Way back at the end of 2015, a few of us accepted Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge for the upcoming year. We promised to pop in with periodic updates about our progress, and here’s our first one!

Did you take the challenge? How's it going? Let us know in the comments.

#1: Horror

The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks
What would you do if you were trapped in a windowless underground bunker (you think) with a bunch of strangers, held by an invisible higher power, unsure if you’d ever get out? Right... it’s just that bleak and scary, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Neither could a lot of other people; it’s a controversial Carnegie Award-winner. (Gwen)

 

 

 

 

 

#2: Nonfiction about science

Presence by Amy Cuddy
Cuddy, a researcher and psychologist, expands on her popular TED talk on body language, confidence, and the idea that self-esteem can be developed in different ways than you might expect. (Gwen)

 

 

 

 

 

#5: Middle-grade novel

The Marvels by Brian Selznick
I was engrossed in this novel, in which images and text together carry the narrative, from start to finish. In it, a boy comes to understand the magical ways that all of us, both children and adults, create stories to make sense of love and loss in our lives. (Jessica)

 

 

 

 

 

#8: Birth decade

A Pagan Place by Edna O'Brien
In this novel, told in a voice that combines raw-edged observations with naivete, a young Irish girl tries to make sense of the failings of the adults around her. I found it compelling and moving to watch her grow increasingly anxious about her place in the world of adults. (Jessica)

 

 

 

 

#9: Audie Award-winner

Euphoria by Lily King
This story of three anthropologists in Papau New Guinea in the 1930s, studying native cultures, was the audiobook equivalent of a page-turner. It was voiced by two narrators, who each did an admirable job of bringing King’s characters to life. The book was light but thought-provoking, too, and raises questions about cultural anthropology and colonialism and the impact those first Westerners had on native people. (Spoiler: It’s not always positive even if well-intentioned, and it wasn't always well-intentioned.) (Gwen)

 

 

 

#10: 500+ pages

The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
Tartt's heroine is a brave and single-minded girl who takes it upon herself to uncover her brother's murderer. The novel resounds with clashes of innocence and experience, and it reveals a world made breathtakingly dangerous by individuals who choose not to really see one another. (Jessica)

 

 

 

 

#12: By or about a person who identifies as transgender

Orlando by Virginia Woolf
I’d long wanted to read this classic, and even though the word “transgender” wasn’t in play in 1928 (when Orlando was originally published), I felt it honored the spirit of the challenge. The way Woolf writes this complex character and their trippy journey through space and time was fascinating and very different from the author’s other work. (Gwen)

 

 

 

 

#16: First book in series by an author of color

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
This retelling of Arabian Nights places a young Shahrzad in the court of a young king who murders his brides after spending just one night with each of them. A solid YA romance with a powerful heroine, good for budding historical-fiction fans. (Gwen)

 

 

 

 

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Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!