Rabbit Hole #31: Reflections on the Read Harder Challenge 2015

A few thoughts after a year of reading mindfully:

1. Micro-histories have crazy long titles.

2. Graphic novels and comic books are a really great way to pull yourself out of a reading slump. So are poetry collections.

3. Being mindful of what you are reading really does make a difference. Before this year I thought I was actually reading rather diversely, but my average percentage of non-white authors generally hovered around 20%, which is pretty abysmal. This year, it's around 40%, which I'm much happier with. Next year, though, I'd really like to hit at least 50%.

4. I know categories about people's race or nationality or gender don't come close to telling their whole story. At this point, though, they're the best measurements I have to keep track of my reading. I would gladly take suggestions to make this better.

5. I'm very late to the game, but Grey Wolf Press puts out incredible titles.

6. I still don't consider audiobooks reading. You are listening to a great story, yes, but to me, the physical act of reading and the physical act of listening are completely different. I see audiobooks as more in line with movies or television. I also have a very difficult time focusing on an audiobook while doing other things, which may be why I don't enjoy them. I did see one video discussing adult coloring books used while listening to audiobooks, which I may try during this year's audiobook portion of the Challenge.

7. I need to expand beyond reading books by American or British authors--over 70% were from these two countries. I really need more Middle Eastern and Latin/South American books next year, as well as more from Africa and Asia. I also need to read more from indigenous peoples. Again, in previous years, I thought I was reading diversely; now...not so much.

8. I still read overwhelmingly literary fiction.

9. I'm not one for romance novels. I used to be; as a teenager I devoured Danielle Steele novels, but now, I just can't keep interested long enough. (Maybe I'm just not reading the right ones.)

10. I am a sucker for a good paranormal story. Give me witches, vampires, werewolves--as long as it's well-written and tries to go beyond the normal tropes. (Not really a zombie fan, though.) This is something that I tried to downplay for several years because of outside opinions, but I've decided I'm too old to worry about what anyone else says anymore. I'm reading what I love.

11. Ditto for re-imagined/retellings of fairy tales.

12. I tend to read a lot of back-list books rather than new releases. Unless they're by one of my favorite authors, or a very special circumstance, I tend to wait until they come out in paperback.

13. I read more e-books than I used to, but the percentage is still very small. I'm ok with that. I tend to only buy e-books of titles I'm mildly interested in, or that aren't available in another format. It's not my favorite way to read; I prefer to actually hold a physical book in my hands and not worry if I have enough battery life.

14. I didn't have a lot of books recommended to me this year that I read. In past years, a good chunk of what I read depended on the recommendations of a few people; now that I'm no longer around those people, I've struck out more on my own. That's not to say I won't read recommended books; I just haven't had the desire to.

15. For some reason, my reading more than doubled this year. I have no real answer for it; even if you take out all of the graphic novels/comic collections, I still doubled my yearly average of about 50 books per year. And it's not like I'm being a hermit; I think we are out and about more than we ever were before we moved. It's a strange phenomenon, but not one I'm complaining about.

16.  BookTube has introduced me to some amazing authors and books that I didn't know existed. There are people vlogging about every genre, and there's a personality for everyone. I highly recommend checking it out. (Warning: It can become addictive.)

17. For 2016, I'm contemplating participating in three reading challenges: Book Riot 2016 Read Harder Challenge, the PopSugar 2016 Reading Challenge, and the Bustle Reading Challenge that focuses on women and people of color. There will be some overlap, but I think it will push me even more.

All in all, a wonderfully bookish year, and I'm looking forward to 2016!!


And in case you're curious:

2015 basic stats:

135 books read
32, 766 pages
Average length of book: 243 pgs
Average rating: 3 stars (out of 5)
Total books written by people of color: 50 (37%)
Total books written by women: 67 (50%)

Rabbit Hole #30: Read Harder Challenge 2015 Update--December

This is the final installment in this year's Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2015. Not everything I've read this year is on this list, but it does comprise the majority. As always, this month's reads are in blue.

1. A book written by someone when they were under 25: 

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala

2. A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65: 

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison
Lucrezia Borgia by Sarah Bradford

3. A collection of short stories:

Ten Little Indians by Sherman Alexie
Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat

4. A book published by an indie press: 

The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson (Open Roads Media Sci-Fi and Fantasy)
Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine (Grey Wolf Press)d
On Immunity by Eula Biss (Grey Wolf Press)

5. A book by or about someone who identifies as LGBTQIA: 

We Are the Animals by Justin Torres
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin
Butterfly Boy: Memories of a Chicano Mariposa by Rigoberto Gonzalez

6. A book by someone of a different gender than you: 

Shooting Victoria: Madness, Mayhem, and the Rebirth of the British Monarchy 

by Paul Thomas Murphy 
Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel José Older
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

7. A book that takes place in Asia: 

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

8. A book by an author from Africa:

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
Zarah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor
The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma

9. A book by or about someone from an indigenous culture: 

The Bone People by Keri Hulme
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie

10. A microhistory: 

Desire and Disaster in New Orleans: Tourism, Race and Historical Memory by Lynnell L. Thomas
Liar, Temptress, Soldier Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott

 Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity and the Women Who Made America Modern 
by Joshua Zeitz

The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II 
by Denise Kiernan
Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants 
by Robert Sullivan
The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case: Race, Law, and Justice in the Reconstruction Era
 by Michael A. Ross

11. A YA novel: 

Paper Towns by John Green
The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Page
Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older
Scarlet, Cress, and Fairest by Marissa Meyer
Chanda's Secret by Allan Stratton
Coraline by Neil Gaiman

12. A sci-fi novel: 

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Neuromancer by William Gibson
MADDADDAM by Margaret Atwood
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

13. A romance novel: 

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice

The Queen's Lover by Francine Du Plessix Gray

14. A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer from the last decade: 

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (Pulitzer)

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Man Booker)
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodsen (National Book Award for Young People's Lit)
Head Off and Split by Nikky Finney (National Book Award--Poetry)

15. A book that is a retelling of a classic story: 

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi (retelling of Snow White)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (The Jungle Book)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Cinderella)
ODY-C Vol. 1: Off to Far Ithicaa by Matt Fraction (The Odyssey)
Poison (Snow White) and Charm (Cinderella) by Sarah Pinborough
The Rose and The Beast: Fairy Tales Retold by Francesca Lia Block (various)

16. An audiobook: 

Voices and Poetry of Ireland (a collection)

17. A collection of poetry: 

Once and Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful by Alice Walker
The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes
Thrall by Natasha Tretheway
Selected Poems by Gwendolyn Brooks
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
An Aquarium by Jeffrey Yang
Breezes on Their Way to Becoming Winds by Charles Peek

18. A book that someone else recommended to you: 

Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner and Saint by Nadia Bolz-Weber

19. A book originally published in another language:

Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann (French)
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Spanish)
Buddha's Little Finger by Victor Pelevin (Russian)
An Illiad by Alessandro Baricco (Italian)
The Star of Algiers by Aziz Chouaki (French)

20. A graphic novel, memoir or collection of comics: 

Captain Marvel, Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue Deconnick

Sandman, Vols. 1 and 2 by Neil Gaiman

Batgirl, Vol. 1 by Gail Simone

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 by Alan Moore

Nevermore: A Graphic Novel Anthology of Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal, Vol. 2: Generation Why and Vol. 3: Crushed by G. Willow Wilson
Thor: Goddess of Thunder, Vol. 1; Who Holds the Hammer, Vol. 2 by Jason Aaron
Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
Just So Happens by Fumio Obata
Griffin and Sabine: Book 1 and Sabine's Notebook: Book 2 by Nick Bantock
March: Books 1-2 by Rep. John Lewis
Dominique Laveau, Voodoo Child: Requiem by Selwyn Seyfu Hinds
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1 by Ryan North
Fables, Vol 1: Legends in Exile and Vol. 2: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham
Wicked and the Divine, Vol. 1: The Faust Act and Vol. 2: Fandemonium by Kieron Gillen
Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosch
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
The Harlem Hellfighters by Max Brooks

21. A guilty pleasure: 

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert 

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston
Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding (reread)

22. A book published before 1850: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup (actually 1853, but close)

23. A book published this year: 

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Jan. release date)

 Find Me by Laura van den Berg (Feb.)
The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan (May)
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee (July)

24. A self-improvement book: 

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
So Good They Can't Forget You by Cal Newport
The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

I also read: Middle Passage by Charles Johnson

Rabbit Hole #29: 2016 Read Harder Challenge Has Been Announced!

It's not even January yet, but Book Riot just published their 2016 Read Harder Challenge. Like this year, there is a wide variety of topics to dive into. I'm looking forward to another great reading year, and I have to say, this one may be harder than 2015! Take a look and see what you think (I see you, dreaded audiobook):

A horror book

A nonfiction book about science

A collection of essays

Read a book out loud to someone else

A middle grade novel

A biography

A dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel

A book originally published in the year you were born

Listen to an audiobook that has won an Audie Award

A book over 500 pages long

A book under 100 pages

A book by or about a person who identifies as transgender

A book that is set in the Middle East

A book that is by an author from Southeast Asia

A book of historical fiction set before 1900

The first book in a series by a person of color

A non-superhero comic that debuted in the last three years

A book that was adapted into a movie, then watch the movie--which is better?

