Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion
Task Ideas/Resources/Discussions
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Challenge Questions and Comments
Jennifer wrote: "I've given up on updating here for this challenge. Which is a shame, but the multiple threads are so annoying. I've just kept a list in my book journal instead."
It is too confusing/annoying. I am not using these links as much either.
Bea wrote: "Robin wrote: "...Does anyone know how to get the attention of the moderators to clean up the duplicate threads?..."Robin, I have started putting a note on each duplicate thread with a link to the..."
Thanks! I printed out the original list and am keeping track on paper myself. But I still find it interesting to see the suggestions of various readers for the different topics.
As a librarian when I saw Challenge 1 .. I thought it would be the first challenge of the challenge not the first thing that a person had completed. There should have been one page for each challenge. So if you wanted to get ideas for the self-help book, you would go to that thread. As you can tell I have spent way too much cataloging ...
Suzan wrote: "As a librarian when I saw Challenge 1 .. I thought it would be the first challenge of the challenge not the first thing that a person had completed. There should have been one page for each challen..."There are other discussion groups - one for each actual challenge number like you're speaking of if you're interested in posting there. That's a good place to go to for ideas if you need some.
You can also go to the group bookshelves, where there is a shelve for each challenge number. People are using it for READ BOOKS or CURRENTLY READING BOOKS. It is not supposed to be used to WANT TO READ BOOKS to avoid cluttering.
I think some who've taken on the challenge like to post to 1st task completed, 2nd task completed etc. and started these discussion groups. You're right it will end up being a mish mash of the 24 challenges.
I myself just post to
my own challenge list in discussion group challenge plans (and update it with the name of the book and date completed when I'm done)
and also the book shelf.
If I remember I might post challenge number category to add to the list of potential books.
I haven't bothered with the 1st task completed etc. and am not likely to do so.
There don't seem to be any hard and fast rules. Whatever people want to do seems fine - the idea being to get people to read outside of their regular box of genres.
Suzan, I am in complete agreement with Mj (hello again, Mj!). I was surprised you hadn't seen the individual threads yet, but Mj outlined the structure of the group better than I could have. I did post in the First Task Completed thread out of a feeling of "yay, I'm doing it!" but don't feel inclined to continue with second completed, etc.There are several duplicate threads regarding the individual tasks, which a few other members have tried to put a stop to. When looking for ideas, I look for the posts created by Book Riot.
Heidiq wrote: "Don't think of romance as being the Harlequin - Fabio cover...I never read those....try Discovery of Witches...great love story :)"I own Discovery of Witches. That will be a good option for this category. I had my doubts about it as well.
For Challenge 24, Self Improvement Book, I had planned on reading. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brene Brown - As much as I hate not finishing a book I cannot waste more time on this one, it does not resonate with me or with my life, not at all. I declare defeat and will pick out something else to complete this challenge
A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65
A collection of short stories (either by one person or an anthology by many people)
A book published by an indie press
A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ
A book by a person whose gender is different from your own Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
A book that takes place in Asia 1Q84 by Murakami
A book by an author from Africa
A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Native Americans, Aboriginals, etc.)
A microhistory
A YA novel
A sci-fi novel
A romance novel Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade
A book that is a retelling of a classic story (fairytale, Shakespearian play, classic novel, etc.)
An audiobook Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
A collection of poetry
A book that someone else has recommended to you The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah
A book that was originally published in another language 1Q84 by Murakami
A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind (Hi, have you met Panels?)
A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure (Read, and then realize that good entertainment is nothing to feel guilty over) The Collector by Nora ROberts
A book published before 1850
A book published this year
A self-improvement book (can be traditionally or non-traditionally considered “self-improvement”)
Hi! Would this The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cuteby Zac Bissonnette (Goodreads Author) count as a Microhistory?
Is old English considered another language? I'm reading Beowulf, and I hope it qualifies for that category...
Mod
by Zac Bissonnette (Goodreads Author) count as a Microhistory?"
Sorry to have missed this question earlier. That one should work!
Mod
Sure!
Hi, where do I find that personal thread thingy where I can keep track of what I read? nevermind, already found it
Hi, I'm wondering if I can count The Fair Fight by Anna Freeman as my "a book published this year." I checked it out planning to read it for this task but I now see that it was originally published in the U.K. in 2014 and that the 2015 published date is for the U.S. edition (which is the one I have from my library). If it can't count for a 2015 published book, I hope I can count it for the "a book someone recommended to you" one, as I'm reading it because of that Read It Like It’s Hot video Amanda Nelson posted a month or so ago. :-)
Mod
You can count it toward a book published this year!
