Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion
2016 Read Harder Challenge
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Task 3: Read a Collection of Essays
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Monica
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Feb 16, 2016 09:43AM
Just finished Race-Ing Justice, En-Gendering Power: Essays on Anita Hill, Clarence Thomas, and the Construction of Social Reality. Interesting essays about the Senate confirmation process and social/cultural perceptions/stereotypes/conflicts surrounding Clarence Thomas. The book took on a whole new dimension over the weekend with the death of Justice Scalia.
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Sophia wrote: "I was originally going to use The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories for this task, but decided not to. It's made up of more fictional short stories than nonfiction essays, ..."I am reading "Men Explain Things to Me" now for my book about feminism. About at the halfway point and overall I am enjoying it, but its not without its issues. I read "Bad Feminist" for this challenge.
Bonnie, I agree - it's a solid read but I did have issues with some of her statements. However, I think in general it's a good jumping off point for talking about feminist issues.
I read Slouching Towards Bethlehem and discovered I have a strong dislike for Joan Didion! I had never read her before, so perhaps it's just these essays, but I found her very smug and reactionary. Despite the food writing and interesting subject matter, I just couldn't get past her voice.
Kristine wrote: "I read Slouching Towards Bethlehem and discovered I have a strong dislike for Joan Didion! I had never read her before, so perhaps it's just these essays, but I found her very smug and r..."Aw, too bad you didn't like Joan Didion, Kristine. I haven't read her essays but I listened to The Year of Magical Thinking for the audiobook challenge last year and quite liked it.
However, I read Essays and Sketches of Mark Twain and it cemented what I particularly hated about his personality, so I can definitely sympathize with disliking an author. (Also, I reviewed it here.) The collection had some essays I liked, but what I didn't like outweighed it.
Just finished Mexico: Sunlight & Shadows: Short Stories & Essays by Mexico Writers to complete this task and would recommend it to anyone interested in Mexico. Having spent over a year in this fascinating country, so many of these stories and essays had points I could relate to and really brought the country alive for me once more. There's just something about Mexico!
I finished The Souls of Black Folk last month to complete this task. It was recommended by NYPL. I choose this book because it was a classic that I hadn't read. This is a read that led to some serious introspection on myself and the world around me.
I'm planning on reading A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf. I love her, but haven't read this one yet.
Maria wrote: "I'm planning on reading A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf. I love her, but haven't read this one yet."Also a great choice for the feminist book selection, if you double up. She is brilliant, and so unbelievably ahead of her time.
Morgan wrote: "I finished The Souls of Black Folk last month to complete this task. It was recommended by NYPL. I choose this book because it was a classic that I hadn't read. This is a read that le..."I read this in college, which was a very very long time ago. Thanks for reminding me that I need to go back and read it again.
I read Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed as it is a Book Riot favorite.
I finished Virginia Woolfs A Room of One's Own last night, and while I enjoyed it, I also found it boring at times. I'm an active feminist and it was great to read more on the topic of Women and Fiction, and about the inequality women faced and still faces. She's got many great points, but some I don't fully agree on (that you need money and solitude to write if you're a woman). Great poetry and novels have come out of poor women who are struggling day-to-day (JK Rowling comes to mind). I think her point was true for women in her time, and we sure wouldn't have a Mrs Woolf if she hadn't got that inheritance. But I think she still would have written, because if you're born with it you HAVE TO write. But she's definitely ahead of her time! I enjoyed learning more about Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë, and will look into their life's more. That's thanks to this book. But I felt that I struggled with it more than enjoyed it. It's an important essay and one every woman should read, but it gets 3 stars from me because of the reasons I stated above. Feminism and writing is for everyone. Not just the privileged women (and men).
Dixie wrote: "Just starting "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and other essays" by Aldous Huxley"Finished it, finally. Wow, that was a challenging book. Huxley is a man of strong opinions and unique approaches to many subjects. Worth reading, but I'm glad I'm through it.
I'm a few essays into China in Ten Words, and it's really speaking to me. The "Reading" essay alone would have made this book worth it, though.
I read Gratitude by Oliver Sacks. It contains four brief essays about mortality that pack a powerful punch.
Nicola, i had my daughter at age 32 . Let me recommend if you are hesitant about wanting children, DON'T do it. My daughter (now 43) and i are friends now but our first 25 years were very difficult for both of us. Have a good and happy life! Jeanne
I read A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments by David Foster Wallace for this task. This was definitely an interactive read - I had Webster's Dictionary as a companion read for this book. Though I'm pretty good with vocabulary, I had to look up five words in the first two pages. (Not that I minded one bit since I was raised in a family of teachers and an editor who instilled a love of words in me.) I was warned (in my case encouraged) that this is typical with Wallace's writings. It's fascinating and refreshing to see how he uses a vast repertoire of vocabulary so effortlessly, effectively and unapologetically. The titular essay, A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, is worth the price of admission alone. Can't tell you how many times I burst out laughing while reading it. Not all of the essays were as spectacular but I appreciated Wallace's unique perspective on the world around him, his honesty and most definitely his word craft. I can agree with those who called him a genius.
And yes, I'm going to tackle his Infinite Jest - next month. *gulp*
I'm doing two iterations of Read Harder. My first book for this task was LAtitudes: An Angeleno's Atlas which I absolutely loved and highly recommend for any Angelenos out there. My second book will be either Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries by Neil DeGrasse Tyson or Notes from No Man's Land: American Essays by Eula Biss. If I don't use the Tyson book for essays, I may use it for the "nonfiction book about science" task for my "books by people of color" iteration of Read Harder.
