Rated YA-MA discussion
Reading Challenges
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Representation Matters - 2021 Year Long Challenge
Cyn wrote: "For February I plan to read a book by Tomi Adeyemi the second in the series Children of Virtue and Vengeance. I have read the first book and I thought it was very ..."I have the first one downloaded and ready to go for February. I’ve heard great things
I'll read The Hate U Give for this month's challenge!
Finished
- gave it 4 stars. I liked it. Was engaging and fun. Updated post #21
I read Binti which is the group BOTM and Concrete Rose. They both probably count. I really liked them both for very different reasons. And easily recommend them both.Binti is a scifi novella with a space adventure and great world-building. The MC comes from an African tribe that heavily flavors her choices and values.
Concrete Rose is realistic fiction set in the same community as The Hate U Give. It explores the choice that young African American males need to make regarding joining gangs or trying to make it in life without. It's about a lot more than just money. Brotherhood, pride, perceived obligations, and money are all factors. It is well written.
I read The Poet X for the February prompt. What a wonderful book. Highly recommended. Perhaps ear and eye reading at the same time.
Concrete Rose came in for me at the library a couple of weeks ago and I knocked it out - i love Angie Thomas' writing and seeing Maverick's backstory made me appreciate The Hate U Give all the more - because he was able to break the cycle at least for his kids
March is approaching fast. Time to plan for the next challenge. Books written by European authors are the focus for this month. Maybe even challenge yourself to read a book in translation. Because this is a YA book club, YA books are certainly encouraged, but any age level, fiction, poetry, nonfiction (basically all the books) count.Here are some book lists to get you started finding your March book pick:
-International Author List (not all of the books are European authors, but it is a good list: https://pagesunbound.wordpress.com/20...
-Black British Authors: https://www.bustle.com/p/ya-books-by-...
-Translated to English (again they are not all European)
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
-https://readingagency.org.uk/young-pe...
Did you decide yet? Let us know when you do. If you’ve already read a book that fits this prompt that you know is great, recommend it to us.
I didn't post, but I read Binti and really liked it. Thanks for the lists, I was having trouble figuring out a European book
So, although I pledged to read 6 books this year, so far I'm 2 for 2. I'd love to read Die kleine Hexe (The Little Witch) by Otto Preußler in German. We have it here, but I can't read German to my son, because he unfortunately doesn't understand enough of it anymore. :-( So, I'm on my own, which is nothing bad. It would be another book off my TBR too! I'm not sure if I really have time though! Well we shall see!
Ashley wrote: "Thanks for the lists, I was having trouble figuring out a European book"Yeah, it was definitely more challenging to find a book for this month. I got the best results searching for books in translation and just paying attention to the author's origin.
DivaDiane wrote: "So, although I pledged to read 6 books this year, so far I'm 2 for 2. I'd love to read Die kleine Hexe (The Little Witch) by Otto Preußler in German. We have it here, but I can't read..."You could take 2-months to read it slowly too. I wish you luck :)
I finished Inkheart which was my pick for the month. I thought it was a portal fantasy but I was wrong. Because the setting was older, I don't think I got much genuine culture from it tho. I did like the book and am likely to finish the series.
Hey everyone, I've fallen a little behind on my challenges this year, but I'd really like to participate in this awesome challenge, if that's okay! :)♦
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♦ October - Persons with Disabilities
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♦ December - Human Rights
Jump right in! Glad to have you onboard :)
Melanie wrote: "Jump right in! Glad to have you onboard :)"Thank you so much! I'm so glad to be onboard :D
Had a busy month at work, but I'll try my best to complete March's challenge before the month ends!~ I will be reading The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea 
I'm definitely behind but trying to join the party now. My goal will be to complete March-December and if I get those done, I'll go back and pick up Jan and Feb.Due to anxiety about not finding books I have pre-planned my reads based on what I know is available through my library.
♦ January- Middle Grade The House That Lou Built
♦ February- BLM / Africa Piecing Me Together
✔ March- Europe Everland
✔✔ April- Middle East Shadow Spinner and An Ember in the Ashes
✔ May- Asia / Pacific Islands Shadow of the Fox
✔ June- LGBTQIA LGBTQ Fiction and Poetry from Appalachia
✔✔ July- religious minority Burned, Smoke
✔ August- New Adult Red, White & Royal Blue
✔ September- LatinX / South America We Are Not From Here
♦ October- Persons with Disabilities The Silence Between Us
♦ November- Indigenous Peoples Johnny Appleseed: A Tall Tale
✔ ♦ December- Human Rights Never Fall Down
I've added Sara and Cat to the participants' post; it's awesome to have you both join in.Zia- good luck with the tight finish. Since it's kind of a free-flowing challenge, I'd say count the book even if you finish after the official close of March.
Did anyone else finish their March books yet? I'll be posting the promo for next month sometime tomorrow.
Thanks for the add! My march book is Everland. Set in England and Germany. I'm about 70% done. And just in case that doesn't count I'm going to try to blitz through The Upstairs Room.Melanie wrote: "Did anyone else finish their March books yet? I'll be posting the promo for next month sometime tomorrow. ..."
