Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion
2018 Read Harder Challenge
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Task #21: A mystery by a person of color or LGBTQ+ author
Does anyone know if Judith Flanders is LGBTQ+ or just a friend who speaks out?
A big thumbs up for Goldenboy, a mystery by a Gay Hispanic author. It is as much a chronicle of LA at the height of the AIDS crisis in the Gay community as it is a mystery. Also, there is a romance embedded, so for double-dippers could count for that too, and arguably a classic of genre fiction, though probably more just a classic of Gay mystery than mystery overall.
I ended up reading The Body at the Tower by Y.S. Lee because it was the first book available at the library. The mystery part was good. Not good enough to overcome the nauseating jealous man, forced kissing, not allowing her to walk away by bruising her wrist with his grip, he knows what's best for her trope.
Carolina wrote: "Would Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch count, or is it too much crime rather than mystery?"Amazon has it under: Mystery and several others actually so yes I think it would fit
Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction > Urban
Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction > Fantasy
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Supernatural
Haley wrote: "I'm thinking My Cousin Rachel, author Daphne du Maurier was bisexual and I loved Rebecca"MCR is even better. In fact, in some ways I think it's an older author's response to Rebecca.
Do y'all think someone whose parents were American (unknown variety) and Indian would count? I would think that if a person of color is defined as "anyone who isn't from Western European origin," then the Indian subcontinent would count.
I just finished The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra for this one. It was a lot of fun and would be especially good for those looking for a cozy mystery or a lighter, non-brutal choice for this task.
I just finished Bluebird, Bluebird (which you’ve probably heard of if you listen to Bookriot’s podcasts), and it was very good and timely. I’m going to let it sit a day before I write a review so I can (hopefully) write a review that approaches insightful.
Discovered that the Japanese don't consider themselves POC. Though they don't belong to the Western European cultural tradition...
Yrinsyde wrote: "Discovered that the Japanese don't consider themselves POC. Though they don't belong to the Western European cultural tradition..."I don't know how Japanese in Japan feel about themselves, but many Japanese-Americans consider themselves POC, & are considered such by white Americans.
For anyone looking towards a graphic novel for this one, any Goldie Vance Volume 1 trade paperback is perfect for this.
I read Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon because someone recommended it here and I LOVED IT! It's a cozy murder mystery and so well written- the main character has a well-honed wit! Thank you, dear recommenders!Murder in G Major
Hafsa Z.U wrote: "Would The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters count?"Yes, Sarah Waters identifies as lesbian :)
Um, Sarah Waters does identify lesbian, but I don't think The Paying Guests identifies at a mystery. Maybe I am wrong, I have never read it, but I have had people discuss it with me and I didn't think it was a mystery.
Bonnie wrote: "Um, Sarah Waters does identify lesbian, but I don't think The Paying Guests identifies at a mystery. Maybe I am wrong, I have never read it, but I have had people discuss it with me and I didn't th..."The Paying Guests is historical fiction, not a classic murder mystery, but it could sorta kinda maybe be considered a mystery.
However there are many other options that are true to the prompt. Hafsa, if you would like any help finding one, let me know?
Erika wrote: "This was one I thought I'd struggle with, but I managed to come across A Scone to Die For (currently free on all major eBook shops!) and it fits the bill as the author is an Asian w..."I read this and really enjoyed it!
Mya wrote: "Bonnie wrote: "Um, Sarah Waters does identify lesbian, but I don't think The Paying Guests identifies at a mystery. Maybe I am wrong, I have never read it, but I have had people discuss it with me ..."Thanks for clearing that and I'd love some help, really confused about what to read for this prompt!
Hey Hafsa!BookRiot has articles with suggestions for most of the challenges, here is the one for this challenge:
https://bookriot.com/2018/02/22/read-...
Hope this helps a little.....
(I looked through the list, and I have a few on my TBR, but I haven’t read any.)
I’m reading a Rita Mae Brown mystery, specifically Tall Tail. A lot of my reading to date for this challenge has been pretty serious. I felt the need for something a bit lighter. And who doesn’t love cats?
Hafsa Z.U wrote: "Mya wrote: "Bonnie wrote: "Um, Sarah Waters does identify lesbian, but I don't think The Paying Guests identifies at a mystery. Maybe I am wrong, I have never read it, but I have had people discuss..."Actually, that particular one IS a mystery. Very different from some of her other books. There is a murder that must be solved.
Hafsa Z.U wrote: "Mya wrote: "Bonnie wrote: "Um, Sarah Waters does identify lesbian, but I don't think The Paying Guests identifies at a mystery. Maybe I am wrong, I have never read it, but I have had people discuss..."Hi Hafsa -
If you want to read The Paying Guests, I think you can count it as a mystery, but it is not typical of the genre - among other things it is very slowly paced. If historical fiction appeals to you, there are other mysteries on the list to which Vanessa linked that are also historical fiction.
I am abashed that I hadn't previously seen that list & am unfamiliar with most of the authors on it. This particular task has my to-read list growing at a slightly overwhelming rate! :)
I read The Ruined Map by Kobo Abe for this, and it was weird. Really, really weird - like if Kafka wrote a mystery novel. It's not like the detective turned into a cockroach at the end or anything, but still. It was good, but it was very strange.
