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What I’m (probably) reading for the 2017 MMD Reading Challenge

The 2017 Reading Challenge is here! Today I’m sharing the books I’m thinking of reading in 2017.

In most categories, I share three titles I’m considering reading. (Lest you think I’m even nerdier than you thought, I’m not planning on reading every single title listed for this year’s challenge! I wanted to share my ideas, for my own sake and in the hope they’ll inspire you.)

I’d love to hear what YOU are thinking of reading in comments.

Not signed up yet? Do that right here. (When you sign up, you’ll also get your free reading challenge kit. That’s the printable half-sheet from the kit pictured in the above photo.)

Reading for fun: put the oomph back in your reading life

Reading Challenge 2017

A book you chose for the cover:
I’ll know this one when I see it, and you will, too.

A book with a reputation for being un-put-down-able:
Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing

A book set somewhere you’ve never been but would like to visit:
The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country by Helen Russell
The Lost Book of the Grail: A Novel by Charlie Lovett
Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck

A book you’ve already read:
Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood by Lisa Damour
Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time by Jeff Speck

A juicy memoir:
• Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography by Rob Lowe
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
• The Liars’ Club: A Memoir by Mary Karr

A book about books or reading:
• Howards End Is on the Landing by Susan Hill
How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen
The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe

A book in a genre you usually avoid:
• Columbine by Dave Cullen
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

A book you don’t want to admit you’re dying to read:
• The Curated Closet: A Simple System for Discovering Your Personal Style and Building Your Dream Wardrobe by Anuschka Rees
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F—: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson (I would have passed on this one because I don’t usually read books with &*%&! in the title, but I keep hearing this is fantastic)
• Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss

A book in the backlist of a new favorite author:
• Little Bee by Chris Cleave
• The Mistress of Spices: A Novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
• Three Wishes: A Novel by Liane Moriarty

A book recommended by someone with great taste:
The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic by Steven Johnson
The Girl Who Wrote in Silk by Kelli Estes
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

A book you were excited to buy or borrow but haven’t read yet:
Falling Free: Rescued from the Life I Always Wanted by Shannan Martin
On Love: A Novel by Alain de Botton
Lilac Girls: A Novel by Martha Hall Kelly

A book about a topic or subject you already love:
Where We Want to Live: Reclaiming Infrastructure for a New Generation of Cities by Ryan Gravel
Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content by Ann Handley
• Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs by Sally Mann

Reading for growth: stretch yourself in 2017

Reading Challenge 2017

A Newbery Award winner or Honor book:
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
• The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
• The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

A book in translation:
• The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Beartown: A Novel by Fredrick Backman
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

A book that’s more than 600 pages:
• The Stand by Stephen King
• Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
• Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

A book of poetry, a play, or an essay collection:
Envelope Poems by Emily Dickinson
Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver

A book of any genre that addresses current events:
White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson (I’m reading this for a book club I participate in)
The Association of Small Bombs: A Novel by Karen Mahajan
City of Thorns: Nine Lives in the World’s Largest Refugee Camp by Ben Rawlence

An immigrant story:
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
White Teeth by Zadie Smith

A book published before you were born:
Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith
Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse
Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold by C. S. Lewis

Three books by the same author:
• I’m considering Wallace Stegner, Wendell Berry, and Jane Austen
• Elena Ferrante’s Neopolitan novels would make a good choice for this category, as would any series you’ve been wanting to binge on

A book by an #ownvoices or #diversebooks author:
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
• On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis (autism)
• Check out We Need Diverse Books, and get more info on #ownvoices here

A book with an unreliable narrator or ambiguous ending:
Because I’ve heard many of you are unsure what to read for this category, here’s two books I enjoyed and one I want to read
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (want to read)
Atonement: A Novel by Ian McEwan
No One Knows by J.T. Ellison

A book nominated for an award in 2017:
This category is TBD, but I’ll be watching the Printz, Alex, Edgar, Pulitzer, Newbery, and National Book Award lists. (Any big awards I’m forgetting?)

A Pulitzer Prize or National Book Award winner:
The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty
Breathing Lessons: A Novel by Anne Tyler
Olive Kitteredge by Elizabeth Strout

What are YOU reading for the 2017 challenge? 

