Yesterday was the official half-way point of the year—hard to believe it, I know. Two weeks ago I had the semi-unhealthy idea to up my Goodreads reading challenge from 100 to 150 books for the year. Yup, 150 books. And although I’ve read 10 books since that point, it’s still going to be an uphill battle. Until I get caught up I’m having to be creative about what I select to read, favoring quick reads and wrapping up abandoned books along the way. But rather than read quantity over quality, I’m also trying to read with more intention, and I’d like to invite you to do the same.
To that end, I created the following challenge designed to help you read your way to victory.
Introducing the Broke By Books Mid-Year Challenge
How does this break down?
30% More Diverse Reads
Act with more intent to cultivate a diverse reading list. Read authors or writers who are different than you, and learn from others about the great diversity of experiences that people experience in our world. A good definition is found on the We Need Diverse Books’ Mission Statement page:
How we define diversity:
We recognize all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities*, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.
*We subscribe to a broad definition of disability, which includes but is not limited to physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, chronic conditions, and mental illnesses (this may also include addiction). Furthermore, we subscribe to a social model of disability, which presents disability as created by barriers in the social environment, due to lack of equal access, stereotyping, and other forms of marginalization.
Some great reading lists to get you started are found with the Goodreads Lists search term “Diversity” and also “The Best Foreign Books You’ve Never Heard Of” by NPR, “The 20 Best Books in Translation You’ve Never Read” by Publisher’s Weekly, (ignore the ridiculous title) “25 Queer Authors You Absolutely Should Be Reading If You’re Not Already,” on Bustle, and the Goodreads Lists search term “Disabled.” Check out some diverse books and authors and you won’t be disappointed.
Read on to learn about the other components to the challenge…
30% Reads by Female Authors
Female authors, from Jane Austen to Jennifer Egan, are the bedrock of awesome writing, yet they are criminally overlooked in book reviews and literary journals that review books. This is really such an easy component of the challenge that you can do it in a snap. Simply read 30% more female authors than you already do. Looking for ideas? Try “The 75 Greatest Living Female Authors” by AbeBooks, “14 Great Female Authors Recommend Their 41 Favorite Female Authors” in Elle, and “50 Books by Women Authors to Read for #ReadWomen2014” on Flavorwire.
30% Bucket List Books
What have you always wanted to read? Anna Karenina? Moby Dick? The Flower and the Flame? This is your year (okay, half year), so go out and do it! Knock some books off your longstanding to-be-read list. Don’t get caught up thinking the book is too long, you don’t have time, what if it’s over your head? You’ve got this.
And in case you’re stalled and don’t know which classic to read, check out some greatest books lists, like the comprehensive one over at Brainpickings, the 100 Best Novels at Modern Library Classics, or the BBC’s Big Read.
10% Off the Shelf
Finally, do yourself a favor and read off your own shelves (or ebook shelves). Witness my young adult and middle grade bookcase, seen above. I have read 2 of these 21 books pictured. Sad! When you bought a book, you were interested in it for whatever reason, and if you take a good look at your shelves you’ll see that you have good taste. Try to pick something at random and enjoy the whimsy of serendipitous reading. This is a good way to get insight into who you were when you purchased the book, and it also validates your taste. Moreover, you’ll tackle the problem of buying books you’ve never read.
There are no book lists for this part of the challenge, naturally, since it’s all in your house.
Do any of these challenges particularly mesh well with your reading goals for the rest of the year? Any recommendations on titles or authors? Leave a comment below!
