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Public Library's 2023 Reading Challenge
I'm using our public library's Keep Austin Reading challenge as an excuse to finally read books I've been wanting to read for a while, but haven't for some reason.
Each month, there is a different topic. I already have ideas for seven of them! Below, I list the topics and the ideas I have. For the topics where I don't have ideas, do you have a recommendation? (Actually, I will happily hear recommendations from any category listed or any other category.) I'd also like to hear why you recommend it, but that is optional.
I don't have a favorite genre. I prefer books with decent characters and/or good writing, but also sometimes other excellent books. In this year's book categories, it looks like something educational would generally be appropriate. I prefer no torture, but alas.
January - Literary Award Month - Read a literary award nominated book. (It's not too late--we can read the books at any time during 2023.)
* I'm thinking of Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time (Arthur C. Clarke Award for best science fiction of the year in August 2016). It was recently recommended and has sociology and biology themes (humans meet intelligent alien spiders).
February - Black History Month - Read a book written by a Black author.
* Frederick Douglass's Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave: Written by Himself - I've already read this one--I'd heard good things about it. Since he was under several different masters, you get several views of slavery from one book, plus the author was decent, honest, smart, brave, and wise.
* I've also been wanting to learn more about Harriet Tubman, one of my two childhood heros (along with Martin Luther King). Yes, I do know more information could be disillusioning. In fact, Frederick Douglass didn't like how the Underground Railroad was actually quite well-known and not really underground at all.
March - Women's History Month - Read a book written by a female-identifying author.
* Stacey Abram's Our Time is Now - I've been wanting to read this book on how to protect voting rights. I've already read this book and I do like it, though it's a little repetitive. It's a tiny bit memoir, which is fascinating, a lot history, and a lot activism. I plan to publish a review of this in the future.
* I might also want to look into something about the history of women's rights in the US - like when we were allowed to own property and write checks.
April - El Día de los niños(as)/El día de los libros - Read a book in Spanish or a bilingual book.
* I've been wanting to try to read Roald Dahl's Charlie y la Fabrica de Chocolate again. I think it might not be crazy hard for me anymore.
* Of course, ideally I'd choose a book originally written in Spanish, but I have not enjoyed (translations of) any of the Spanish-speaking writers I've tried so far. A book has to be really good to be worth looking up all those words, and I have good memories from last time I tried this book.
May - Asian Pacific American Heritage Month - Read a book written by an AAPI author.
June - Pride Month - Read a book written by an LGBTQIA+ author.
July - Disability Pride Month - Read a book written by an author with a disability or neurodiversity.
August - Audiobook Month - Listen to an audio book using the library's online audiobook collection or audiobook CD collection.
* One of Kwei Quartey's Inspector Darko books (set in Ghana). I recently read somewhere that hearing the book is very nice for getting to know how things are pronounced and getting a better feel for the flow of language than just reading the print and decided I wanted to do that.
September - Banned Books Week - Read a banned book.
* Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale (#37 on the American Library Association's list of the "100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000") - I feel like this is a part of modern culture I should experience. I've already read 1984 and Fahrenheit 451.
October - Hispanic Heritage Month - Read a book written by a Hispanic/Latinx author.
November - National Native American Heritage Month - Read a book written by a Native American author.
December - Graphic Novel Month - Read a comic or graphic novel.
* Kōhei Horikoshi's My Hero Academia - One of my nieces absolutely loves these books.
Each month, there is a different topic. I already have ideas for seven of them! Below, I list the topics and the ideas I have. For the topics where I don't have ideas, do you have a recommendation? (Actually, I will happily hear recommendations from any category listed or any other category.) I'd also like to hear why you recommend it, but that is optional.
I don't have a favorite genre. I prefer books with decent characters and/or good writing, but also sometimes other excellent books. In this year's book categories, it looks like something educational would generally be appropriate. I prefer no torture, but alas.
January - Literary Award Month - Read a literary award nominated book. (It's not too late--we can read the books at any time during 2023.)
* I'm thinking of Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time (Arthur C. Clarke Award for best science fiction of the year in August 2016). It was recently recommended and has sociology and biology themes (humans meet intelligent alien spiders).
