle and Me by Uma Krishnaswami (November/December)
My Happy Life by Rose Lagercrantz (December)
The Lotterys Plus One by Emma Donoghue (December)

Read a biography (not a memoir or autobiography):

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik (February)*
Some Writer!: The Story of E. B. White by Melissa Sweet (read the ARC in July)*
Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad by M.T. Anderson (August)*
Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell (Simon & Schuster Audio) (October)*

Read a dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel:

Mirror, Volume 1: The Mountain by Emma Ríos and Hwei Lim (October)*

Read a book originally published in the decade you were born:

Listen to an audiobook that has won an Audie award:

Read a book over 500 pages long:

Stiletto by Daniel O'Malley (August)*
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (August/September)*
The Blackthorn Key #2: Mark of the Plague by Kevin Sands (September)*

Read a book under 100 pages:

The Story of Diva and Flea by Mo Willems, Tony DiTerlizzi (May)
How to Build a Museum: Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture by Tonya Bolden (September)*

Read a book by or about a person that identifies as transgender:

I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel, Jazz Jennings, Shelagh McNicholas (April)

Read a book that is set in the Middle East:

Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey by Ozge Samanci (July)*

Read a book that is by an author from Southeast Asia:

The Sympathizer by Viet Than Nguyen (April)*
The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kell (April)*

Read a book of historical fiction set before 1900:

Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix (January)
Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale by David Kudler (read the ARC in January/February)*
The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman (March)*
The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands (April)*
Templar by Jordan Mechner, LeUyen Pham, and Alex Puvilland (May)*
The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye (August/September)*
Compass South by Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock (September)*
The Blackthorn Key #2: Mark of the Plague by Kevin Sands (September)*
Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey (October)*

Read the first book in a series by a person of color:

Ghost by Jason Reynolds (October)*
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi (October)*
NewsPrints by Ru Xu (read the ARC in November)*

Read a non-superhero comic that debuted in the last three years:

Manifest Destiny by Chris Dingess, Matthew Roberts, and Owen Gieni (ongoing)
Monstress by Marjorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda (ongoing)
Mirror by Emma Ríos and Hwei Lim (ongoing)*
Pretty Deadly by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Ríos (ongoing)
Paper Girls, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Matthew Wilson (April)*
The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks (April)*
Goldie Vance, Issue #1 by Hope Larson, Brittany Williams, and Sarah Stern (April)
Space Battle Lunchtime, Issue #1 by Natalie Riess (May)*
Kingsway West by Greg Pak and Mirko Colak (ongoing, reading single issues)*
Paper Girls, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Matthew Wilson (December)*
Rutabaga the Adventure Chef, Book 2: Feasts of Fury by Eric Colossal (December)*

Read a book that was adapted into a movie, then watch the movie. Debate which is better:

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (volumes 1, 7, and 8 in English, volume 2 in Japanese) by Hayao Miyazaki (April)*

Read a nonfiction book about feminism or dealing with feminist themes:

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik (February)*
Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride by Lucy Knisley (May)*
Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky (October)*
Bad Girls of Fashion: Style Rebels from Cleopatra to Lady Gaga by Jennifer Croll and Ada Buchholc (read the ARC in November)*

Read a book about religion (fiction or nonfiction):

Templar by Jordan Mechner, LeUyen Pham, and Alex Puvilland (May)* Kind of?

Read a book about politics, in your country or another (fiction or nonfiction):

The Sympathizer by Viet Than Nguyen (April)*

Read a food memoir:

Cook Korean! A Comic Book With Recipes by Robin Ha (July)*

Read a play:

Read a book with a main character that has a mental illness:

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (August/September)*

It's the last Monday in January but I'm hoping to get back into posting my weekly reads. The reason I haven't been posting recently is because I got a job in early October and I just haven't had the time to blog.

It may not be every week, but my aim is to not abandon this project entirely. So, here goes for what I've read since the beginning of 2016 ...

[To rehash the concept :: post what you read last week, what you're reading now, and what you plan to read this week. If you have a review of the book(s), great! If you have a picture of the book(s), wonderful! If you have a book giveaway, fantastic! If you just list the title(s) of the book(s), not a problem! Make it as simple or as complex as you need it to be. At least, that's the message I got. This version of the meme is hosted by Jen and Kellee of Teach Mentor Text, which, in turn, was inspired by Sheila over at Book Journey, who hosts the original It's Monday! What Are You Reading?]

WHAT I READ SINCE JANUARY 1: