More Reading Challenges

Or “Lists of Great Books I Can Read In Order To Complete the Many Reading Challenges I Set for 2013”

Clutch Reading Challenge

This list would have been great last year when I was doing the POC Reading Challenge. I’m not going to try to read all 100 books but I there are many, many gems on this list and I think I’ll use it as a resource when I’m looking for Heritage reads. (I could, of course, just add all the books to my Goodreads to-read list but then it would NEVER END!) 

Here are the titles I’ve already read:

Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery by bell hooks

One Hundred Plus YA Book Covers of Color

Unfortunately I don’t remember where I found this link but I’m glad I bookmarked it! Few of the books on my shelf are for YA and none of those are POC books. This (gorgeous) Pinterest board will help me add more children’s books to my Heritage Reads.

Diverse Covers Diverse Books

I love that this Pinterest board by Gabrielle Prendergast includes middle grade books!

2012 Book Challenge Recap

Among other things, this year brought me various book challenges! 

I participated in the 50 book pledge and completed the challenge in August. By the end of the year I read 77 books! Maybe in 2013 I’ll aim for 80 books.

I also participated in the POC ReadingChallenge.  I read 34 POC books this year; that’s 44% of the books I read in 2012. A little short of my 40 POC books goal but not bad at all! This challenge really helped me expand the selection of books I read. I find that I am not only drawn to diverse characters but also diverse narratives. This year I have a list of authors whose work I look forward to reading including Octavia Butler, Edwidge Danticat, and Dionne Brand.

During the summer, I tried my hand at a readathon hosted by Random House of Canada to commemorate the 2012 London Olympics. My goal was 1200 pages and I just barely missed it.

Was 2012 a good reading year for you?

POC Media Week 3: July 30 – Aug 5

I was working most of this week and had very little time to enjoy life. My entertainment was split nearly fifty-fifty. I wonder what I’ll do when the Olympics are over. My hours of entertainment will probably decrease overall. Ideally I want to maintain an even ratio by consuming more diverse media, not by cutting out other media. Once again, suggestions are appreciated.

Paper Droids:
Pass. Formerly known as 404. Awesome geek girl magazine. (approx. 30mins)

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce:
Fail. I loved this book and I’ll be writing a review soon. However I don’t think a single one of the many characters Harold meets during his pilgrimage across present-day England was a person of color. (approx. 10 hrs)

Olympics:
Pass. Yay Gabby Douglas! Yay Usain Bolt! Yay Oscar Pristorius! Love love love the dedication of these athletes. (approx. 5 hrs)

Pretty Little Liars:
Pass. I’m getting pretty tired of it though. I don’t like being in perpetual suspense. At this point only the cute outfits make me keep watching. (approx. 1hr)

Tar Baby by Toni Morrison:
Pass. The prose in this book is amazing. I guess that’s why Ms. Morrison is a Nobel Laureate. Funny story though: I found this book in the way back of the bookstore on the tiny sliver of a wall reserved for “black writers.” Not impressed with you, Chapters.

POC Media Week 2: July 23 – July 29

I did much better this week. Sixteen hours of entertainment had diverse people/characters while seven hours did not. This supports my guess that the books I read and movies I watch are critical. The Olympics helped too.

I have a long queue of books but TV/movie suggestions are appreciated!

Kevin Hart videos:
Pass. For obvious reasons. (approx. 30 mins)

ClutchMagazine:
Pass. The content of this online magazine targets urban African-American women. (approx. 30 mins)

That’s So Raven:
Pass. I loved this Disney channel show as a child!  Raven and her family are goofy and loving, and the show doesn't turn race into an "issue." (approx. 30 mins)

Who is Sugar:
Pass. Sugar is a super fabulous YouTuber. Her vlog covers everything from fashion, hair, and beauty. Her cat Tiny co-hosts. (approx. 10 mins)

Pretty Little Liars:
Pass. Same as last week. (approx. 2 hrs)

Continuum:
Pass. A classmate suggested I watch this show. I’m not feeling it after the first three episodes (I’m not the biggest sci-fi fan; take those elements away and the show is kina meh.) but there is a fair bit of diversity in the cast. I expected more Asians though since the show takes place in Vancouver. (approx. 3 hrs)

Miguel Street by V.S. Naipaul:
Pass. This book highlights characters from a slum in Port of Spain, Trinidad. (approx. 2 hrs)

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce:
Fail. This is the story of one man and that man is white.  (approx. 4 hrs)

