A Matter of Perspective ~ 2024 diversity in reading challenge

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

A Matter of Perspective: 2024 Diversity in Reading Challenge

Explanation: This year’s Diversity in Reading Challenge combines the diverse categories of the 2021 Representation Matters challenge with the quarterly focus of last year’s Varying Viewpoints challenge. Like all of the previous diverse reading challenges, this challenge asks you to read 12 books of any genre (although YA books are encouraged) from diverse categories to expand your reading and stretch your ability to empathize with people from diverse backgrounds.

Categories by Quarter:
♦January - March: Africa
♦April - June: Asia / Pacific Islands
♦July - September: Latin X / South America
♦October - December: Middle East

Details: Read 3 books that are set in in the region or have an author from the region.

Bonus Challenge: For an additional challenge choose your books as follows...
author (book written by an author from the region)
religion/indigenous (book that highlights the religion or the indigenous peoples of the region)
POV (book that features a Point-of-View character in or from the region)

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

Discussion: We can use this thread to plan for each quarter’s challenges, recommend and review books.

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

My Quarter 1 Plan:

author: The Merciless Ones (book 2 of Gilded Ones)
religion/indigenous: Hour of the Red God: A Detective Mollel Novel (MA)
POV: The Good Braider

I recommend:
Akata Witch (MG fantasy), Binti (YA scifi), and Solo (YA realistic)

[Ashley]

I am definitely interested. And will try to actually post my books this year. I also love Nnedi Okorafor.

[Ashley]

Okay.

Quarter 1 - Africa
1. Skin of the Sea 1/12
2. What the River Knows 1/26
3. Children of Blood and Bone 3/26




Quarter 2 - Asia & Pacific Islands
1. Nothing But Blackened Teeth (new adult) 6/10
2. A Line in the Dark 6/12
3. The Bone Witch 6/22



Quarter 3 - Latin X/ South America
1. Silver Nitrate 6/02



Quarter 4 - Middle East
1. Furthermore (MG) 10/9
2. Whichwood (MG) 10/15
3.

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

Yay! I haven't started reading for the challenge yet, but I tracked down books for the first quarter.

[Ashley]

I’ve started but it’s slow going. The book itself is good, but I’m in the mood for something a little lighter. So I’m listening to one chapter of this and then switching to a cozy mystery

[Anna]

I'm in!

Quarter 1 - Africa
Completed:


Possibilities:
Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans (MG)
Beasts of Prey


Quarter 2 - Asia & Pacific Islands
Completed:


Possibilities:
Snowglobe - originally written in Korean
Neverlanders - Australian author
All the Small Wonderful Things (MG) - Australia
A Sky of Paper Stars (MG) - child of Korean Immigrants
Stories of the Islands (MG) -Indonesian folktales
A Magic Steeped in Poison - Chinese folklore and mythology
Song of Silver, Flame Like Night - Chinese folklore and mythology
Lunar New Year Love Story - ?


Quarter 3 - Latin X & South America
Completed:


Possibilities:
Alebrijes (MG)
Clap When You Land or The Poet X
Secret of the Moon Conch
Something by Jonny Garza Villa
Furia


Quarter 4 - Middle East


Possibilities:
Nowhere Boy (MG) - Syrian refugee
An Impossible Thing to Say - child of Iranian immigrant
Ahimsa (MG) - India (it isn't technically Middle Eastern but people lump it in there so I'm going to since I need options here)
An Impossible Thing to Say - Iranian American character
Hope Ablaze - Pakistani author

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

I am working through my first book for the challenge. I am eye-reading it so it is taking longer than an audiobook.

Hour of the Red God: A Detective Mollel Novel
It is a realistic, adult fiction police procedural set in Nairobi. The main detective is Maasai which is (based on my understanding through reading the book) a tribal religion. It is quite interesting. Both the detective's life and the mystery are engaging and the book keeps building in tension.

