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The Books That Can Save Your Reading Challenge
Have you already surpassed your 2018 Reading Challenge? That's fantastic. Congrats!
But then this isn't for you. This is for the rest of us. You know, the dreamers. We starry-eyed readers who set a reading goal—a good goal, a challenging goal!—at the start of the year that was perhaps disconnected from what we could realistically achieve.
And now, as the end of the year draws near, we're woefully behind.
We're not panicking, though. On top of short reads and audiobooks, there are entire categories of books underrated for their ability to entertain, enlighten…and be completed in a single sitting. Fellow Reading Challenge strugglers and stragglers, say hello to graphic novels, comics, poetry, and picture books. (Yes, they all count. There's no room for reading shame here.)
We've rounded up some of the most highly rated of these books. Bonus: Each one is written by a Goodreads Choice Award nominee. Add the titles that catch your eye to your Want to Read shelf and recommend your favorite short reads in the comments.
Check out more recent blogs:
44 Short Books to Help You Reach Your Reading Challenge Goal
36 Short Audiobooks to Help Boost Your Reading Challenge
Hot Reading Challenge Tips from Pros Who Read More Than 100 Books a Year
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Eli
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Nov 28, 2018 09:09AM
The picture for the sun and her flowers links to Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?
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Wow, that's crazy, I just picked up a few graphic novels two days ago, including Hawkeye and a complete collection of Black Panther. What are the odds lol
The picture for Depression & Other Magic Tricks links to Adulthood Is a Myth.
I wouldn't say that The Princess Saves Herself in This One is a dark reimagining of a fairy tale world. It's more like a real-life story that references fairy tales.
Totally agree on Saga.Would add
for cat lovers... so true to life with felines!
Hawkeye is so good, I'm pleasantly surprised to see it included on this list! Also Monstress and Saga. My reading challenge amount is always so high each year cause I read a HUGE amount of graphic novels, so I adjust it higher to compensate.
My goal is 24. I've read 22. Just finished Beartown and I honestly don't know what other book will top it. I'm stuck on what to read next that can come close to Beartown.
The Deal of a Lifetime and And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman should be added to this list!
Love these and all fast reads. Mr. tender’s Girl is a bit longer, but a fast and awesome read. 
by 
by Carter Wilson
for more short reads the Chronicles of St Mary's short stories are great though I think they're only available as audiobooks. Sherlock Holmes books are quite short. Matt Haig's children's books such as A Boy Called Christmas are good for adults too or classic children's series like Little House or Narnia
Been wanting to read "Depression and Other Magic Tricks"!
Monstress is really, really good, with a great art style. Highly recommended, doubly so if you like cats.
Max wrote: "Monstress is really, really good, with a great art style. Highly recommended, doubly so if you like cats."Which one?
Poetry as a catch up for your reading challenge? Poetry requires thought and musing on. Any poet must be rolled around on the tongue , slowly swallowed and tasted through out your body, mind and soul. Poetry can not be read quickly it must be savored slowly. No more than five to ten pages a day. Read with a hot cupper, a warm spot, and friends or family to discuss the reading with. Just my opinion and thoughts, but I use books of poetry as my second read on my list so I can do just these things I mentioned above.For short reads as a catch up Turgenev and or Gogol's short stories. Also will make your friends think you have become a classic's reader when The Inspector, Father and Son's, The Nose are all short, funny, in some case's, one sitting reads.
I would say stop counting the number of books you read and enjoy reading for the sheer joy of it. What experiences are you missing while racing to reach a certain number? Quality, folks, not quantity.
You can also adjust the number in the GR Challenge downwards...
Yes there are too many good books to be worrying about reading goodreads propaganda
For those who use the reading challenge as a personal challenge to just get themselves to read more in general, I would suggest such smaller books like The House on Mango Street because it gives both quality and quantity. It's a short read, but also entertaining and enlightening, so it propels you to finish it in one sitting. I personally see no problem with participating in the challenge to get your book reading numbers up.
Kathy wrote: "My goal is 24. I've read 22. Just finished Beartown and I honestly don't know what other book will top it. I'm stuck on what to read next that can come close to Beartown."it has a sequel that is almost as good, Us Against You
"Yes, they all count. There's no room for reading shame here." Love it.
That's how I won my challenge, I read a few picture books that I read all the time as a kid. And even a few manga that I've been slowly make my way through. Even single issue comic books are great, I read a few those not thinking they would count until I searched for them in my search bar.
this is the first year i've done the reading challenge. is it normal that by this point in the year, barely 20% of the pledged books (from all members/participants) have actually been read? that's an awful lot of eyes-bigger-than-their-stomachs readers on here.
Maureen wrote: "I would say stop counting the number of books you read and enjoy reading for the sheer joy of it. What experiences are you missing while racing to reach a certain number? Quality, folks, not quantity."Exactly!
The link for Black Panther is for issue #1 rather than volume #1
Eli wrote: "The picture for the sun and her flowers links to Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?"Well, can't we talk about something more pleasant than Rupi Kaur's alleged 'poetry'?
Antonomasia wrote: "You can also adjust the number in the GR Challenge downwards..."Exactly. Or just fail to meet your reading challenge. If you don't meet it, there will be no national disaster.
I'm twelve books away from my reading challenge goal of 52 books, so what am I reading? Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. It's 1,264 pages long in this edition (the Tobias Smollett translation published by Modern Library). I may not even finish it this year. I'm also reading the 756-page The Portable Renaissance Reader and Robin Lane Fox's The Classical World at 672 pages. Who cares about reading goals? I just use them as a handy way of keeping track of what I've read for the year.
The premise of this article is really quite silly. Those who are inclined to read the recommended books will already know about them or ones like them, while people like me who would sooner open up an artery than read any more Rupi Kaur aren't going to be sufficiently swayed by the fact we've got a GR challenge to meet to overcome our distaste for her writing. I have nothing against poetry in general, but if I'm going to read it I'd sooner read my copies of books such as Robert Lowell's For the Union Dead or Louise Bogan's The Blue Estuaries than something that seems like it should have "Burma-Shave" tacked on the end of every poem except it doesn't rhyme and isn't even mildly amusing.
Don't read Saga!!It will break your heart <3
Y.♡ˎ´ wrote: "Don't read Saga!!It will break your heart <3"
Yes but it's worth it.
Elyse wrote: "Y.♡ˎ´ wrote: "Don't read Saga!!It will break your heart
Yes but it's worth it."
of course it is! we will all cry together :D <3
Y.♡ˎ´ wrote: "Elyse wrote: "Y.♡ˎ´ wrote: "Don't read Saga!!It will break your heart
Yes but it's worth it."
of course it is! we will all cry together :D <3"
Absolutely!
I will chime in with Lois McMaster Bujold's Penric and Desdemona novellas available in E-Book form for about the price of a cappuccino. The are set in Bujold's World of Five Gods series but prior knowledge is not needed. The novellas start with Penric's Demon, #2 is Penric and the Shaman, #3 is Penric's Fox #4Penric’s Mission #5 Mira's Last Dance and the last so far The Prisoner of Limnos. Each will take a couple of days to finish but will give your total a boost and your heart a chuckle.
The Malazan book of the fallen.A ten book saga with each one on a different continent. I Have read them all tree times.Dont think there is a pollished sword in any of the books..
I would also like to read The House on Mango Street, especially since this is a small novel. I read a very interesting article about it on the https://easyreadernews.com/what-problems-from-the-novel-the-house-on-mango-street-are-relevant-today/ and got acquainted with what problems there are rising. The subject of the novel is very close to me, so I'm looking forward to my order (I really like to read paper books).