February - Black History Month - Read a book written by a Black author.
* Frederick Douglass's Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave: Written by Himself - I've already read this one--I'd heard good things about it. Since he was under several different masters, you get several views of slavery from one book, plus the author was decent, honest, smart, brave, and wise.
* I've also been wanting to learn more about Harriet Tubman, one of my two childhood heros (along with Martin Luther King). Yes, I do know more information could be disillusioning. In fact, Frederick Douglass didn't like how the Underground Railroad was actually quite well-known and not really underground at all.
March - Women's History Month - Read a book written by a female-identifying author.
* Stacey Abram's Our Time is Now - I've been wanting to read this book on how to protect voting rights. I've already read this book and I do like it, though it's a little repetitive. It's a tiny bit memoir, which is fascinating, a lot history, and a lot activism. I plan to publish a review of this in the future.
* I might also want to look into something about the history of women's rights in the US - like when we were allowed to own property and write checks.
April - El Día de los niños(as)/El día de los libros - Read a book in Spanish or a bilingual book.
* I've been wanting to try to read Roald Dahl's Charlie y la Fabrica de Chocolate again. I think it might not be crazy hard for me anymore.
* Of course, ideally I'd choose a book originally written in Spanish, but I have not enjoyed (translations of) any of the Spanish-speaking writers I've tried so far. A book has to be really good to be worth looking up all those words, and I have good memories from last time I tried this book.
May - Asian Pacific American Heritage Month - Read a book written by an AAPI author.
June - Pride Month - Read a book written by an LGBTQIA+ author.
July - Disability Pride Month - Read a book written by an author with a disability or neurodiversity.
August - Audiobook Month - Listen to an audio book using the library's online audiobook collection or audiobook CD collection.
* One of Kwei Quartey's Inspector Darko books (set in Ghana). I recently read somewhere that hearing the book is very nice for getting to know how things are pronounced and getting a better feel for the flow of language than just reading the print and decided I wanted to do that.
September - Banned Books Week - Read a banned book.
* Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale (#37 on the American Library Association's list of the "100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000") - I feel like this is a part of modern culture I should experience. I've already read 1984 and Fahrenheit 451.
October - Hispanic Heritage Month - Read a book written by a Hispanic/Latinx author.
November - National Native American Heritage Month - Read a book written by a Native American author.
December - Graphic Novel Month - Read a comic or graphic novel.
* Kōhei Horikoshi's My Hero Academia - One of my nieces absolutely loves these books.
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* Redfern Jon Barrett’s Proud Pink Sky - alternative history where Nazis came to power in early 1930s and trans people rose up against them. (Reviewed here: https://interzone.digital/a-review-of-proud-pink-sky-and-world-running-down/ by http://delagar.blogspot.com/2023/03/reviews-of-proud-pink-sky-and-world.html)
* Al Hess’s World Running Down (Angry Robot, 2023) - Friends take on job to get visas into future Salt Lake City, also, a robot and trans person find love. (Reviewed here: https://interzone.digital/a-review-of-proud-pink-sky-and-world-running-down/ by http://delagar.blogspot.com/2023/03/reviews-of-proud-pink-sky-and-world.html)
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I liked many things about it (the first scene where we see our protagonist in the field, the school master's amazing skills of every kind, the beautiful scenery in the main part of the book, and how our main character changes his life).
However, his boss and neighbor are just so horrible and the "slow" changes happen way more quickly and smoothly than they would in real life. I mean, clearly the kids should not have made a trip into town, but amazingly only one bad thing happened. And that thing was bad even if it didn't result in death. Also, when he first arrives at the secret school, our hero was scared to death, but apparently this is all supposed to be funny. If there was no danger, he of all people should have known not to be scared. But danger really was possible, and they don't really address that.
So I don't quite love it. But at least it was a mostly fun book (unlike many I've read) so thanks for the recommendation!
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Of course, I’m staring at your original post and wondering why the hell I didn’t recommend Seanan McGuire, who is a lesbian, and her book Every Heart a Doorway?
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