I also reread The Fifth Season as part of actually finishing the trilogy. I highly recommend the book and author. I am not counting for my challenge because I want to use more YA books.

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

I finished book 2: The Merciless Ones (which is also book 2 of the series). If you liked books one the sequel does not disappoint. It gets quite political.

I plan to finish quarter one next month with The Good Braider.

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

My First Quarter Update: Finished the first part of the challenge .. on time. I'm proud of me!

2/17 Africa-religion Hour of the Red God (MA)
2/20 Africa-author The Merciless Ones (YA series #2)
3/27 Africa-pov: Children of Blood and Bone (YA series #1, reread)
bonus: MA The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate andThe Stone Sky

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

Reminder to All: Second Quarter starts soon.
April - June: Asia / Pacific Islands
**Read 3 books that are set in in the region or have an author from the region.**

Bonus Challenge: For an additional challenge choose your books as follows...
-author (book written by an author from the region)
-religion/indigenous (book that highlights the religion or the indigenous peoples of the region)
-POV (book that features a Point-of-View character in or from the region)

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

Anna Has several suggestions for Quarter 2 in message #8 above!

[Ashley]

I finished Q1 and updated my post.

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

Here is my Quarter 2 plan....

Author: A Magic Steeped in Poison
religion/indigenous: The Last Mapmaker (middle grade)
POV: Not Your Sidekick
Bonus MA reads: Iron Widow, The Fox Wife

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

UPDATE

Third Quarter starts soon.
July - September: Latin X / South America
**Read 3 books that are set in in the region or have an author / character from the region.**

Bonus Challenge: For an additional challenge choose your books as follows...
-author (book written by an author from the region)
-religion/indigenous (book that highlights the religion or the indigenous peoples of the region)
-POV (book that features a Point-of-View character in or from the region

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

I hope to read these books for Quarter 3:
Lobizona
The Storm Runner
The New David Espinoza

I recommend these books that I have already read:
Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories (short stories)
With the Fire on High (book in vese)

https://www.epicreads.com/blog/latinx...

[Ashley]

Lobizona is on my list too.

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

The Final Quarter begins Tuesday!

October-December: Middle East
**Read 3 books that are set in in the region or have an author / character from the region.**

Bonus Challenge: For an additional challenge choose your books as follows...
-author (book written by an author from the region)
-religion/indigenous (book that highlights the religion or the indigenous peoples of the region)
-POV (book that features a Point-of-View character in or from the region

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

I really liked The New David Espinoza and plan to finish Lobizona tomorrow, so I'm one book behind schedule.

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

Here are some book lists to help you pick your final challenge books:
-http://richincolor.com/2013/07/six-ya...
-https://cmlibrary.bibliocommons.com/l...

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

My (hopeful) reading list:

Darius the Great Is Not Okay, Does My Head Look Big In This?, and We Hunt the Flame

I highly recommend: Once Upon an Eid

[Ashley]

I totally let the last quarter slip by. I'm going to read the books even if they aren't in the right time frame and it doesn't "count"

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

I'm of the opinion that getting it done before year's end counts. Going back to work has really cramped by reading time (LOL).

[Ashley]

I read

& by Tahereh Mafi (author of Shatter Me).

These are MG and are pretty cute. I really like the magical world they were set in.

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

I almost included Shater Me in this months poll but the book description wasn't clear about how it fits the Middle East?

[Ashley]

The author is of Iranian descent, I'm not sure if she was born there or her parents were from there.

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

Thanks.

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

Checking in. How well do you do with your goals for this challenge?

[Anna]

I really enjoyed this challenge! Two of my favorite books of the year (below) I read for this challenge and at least one, I only found because of this challenge. Thanks for putting this together Melanie!

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

I petered out in the last quarter and only read 1 middle eastern book, making my grand total 10 of 12.

[Ashley]

I ended up with 9, but I enjoyed all the books I read.

[Melanie, looking for a partner in crime]

Love it when that happens!