Tag Archives: #HRCYED

It’s been nine months since I started working on the Hardest Reading Challenge You’ll Ever Do (HRCYED) 2.0. Oh, this is actually feeling daunting right now. I did finish off another prompt, but I realized that I haven’t touched a couple of the prompts at all. And somehow, I did not have a single book with the word “wander” in the title. I don’t know how that’s happened. 

Let’s pretend that I never put up those reading lists, yeah? Because I’ll be honest, that I don’t think I’ve kept to any one of them. I am still trying to do the prompts out of books that I own or can get from the library. Each book can be used for two prompts. And for every 10 new books you read, you can re-read a book. I will likely be be rereading the Lord of the Rings for my Series Staircase. I’m due for my annual re-read of the series anyway. And I’ve already made some more notes in my poor beleaguered move tie-in versions. (I will not damage my nice new hardcover special editions I got for Christmas last year. They are definitely shelf trophies!) 

This is my round up of what progress I’ve made so far: 

Completed Prompt: Adaptations (in December):

Completed Prompt: Favorite HRCYED 1.0 Prompt – Garage Sale Books (in December)

Completed Prompt: Subgenres of Choice (in August)

Completed Prompt: 24 Hour Readathon (in September)

Completed Prompt: Non-Fiction (in October)

Completed Prompt: The TBR Game (in February)

Completed Prompt: The Even Bigger Rainbow

• Red: The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
• Orange: Food of a Younger Land by Mark Kurlansky
• Yellow: Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
• Green: False Value by Ben Aaronovitch
• Teal: The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
• Light Blue: Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin
• Blue: This is Your Mind of Plants by Michael Pollan
• Purple: Bluebeard’s First Wife by Ha Seong-Nan
• Pink: Behind the Seams by Dolly Parton
• Black: This Body’s Not Big Enough for the Both of Us by Edgar Cantero
• White: Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
• Silver/Gold: Thornhedge by T Kingfisher
• 7+ Colors: The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao

Completed Prompt: Translation Challenge

• Strange and Perfect Account from the Permafrost – Donald Niedekker
• The Queen of Swords – Jazmina Barrera
• Bluebeard’s First Wife – Ha Seong-Nan
• Portrait Before Dark – Liana Sakelliou
• Love’s Ripening – Rumi

Completed Prompt: Heritage Months

• Deaf Republic – Ilya Kaminsky
• The Nightmare Box and other stories – Cynthia Gomez
• Braiding Sweetgrass – Robin Wall Kimmerer
• We Will Rest! The Art of Escape – Tricia Hersey
• Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
• Love’s Ripening – Rumi
• The Jewish Book of Horror – ed. Josh Schlossberg
• Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century – Kim Fu
• Rose/House –  Arkady Martine

In Progress: 

• By the Hundreds: 5/7 (71%)
• Series Staircase: 6/10 (60%)
• The Last 10 Years: 10/11 or 11 if you want to earn +5 points (90%)
• Around the World: 5/7 (71%)
• Spooky Creatures: 6/8 (63%)
• Become the Avatar: 1/4 (25%)
• Animals: 3/5 (60%)
• Queer Alphabet: 5/9 (56%)
• BIPOC Authors: 9/10 (90%)
• New Releases: 9/12 (75%)
• Challenge Yourself: 4/??
• Readathon Challenge: 23/25 (92%)
• Make a Quote: 0/6 (0%)
• Disability Challenge: 4/5 (80%)
• Award Season: 5/7 (71%)
• Q’s Reviews: 1/3 (33%)

So, two of the shelves on my bookcase have broken. One of them doesn’t even have double-stacked books on them! It’s so not fair. But also, the local IKEA actually needs to open soon. I need to get some new shelves and I don’t want to drive thirty minutes down the road to get them. Just lazy, me. HRCYED 3.0 will start in July, so get ready! I’ll add the announcement video when it pops up. But that’s really not that far away now and that is frightening. 

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

It’s been eight months since I started working on the Hardest Reading Challenge You’ll Ever Do (HRCYED) 2.0. I’m starting to think that should read like I’m at an AA meeting. Something like “Readers Anonymous” or “Reading Challenge Anonymous”. Worse yet, I’m looking forward to HRCYED 3.0. LOL. At least I’m among like-minded people on the Discord….

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. Each book can be used for two prompts. And for every 10 new books you read, you can re-read a book. I will likely be rereading the Lord of the Rings for my Series Staircase. 

