Have you embraced Book Riot's annual Read Harder Challenge? In its eighth iteration, the goal remains the same—to encourage you to broaden your reading horizons. Even the most prolific readers often tread the same literary stomping grounds. Branch out and try new genres and new authors, especially those who are sometimes pushed to the margins of the publishing world. Learn more about the challenge at Book Riot (they also have a printable version you can hang on your fridge). 

To help you get started, we've provided some suggestions for each challenge along with catalog links for easy borrowing.

1. Read a biography of an author you admire

• Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin
• Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry by Imani Perry
• James Baldwin: A Biography by David Leeming
• Sometimes You Have to Lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy by Leslie Brody

2. Read a book set in a bookstore

• No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
• The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley
• This Is All Your Fault by Aminah Mae Safi
• The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

3. Read any book from the Women’s Prize shortlist / longlist / winner list

• An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
• Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters 
• Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
• Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan 

4. Read a book in any genre by a POC that’s about joy and not trauma

• Glory: Magical Visions of Black Beauty by Kahran and Regis Bethencourt
• Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance by Jessamyn Stanley
• The Adventure Gap by James Edward Mills
• A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole

5. Read an anthology featuring diverse voices

• This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color edited by Cherríe L. Moraga and Gloria E. Anzaldúa
• Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century edited by Alice Wong
• Midnight Hour: A Chilling Anthology of Crime Fiction From 20 Authors of Color edited by Abby L. Vandiver
• Sword Stone Table: Old Legends, New Voices edited by Swapna Krishna and Jenn Northington

6. Read a nonfiction YA comic

• Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre by Alverne Ball and Stacey Robinson
• Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band by Christian Staebler and Sonia Paoloni
• Freiheit!: The White Rose Graphic Novel by Andrea Grosso Ciponte
• Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook

7. Read a romance where at least one of the protagonists is over 40

• The Secret of Snow by Viola Shipman
• Twice in a Lifetime by Jodie Griffin
• Jacket Weather by Mike DeCapite 
• Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

8. Read a classic written by a POC

• Dhalgren by Samuel Delany
• House of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday
• The Woman Warrior: Memoir of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston
• Kindred by Octavia Butler

9. Read the book that’s been on your TBR the longest

Is there a book that's been on your TBR (To Be Read) list for far too long? Perhaps you own it and it just hasn't risen to the top of your pile, or perhaps you've checked it out from the library more than once and, for reasons you don't fully understand, you just haven't cracked it open yet. Carpe librum! Make this the year you at least start that TBR. If you're not into it, you can always stop and move onto the next book. Below are two blog posts to help:

• Finally! Read That Book You Always Meant to Start (or Finish)
• Advice for Working Through or Starting Your TBR (To Be Read) Pile Right Now

10. Read a political thriller by a marginalized author (BIPOC, or LGBTQIA+)

• Paper Gods by Goldie Taylor
• Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee
• The Fourth Courier by Timothy Jay Smith
• When Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

11. Read a book with an asexual and/or aromantic main character

• Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami
• Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann
• Radio Silence by Alice Oseman 
• Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

Find more suggestions: It's Ace Week! What Are You Reading?

12. Read an entire poetry collection

• Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz
• Indigo by Ellen Bass
• Homie by Danez Smith
• The Wild Iris by Louise Glück

Looking for more ideas? Explore the Poetry section of NYPL's Best Books of 2021 and this blog post: Nine New Poetry Collections to Savor.

13. Read an adventure story by a BIPOC author

• She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
• We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
• Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera
• Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

14. Read a book whose movie or TV adaptation you’ve seen (but haven’t read the book)

• Jaws by Peter Benchley
• Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate a Cappella Glory by Mickey Rapkin
• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
• The Vera Stanhope Mysteries by Ann Cleeves, adapted 

15. Read a new-to-you literary magazine (print or digital)

• Bookforum
• The Los Angeles Review of Books
• Zoetrope: All-Story
• American Chordata

16. Read a book recommended by a friend with different reading tastes

For this one, you'll have to ask a friend! 

17. Read a memoir written by someone who is trans or nonbinary

• Nonbinary: Memoirs of Gender and Identity edited by Micah Rajunov and Scott Duane
• Man Alive by Thomas Page McBee
• Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir by Akwaeke Emezi
• Fairest by Meredith Talusan

18. Read a “Best _ Writing of the year” book for a topic and year of your choice

• Best American Essays 2020 edited by André Aciman
• Best American Comics 2019 edited by Jillian Tamaki
• Best American Science and Nature Writing 2017 edited by Hope Jahren
• Best American Food Writing 2021 edited by Gabrielle Hamilton

19. Read a horror novel by a BIPOC author

• Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero
• The Plague by Kevin Chong
• The Changeling by Victor LaValle
• Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

20. Read an award-winning book from the year you were born

You can find lists by year of award winners for these major literary prizes at their websites below:

• National Book Award
• Booker Prize
• Pulitzer
• Newbery Medal

21. Read a queer retelling of a classic of the canon, fairytale, folklore, or myth

• The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
• Peter Darling by Austin Chant
• Ash by Malinda Lo
• Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

22. Read a history about a period you know little about

• Everything Now: Lessons from the City-State of Los Angeles by Rosecrans Baldwin 
• Eagles of Heart Mountain: A True Story of Football, Incarceration, and Resistance in World War II America by Bradford Pearson
• Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am by Julia Cooke 
• Uncrowned Queen: The Life of Margaret Beaufort, Mother of the Tudors by Nicola Tallis

23. Read a book by a disabled author

• Good Kings Bad Kings by Susan Nussbaum
• Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon 
• Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda Leduc
• The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love With Me by Keah Brown

24. Pick a challenge from any of the previous years’ challenges to repeat!

Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge 2021 | NYPL's Read Harder Recommendations 2021

Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge 2020 | NYPL's Read Harder Recommendations 2020

Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge 2019 | NYPL's Read Harder Recommendations 2019

Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge 2018 | NYPL's Read Harder Recommendations 2018

Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge 2017 | NYPL's Read Harder Recommendations 2017

Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge 2016 | NYPL's Read Harder Recommendations 2016

Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge 2015