156 comments

Leave A Comment
  1. Kathie says:

    I’m so glad that I’ve found you, and your reading challenge. I’m excited to expand my reading this upcoming year, and thank you so much for the suggestions.

  2. Sarah M says:

    Why did Columbine or The Year of Magical Thinking end up in the avoidable category? Because they’re both about death? They’re both really good, even though the content is dark and/or hard.

    • Anne says:

      Because of the tough content. My natural tendency is to steer away from these books, even though more often than not, I’m glad I read them in the end.

  3. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck was wonderful – I was hesitant at first because of the title but it taught me some great life lessons on what I can control with my emotions and how I approach challenging situations. Happy reading!

  4. Jennifer says:

    I love your list. You mentioned Colombine, it was fantastic! I live in Colorado now but lived in Virginia when it occurred. Really interesting!!

  5. Hannah Beth Reid says:

    I loved “The End of Your Life Book Club” so much!
    My backlist author would have to be Liane Moriarty because I’ve enjoyed her more recently books.
    Thank you for sharing this list!

  6. Samantha says:

    I’m so excited to choose my books for this challenge and your list is full of good inspiration! I want to warn you about Little Bee by Chris Cleave. You’ve mentioned books with 8 lines you could have done without. Little Bee has about 2-3 pages that I wish I had never read. I’m sure it depends on individual sensitivities, but those pages caused me to put down the book and never pick it up again. Just wanted to give you a heads up from one reader to another.

    • Laura says:

      Any chance you want to let us know what pages to avoid…. I have that book in my TBR pile. Not the same author but I read Kitchen House and wish I had never read it or had known ahead about triggers in it

      • Samantha says:

        I read it a while back and donated it once I realized I couldn’t read it anymore so I don’t have the specific pages. But I can tell you that when the wife asks Little Bee to tell her what happened on the beach, the next few pages were what bothered me. I definitely think there’s an argument for being aware that horrific things happen in other parts of the world, but I’m not a person who needs those things to be depicted in graphic detail in order to understand. I hope that’s helpful.

        • Yes, Little Bee can be pretty disturbing – mostly because of violent content – like REALLY violent content – and a suicide is described. LOTS of triggers. I’m not sure it’s redeemed by the rest of the content in the book. It kind of baffles my mind that it’s the same guy who wrote Everyone Brave!

  7. Thanks for sharing your ideas! I’m excited to see Redwall included – I adored that series when I was younger. I’m now trying to collect them all from book sales so I can reread the entire series again. Also, Columbine was a hard read but it’s incredible to learn what really happened up to, during, and after that day.

  8. I loved A Handmaid’s Tale. I’m not a uber fan of dystopian lit but this one was so deliciously written. And Anonement is a book I’d read again for its achingly good prose. I’m looking forward to reading in 2017 everything Alice Hoffman has written. Her back list is all on my front list after reading A Marriage of Opposites.

  9. Janet Miles says:

    What a great list! I am sure I’ll be coming back to check for inspiration. Getting prepared is such a good idea. I’ve been doing the challenge for three years now but I’ve never planned out in advance which books I’m going to read for which categories. I’ll have to try that this year!

  10. Leslie says:

    I know I read The Westing Game at one time, but seriously cannot remember it. I would HIGHLY recommend Atonement. It was a book that left you thinking, maybe a little sad, in love and everything else. I can never forget the book and it’s been years since I read it. Another translated book I read was A Man Called Ove. It was absolutely wonderful. Think Swedish meets Gran Turino. I look forward to building my reading list for 2017. Happy reading!

  11. Laura Jewell says:

    I’m #2 on the holds list for Hillbilly Elegy, so I think that will be my current events book. I’m looking forward to The Sun is Also a Star, which I’m hoping will count as being about immigration? I’ll have to read it!

    I looooove The Liars Club. I hope you choose it!

  12. Debbi Faust says:

    I am looking forward to the 2017 challenges. This will be my third year joining in. Thanks for your recommended selections. I have read “The End of Your Life Book Club” and “Olive Kitteridge”. I think you will enjoy them. “Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage” and “Atonement” have been on my book shelves for a long time. Maybe this will be the year I finally get to reading them.

