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
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
This is what I’m planning to read for the HRCYED Translation Challenge: (Note, I am trying to do this challenge with only books I own or can get from the library.)
The Secret Life of Elves (French) – Muriel Barbery (Trans. Alison Anderson)
Dance Dance Dance (Japanese) – Haruki Murakami (Trans. Alfred Birnbaum)
The Odyssey (Greek) – Homer (Trans. Emily Wilson)
The Nightmare (Swedish) – Lars Kepler (Trans. Laura A Wideburg)
This is what I’m planning to read for the HRCYED Around the World Prompt: (Note: I am trying to do this challenge with only books I own or can get from the library. Excepting the New Release challenge of course)
North America: The Monsters of Templeton – Lauren Groff
South America: Back to the Well (read in Aug) – Gustavo Bondoni
Africa: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind – William Kamkwamba & Bryan Mealer
Europe: Mayhem – Sarah Pinborough
Asia: The Cat Who Saved Books – Sosuke Matsukawa
Australia: Will Save the Galaxy for Food – Yahtzee Croshaw
Antarctica: Lady Franklin’s Revenge – Ken McGoogan (It’s about an Arctic expedition, but I’m sure I have a Shackleton book laying about as well. That means this is subject to change if I find it.)
This is what I’m planning to read for the HRCYED Last Ten Years: (Note, I am trying to do this challenge with only books I own or can get from the library.)
Red: The Book of Witching – CJ Cooke
Orange: Persephone Station – Stina Leicht
Yellow: A Study in Sherlock – ed. Laurie R King & Leslie S Klinger
Green: Earthsea (the first 4 books) – Ursula K. Le Guin
Teal: Voyage of the Damned – Frances White
Light Blue: Lady Franklin’s Revenge – Ken McGoogan
Blue: Winter of the Gods – Jordanna Max Brodsky
Purple: The Family Game – Catherine Steadman
Pink: The Female Marine – ed. Daniel A Cohen
Black: Cackle – Rachel Harrison
White: Fooled by Randomness – Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Silver/Gold: The Continental Op – Dashiell Hammett
7+ Colors: Adventures in Yarn Farming – Barbara Parry
This is what I’m planning to read for the HRCYED Last Ten Years: (Note, I am trying to do this challenge with only books I own or can get from the library.)
2015: Work Rules! – Laszlo Bock
2016: Breath of Earth – Beth Cato
2017: Sleeping Beauties – Stephen King & Owen King
2018: The Immortalists – Chloe Benjamin
2019: Murder Most Stupid (ebook) – David Brooklyn
2020: The Christmas Heist (ebook) – Landis Wade
2021: The Personal Librarian – Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray
It’s been a little over a month since I started working on the Hardest Reading Challenge You’ll Ever Do (HRCYED) 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 much 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
Books Read:
Can’t Spell Treason without Tea (Teas and Tomes #1) Rebecca Thorne
A Matter of Death and Life – Simon R Green
This Body’s Not Big Enough for the Both of Us – Edgar
Nettle & Bone – T. Kingfisher
The Masquerades of Spring (Rivers of London) – Ben Aaronovitch
Dungeon Crawler Carl (#1) – Matt Dinniman
In Progress:
By the Hundreds: 3/7
Series Staircase: 3/10
The Last 10 Years: 2/10 or 11 if you want to earn +5 points
Adaptations: 3/8
Around the World: 1/7
Spooky Creatures: 1/8
Become the Avatar: 1/4
Animals: 3/5
Queer Alphabet: 2/9
BIPOC Authors: 1/10
New Releases: 2/12
Challenge Yourself: 1/??
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:
This is what I’m planning to read for the HRCYED Subgenres of Choice: (Note, I am trying to do this challenge with only books I own or can get from the library.)
Cozy Fantasy: Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea (read in July) – Rebecca Thorne
Crime: A Matter of Death and Life (read in July) – Simon R. Green
Thriller: This Body’s Not Big Enough for the Both of Us (read in July) – Edgar Cantero
Fairytale: Nettle & Bone – T. Kingfisher
Urban Fantasy: The Masquerades of Spring – Ben Aaronovitch
Humor: Dungeon Crawler Carl #1 (read in August) – Matt Dinniman
BitterSuites 