2021 Reading Challenges

I’m tracking my 2021 reading challenge progress here. The challenge buttons and names link you to to the signup/information posts if you’d like to join me!

Reading Challenges I’m Hosting

Books in Translation Reading Challenge

Hosted here at Introverted Reader. I’m signing up at the Conversationalist level, 4-6 books. #2021booksintranslation

1. Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age by Bohumil Hrabal, translated by Michael Henry Heim
2. In Praise of Shadows by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, translated by Thomas J. Harper and Edward G. Seidensticker
3. Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier, translated by Barbara Harshav
4. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori
5. The Price of Paradise by Susana López Rubio, translated by Achy Obejas
6. A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos, translated by Hildegarde Serle
7. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, translated by Magda Bogin
8. Last Witnesses (Adapted for Young Adults) by Svetlana Alexievich, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky

Southern Literature Reading Challenge

Hosted here at Introverted Reader. I’m signing up at level four, 7+ books. #2021southernlit

1. Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by Stacey Abrams
2. Goldie Vance Volume Three by Hope Larson
3. Goldie Vance Volume Four by Hope Larson
4. The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael W. Twitty
5. Ladies’ Night by Mary Kay Andrews, read by Kathleen McInerney
6. Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward
7. They Better Call Me Sugar: My Journey from the Hood to the Hardwood by Sugar Rodgers
8. How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, written and read by Clint Smith
9. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, read by Marin Ireland

New (To You) Narrator Reading Challenge

Hosted here at Introverted Reader. I’m signing up at the Listener level, 6-10 narrators I haven’t listened to before. #2021newnarrator

1. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia, read by Amir Abdullah
2. A Blade So Black by L. L. McKinney, read by Jeanette Illidge
3. Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer, read by Roger Allam and Emilia Fox
4. Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver written and read by Jill Heinerth
5. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, read by Kirsten Potter
6. Skin Tight by Carl Hiaasen, read by George K. Wilson
7. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, read by Tom Hanks
8. Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers, read by Nadia May
9. The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan, read by Sneha Mathan
10. A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce, read by Charlotte Parry
11. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark, read by Miriam Margolyes
12. Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston, read by Imani Parks
13. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, read by Soneela Nankani
14. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, read by Lin-Manuel Miranda
15. Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton, read by Kyla Garcia and Frankie Maria Corzo
16. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, read by Del Roy
17. Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Joan Druett, read by David Colacci
18. The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly, read by Lulu Lam
19. Whiskey When We’re Dry by John Larison, read by Sophie Amoss
20. The Giver by Lois Lowry, read by Ron Rifkin
21. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara, read by Gabra Zackman
22. The Necromancer’s House by Christopher Buehlman, read by Todd Haberkorn
23. Dead Voices (Small Spaces #2) by Katherine Arden, read by Renee Dorian
24. How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, written and read by Clint Smith
25. The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit, read by Virginia Leishman
26. The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs, read by Emily Rankin
27. Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory, read by Janina Edwards
28. A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli, read by Richa Moorjani
29. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, read by Janet Song

Challenges I’m Participating In

Uncorked Reading Challenge

Hosted by The Uncorked Librarian. I’m such a mood reader, I’m not sure how I’ll do but I like these categories. Several of them overlap with other challenges so that should make it easier. #UncorkedReading2021

January – Truth Bomb Nonfiction Book–Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by Stacey Abrams
February – Book By A Contemporary Black Author–A Blade So Black by L. L. McKinney, read by Jeanette Illidge
March – Historical Fiction Novel Featuring Inspiring Women–Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran
April – Book Set On A Train–Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier, translated by Barbara Harshav
May – Book Set In India–Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, read by Soneela Nankani
June – Book With A Beverage In The Title–Opium and Absinthe by Lydia Kang
July – Book Set On An Island–Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Joan Druett, read by David Colacci
August – Book Translated From Spanish–The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, translated by Magda Bogin
September – Banned Book From The 21st Century–Drama by Raina Telgemeier
October – True Crime Novel–I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara, read by Gabra Zackman
November – Book Inspired By Norse Mythology–Eight Days of Luke by Diana Wynne Jones
December – Multicultural Rom-Com– Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory, read by Janina Edwards

Nonfiction Reader Challenge

Hosted by Shelleyrae at Book’d Out. I’m joining at the Nonfiction Know-It-All level to read 12 books, one from each of 12 categories. #2021ReadNonFic

1. Biography The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut’s Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt by Kara Cooney
2. Travel Unbeaten Tracks in Japan by Isabella Lucy Bird
3. Self-Help The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well by Meik Wiking
4. Essay Collection Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
5. Disease Black Death at the Golden Gate: The Race to Save America from the Bubonic Plague by David K. Randall
6. Oceanography Spirals in Time: The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells by Helen Scales
7. Hobbies Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver written and read by Jill Heinerth
8. Indigenous Cultures Once Upon an Eskimo Time by Edna Wilder
9. Food The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael W. Twitty
10. Wartime Experiences Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II by Liza Mundy
11. Inventions The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
12. Published in 2021 Cosmic Queries: StarTalk’s Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going by Neil deGrasse Tyson and James Trefil

Diversity Reading Challenge

Hosted by Celebrity Readers. I’m going to try to incorporate 25 books featuring diverse authors and/or characters. There are monthly themes I may participate in as well. I’m listing them here for reference. #DiversityRC2021

• January – diverse folktales/mythology–Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia, read by Amir Abdullah
• February – Black/African American–A Blade So Black by L. L. McKinney, read by Jeanette Illidge
• March – #ownvoices–A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
• April – South Asian–The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan, read by Sneha Mathan
• May – East Asian/Southeast Asian/Pacific Islander–Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen by Liliuokalani
• June – LGBT+ sexuality and gender identity–Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, read by Lin-Manuel Miranda
• July – LGBT+ sexuality and gender identity–Stormsong by C. L. Polk
• August – mental health/addiction–Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, & Me by Ellen Forney
• September – Hispanic/Latinx–The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, translated by Magda Bogin
• October – physical/sensory/cognitive/intellectual/developmental disabilities–Born On A Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet
• November – Native American–Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask (Young Readers Edition) by Anton Treuer
• December – religious minorities–The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer

Others:

1. Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by Stacey Abrams
2. Goldie Vance Volume 3 by Hope Larson
3. Goldie Vance Volume 4 by Hope Larson
4. Blackbird Volume 1 by Sam Humphries
5. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
6. The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael W. Twitty
7. Vulgar Favors: The Assassination of Gianni Versace by Maureen Orth, read by Dan Woren
8. Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran
9. Fatima’s Great Outdoors by Ambreen Tariq, illustrated by Stevie Lewis
10. The Ship of the Dead (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #3) by Rick Riordan, read by Michael Crouch
11. Cosmic Queries: StarTalk’s Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going by Neil deGrasse Tyson and James Trefil
12. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori
13. Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston, read by Imani Parks
14. Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History of Women’s Fight for Their Rights by Mikki Kendall, illustrated by A. D’Amico
15. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, read by Soneela Nankani
16. The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly, read by Lulu Lam
17. Paying the Land by Joe Sacco
18. A Cold Day for Murder (Kate Shugak #1) by Dana Stabenow
19. The Night Masquerade (Binti #3) by Nnedi Okorafor
20. Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward
21. Whiskey When We’re Dry by John Larison, read by Sophie Amoss
22. Archenemies (Renegades #2) by Mariss Meyer, read by Rebecca Soler and Dan Bittner
23. Once Upon an Eskimo Time by Edna Wilder
24. The Broken Circle: A Memoir of Escaping Afghanistan by Enjeela Ahmadi-Miller with John DeSimone
25. Reticence (Custard Protocol #4) by Gail Carriger, read by Moira Quirk
26. Drama by Raina Telgemeier
27. All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
28. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
29. The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person by Frederick Joseph
30. From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement by Paula Yoo
31. The Power of Style: How Fashion and Beauty Are Being Used to Reclaim Cultures by Christian Allaire
32. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
33. The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks (Young Readers’ Edition) by Jeanne Theoharis, adapted by the author and Brandy Colbert
34. They Better Call Me Sugar: My Journey from the Hood to the Hardwood by Sugar Rodgers
35. How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, written and read by Clint Smith
36. You Can’t Say That! Writers for Young People Talk About Censorship, Free Expression, and the Stories They Have to Tell, edited by Leonard S. Marcus
37. Almost American Girl by Robin Ha
38. We Are Not Broken by George M. Johnson
39. The Beautiful Struggle (Young Readers’ Edition) by Ta-Nehisi Coates
40. Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by Brandy Colbert
41. Tristan Strong Destroys the World (Tristan Strong #2) by Kwame Mbalia, read by Amir Abdullah
42. Singled Out: The True Story of Glenn Burke by Andrew Maraniss
43. Race Against Time: The Untold Story of Scipio Jones and the Battle to Save Twelve Innocent Men by Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace
44. Notes from a Young Black Chef (Adapted for Young Adults) by Kwame Onwuachi with Joshua David Stein
45. Punching Bag by Rex Ogle
46. A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli, read by Richa Moorjani
47. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, read by Janet Song
48. World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