A nonfiction book about feminism or dealing with feminist themes

A book about religion (fiction or nonfiction)

A book about politics, in your country or another (fiction or nonfiction)

A food memoir

A play

A book with a main character that has a mental illness



I've already started working on my reading list--if you have any suggestions for me, please leave them in the comments!!

The Personal IS Political

Note: A friend of mine posted on Facebook recently that he is going to start deleting friends who post political things on the site. While his decision was based on the hatred that is obviously spilled on social media, and often surrounds posts of a political nature, I feel as if he is a bit misguided in his belief that such sites should only contain personal information, and not one's political views. While I'm not sure I haven't been deleted yet (I do post a lot of political things on my Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as on here), I offer this to him, and to anyone else who thinks that pictures of children and cat videos are the only thing that have a place on social media: 



The personal IS political. Everything that we discuss politically happens because it affects a human being. Even if it's not personal to you, even if you wish people would just shut up about a topic, doesn't mean it isn't a very real, very important topic to someone else. 

Welfare

Reproductive Justice

Veterans' Benefits

Education

War

Black Lives Matter 

Health Care

Behind each of these issues, and hundreds more, there are living, breathing human beings involved. Personally involved. They aren't abstract ideas or issues. The issues ARE the people: their lives, their families, even their deaths. 

So before simply saying "I don't care about politics." Or, "I'm so tired of hearing about this issue," put yourself in someone else's shoes, someone who is directly affected by the issue you're bored of or that you think doesn't matter, and consider how they feel when you dismiss their circumstances.  

 And yes, keep the hate out of it. We all have to share this planet, as imperfect as we've made Her. Compassion and empathy are essential, and will go much farther than vile words and hatred.  

The First Six Months

December first marked our sixth month anniversary here in New Orleans.

A year ago, if you would have asked me about living in New Orleans, I would have said "Hopefully someday soon." In March, that turned into, "We're moving in June!" There was a lot of excitement and heartache in the months leading up to the actual move, but now, six months later, I can confidently say: "This was the best decision we could have made."

One of the things we were a little worried about was finding a community of people we could hang out with. Our friends back home were an extension of our family, and we didn't know if anything could come close. Thanks to Twitter, and in particular, the very community-minded NOLA Twitter, we have a wonderful circle of friends here that I would love to introduce to our friends back in Nebraska.

Don't get me wrong: I miss our friends and family back in Nebraska like crazy. We don't keep in touch as much as I'd like (I will take the blame for some of that) because we're all going on with our lives, but they're never far from my heart. I'm excited to see them in a few weeks when we go back for Christmas. But...

I'm not so sure about going back to cold and snow. I am loving the fact that we're just now having our first real "cold" snap--highs in the 50s and lows in the 40s, knowing that this is about as cold as it's going to get this winter. And I really don't miss the constant wind in Nebraska.

Things here are a lot different than back home. The pace, for one, is much slower. People aren't in a huge rush, especially during the hot summer months, and while that can be aggravating if you think you are in a hurry, it's nice that people take their time. Unless you're driving--then all bets are off. People are scary on the roads. It's no wonder car insurance is so high here, as someone cuts across four lanes of traffic without turning on their blinker, or blocks three lanes of traffic so they can merge where they want.

I previously talked about the abundance of things to do in the Greater New Orleans area, including the festivals. If you are bored in this town, it's your own fault. In fact, it starts to become more of "maybe we should stay home tonight" instead of "there's nothing new to do." There's always something new--you could eat at a new restaurant every night and still only scratch the surface of amazing places here in town. This town has everything, in every price range, from traditional Creole and Cajun foods and New Orleans favorites--gumbo, jambalaya, seafood, po'boys, muffalettas, to name a few--to amazing greasy diner food, hot dogs shops, fabulous pizza places, and small mom and pop places. And you can pretty much find any type of "ethnic" food you want here as well: Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Israeli, Filipino, Ethiopian, Japanese, Vietnamese; the list goes on and on. It makes it really easy to try new things. That's not to say that some of this wasn't available in Nebraska; it just was much more difficult to find, and it wasn't all within a quick driving distance.

We are still exploring, and plan to be "tourists in our town" for quite a while. The best complement we've gotten is from people who think we've been here for years--all of the visits have paid off! I'm looking forward to continuing our adventure!

4th of July on the Mississippi River