Olympics:
Pass. The house party section of the Opening Ceremony was full of win. June’s hair? *swoon* I love it. And of course the Parade of Nations was a gorgeous sample of the peoples of the world. I love the Olympics. :) (approx. 6 hrs)

The Fellowship of the Ring (movie):
Fail. There are no people of color in Middle-Earth. At all. Stop looking for them. No existen. (approx. 3 hrs)

A Time to Kill:
Pass. Movie set in Mississippi about a white lawyer defending a black man. Random fact: I saw a clip of this movie years ago and thought it was To Kill a Mockingbird. (approx. 2 hrs)

Salsa Nocturna by Daniel José Older

Confession: I had no idea what this book was about when I requested the ARC from Daniel José Older and Crossed Genres Publications. When I tried to figure it out, I came across the words “ghost noir” and was terrified. I put down the book and resolved only to read it during daylight. My fear was unwarranted, of course. Older’s book isn’t about ghosts; it’s about spirits. The fact that some of them are dead is minor detail.

Salsa Nocturna, the debut short story collection by Daniel José Older, treats the supernatural… naturally. The dead roam the streets of New York just beyond the perception of most people. In each story, Older explores what happens when the living and the dead clash.

Older’s writing is at once urban and lyrical; the musicality in his style befits the title. Most of the pieces are written in first person so the prose takes on the vernacular of the narrator. The characters are uniquely aware of the words they use: “Simpatico is the best word for him. It means nice in English but nice is such a pathetic word.” 

Because he is the primary protagonist, Carlos’s voice sometimes overpowers the others and it took me a few lines at the beginning of each piece to realize who was narrating. Otherwise the characters are well developed and realistic. Whether they are dead, alive, or otherwise, these characters struggle to find a place where they fit and end up finding each other. They blossom in their interactions and their banter is easy and playful. Jimmy reminds me of my own 16-year-old brother (who better not be doing anything that Jimmy does!)  and I'm Gordo and my cubano grandfather would get along swimmingly. As the stories progress, the characters bond through mutual acceptance and understanding.  They are kindred spirits in every sense.

My one complaint concerns the structure. The short stories were too interconnected to be read in isolation but too disparate to be read as a single narrative. As a result, when you read them all back to back, the short stories come across like episodic pseudo-chapters. As someone used to reading novels, I kept wanting more. Older introduces the reader to a colorful cast of characters, superimposes a supernatural realm onto New York City, and slowly increases the tension and conflict. Then, just before everything snaps, he stops. The book is over.

“…death isn’t the great equalizer it’s made out to be. Layers of hierarchy remain, interlaced by the tangled webs of power and privilege.”

 

But I suppose even this can be considered a plus. I was left desperate to know what happens next. If Salsa Nocturna is Act 1, it has done one hell of a job getting me pumped for Act 2.

 

Clearly I need buddies to discuss this with while Older writes the sequel. (If I say it over and over maybe he’ll do it.) So hurry up and pre-order Salsa Nocturna, and if you’re in the New York area go the launch party. Then come back and tell me what you think.

Armchair BEA: Best of 2012

Day Two of Armchair BEA is reserved for giveaways but I have no prizes for you. Sorry darlings! Instead, allow me to share the BEA books I’m excited about.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
(May 2012, Doubleday Canada)
My Twitter timeline has been buzzing about this book since Fall. It’s a WWII-era historical fiction featuring two brave young women and has been getting amazing reviews. The only reason I haven’t bought it yet is because I haven’t seen it in bookstores. Maybe I’ll bite the bullet and order it online. And probably grab a box of tissues while I’m at it. Apparently it’s a tearjerker.

Son by Lois Lowry
(October 2012, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
I read The Giver in middle school and had no idea it was part of a series! I’ll definitely catch up on books two and three so I can be ready when this fourth book is released.

Street Dreams by Tama Wise
(March 2012, Bella Distribution)
I’ve been looking for books with Native protagonists and I don’t think I’ve read an LGBTQ book yet this year. When I read the Kirkus starred review for this book and was very pleased. It is a coming-of-age novel about a queer Maori boy.  It’s a refreshing departure from “pretty girl” YA books.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
(August 2012, Bloomsbury)
I can’t not buy this book. I read an early draft on fictionpress.net a long time ago and loved it then. I’m sure it’s even better. Watching Maas “make it” has been an inspiration to keep following my dreams and keep persisting. Hard work pays off. I’d love to see this book be a bestseller.

It’s funny that all these books are YA—not representative of my normal tastes at all! But I guess YA tend to be a little flashier and a bit more captivating than adult books, thereby capturing my imagination before I even turn the pages.