11.24.2016

2016 Reading Challenges

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)*