Below I'm going to list the challenges as well as the books I've chosen for each one with a brief description and my reasoning for choosing that book. Disclaimer: I like to go into books blind, so my description of books I haven't yet read will probably be sparse and possibly inaccurate. Feel free to correct me in the comments if I mess something up horribly. And of course, some of these choices may be swapped out as the year goes on depending on library availability among other things.
Challenge #1: A book published in 2019
My choice: Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte (2019)
This is a science fiction-fantasy standalone with a murder mystery twist. This was the first book I saw on my TBR that came out in 2019 and I will be reading it as soon as I can get my hands on it!
Challenge #2: An author you've never heard of before
My choice: We Are Still Tornadoes by Michael Kun (2016)
Honestly, I saw this book at my local used bookstore (Half Price Books is AMAZING - great prices and their online selection is even wider than their massive bookstores), and I bought it for the cover. I actually saw the book once, decided not to get it, and then saw it again the next time I went to the bookstore - and not even on a display, just on its shelf in the YA section at the back of the bookstore. This book is about some friends who are trying to retain their friendship as they move away from each other for college, I think with some romance mixed in somewhere, and it's set in the 80's. The choice is pretty simple; I've never heard of Michael Kun before but maybe I will find a new contemporary author to follow!
Challenge #3: A book you've read before
My choice: Linger (Wolves of Mercy Falls #2) by Maggie Stiefvater (2010)
Wolves of Mercy Falls is a paranormal romance/fantasy series about werewolves in a small town. It blends science fiction and romance and it's a series that I've loved since I was 14 when the books were recent releases. I was already rereading the series when I made this list, so I chose this one for my reread. I do highly recommend Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) if you're looking for a sappy paranormal romance!
Challenge #4: A book with a strong female lead
My choice: Warrior Princess (Destiny's Path #1) by Allan Frewin Jones
So it's kind of hard to tell if a female lead is going to be strong (Katniss) or dumb (Tris) before reading a book because of course the blurbs will always imply that they're strong and amazing. But the title of this one sounds pretty promising! I've had this series on my TBR for a long time and it's time I finally picked it up.
Challenge #5: A play
My choice: The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare (1600)
I do not remember much about this play from when I read it 4 years ago, but I know it was my favorite Shakespeare piece I read so I want to reread it. I know it involves prejudice against Jewish people, and that, due to the societal mindset of Shakespeare's time, this was viewed as justified and even comical.
Challenge #6: A book set in Southern USA
My choice: The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (1996)
A romance novel!! Who would've thought!! This has been on my TBR for a while, even before my challenge to read America's 100 Best Loved Novels, but now I have more incentive (for more info on the challenge, go ahead and tap on that link!). Everyone seems to know what this book is except me. I've never read it or seen the movie, I just know that it has romance, and something to do with aging, and a kiss to end all kisses. Oh also, it takes place in North Carolina.
Challenge #7: A memoir on someone you admire
My choice: Becoming by Michelle Obama (2018)
Could there be a better choice for this one? Michelle Obama is an honest-to-God role model, and I'm so excited to read her memoir. I'm currently on the wait list for the audiobook (which she narrates herself) at my library, and I'm currently #502. 😅 Hopefully I get my hands on the book before the year is over!
Challenge #8: A book set in Victorian era
My choice: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847)
This was a pretty easy choice. It's a well-known classic that I was going to read eventually, and it's part of my reading challenge. I just hope this one holds my attention better than Pride and Prejudice did!
Challenge #9: A book featuring a character with a career you wish you had
My choice: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (2012)
Okay, so I definitely cheated with this one. I really couldn't come up with a career I wish I had in terms of the books on my TBR or close to being on my TBR. To my knowledge, the main character in this series is an assassin, which is definitely not my dream job, but it still sounds cool. TBH I just really wanted to read this series and it's my challenge so I will bend the rules if I want to. 😝
Challenge #10: A book with a plant on the cover
My choice: Evermore by Alyson Noel (2009)
I have had this book on my TBR for longer than I've had a Goodreads account. This is partly due to the fact that this has been on my physical bookshelf for literally over 5 years. I bought it when I was REALLY into paranormal romance books/series. I still like paranormal romance, but I definitely go more for high fantasy these day. I am very determined to finally read this this year, and if I really like it I already own the second one and can continue it. Otherwise, they'll both be sent to Half Price Books for me to make $.30 off of!
Challenge #11: A book published the year you graduated high school
My choice: Turtles All the Way Down by John Green (2017)
I graduated high school in 2017, so my choice is very recent. I have owned this book for a long time, and I really like John Green's books so I have been itching to get to this one. I've heard mixed reviews about, but I'm clearly more than willing to get it a try, and soon.
Challenge #12: A graphic novel
My choice: Avengers: Ultron Forever by Al Ewing (2015)
So here's the thing: I'm obsessed with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Avengers is my all time favorite movie, and I've recently started collecting some Avengers and Thor comic books (Thor is my favorite character, in the MCU but probably also ever). I have a large selection to choose from, so I just plucked a comic book off my shelf and decided to throw it into this challenge. Yes, I realize the movies are different than the comics, but I can't get enough of these characters and there are only 19 movies!
Challenge #13: A book featuring music
My choice: Noteworthy by Riley Redgate (2017)
I really don't know much about this book, other than it's a YA contemporary set in a high school and it revolves around a capella. It sounded interesting, and despite my apprehension about the genre (contemporaries have not been my thing recently), I decided to give it a try because of the reviews and recommendations.
Challenge #14: An ugly cover
My choice: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green (2018)
This cover is actually the worst. I don't think this is an objective fact, but I hate this cover. The book itself has good reviews and recommendations, plus the premise interests me and Hank Green is awesome so this is an easy choice for this challenge.
Challenge #15: A book with a teen as the main character
My choice: Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (2018)
I read so much YA that this really isn't a challenge for me. I could've chosen any one of 50 books I will read this year for this challenge. Still, I chose this book because the teenage main character is also surrounded by other teenagers, and they're all concubines for this really horrible king. It's a heavy topic, but hopefully not too intense to be an enjoyable read.
Challenge #16: A retelling of a well-known story
My choice: Circe by Madeline Miller (2018)
Any story relating to Greek mythology could fall under this category, but the story of Circe particularly interests me. This book has great recommendations and I loved The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller so this is going to be a good choice for me.
Challenge #17: A book about a political issue
My choice: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017)
It is about dang time that I read this book! I know it's about police brutality and that it's really good and moving, so I will be reading it this year.
Challenge #18: A book picked out for you by someone else
My choice: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (2014)
This book was picked out for me by my mom, who loves WWII historical fiction and insists that this book is amazing. I will finally indulge her in reading it, even though historical fiction is not one of my go-to genres!
Challenge #19: A gothic fiction novel
My choice: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (1847)
I know nothing about this book, other than that it's a classic and when I googled "popular gothic fiction novels", it was one of the first results. This was already on my TBR because it is part of my 100 Greatest Novels reading challenge, so I will be listening to the audiobook later this year.
Challenge #20: A book about time travel
My choice: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (1991)
This book is also part of my 100 Greatest Novels reading challenge. I don't know much except that some time travel fluke send our main character back in time to a historical setting, and that despite this the book is generally categorized as historical fiction over science fiction. There are also 9 books in the series, so if I really love the first one I plan to continue in the series.
Challenge #21: A title that starts with the letter "J"
My choice: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (1906)
I'm not a huge classics person, but ever since I learned about this book in history class, it has interested me. I bought the book a few years ago with the intention of reading it and since haven't, so now I finally have an obligation to! I really hope I will like this, because honestly the historical context of this book's publication are really fascinating, and I'm not one to usually find history fascinating.
Challenge #22: A fantasy novel
My choice: The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw (2018)
This is another category that I could choose over half of my books for because I read so much fantasy, so I just chose a random one that I was excited to read. Honestly I don't know if it even counts because it is really just about a few witches in a modern setting, but like I said this is definitely not the only fantasy novel I'm reading in 2019.
Challenge #23: A book by Agatha Christie
My choice: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (1939)
I'm not a huge mystery/suspense/horror person (clearly I have a limited number of genres I usually read...), but this is part of my 100 Greatest Novels reading challenge so I'm going to give it a go. And, the title just sounds intriguing doesn't it?
Challenge #24: A self-published book
My choice: The Martian by Andy Weir (2012)
This is another challenge that I enlisted the help of Google to figure out, because Goodreads doesn't have a good way of telling you what books are self-published. I was glad to find out that this book would be my choice for this category because since reading Artemis by Andy Weir (read my review ) I have very much been looking forward to reading The Martian.
Challenge #25: A book with the name of a color in the title
My choice: The Color Purple by Alice Walker (1982)
This book is on the list 100 Greatest Novels, and other than that and the fact that it was published in the 80's, I know nothing about it. The title doesn't just include a color, the title IS a color, so that seems like a pretty obvious option for this challenge.
Challenge #26: A one-word title
My choice: Eragon by Christopher Paolini (2002)
Technically, it's a name not a word, but if you haven't noticed by now, this list really doesn't stick to technicalities. Eragon has been on my shelf for a long time and I am finally going to pick it up, with this challenge as a motivator if necessary!
Challenge #27: A book that makes you mad
My choice: The Glass Castle by Jeaneatte Walls (2005)
This challenge has to be a reread, because otherwise how would you know that the book makes you mad? So I'm rereading The Glass Castle, Jeanette Walls's autobiography, which to be is about how horrible her parents were. The abuse, and more obviously the neglect, that Jeanneatte and her siblings deal with definitely makes me mad.
Challenge #28: A book that discusses mental health
My choice: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (2017)
I don't know much about this book, but it's been highly reviewed, and it follows a woman who (I think) has some sort of anxiety/depression.
Challenge #29: A book published by HarperCollins
My choice: Evernight by Claudia Gray (2008)
This series has been on my TBR for a long time, and it just so happens that it was published by HarperCollins. I already own two of the books in the series, so this choice is in part due to my efforts to whittle down my books-I-own-but-haven't-read-yet shelf. 😬
Challenge #30: An author who uses initials
My choice: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (2015)
In some of her books, V.E. Schwab goes by her unacronymed name, Victoria Schwab. But for this series, which has been highly recommended AND I just received the entirety of courtesy of my brother, she does use her pseudonym.
Challenge #31: A book that everyone's talking about
My choice: The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (2018)
When I say "everyone's talking about", that doesn't necessarily mean in a good way. This book doesn't have the best ratings, and I've noticed they are completely split. People either love or hate this book, but either way they're talking about it. Personally, I bought this book half for that reason, and half for the cover, but here's an excuse to actually read it!
Challenge #32: A western
My choice: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (1999)
So here's a thing: I have never read a western. Like ever. This book is included in my challenge to read America's 100 Best-Loved Novels, so that seems as good a reason as any to have this one be the first western I ever read. That being said, it is LONG (~900 pages). Wish me luck!
Challenge #33: A book originally published the year you were born
My choice: The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah (1999)
This book was originally published just over two weeks after I was born. It is also in my 100 Greatest Novels challenge, so this one works out pretty well.
Challenge #34: Goodreads Choice Award 2018 nominee that didn't win
My choice: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (2012)
This book was nominated in the Best of the Best category clearly, since it was not published in 2018 and thus wouldn't qualify for the other categories. It lost to The Hate U Give from 2017, but it did still win Best Thriller in 2012. I have recently been trying to read more thrillers, even though they scare the heck out of me, and after reading Dark Places I am ready for this one!
Challenge #35: A sports related book
My choice: Ghost by Jason Reynolds (2016)
I know close to nothing about this book, other than the fact that it is about track, and it is the most recently released book on the list of America's Best Loved Novels. Seems interesting enough, so I'll be eBooking this in the near future.
Challenge #36: A humorous novel
My choice: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee (2017)
I am actually reading this book right now! I don't usually go for historical fiction, YA or otherwise, but the reason I picked this up is because when it was recommended to me, it was said to have made people literally LOL while reading. I'm about 75% of the way through, and it is in fact pretty funny. It's hard for books/movies to make me LOL, but this one is enough to at least make me smile.
Challenge #37: A book set in Africa
My choice: Americanah by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie (2013)
Here's another recent book that made it onto the list of America's Best Loved Novels. I don't know too much about it, but I know that at least one of the characters' stories is set in Africa (Nigeria, I think?). I know it deals with themes of oppression and racial background/prejudice, both in the US and outside of it, so I am excited to read it and find out more.
Challenge #38: An allegorical book
My choice: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery (1943)
I know what an allegory is, but was not certain what makes a book allegorical, so I googled it and this came up. This is part of my America's Best Loved Novels challenge and it's just a classic, so I'll knock this one out in the near future.
Challenge #39: A military related book
My choice: Grunt by Mary Roach (2016)
This challenge does not stipulate that the book must be a novel, so I chose Grunt which is a nonficition book about the science of the military. I've been excited to read all of Mary Roach's books since I read Stiff last year, and this might be the next one I get to so I really hope it lives up to my expectations!