I read the excellent Roman Blood by Steven Saylor, and highly recommend it🙂
I read The Silent Dead by Tetsuya Honda for this category. It was an interesting read with a twist I wasn't really expecting and would be a great read for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month.
Am wrote: "I'll be reading Smaller and Smaller Circles (which was just recently adapted to film!) by F.H. Batacan."So glad you suggested this! I'd never heard of it and I am looking forward to reading it. Glad to have an option that is from an author writing from and about a country other than the U.S.!
Mercedes wrote: "Sarah wrote: "This one is going to be tricky for me, but I’m thinking about trying something by Rita Mae Brown."Excellent! I'm going to try Rubyfruit Jungle
Thank you!"
Just so you know, Rubyfruit Jungle isn't a mystery. If you want one of her mysteries, most of them are the books "co-written" with her kitty, Sneaky Pie Brown.
Jill wrote: "Mercedes wrote: "Sarah wrote: "This one is going to be tricky for me, but I’m thinking about trying something by Rita Mae Brown."Excellent! I'm going to try [book:Rubyfruit Jungle|1..."
Also her sister jane books
I read Death in the Rainy Season by Anna Jaquiery, set in Cambodia, and thought it was pretty good, and not too gruesome/violent.
I read A Study in Scarlet Women, it came up on Book Riot's article about books to use for this prompt. The author is a Chinese woman who moved to America. I really enjoyed it, it was a nice twist on Sherlock Holmes, deviating enough from the original that it wasn't too predictable or boring.
I read #10 book in the Mrs. Murphy Mystery series. Catch as Cat Can by Rita Mae Brown.
Someone further up the thread posted this article link: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/01/19... about The Woman in the Window and author AJ Finn. In the article it's mentioned that "For the next 12 months, Mr. Mallory wrote on nights and weekends, telling nobody but his sister and then-boyfriend, to whom the book is dedicated."Based on this quote from the aricle, I'm going to use Woman in the Window for this prompt.
Robin Smith- Thank you for the Rita Mae Brown suggestion. I have never read one, and I am excited to start!
Brandi Rae wrote: "Someone further up the thread posted this article link: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/01/19... about The Wom..."Thank you for this!! Finally a book that I'm actually interested in reading for this prompt - yay!
What about Confessions by Kanae Minato? Would it count for this prompt?
Hafsa,Thank you for posting this! I recently did a video and I winged this selection by choosing Neil Gaiman ... get it gay-man because I did not find anything interesting for this selection. Tinderbox looks great. You’re awesome!
Bonnie wrote: "Yrinsyde wrote: "Thanks Nina and Riah. I guess being Australian, it makes me think that it's racist (and yes, Australia is a racist country - I'm not proud of it!!). It isn't used here and I've onl..."Dude. Over half of Russia is in Asia.
Robert Bryndza is an LGBTQ+ author. I'm going to read the next book in his Detective Erika Foster series, The Night Stalker (I've already read the first one).
Darlene wrote: "Robert Bryndza is an LGBTQ+ author. I'm going to read the next book in his Detective Erika Foster series, The Night Stalker (I've already read the first one)."Thank you for introducing Robert Bryndza. I was wondering what to read for #21.
I've been meaning to read Attica Locke for awhile. So I charged in with The Cutting Season, which was pretty good. I always enjoy Louisiana regional fiction, especially place-based. Would recommend.
Hafsa wrote: "Mya wrote: "Bonnie wrote: "Um, Sarah Waters does identify lesbian, but I don't think The Paying Guests identifies at a mystery. Maybe I am wrong, I have never read it, but I have had people discuss..." If you want to read Sarah Waters for this task, you could read: Fingersmith, Affinity (this is the one I read!), or The Little Stranger.
(I realize your post is old, and maybe you've already found a book for this task, but STILL)
I recently finished The Lost Ones by Sheena Kamal which was pretty good. Very off the wall MC, amateur PI trying to protect a child she gave up for adoption years ago. On the thriller-ish side.
Haley wrote: "I'm thinking My Cousin Rachel, author Daphne du Maurier was bisexual and I loved Rebecca"I loved My Cousin Rachel. I didn't realize Daphne du Maurier was bisexual.
I am reading Atticka Locke's Bluebird, Bluebird for this prompt and highly recommend it.
I read The Cutting Season by Attica Locke.
Heather wrote: "I read The Cutting Season by Attica Locke."What did you think of The Cutting Season? I am done with the challenge, but considering reading this book anyway.
I read Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke for this challenge. I’m not much of a mystery/crime reader, but this book was well written, touched on a variety of issues, and held my interest throughout. I liked the ending.
I just finished Bluebird, Bluebird as well for this task. So good, even if tough for this native Texan to handle at times.
Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Unquiet Dead (other topics)The Cutting Season (other topics)
Malice (other topics)
The Break (other topics)
The Language of Secrets (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Ausma Zehanat Khan (other topics)Keigo Higashino (other topics)
Daphne du Maurier (other topics)
Sheena Kamal (other topics)
Attica Locke (other topics)
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Oh! You know, I have been completely perplexed by what I could use for this prompt, not really being into the mystery genre, and Sarah Waters totally slipped my mind - I've got The Little Stranger on my TBR!
I also have The Wonder by Emma Donoghue but opinion seems to be divided on whether that's actually mystery.
Side note, this list will probably be helpful for this prompt: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...