  13. Lauren S says:

    Could Elizabeth is Missing count as a book with an unreliable narrator? I have been wanting to read that book and I’d love to include that as one of my reading challenge books! So far I have:
    1. Honor book: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
    2.Book in translation: Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
    3. Book that is 600 pgs or more: The Time in Between by Maria Duenas OR Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
    4. Poetry, Play, or Essay collection: Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur, Upstream by Mary Oliver, or The Universe of Us by Lang Leav
    5. Addressing current events: The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan or Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance
    6. Immigrant story: Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue, The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, or Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
    7. Published before I was born: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
    8. 3 books by the same author: Elena Ferente, Jane Austin, or Alain de Botton
    9. Book by #ownvoices or #diversebooks authors: The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
    10. Unreliable Narrator: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro or Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey (?)
    11. Nominated for an award in 2017: TBD
    12. Pulitzer or National award book winner: Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, or The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

  14. Sabre Thompson says:

    Five Smooth Stones by Ann Fairbairn and Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter are two books I have never heard discussed but which had an immense effect on me as a young adult. Growing up in a right wing conservative household of the 1960’s Five Smooth Stones completely changed the way I perceived race relations. My mother died when I was 13 and our relationship had been tumultuous. I so identified with the main character in Girl of the Limberlost. I strongly recommend either or both.

  15. Heidi says:

    My selections are culled from the 100+ books I own that I haven’t read:
    1) The Monsters of Templeton (L. Groff)
    2) All the Light We Cannot See (A. Doerr)
    3) The Enchanted April (E. von Arnim)
    4) The Graveyard Book (N. Gaiman) – audiobook this time
    5) The Memory of Running (R. McLarty)
    6) Reading Lolita in Tehran (A. Nafisi)
    7) The Ghost Map (S. Johnson) – nonfiction
    8) The Haunted Bookshop (C. Morley)
    9) A Fine Summer’s Day (C. Todd)
    10) Where Did You Go, Bernadette? (M. Semple)
    11) A Banquet of Consequences (E. George)
    12) Fugitives and Refugees (C. Palahniuk)
    13) The Tale of Despereaux (K. DiCamillo)
    14) The Elegance of the Hedgehog (M. Barbery)
    15) David Copperfield (C. Dickens) – narrated by R. Armitage
    16) Harry Potter & the Cursed Child (J. Rowling)
    17) The Blind Side (M. Lewis)
    18) Cutting For Stone (A. Verghese)
    19) Castle Richmond (A. Trollope)
    20) Books 6-8 in Tony Hill Series (V. McDermid)
    21) Pierced By the Sun (L. Esquivel)
    22) The Curious…Night-Time (M. Haddon)
    23) Subbing “Book Owned 10+ Years” The Dante Club (M. Pearl)
    24) Middlesex (J. Eugenides)

  16. Cheralaine Cole-Johnson says:

    You should check out the CLIP Carnegie and Kate Greenway awards. It is the UK’s version of Printz and Newberry combined. The Carnegie goes to the best of children’s and young people’s literature and the Greenway prize is for illustration. They also have a marvelous process for children to be involved called “shadowing” that allows kids to read, discuss and participate in various activities for all the short list finalists. Past winners have included Patrick Ness and Neil Gaimon. Finalists are announced in March.

    The website is carnegiegreenway.org.uk

  17. Rachel says:

    My penciled in list
    Reading for Growth
    1. Last Stop on Market Street – Matt De La Pena
    2. My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferente
    3. 11/22/63 -Stephen King
    4. Milk and Honey – Rupi Kuar
    5. Strangers in Their Own Land – Arlie Russell Hochschild
    6. Travels with Charley -Steinbeck
    7. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
    8. William Faulkner -TBD
    9. Six of Crows – Leigh Bardugo
    10. Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro
    11. TBD
    12. The Goldfinch -Donna Tart
    Reading For Fun
    1. TBD
    2. The Likeness -Tana French
    3. A Gentlemen in Moscow – Amor Towles
    4. A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness
    5. Born to Run – Audio Read by The Boss Himself!
    6. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend -Katarina Bivald
    7. Spilled Milk – K.L Randis
    8. Subtle Art of Not Giving a F%$& – Audio
    9. What Alice Forgot – Liane Moriarty
    10. The Sparrow – Mary Doria Russell
    11. Jayne Eyre (that’s embarrassing to admit)
    12. Leaders Eat Last – Simon Sinek

  18. Lori says:

    These are great suggestions! The Year of Magical Thinking is amazing. I really loved it even though it was incredibly sad to read.