Audiobook Reading Challenge

Hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. I’m signing up at the Binge Listener Level, 20-30 audiobooks. #2021AudiobookChallenge

1. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia, read by Amir Abdullah
2. Deep Storm by Lincoln Child, read by Scott Brick
3. End of Watch by Stephen King, read by Will Patton
4. A Blade So Black by L. L. McKinney, read by Jeanette Illidge
5. Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer, read by Roger Allam and Emilia Fox
6. Vulgar Favors: The Assassination of Gianni Versace by Maureen Orth, read by Dan Woren
7. Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver written and read by Jill Heinerth
8. Slouch Witch by Helen Harper, read by Tanya Eby
9. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, read by Kirsten Potter
10. Skin Tight by Carl Hiaasen, read by George K. Wilson
11. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, read by Tom Hanks
12. The Ship of the Dead (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #3) by Rick Riordan, read by Michael Crouch
13. The Seeing Stone (Arthur Trilogy #1) by Kevin Crossley-Holland, read by Michael Maloney
14. Boston Jacky: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Taking Care of Business (Bloody Jack, #11) by L. A. Meyer, read by Katherine Kellgren
15. Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers, read by Nadia May
16. The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan, read by Sneha Mathan
17. A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce, read by Charlotte Parry
18. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark, read by Miriam Margolyes
19. Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston, read by Imani Parks
20. The Sins of the Father by Jeffrey Archer, read by Alex Jennings and Emilia Fox
21. Renegades (Renegades #1) by Marissa Meyer, read by Rebecca Soler and Dan Bittner
22. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, read by Soneela Nankani
23. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, read by Lin-Manuel Miranda
24. Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton, read by Kyla Garcia and Frankie Maria Corzo
25. Ladies’ Night by Mary Kay Andrews, read by Kathleen McInerney
26. The Golden Tresses of the Dead (Flavia de Luce, #10) by Alan Bradley, read by Jayne Entwistle
27. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, read by Del Roy
28. Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Joan Druett, read by David Colacci
29. The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly, read by Lulu Lam
30. Whiskey When We’re Dry by John Larison, read by Sophie Amoss
31. The Giver by Lois Lowry, read by Ron Rifkin
32. Archenemies (Renegades #2) by Marissa Meyer, read by Rebecca Soler and Dan Bittner
33. Reticence (Custard Protocol #4) by Gail Carriger, read by Moira Quirk
34. The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters, read by Barbara Rosenblat
35. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara, read by Gabra Zackman
36. The Necromancer’s House by Christopher Buehlman, read by Todd Haberkorn
37. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks, read by a full cast
38. Dead Voices (Small Spaces #2) by Katherine Arden, read by Renee Dorian
39. The Gathering (Shadow House #1) by Dan Poblocki, read by Dan Bittner
40. How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, written and read by Clint Smith
41. The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit, read by Virginia Leishman
42. Gilded by Marissa Meyer, read by Rebecca Soler
43. Tristan Strong Destroys the World (Tristan Strong #2) by Kwame Mbalia, read by Amir Abdullah
44. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, read by Marin Ireland
45. The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks (Montague Siblings #3) by Mackenzi Lee, read by Christian Coulson
46. The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs, read by Emily Rankin
47. Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory, read by Janina Edwards
48. A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli, read by Richa Moorjani
49. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, read by Janet Song

Book Voyage: Read Around the World Challenge

Hosted by The Book Girls’ Guide. I’ve debated about adding an eighth challenge, especially another one with monthly goals, but I just can’t resist! This will overlap with a couple of my other challenges nicely and it should help soothe my travel bug while the pandemic continues. #bookvoyagechallenge

• January: Arctic & Antarctic–The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
• February: Europe – West–The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
• March: Europe – East–Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age by Bohumil Hrabal, translated by Michael Henry Heim
• April: Asia – North–Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori
• May: Asia – South–Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, read by Soneela Nankani
• June: Books Set on an Island–Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton, read by Kyla Garcia and Frankie Maria Corzo
• July: Australia & New Zealand–Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Joan Druett, read by David Colacci
• August: Middle East–The Broken Circle: A Memoir of Escaping Afghanistan by Enjeela Ahmadi-Miller with John DeSimone
• September: Africa–Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
• October: South America–The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, translated by Magda Bogin
• November: North America–How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, written and read by Clint Smith
• December: Books Spanning Multiple Continents–A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli, read by Richa Moorjani