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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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#HRCYED Award Season

This is what I’m reading for the HRCYED Award Season Prompt. The Bram Stoker Awards don’t put out a longlist or nominee list, so I’ve had to do more than one award to get all of the levels. (As per the FAQ, this is allowed.)

Bram Stoker Award:

  • Winner: The Reformatory – Tananarive Due
  • Winner: The Daughters of Black Island – Christa Carmen
  • Finalist: Black River Orchard – Chuck Wendig
  • Finalist: How to Sell a Haunted House – Grady Hendrix

Women’s Prize:

  • Semifinalist: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue – VE Schwab
  • Semifinalist: Children of Blood and Bone – Tomi Adeyemi

Locus Award:

  • Nominee: Space Oddity – Catherynne M Valente

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#HRCYED TBR Game

This is what I’m reading for the HRCYED TBR Game Challenge. 

I chose to use the Star Hop Challenge from Stephanie’s Bookverse. https://youtu.be/2IcyUiZ5o0Q?si=xNxLUP4VuOx87R4A

  • Book I Know Nothing About: Eats of Eden – Tabitha Blankenbiller (I do know that I met the author at AWP a few years ago which is where I got this book. It’s signed and everything! I just got it based on the cute pin-up model on the front cover and the pun. Don’t judge me.)
  • Series Continuation: The Girl in the Green Silk Gown – Seanan McGuire 
  • Most Anticipated: Once in a Blue Moon – Simon R. Green
  • Series Continuation: Pirate’s Life for Tea – Rebecca Thorne
  • Ends in an Even Page Number: The Black Girl Survives in This One – ed. Desiree S Evans & Saraciea J Fennell
  • Series Continuation: Carl’s Doomsday Scenario – Matt Dinniman

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