    I have to do some more searching through the books I already own in my TBR pile to find ones that meet the challenge. Because one of my mandates for the next year is to read the books that I’ve already bought and not buy new ones. I’m also trying to limit the books I get from the library so I can focus on reading the books I own. But there are definitely books I don’t own that I want to read (and I’m in a book club) so I’m just allowing myself to get the books from the library for those scenarios.

  19. Lisa says:

    Another option for the unreliable narrator might be Fates and Furies – you’d get two unreliable narrators in that one! Be prepared, though, for a handful of 8 line edits.

  20. Bridget says:

    I read Lilac Girls this year and loved it…..much more than Everyone Brave is Forgiven, which I really didn’t like (I know it was one of your faves this year though).

  21. Samantha says:

    What I’m thinking…(not completed)
    Based on the Cover
    – Beast – Peter Benchley
    Un-put-downable
    – The Woman in Cabin 10 – Ruth Ware
    Book to Re-Read
    – Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
    Juicy Memoir
    – Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo – Amy Schumer
    Book about Books/Reading
    – The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
    Genre I Avoid
    – How to be the Best Version of Yourself
    Dying to Read
    – Florida Roadkill – Tom Dorsey
    Backlist/new favorite author
    – The White Queen – Phillipa Gregory
    Recommended
    – The Girl with all the Gifts – M.R. Carey
    Newbery Winner/Honorable Mention
    – Doll Bones – Holly Black
    Over 600 Pages
    – The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt
    Book of Poems/Stories
    – Poems of the Sea
    Pulitzer Prize Winner
    – All the Light we cannot See – Anthony Doerr

  22. Oh wow, what an inspiring list! I saw several titles that started up my gears thinking of great books. I’ll have to add Mary Oliver and the refugee camp book to my list. I’ll probably read 3 books by C.S. Lewis – I collect his books, but it’s a little embarrassing how few (relatively) I’ve read. His space trilogy would knock that out easily. 🙂

      • Jamie says:

        I would totally qualify Little Bee as an immigrant story! That’s actually the aspect of the book that drew me in and kept me going. It’s so unique from my experience with immigrants here on the San Diego/Tijuana border that it kept me vulnerable to the development of the storyline where I would have been jaded to what was coming next if it was a context that I was familiar with. I really, really liked it, even it was a heavy read.

  23. D says:

    I am surprised to find a few on your TBR list that I have read! Usually its singularly the other way around. I can highly recommend all these:
    Graveyard Book, Westing Game, The War that Saved My Life, and Joy in the Morning. These can be finished in a day. I have also read the Handmaid’s Tale and was not expecting it to be what it was, so it threw me off, but I finished the book and generally liked it. It could also be read as one with an ambiguous ending. Happy Reading to all!

  24. Donna says:

    Thanks for sharing, Anne! The End of Your Life Book Club would be a great pick for the book about books or reading category. It’s one of my absolute favourite reads this year!

    I’m doing the Reading for Growth or both paths. I’m not sure yet…

    Reading for Growth(so far):
    1. A Newbery Award or Honor book – TBD
    2. A book in translation – You Will Not Have My Hate by Antoine Leiris (translated from French) OR Willful Disregard by Lena Andersson (Translated from the Swedish) OR Stella by Siegfried Lenz (Translated from German) OR The Party Wall by Catherine LeRoux (Translated from French) OR I’ll Be Right There by Kyung-sook Shin (Translated from Korean)
    3. A book that’s more than 600 pages – Hello From the Gillespies by Monica McInerney OR Orient by Christopher Bollen OR Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin
    4. A book of poetry, a play, or an essay collection – Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays by Zadie Smith
    5. A book of any genre that addresses current events – “They Can’t Kill Us All”: Ferguson, Baltimore, and a New Era in America’s Racial Justice Movement by Wesley Lowery OR Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance OR The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
    6. An immigrant story – Love, Loss, and What We Ate by Padma Lakshmi OR Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
    7. A book published before you were born – TBD
    8. Three books by the same author – Zadie Smith: Swing Time, White Teeth, and NW or Alice Hoffman: The Dovekeepers, The Marriage of Opposites, and Survival Lessons
    9. A book by an #ownvoices or #diversebooks author – The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius by Kristine Barnett (Autism) or The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (issues of racism and police brutality)
    10. A book with an unreliable narrator or ambiguous ending – TBD
    11. A book nominated for an award in 2017 – TBD
    12. A Pulitzer Prize or National Book Award winner – Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann (2009 Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction) or Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Book (Winner of the 2012 National Book Award for Nonfiction) or Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Winner of the 2015 National Book Award for Nonfiction) OR Empire Falls by Richard Russo (2002 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Fiction or Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (2000 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Fiction)