This is my round up of what progress I’ve made so far: 

Completed Prompt: Adaptations (in December):

Completed Prompt: Favorite HRCYED 1.0 Prompt – Garage Sale Books (in December)

Completed Prompt: Subgenres of Choice (in August)

Completed Prompt: 24 Hour Readathon (in September)

Completed Prompt: Non-Fiction (in October)

Completed the TBR Game: 

• The Life of Chuck – Stephen King
• Tales from the Folly – Ben Aaronovitch
• Slayers of Old – Jim C Hines
• A Hard Day’s Knight – Simon R Green
• The City in Glass – Nghi Vo
• The Furthest Station – Ben Aaronovitch

In Progress: 

• By the Hundreds: 4/7 (57%)
• Series Staircase: 6/10 (60%)
• The Last 10 Years: 9/10 or 11 if you want to earn +5 points (82%)
• Around the World: 5/7 (71%)
• Spooky Creatures: 5/8 (63%)
• Become the Avatar: 1/4 (25%)
• Animals: 3/5 (60%)
• Queer Alphabet: 5/9 (56%)
• BIPOC Authors: 9/10 (90%)
• New Releases: 9/12 (75%)
• Challenge Yourself: 4/??
• Readathon Challenge: 17/25 (68%)
• Make a Quote: 0/6 (0%)
• The Even Bigger Rainbow: 10/13 (77%)
• Translation Challenge: 3/5 (60%)
• Heritage Months: 7/9 (78%)
• Disability Challenge: 2/5 (40%)
• TBR Game Challenge: 6/6 (50%)
• Award Season: 5/7 (71%)
• Q’s Reviews: 1/3 (33%)

I’ve been trying to slow down my acquisition of books. This of course does not count when I’m at the library. I’ve got a stack of library books that I need to read. And try to find a place for them in the challenge when I’m done. LOL. We’ll see how that works. 

I have been mainlining a bunch of TBR Zero videos. I have to laugh at some of these readers. “This has been on my shelf for three years!” one of them exclaims. I literally have books on my to be read lists that have been on my list LONGER THAN SHE’S BEEN ALIVE. So, maybe I need to get to some of those books. Maybe.

But there are all these neat new books out there….

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

It’s been seven months 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 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: Adaptations (in December):

Completed Prompt: Favorite HRCYED 1.0 Prompt – Garage Sale Books (in December)

Completed Prompt: Subgenres of Choice (in August)

Completed Prompt: 24 Hour Readathon (in September)

Completed Prompt: Non-Fiction (in October)

In Progress: 

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

I’ve decided to definitely double-up on books. It’s becoming a bit stressful and this is meant to be fun. I want to knock this challenge out to say that I did achieve it. To keep myself from backing out, I’ve been submitting the books along the way as well. I am looking forward to the next one though. I know I’m weird. 

I’m putting myself on a strict book buying limit for the next year(s). You know, just until I catch up a little bit. We’ll see how long that lasts.

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

It’s been six months 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 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: Adaptations (in December):

• The Penelopiad – Margaret Atwood
• The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark (Ballet)
• Jules Verne’s 20000 Leagues Under the Sea –  Carl Bower & Jose Alfonso Ocampo Ruiz (ill) (Graphic Novel) 
• Brewster’s Millions – George Barr McCutcheon
• Devil Red – Joe R Landsdale
• Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
• “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” – Washington Irving
• “We Can Remember it for you Wholesale” – Philip K Dick

Completed Prompt: Favorite HRCYED 1.0 Prompt – Garage Sale Books (in December)

• Jules Verne’s 20000 Leagues Under the Sea –  Carl Bower & Jose Alfonso Ocampo Ruiz (ill) (Graphic Novel) 
• What Abigail Did That Summer – Ben Aaronovitch
• October Man – Ben Aaronovitch

Completed Prompt: Subgenres of Choice (in August)

Completed Prompt: 24 Hour Readathon (in September)

Completed Prompt: Non-Fiction (in October)

In Progress: 

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

I’ve decided to definitely double-up on books. It’s becoming a bit stressful and this is meant to be fun. I want to knock this challenge out to say that I did achieve it. To keep myself from backing out, I’ve been submitting the books along the way as well. I am looking forward to the next one though. I know I’m weird. 

I’m putting myself on a strict book buying limit for the next year(s). You know, just until I catch up a little bit. We’ll see how long that lasts.

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

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: 

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: