2016 Read Harder Challenge Update

As you may remember back in January I started participating in the 2016 Read Harder Challenge from bookriot.com in an effort to read more and more diversely. We are officially one third of the way through the challenge so I thought it was time for a progress check!

This year's challenge consists of 24 tasks which means participants have a little over 2 weeks per task in order to complete them all by the end of the year. What I have come to realize is that the time constraint isn't the hardest part of this challenge. No, the real challenge is picking books that fit the categories. I have to admit that I've been a trifle lazy and some of the books I've read haven't stretched me as far out of my comfort zone as I would like.

My progress as of April 27, 2016

I'm actually not as far behind as I had feared I would be! So far I've completed seven out of the 24 tasks putting me just one task away from a third of the challenge completed. Not too bad considering I've been mostly just reading whatever books grab my attention lately (I'm looking at you Dresden Files) and not focusing making choices based on the challenge.

Tasks Completed 

• Read a Non-Fiction Book About Science: A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
• Read a Middle Grade Novel: The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
• Read a Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic Novel: The Stand by Stephen King
• Read a Book Originally Published in the Decade You Were Born: The Harp of Imach Thyssel by Patricia C. Wrede
• Listen to an Audiobook That Has Won an Audie Award: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
• Read a Non-Superhero Comic That Debuted in the Last Three Years: Lumberjanes Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson
• Read a Food Memoir: The Reach of a Chef: Beyond the Kitchen by Michael Ruhlman

In the coming weeks I'll be doing reviews of the books I've already read for this challenge as well as doing reviews for the the books I'll be reading to complete the remaining tasks. If this sounds like something you'd like to get in on, there's still plenty of time to challenge yourself! Just head over to the official Book Riot 2016 Read Hard Challenge Page and download the pdf. It doesn't cost anything to participate and if you complete the challenge before Dec 31st and send a picture of your completed list to readharder@bookriot.com you'll get a 30% discount in the Book Riot store!

10 Bookcovers From The 90's With Amusing New Titles

People have been using software like Photoshop to manipulate book covers almost as long as the internet has been around. Recently a Twitter account by the name of Paperback Paradise has been getting lots of attention for their high quality updates of book covers from the late 80's and early 90's. Anyone who has even glanced at the teen and tween book section at their local library will recognize many of the covers being lampooned which include well known series such as Sweet Valley Twins and The Hardy Boys. The profile has only been active since March 11, 2016 but it already has over 50 thousand followers and updates regularly.