Challenge #40: A book with a character who is an immigrant
My choice: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (2007)
I know this book is about a Dominican guy living in the United States, and it is also included on the list of America's Best Loved Novels.
Challenge #41: A book that has an adaptation
My choice: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (1996)
You have to be living under a rock if you don't know that this series has been made into a very popular television show. I've been putting off reading this because for some reason I had it in my head that the series was super long, like 30 books. Which I've just learned isn't the case. To be fair, each book is like 3x larger than a normal book and there are 9, so it's kind of like 30 books, but my brain hasn't analyzed it like that so... I will be at least starting the Song of Ice and Fire series this year.
Challenge #42: An author that you've been wanting to start reading more from
My choice: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (2009)
This is another book that I've actually already read this year (aka finished this challenge). This works out great because I also have Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn on this list. I also think I will read Sharp Objects this year, so really it's just the year of Gillian Flynn for me!
Challenge #43: A children's book
My choice: Charlotte's Web by E.B. White (2001)
This is absolutely a nostalgic read for me. I read it when I was really young and I loved it and it fueled by deep love of pigs (they were my favorite animal for like 10 years). It's in my list of 100 Greatest Novels, so combined with this challenge I need little excuse to reread it.
Challenge #44: An author who uses a pseudonym
My choice: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (1876)
I kind of feel bad for not having read more Samuel Clemens in my life, being from Missouri as I am. I read The Prince and the Pauper and I liked that one, so hopefully I will really latch onto this one! I also want to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn after this one.
Challenge #45: A "beach read"
My choice: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (1939)
So I had no idea what "beach read" entails, I guess a book you'd read at the beach but I would read any book at the beach so... I googled it. And this was the first book on my TBR that came up on a list of the best beach reads. Not sure if I completely believe it, but I live 700 miles from a beach so it's not like I'll actually be reading it there anyway.
Challenge #46: A banned book
My choice: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960)
Such. A. Classic. This book has been banned for language (racial slurs), but I do think it has been allowed in and in fact studied in most high schools, as was my case. I will be rereading this so that I can read the sequel Go Set a Watchman as well.
Challenge #47: A book set in a country you've visited
My choice: Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes (1605)
I am currently visiting Spain, and I know that if this book isn't part of this challenge I will procrastinate reading it... despite it being on the list of America's Best Loved Novels. I will definitely be listening to the audiobook (which, BTW is 37 hours long!!).
Challenge #48: A book set in a post-apocalyptic world
My choice: The Road by Cormac McCarthy (2006)
Pretty much all I know about this book is that it's set in a post-apocalyptic world and that... there's a road. When I was in high school my English class was given the choice to read this or The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, I chose the latter (a very good choice). However, I do own The Road and I want to read it because I do think that it's pretty hyped as far as great American literature goes.
Challenge #49: A speed read
My choice: The Waste Land and Other Poems by T.S. Eliot (1922)
Honestly, I'm just reading this because I own it. And why do I own it? Because one of my favorite memoirs of all time (When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalinithi) mentioned it as a big writing inspiration so I wanted to check it out. But... I don't like poetry so I don't have the highest hopes. But it is under 100 pages so I should be able to knock it out in an afternoon.
Challenge #50: A book based on a fairy tale
My choice: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigit Kemmerer (2019)
This is one of the few books on this list that is a new release in 2019. This book has been SUPER hyped, and it definitely sounds like something I would be into. It's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and given how much I loved A Court of Thorns and Roses and Beastly, I have high hopes for this. I'm not sure why, but recently I've been much more into retellings, so this will surely be a fun one.
Challenge #51: A book about organized crime
My choice: The Godfather by Mario Puzo (1969)
Yes, I'm one of those heathens that has never read nor seen the adaptation of The Godfather. What's more is that all I know is that it's about the mafia. That's all. This wasn't on my TBR until it showed up on my list of America's Best Loved Novels, so I'm hoping it will do more for me than I'm anticipating.
Challenge #52: An audiobook
My choice: Sadie by Courtney Summers (2018)
This challenge could really be satisfied by any book, but I chose this one because the audiobook version was very highly recommended. Part of the book is a podcast, so it's better to listen to the audiobook I suppose. Whatever platform, this book was one of the most hyped books of 2018, and of course I'm always one to follow the crowd.
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