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#HRCYED Progress Update

It’s been five months since I started working on the Hardest Reading Challenge You’ll Ever Do (HERCYED) 2.0. 

While I’ve been putting up reading lists for each prompt, I might not always read exactly as planned. Part of the challenge for myself is trying to do as many of these prompts as possible using the books that I already have on hand. This is my round up of what progress I’ve made so far: 

Completed Prompt: Subgenres of Choice (in August)

Completed Prompt: 24 Hour Readathon (in September)

Completed Prompt: Non-Fiction (in October – Traded out Thick for Why I Hate Everything by Maggie Weber)

In Progress: 

  • By the Hundreds: 4/7
  • Series Staircase: 6/10
  • The Last 10 Years: 3/10 or 11 if you want to earn +5 points
  • Adaptations: 7/8
  • Around the World: 3/7
  • Spooky Creatures: 3/8
  • Become the Avatar: 1/4
  • Animals: 3/5
  • Queer Alphabet: 2/9
  • BIPOC Authors: 3/10
  • New Releases: 4/12
  • Challenge Yourself: 3/??
  • Readathon Challenge: 4/25
  • Make a Quote: 0/6
  • The Even Bigger Rainbow: 7/13 (6 replaceable)
  • Translation Challenge: 1/5 (All replaceable)
  • Heritage Months: 2/12
  • Disability Challenge: 0/5
  • TBR Game Challenge: 0/6
  • Award Season: 1/7
  • HRCYED 1: 3/3 (All replaceable)

I’m still very much enjoying this. It’s forced me to actually read some of the stacks of books that are in the house. And I’ve been putting off finishing some series for years now. Over 14 years in one case. As of November, there was only one book left to read and it’s part of the series staircase, so it’ll be done during this reading challenge. I’ve discovered at least one new favorite author. And I know now that I was missing a whole bunch of books from another author because they were only released in England. (I got them via eBay. Yes, that costs. And no, I don’t want to think about what I’ve spent on books over the years. The library says that I’ve saved over 3K by taking books out from the library this year as opposed to buying them. That’s sort of terrifying. 

Anyway, if you’d like to learn more about HRCYED, and join the madness, you can find the announcement here: 

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Books to Read- November 2025

  • The Best New True Crime Stories – Mitzi Szereto
  • The Lessons of History – Will & Ariel Durant
  • When Women Rules the World – Kara Cooney
  • Surprised by Joy – CS Lewis
  • Deviant – Harold Schechter
  • The Demon Next Door – Bryan Burrough
  • The Perfect Kill – Robert B Baer
  • Road Trip Elegies: Montreal to New York – Rufus Wainwright
  • Ghost in the Wind – EJ Copperman
  • Night Magick – Suri Rosen

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#HRCYED Adaptations

This is what I’m planning to read for the HRCYED Adaptations prompt. This is one of the hardest prompts for me. Not because I don’t enjoy most of the adaptations, but because I’ve already read so many of the source materials! (Note: I am trying to do this challenge with only books I own or can get from the library.)

  • Modern Retelling: A Blade So Black (Alice in Wonderland retelling)
  • Mustical: The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
  • Graphic Novel: Jules Vern’s 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (graphic novel adaptation of the novel)
  • Play: Brewster’s Millions – George Barr McCutcheon (I recommend the movie. Say it ages ago, but it’s funny.)
  • TV Show: The Leftovers – Tom Perrotta
  • Web Series: Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen (My friends rave about the Lizzie Bennet Diaries)
  • Animation: The Fantastic Mr. Fox – Roald Dahl 
  • Movie: Heist Society – Ally Carter

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#HRCYED Series Staircase

This is what I’m planning to read for the HRCYED Series Staircase: (Note: I am trying to do this challenge with only books I own or can get from the library.)

  • Solo: Riapoke – Bryan Nowak
  • Duology:
    • A Hard Day’s Knight – Simon R Green
    • The Bride Wore Black Leather – Simon R Green
    • (Completing a larger series with the last two books is acceptable as per the FAQ)
  • Trilogy: (I recommend the movies if you can find them!)
    • Nightwatch – Sergei Lukyanenko
    • Daywatch – Sergei Lukyanenko
    • Twilightwatch – Sergei Lukyanenko
  • Four or More:
    • False Value – Ben Aaronovitch
    • Amongst Our Weapons – Ben Aaronovitch
    • Stone and Sky – Ben Aaronovitch
    • Winter’s Gifts – Ben Aaronovitch

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#HRCYED Progress Update

It’s been three months since I started working on the Hardest Reading Challenge You’ll Ever Do (HERCYED) 2.0. 

While I’ve been putting up reading lists for each prompt, I might not always read exactly as planned. Part of the challenge for myself is trying to do as many of these prompts as possible using the books that I already have on hand. This is my round up of what progress I’ve made so far: 

Completed Prompt: Subgenres of Choice (in August)

Completed Prompt: 24 Hour Readathon (in September)

Completed Prompt: Non-Fiction

For this prompt you need to read five books in five different subcategories of non-fiction. For example: Biography vs Science vs Self-Help, etc. 

