Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion
2025 Read Harder Challenge
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Task 4: Read a book about obsession.
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I'm not entirely sure what I'll do for this one, but I appreciate it making me think. I don't normally pick books based on a theme like this? I'm thinking maybe finally reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier for this, but I'll be looking out to see what others to suggest because I have no idea beyond that.
I am going with The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession but am def open to other suggestions
I don’t know how to delete my last post where I accidentally hit “post” too early. What I meant to say was that I recently read All The Colors of The Dark by Chris Whitaker and I think it would be perfect for this task.
Some thoughts:The Silent Patient
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
I Have Some Questions for You
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
and some classics:
Rebecca
Withering Heights
Possibly: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Horse
I think I've mentioned this before, but if your public library has access to NoveList, you can search their database by subject for obsession (use: DE "Obsession"). It brings up a lot, but you can also filter down to something more specific. Sorting by oldest first was super interesting.I'll probably go for The Vegetarian by Han Kang or Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
I'm considering The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession, The Secret History or Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.
I started a Listopia for this prompt:https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
I'm trying to make a list for every prompt in the Book Riot Challenge
Karen wrote: "Going for a classic:Moby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman Melville"
Ooooh, I might have to pencil this one in as a maybe.
I had this one on deck for a few years ago "Read a book you're intimidated by", but it didn't happen and I got behind in my challenges.
I have a very old copy of Moby Dick that's been in the family for a very long time. I usually read ebooks, but I thought it would be nice to read the family edition.
Although it is on the nose, this YA thriller is very good. The girl being stalked is an interesting, clever, morally grey character with agency. TW: domestic violence
The Obsession by Jesse Q Sutanto
I chose What Lies Between Us by John Marrs. I think this fits due to the characters' obsession with... well, no spoilers.
Premeditated Myrtle is about a middle grade girl obsessed with criminal science. In Shake Hands Forever, an inspector is obsessed with solving a murder. I might reread Tormenting Thoughts and Secret Rituals: The Hidden Epidemic of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
I read The Backyard Bird Chronicles. The author is obsessive about feeding wild birds & watching birds.
I forgot to post this. I ended up reading Horse about a month ago. There are several people obsessed with the horses, especially the titular one, Lexington
I've changed my mind... I'm going with The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession. I just finished it and realized it was perfect for this challenge!
I read Man Overboard. The bad guy is obsessed with self-deletion and redrum. (I don't know if certain words are censored or not).
I read This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch: The Joy of Loving Something--Anything--Like Your Life Depends On It for this one and it was really fun and interesting. More positive and less depressing spin on the obsession theme.
Elizabeth wrote: "I'm not entirely sure what I'll do for this one, but I appreciate it making me think. I don't normally pick books based on a theme like this? I'm thinking maybe finally reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier for this, but I'll be looking out to see what others to suggest because I have no idea beyond that."I ended up reading The Prometheite by Ari S. Mulch for this task. It's a sapphic graphic novel retelling of Frankenstein. I still hope to read Rebecca this year if I can fit it into my schedule though!
I already read The Art Thief for this one, but I am currently reading The Eyes Are the Best Part and it would definitely work!
Denise wrote: "The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon"
Thank you for this suggestion - just finished it. Really interesting.
Books mentioned in this topic
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon (other topics)Anathema (other topics)
The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession (other topics)
The Eyes Are the Best Part (other topics)
Listen for the Lie (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Keri Lake (other topics)Amy Tintera (other topics)
John Marrs (other topics)
Herman Melville (other topics)
Herman Melville (other topics)











Task 4: Read a book about obsession.