No, I’ve gotten a little bogged down with other commitments. I know it would go quick, so maybe I can squeeze it in after I finish A Desolation Called Peace.
April is nigh; therefore, it’s that time again. Let’s plan for the new challenge. Books written by Middle East authors or set in the Middle East are the focus for this month. Because this is a YA book club, YA books are certainly encouraged, but any age level, fiction, poetry, nonfiction (basically all the books) count.Here are some book lists to help you start a search for your April pick:
-International Book List (not every book on this list is set in the Middle East, but many are. And it’s an in general good list IMO) https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...
-Middle Eastern YA authors of note https://www.middleeasteye.net/discove...
-https://www.yabookscentral.com/search...
-http://richincolor.com/2013/07/six-ya...
Tell us how your March book pick worked out, then let us know what you plan to read for April. Later in the month or after you finish a book, you can check back in and tell us what you liked/learned or didn’t with regard to what you read.
A couple of people expressed they were falling behind on the challenge. No stress. It’s a year-long challenge so if you read a book later than the official month it’s “assign” it still counts. The purpose is to expand your reading choices in community with like-minded readers, not to add stress to an already stressful year.
I was able to get Once Upon an Eid from the library, so I will use it for this challenge. I'm hoping the short stories by various authors will give me more perspectives than a single text. I will also learn about a holiday that I literally know nothing about, so yeah :)
This is my plan. For March it really was a toss up between
and
The Glass Woman won for now. Someone posted a list for April and that was very helpful! I am looking forward to reading Throne of the Crescent Moon. January- Middle Grade Aru Shah and the End of Time
♦ February- BLM / Africa Children of Virtue and Vengeance
♦ March- Europe The Glass Woman, ( I also liked The Lie Tree)
♦ April- Middle East Throne of the Crescent Moon
♦ May- Asia / Pacific Islands
♦ June- LGBTQIA
♦ July- religious minority
♦ August- New Adult
♦ September- LatinX / South America
♦ October- Persons with Disabilities
♦ November- Indigenous Peoples
♦ December- Human Rights
For April, I'll be reading We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal! 
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I will post next month's promo tonight, but how did your reading picks this month work out for you?
May is around the corner, so let the planning begin.AAPI books are the month’s theme: books written by Asian or Pacific Islander authors or set in Asia or on a Pacific Island. Because this is a YA book club, YA books are certainly encouraged, but any age level, fiction, poetry, nonfiction (basically all the books) count.
Here are some book lists to help you search for a book to read:
-YA List: https://www.lapl.org/teens/books/asia...
-MA List: http://www.randomhousebooks.com/lists..., https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/th...,
-From Teen Vogue: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/books...
-Graphic Novels: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
-And This: https://socialjusticebooks.org/bookli...
I finished Once Upon an Eid a few days late, but the book was worth reading. I learned a lot and as the book title suggests, the stories were all hopeful and uplifting, which I definitely needed. I'd probably classify it as an MG book.I still haven't settled on a book for May yet.
A little (long) updateI'm still on the wait list for Once Upon an Eid, I also think that some shorts will be fun to mix it up and get some different perspectives.
My March/Europe book was Gretel and the Case of the Missing Frog Prints which is an adult book about Gretel (yes that Gretel) as a PI in Germany. It was really fun and I've already started the next one. I recommend for those people that like puns and are familiar with classic fairy tales.
I am also reading Hot British Boyfriend to fulfill the YA part, but I am just not feeling it at the moment. The narrator is a bit too boy crazy for me.
One of my May books is Spirit Hunters, a MG horror book that is pretty grusome so far. But I like it. I have A Pho Love Story and American Panda on hold. So hopefully I can get to those too.
@ Ashley- your post about Spirit Hunters reminded me that I have A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, so I think I will read that for this month. I also have How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays from a past Life's Library book that I have not read yet that I *may* be able to squish in too.I was being indecisive, so that's for the idea.
Melanie wrote: "@ Ashley- your post about Spirit Hunters reminded me that I have A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, so I think I will read that for this month. I am reading A Thousand Beginnings too!!! I'm about 4 stories in and find it pretty fascinating.
I read The Girl from the Well last month and then its sequel The Suffering as part of this months challenge. Its a really great retelling of some classic Japanese horror tropes. I'm actually very interested in reading more from this author.
I am reading Little Fires Everywhere and A Thousand Beginnings and Endings for May. I do not have a June book in mind. Any suggestions?
I will post an update for next month sometime tonight. {Wow this month is over already!!!]
June is pride month (@ least in America) and thusly our representational reading theme. What will you read? As always, you can read books from any genre and “age” assignment. This is a YA book club so YA books are certainly encouraged.Also, how did your May book work out? Did you like it and would you recommend it to others?
Need help choosing a June LGBTQIA themes book? Here are some lists to get you on track:
-2021 Rainbow Book List (young person focus, but spans fiction, nonfiction, manga & graphic novels, so there’s a lot of variety): https://glbtrt.ala.org/rainbowbooks/
-YA List (there are several books on this list that I’ve read and liked of definitely want to read and expect to like): https://www.abebooks.com/books/featur...