I read: 

  1. Thick – Tressie McMillan Cottom (May be replaced before I submit depending on whether I have time to read another non-fiction or not)
  2. Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain
  3. The Awful End of Prince William the Silent – Lisa Jardine
  4. Dogtripping – David Rosenfelt
  5. Messy – Tim Harford

In Progress: 

  • By the Hundreds: 4/7
  • Series Staircase: 6/10
  • The Last 10 Years: 3/10 or 11 if you want to earn +5 points
  • Adaptations: 6/8
  • Around the World: 3/7
  • Spooky Creatures: 3/8
  • Become the Avatar: 1/4
  • Animals: 3/5
  • Queer Alphabet: 2/9
  • BIPOC Authors: 3/10
  • New Releases: 4/12
  • Challenge Yourself: 2/??
  • Readathon Challenge: 3/25
  • Make a Quote: 0/6
  • The Even Bigger Rainbow: 5/13
  • Translation Challenge: 0/5
  • Heritage Months: 2/12
  • Disability Challenge: 0/5
  • TBR Game Challenge: 0/6
  • Award Season: 0/7
  • HRCYED 1: 3/3 (All replaceable)

I am enjoying this challenge. I have decided that although I have plans to read individual books for everything, I am going to take the opportunity to double-up books. That means that I may end up changing my lists before my finalized submissions, if I have enough time, but for now, each book will count against two prompts. This will change the numbers a bit next month, I reckon. 

Anyway, if you’d like to learn more about HRCYED, and join the madness, you can find the announcement here: 

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#HRCYED Become the Avatar

This is what I’m planning to read for the HRCYED Become the Avatar Prompt. I’m going with cover image rather than title.  (Note: I am trying to do this challenge with only books I own or can get from the library.)

  • Water – Daisy Darker – Alice Feeney (read)
  • Earth – The God of the Woods – Liz Moore
  • Fire – Agatha H and the Siege of Mechanicsburg – Phil & Kaja Foglio
  • Air – The Affinity Bridge – George Mann

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Books to Read- October 2025

  • Man with No Name – Laird Barron
  • Inside Jobs – Ben H Winters
  • The Girl with Ghost Eyes – M H Boroson
  • The Sense of Wonder – Rachel Carson
  • Hard Magic – Larry Correla
  • The Weight of Glory – CS Lewis
  • Twelve Slays of Christmas – Jacqueline Frost
  • Roughing It – Mark Twain
  • What I Talk About when I Talk About Running – Haruki Murakami
  • Black Dahlia Avenger – Steve Hodel

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#HRCYED Favorite HRCYED 1.0 Prompt

This is what I’m planning to read for the HRCYED Favorite Prompt from HRCYED 1.0: Garage Sale : (Note: I am trying to do this challenge with only books I own or can get from the library.)

  • Diablo Mesa – Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
  • Killed at the Whim of a Hat – Colin Cotterill
  • The Serpent of Venice – Christopher Moore

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 #HRCYED BIPOC

This is what I’m planning to read for the HRCYED BIPOC prompt. (Note: I am trying to do this challenge with only books I own or can get from the library.)

  • Who Fears Death – Nnedi Okorafor
  • Anything Goes – John Barrowman
  • Tangleroot Palace – Marjorie Liu
  • The Teller of Small Fortunes – Jule Leong
  • Parable of the Sower – Octavia E Butler
  • Half of a Yellow Sun – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  • The Only Good Indians – Stephen Graham Jones
  • Kaikeyi – Vaishnavi Patel
  • The Fox Wife – Yangze Choo

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#HRCYED Progress Update

It’s been two months since I started working on the Hardest Reading Challenge You’ll Ever Do (HERCYED) 2.0. 
 
While I’ve been putting up reading lists for each prompt, I might not always read exactly as planned. Part of the challenge for myself is trying to do as many of these prompts as possible using the books that I already have on hand. This is my round up of what progress I’ve made so far: 
 
Completed Prompt: Subgenres of Choice (in August)
 
Completed Prompt: 24 Hour Reading Challenge — Read as many books as you can in one day, from waking to sleeping. Goal is at least 3. I was home sick the day that I did this prompt, so I didn’t get nearly as many done as I’d hoped.

Books Read: (A total of 672 pages)

  • Sport for the Baron – John Creasey (I really enjoy all of the Creasey books I’ve read and recommend them as popcorn books)
  • Nimona – Noelle Stevenson
  • Wolf in the Fold – Simon R Green (Hawk & Fisher are just such fun.)
  • STARTED: The World’s 100 Best Short Stories (“Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, “The Red Room”, and “Kari Aasen in Heaven”

In Progress: 

  • By the Hundreds: 3/7
  • Series Staircase: 4/10
  • The Last 10 Years: 3/10 or 11 if you want to earn +5 points
  • Adaptations: 4/8
  • Around the World: 2/7
  • Spooky Creatures: 1/8
  • Become the Avatar: 1/4
  • Animals: 3/5
  • Queer Alphabet: 2/9
  • BIPOC Authors: 3/10
  • New Releases: 2/12
  • Challenge Yourself: 2/??
  • Non-Fiction: 3/5

So, I’ve definitely found myself reading a lot more because of this challenge and I am getting through my TBR. All in all, I think this has been a good challenge to take on even if it’s one more piece of stress I probably shouldn’t be taking on. 

Anyway, if you’d like to learn more about HRCYED, you can find the announcement here: 

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