Sophia wrote: "I was originally going to use The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories for this task, but decided not to. It's made up of more fictional short stories than nonfiction essays, ..."Did you end up reading The Opposite of Loneliness anyway? I quite enjoyed it, although it got a little samey in the last third. Some incredible insight for someone so young, though!
PS: Thanks for the reminder about 'Men Explain Things to Me.' I'd forgotten about that!
April wrote: "There are so many that I'd love to read for this task but funds are tight so I'm limited to what I already own rather than buying new books. I'm a huge fan of Chuck Palahniuk so this ..."Do you have a decent public library system available to you, April? Vancouver Public Library has quite a good array of audiobooks (that can be downloaded to a smartphone) as well as regular print books. I hear you on the limited funds: as a writer, I definitely have to keep costs down and use the library system a lot for older books so I have money available to support living writers!
Sophia wrote: "I was originally going to use The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories for this task, but decided not to. It's made up of more fictional short stories than nonfiction essays, ..."I read this and counted it for this task. I liked the nonfiction essays more and thought they were powerful.
Elle wrote: "I read A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments by David Foster Wallace for this task. This was definitely an interactive read - I had Webster's Dictionary as a ..."A HUGE, and totally worthwhile undertaking. IJ is one of my favorite books, but it took me months to read, and I took some breaks. Its a lot to digest. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Also, "A Supposedly Fun Thing" was my first DFW, and remains my favorite. So funny!
Leigh wrote: "Sophia wrote: "I was originally going to use The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories for this task, but decided not to. It's made up of more fictional short stories than nonf..."I did read it! Only a couple of the stories really stood out for me, but I do appreciate her willingness to take risks in her writing. It's truly a shame she didn't get to grow her talent.
Reading "On the Front Line" for this, political theme and +500 pages
Julia wrote: "2nd task completed with David Sedaris' Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, a book club selection. I listened to the audiobook so it went by fast. His brand of satire can either be funny or wearying d..."I'm listening to this on CD for a book club that meets later this week. I have mixed feelings about Sedaris, but overall I like his stuff. It's an interesting blend of dry wit and painful insight that hits close to home just a little too often to be comfortable.
I've just finished The Boys of My Youth by Jo Ann Beard for this task. I'm not really into essays/short stories, but really enjoyed this collection - some lovely evocative writing.
I'm planning on Why Not Me? By Mindy Kaling.
I was thinking of dropping People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Competitive Crafters, Drop-Off Despots, and Other Suburban Scourges into this category. The "description" I've read summarizes it as a series of Blog Posts - think that passes as "essays"?
Finished
by Roxane Gay-- 3 stars.This collection of essays was infuriating. I loved it, then hated it, then came to love it again.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Shannon wrote: "I was thinking of dropping People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Competitive Crafters, Drop-Off Despots, and Other Suburban Scourges into this category. The "description" I've read ..."Yep! I've read it.
I am starting Pragmatism: A Reader (edited by Louis Menand).
As a child I adored the Little House books, so I will be reading The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder for this task.
Jessica wrote: "As a child I adored the Little House books, so I will be reading The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder for this task."Are letters considered essays?
Bea wrote: "Jessica wrote: "As a child I adored the Little House books, so I will be reading The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder for this task."Are letters considered essays?"
I wouldn't think they were, although reading a collection of letters/correspondence would be a great challenge for next year.
For this challenge I read Binge by Tyler Oakley. It is a witty, engaging, and real read. The essays describe his journey of self discovery. He grew up feeling different (in more than just the obvious way) and has and is learning to be okay in his own skin. His essays are told with humor and he unsparingly gives us glimpses into some of the events both big and small that have shaped him. I would recommend this book for anyone who feels like they haven't belonged in any way.
I read Binge by Tyler Oakley for this challenge. These essays are vignettes from his life. He tells his story with humor and irreverence, but is serious too. I peed my pants laughing in some spots!!
I read Binge by Tyler Oakley for this challenge. There is a lot of humor even when he covered some very serious things. I had never heard of him before and I am definitely interested in checking out his video after reading this.
I'm thinking I'll read Shrill by Lindy West for this
I'm currently reading Tales from the Pantry: Random Rants & Musings of a Stay-At-Home Mom for another challenge. According to the blurb,
“Tales from the Pantry: Random Rants & Musings of a Stay-at-home Mom” is a collection of witty, funny, and sometimes gut wrenching stories told by a 40-something mother of two small children.
Would this count for a collection of essays? It is broken down into small dated blog-like posts.
I just realized that I could use Kameron Hurley's The Geek Feminist Revolution for this category, once I get it :).
I decided to read The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories since I myself am 24 and a recent college graduate. The topics this collection covers resounded with me in a way that was bittersweet, since her observations about our generation were simply spot on. This book has really stuck with me, and I recommend it highly!
I read Alibis: Essays on Elsewhere for this challenge. I got it in the last Book Riot Quarterly Box otherwise I would have never read it. This is my first collection of essays and I really think they just aren't my thing. I love non-fiction...just not essays. I personally didn't like the book, but I am sure many of you will if you choose to read it!
I finished reading Zadie Smith's Changing my Mind to complete this task and my final book to complete this year's challenge.
Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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