-MA List: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life...
-Graphic Novels: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
-NonFiction: https://seattle.bibliocommons.com/lis...
May Update: This month was just a hard month to keep up on reading: @work my students all went crazy, @home I've had a death of someone close to cope with. Therefore I haven't started A Thousand Beginnings and Endings yet, but I will catch up in June after the school year ends (June 7--I'm totally counting down).June: I want to read The Song of Achilles. It's been on my TBR for soo long. This challenge is a great motivation to finally read it. I read Circe by the same author and loved it.
Book Recs (I happily recommend all of these):
-The House in the Cerulean Sea
-The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
-Will Grayson, Will Grayson
-Cemetery Boys
-An Assassin's Guide to Love and Treason
-Carry On
For April I finished Shadow SpinnerFor May I finished Shadow of the Fox
For June I'm reading LGBTQ Fiction and Poetry from Appalachia. (Had to change from Felix Ever After because I couldn't find a copy of it).
How'd you like them ... You have a Shadow mini-theme going on.
So sorry to hear about your bereavement, Melanie. Take it easy.
Melanie wrote: "How'd you like them ... You have a Shadow mini-theme going on."They were fantastic. I didn't mean to have a Shadow theme. LOL But I totally did. Shadow of the Fox was really insightful as it let me have an inside peek into Feudal/Shogunate Japan.
I'm so sorry I didn't read your previous post. Losing someone is never easy and it sounds like you have your hands full with so many stressful things. I hope you have less stress now that the school year is over.
Melanie wrote: "May Update: This month was just a hard month to keep up on reading: @work my students all went crazy, @home I've had a death of someone close to cope with. Therefore I haven't started [book:A Thous..."Melanie,
Would you like to do a buddy read for Achilles? I can start it next week whenever. I'm trying to do a lot of catching up on my reading. Hopefully I will get They Went Left finished this weekend. Also, that reminds me I need to write my final post for Girls with Sharp Sticks #3...so behind.
I'm planning on starting it soon so yes! Probably Monday or Tuesday...It's not a YA book, so let's just use this thread instead of a dedicated buddy read thread.
I still have to do final posts for Cemetery Boys and Jane Unlimited too, but I don't feel like doing it today.
July’s topic is a little more cloudy than the previous topics. Your challenge is to read a book by an author or about a character from a religious minority. You can define a religious minority for yourself as this will vary depending on your upbringing and location. The book can be fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama--YA or MA.Need help choosing a JULY book? Here are some lists to get you on track:
-12 Compelling YA Books About Religion: https://bookriot.com/ya-books-about-r...
-Muslim, Social Justice Books: https://socialjusticebooks.org/bookli...
-Jewish Characters and Authors: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
-Pagan Characters and Authors: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/5...
-Hindu Characters and Authors: https://www.bookgeeks.in/best-english...
-Buddist Characters and Authors: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
**We are midway through this challenge. Which book so far was the most impactful for you? If you haven’t reported back on some of your reads, do a catch up post.**
I really liked my June books. I managed
I enjoyed all of them a lot.
:) yeah!
@Jenniferre: Song of Achilles
So I'm half way through, and I'm really loving the book. I am probably going to follow it up with the actual Iliad which I have never read. Some the the details clash with parts of the story I 'thought' I knew, but it's probably just that I'm misinformed.
There is one detail that is bothering, but it's a me thing, so I just need to get over it. But (view spoiler) is just beyond my ability to suspend disbelief. Otherwise, this book is amazing! How's it going on your end??
I finished A Thousand Beginnings and Endings. Because I wasn't familiar with the source material, some of the stories were just too strange, but I'm glad I read them all the same. It definitely falls within the spirit of the challenge and expanded my horizons.For July I plan to read Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal as the MC is a Muslim in America. I will finish The Song of Achilles, so I will be all caught up (with this challenge @ least).
My books so far, I'm just picking the themes anytime instead of one per month:Representation Matters - Monthly Categories
♦ January- Middle Grade
♦ February- BLM / Africa Sorcerer to the Crown Emergency Skin
♦ March- Europe
♦ April- Middle East
♦ May- Asia / Pacific Islands Folklorn
♦ June- LGBTQIA - Witchmark The Vela The Lights of Prague A Desolation Called Peace Jane, Unlimited
♦ July- religious minority
♦ August- New Adult
♦ September- LatinX / South America - Prime Deceptions
♦ October- Persons with Disabilities - We Are Satellites
♦ November- Indigenous Peoples
♦ December- Human Rights
Rated YA-MA
Books mentioned in this topic
Zara Hossain Is Here (other topics)Zara Hossain Is Here (other topics)
Who Let the Gods Out? (other topics)
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (other topics)
The Poet X (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Sarah J. Maas (other topics)Tomi Adeyemi (other topics)
Tomi Adeyemi (other topics)
Angie Thomas (other topics)
Has anyone else read this series?