I have always wanted to do one of the reading challenges that are posted all over the internet. I follow people on youtube who shove their books in my face and sulk over my one unfinished book that I started three months earlier on January first.
I’ll admit it: I’m not a fast reader. I plug along dutifully and enjoy myself immensely but am not Speedy Gonzales. I also work a full-time job and have a needy husband and a messy house that requires keeping.
All of this complaining and excuse making is my long way of saying: I cannot read 52 books in a year. I literally cannot even. (bahahahahaha!)
So, for everyone who has kids or a full-time job, a not entirely self-sufficient partner or a goldfish who’s allergic to water, this is a list for you!
There are thirty books on my list, compiled from some of the lists I found online and from a friend. I also have two possible ways to play. The first is one book for each requirement on the list resulting in thirty books in the year. The second way, which I am adding for the poor souls with a small brood of children or a business to run, is to select books that fulfill more than one requirement and call it good (resulting in less than thirty).
So, without further ado and in no particular order, the list:
- A book with nonhuman characters
- A book with a one-word title
- A book of short stories (either all by the same writer or an anthology of different writers)
- A book set in a different country
- A book a friend recommended
- A book based on a true story
- A book based entirely on its cover
- A book by a female author
- A book which is a popular author’s first book
- A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t (or a classic if you actually read what you were supposed to)
- A book you can finish in one day
- A book from your childhood
- A book with magic
- A book you own but haven’t read
- A book originally written in a language other than your first or a book written in a language that isn’t your first
- A book written by an author with the same initials as you
- A banned book
- A book published by an indie press
- A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQA et al
- A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Native American, Aborigines, ect)
- A young adult book
- An award winning book
- A book that is a retelling of a classic story or fairytale
- A book that is a guilty pleasure
- A book based on or made into a movie or TV show
- A book where the main character is a person of color
- A book chosen completely at random or blind choice (you could use a friend)
- A book from a genre you wouldn’t normally read from
- A book from a famous or influential author in a culture other than your own
- A book that you have been meaning to read but haven’t gotten around to yet
There you have it! I will be posting throughout the year about what I’m reading and the different requirements and if I’m lucky, have a guest or two.
Really?! 