Book Riot wrote: "You can count it toward a book published this year!"Yay! Thank you so much! I'm relieved to know that I can count it, since my library system is fairly small and I might not get actual books published for the first time in 2015 this year, given the number of holds compared to number of items purchased. Plus, I have so many other books recommended to me via Book Riot posts that I want to save this task for last, once every other task is filled (some with books I've seen in Book Riot posts! lol).
I have another question. It's probably redundant, but I'd like to be sure! Is Bloomsbury Publishing an indie? It says it's an independent publisher, but it has a worldwide presence. Would I be welshing on the "read a book published by an indie" task if I count a book published by Bloomsbury?
Mod
They're the largest independent press, so yep, you can count them!
Book Riot wrote: "They're the largest independent press, so yep, you can count them!"Great! I did count Bloomsbury for my indie read (I read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell) but it's very nice to know that it was a for-sure good pick. :-)
Thank you!
Do the backs of chipotle cups count as a collection of short stories?
Mod
That one we're going to say...maybe you want to read a collection of short stories in ADDITION to that ;)
Tasks 9 and 12 - done! For #9 I suggest The Bone Seeker by M.J. McGrath! For #12 you can't go wrong with The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey!
Is there a folder where those who have finished the entire challenge can announce it and be congratulated? Lol. I haven't finished yet but I bet some people have. Also, will there be a 2016 challenge? I know it's only June but this has been fun and I hop to do it again next year with new tasks.
Mod
We are in the stages of planning a 2016 challenge. It is early, but there's talk.
We can open up a new thread for those who complete the challenge.
I agree with all the comments about the 1st/2nd etc book finished threads. I don't find them useful at all. I have been using the "challenge plans" thread and just updating it when I finish a book. I thought when I read that thread when it was opened that that was the idea, but it seems others aren't using it that way? I'm not sure what the point of the 1st/2nd threads is.I love the individual threads for each challenge though. I've been using those to get suggestions for what to read. The genres are easy enough to locate on goodreads, but the more esoteric challenges (age of author, indie press) are harder, since they require additional web searching (no goodreads bookshelves for them....yet!).
I would suggest that only admins be allowed to open new threads in the future. I think that will eliminate a lot of confusion.
Love the challenge though!
I'm doing another reading challenge besides this one (I don't know who came up with it; I found the list at my library) and I have a question about one of the categories. I'd welcome anyone's thoughts about it, even though it isn't a Book Riot question. The category is "a book based on a true story." I can't decide whether that means non-fiction or a work of fiction loosely derived from a true story. I was thinking about reading "Deep Down Dark," about the trapped miners, which is clearly non-fiction but not written by one of the individuals who experienced the event.
Nancy wrote: "I'm doing another reading challenge besides this one (I don't know who came up with it; I found the list at my library) and I have a question about one of the categories. I'd welcome anyone's thoug..."I believe you should interpret the challenge as it works for you. That book seems perfect to me for "based on a true story".
Nancy- I agree with Patty, especially since the task did not specify that it must be a non-fiction book. Either fiction or non-fiction that is based on a true story should be fine. There are some historical fiction books that would qualify.
Hi all! I wasn't sure if I should start a new thread for this question or not. I'm completing the challenge myself, but I'm working on creating a version of it to do with my 8th graders. I'm trying really hard to get my kids excited about reading this year, and this seemed like a fun way to do it! Thanks to the "3 on a YA Theme" posts, I came up with plenty of topics, and linked to a few lists, but I would love any suggestions or feedback. Any other teachers out there trying something similar?
I actually issued the challenge to all of my 9th grade classes on the first day of school. I had the same great idea as you! I made a bulletin board that highlighted my challenge and the books I read so far and a bulletin for their challenge.Our school library is ordered by genre (like a bookstore), so I drew upon those asking students to read from each genre.
Here is my 12 book challenge list:
-1 classic
-1 romance
-1 realistic fiction
-1 biography
-1 mystery
-1 adventure or sports
-1 drama
-1 historical fiction or non-fiction
-1 supernatural or fantasy
-1 science fiction
-1 horror
-1 graphic novel or humor
Everyone has to read 8 books during the year, so the challenge is OPTIONAL and above and beyond what's required, but includes the requirement texts. I intend to give a pizza party at the end of the year to everyone who completes the challenge.
Melanie wrote: "I actually issued the challenge to all of my 9th grade classes on the first day of school. I had the same great idea as you! I made a bulletin board that highlighted my challenge and the books I ..."Thanks for the suggestions! I originally had a full, 24-space Bingo card, but that seemed excessive for 8th graders! The pizza party idea is great -- right now my instructions simply promise a "fabulous prize" to be determined later :-)
Molly wrote: "Melanie wrote: "I actually issued the challenge to all of my 9th grade classes on the first day of school. I had the same great idea as you! I made a bulletin board that highlighted my challenge ..."It's likely more motivational by describing the prize. Why not get them involved? Give them a budget and ask for suggestions. The best idea voted on by secret ballot by all of your grade 8's gets a gift certificate for Chapters/Amazon or an independent book store where you live or gift certificate for 2 movies and popcorn etc. Have fun with it and if they get engaged early on....they'll hopefully keep being engaged.
Sitting in an airport, so excuse me if this has been asked before, since I only joined last month, does BookRiot do this every year and do I officially need to sign up? I just keep posting in the different categories... Btw, my daughter and I are each doing it! So fun! Thanks!
Sitting in an airport, so excuse me if this has been asked before, since I only joined last month, does BookRiot do this every year and do I officially need to sign up? I just keep posting in the different categories... Btw, my daughter and I are each doing it! So fun! Thanks!
Kate,Whatever works, but I think the idea was for both you and your daughter to each post their challenge plans for each task under CHALLENGE PLANS. It's under the same GENERAL CATEGORY where you are currently posting except that you're posting under CHALLENGE PLANS QUESTIONS.
Once you post all your plans in detail JUST REMEMBER YOUR POSTING NUMBER. Then when you accomplish them, you can go back to that same posting number and edit it by marking your completions (or changes if you read something else) and make a note at the top about how many tasks you have completed.
There are more postings you can do, but I would suggest that would be a great start for both you and your daughter.
Glad you're enjoying the challenge and having so much fun!!
just a comment. I joined late, and love this challenge. I am hoping you have the challenge again next year. it doesn't even have to be all new categories.
Mod
We're glad you're enjoying it! We're working hard on planning out next year's, so keep an eye out for it.
I would have really liked to see all the books that were "read" in one location. I used the bookshelf for this but others did not. It was too hard tracking the "read" books that were posted elsewhere. One thing too, the bookshelf only allowed for one posting of a specific book. I would like to have seen how many times a book was read. For instance, how many people like me read Brown Girl Dreaming? It would have been nice to see this type of data. Who knows if this kind of detail is even possible. I know, wishful thinking!
Jolynne wrote: "I would have really liked to see all the books that were "read" in one location. .."I think a lot of folks don't realize they can add their books to a Group's bookshelf so people can see precisely what you're asking for (except for stats). For anyone who didn't realize; This group is actually set up so anyone can add the book they read to the pre-existing group bookshelf. From the Group, click Bookshelf. Then you can look at the individual challenge shelves or add your book to a specific challenge shelf (via search field). Now that Jocelyn pointed out that this isn't being done by everyone, I'm adding my books onto the shelves. I'll also see if books may be added more than once (I read Brown Girl Dreaming as well and would be interested to know who else joined us!).
Enjoying the challenge so far and I’m just a few (2) books (and an audiobook) shy of my goal of completing the #ReadHarder Challenge! I’ve done a video run-down of the books I’ve read for the challenge on YouTube. https://youtu.be/AZ968vB6EfM
Amy wrote: "Jolynne wrote: "I would have really liked to see all the books that were "read" in one location. .."I think a lot of folks don't realize they can add their books to a Group's bookshelf so people ..."
Thanks for posting the link to the bookshelf. Somehow I missed it all of this time.
I have a question about task #5. I have not seen A Little Life posted for that task. A Little Life Would it count as LGBTQ? I have yet to read it. At this point, I only have three tasks left & I am desperate to find titles I already own.
Mod
Would it count as LGBTQ? I have yet to read it. At this point, I only have three..."
Don't see why it wouldn't! Go for it.
Book Riot wrote: "Tina wrote: "I have a question about task #5. I have not seen A Little Life posted for that task. A Little Life Would it count as LGBTQ? I have yet to read it. At this point, I on..."
Thanks for the reply. I appreciate it!
This has probably been asked and answered ad naseum, but...How does one log a book that has been reread, perhaps for the twentieth time?
Mod
On Goodreads? There's not a really good way to do it, but it might be worth creating your own "reread" shelf and popping it there?
Members have been clamoring for a good way to track rereads. GR is "working on it" but it has been for a long time. Until they figure something out and implement it, there's not a great way to manage rereads. Here's a link to the GR-led discussion, if you want to add your ideas.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Have I missed a posting? Was wondering if BookRiot is working on a 2016 Reading Harder Challenge?
Carla wrote: "Have I missed a posting? Was wondering if BookRiot is working on a 2016 Reading Harder Challenge?"Yes, in one of the threads someone from BookRiot said they are already preparing it. Considering how many thousands of people joined this group, there's obviously interest.
Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Red Badge of Courage (other topics)A Little Life (other topics)
A Little Life (other topics)
A Little Life (other topics)
Brown Girl Dreaming (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Anna Freeman (other topics)Anna Freeman (other topics)
Joanna Trollope (other topics)
Nora Roberts (other topics)
Diana Gabaldon (other topics)
I've just kept a list in my book journal instead.