  25. Alex says:

    Definitely go with the audio version of Stories I Only Tell My Friends. It was amazing. Rob Lowe’s voice is so good! His other book was great, too. I listened to both last year and loved them.

    Couldn’t get through Strange and Norrell, though, so I wish you luck!

    • Elaine says:

      I could not get through Strange and Norrell either, in fact, could not get through the Netflix series, though beautiful looking and finely cast.

  26. Christine, Australia says:

    Since I am living and reading in Australia (and previously in the UK), I have moved a little away from the US-focussed books and made a few alterations to some of the categories – I hope that’s OK!
    a Newbery Award or Carnegie Medal(UK) winner – Cynthia Harnet, ‘The Wool Pack’ (Carnegie Medal 1951, and a childhood favourite)
    a book in translation – Elena Ferrante, ‘My Brilliant Friend’ (haven’t yet got round to it)
    a book that’s more than 600 pages – Charles Dickens, ‘Our Mutual Friend’
    a book of poetry, a play, or an essay collection (a bit specialist here) – Tom Griffiths, ‘The Art of Time Travel: historians and their craft’
    a book of any genre that addresses current events – Tim Flannery, ‘Here on Earth: an argument for hope’
    an immigrant story TBD
    a book published before you were born TBD
    three books by the same author – Amitav Ghosh, The Ibis Trilogy
    The diversvoices one I’ve altered to a book from an Australian Aboriginal writer – Stan Grant ‘Talking to My Country’
    a book with an unreliable narrator or ambiguous ending – Henry James, ‘The Turn of the Screw’
    a book nominated for an award in 2017 – I’ll be looking at the Miles Franklin (Aust equivalent of the Pulitzers or the Bookers) short list around April
    a Pulitzer Prize winner – Anne Tyler, ‘Breathing Lessons’ (1989) or Marilynne Robinson, ‘Gilead’ (2005)

  27. Erin says:

    The War That Changed My Life was one of my top books for 2016. I read it over Thanksgiving break and couldn’t stop talking about it or thinking about it. So good.

  28. Jamie says:

    Oh, Anne! If you choose Columbine, I’ll hold your hand all the way through – promise!!! (and I admit, I totally ‘squeee’-d outloud when I saw that title listed there. :))
    Now for the important stuff – would these checklists fit in a bullet journal? Or would it just matter what size of journal I have and resizing the image accordingly? Thinking of actually buying a ‘real’ journal this year (probably Leuchtturm or Moleskin) and would love this list to find a home there.

    • Anne says:

      The checklists are half pages. They fit in MY bullet journal (and that’s without any resizing before printing), which is 5×8, so maybe they’d fit in yours?

  29. Deborah Larson says:

    The Liar’s Club has been on my TBR list for years, too.
    We’re reading The Namesake in January for local book club. I’ve been excited to read it.
    Definitely recommend Atonement…and be sure to watch the movie version afterwords. You won’t forget Briney!
    Olive Kitterridge—Definitely recommend watching the Miniseries with Francis McDermont
    I believe it’s a 5-part series. Rented it from video store and started watching at 9pm on a weeknight. My husband, an in-bed-by-10pm-on-worknights kind of guy said, ‘I’ll watch a little bit of it with you before bed.’ At the end of the first disc, he said, ‘Put in another one.’ He said the same after disc 2…and so on until we finished the last disc in the series at 1am! If you knew my husband, you’d know the miniseries is addicting for him to watch beginning to end on a work night. 🙂

  30. Susan says:

    Thank you for your list and everyone else’s list. I’m loading up my shopping cart and excited for this year of reading. And, thank you for giving links to ‘diverse’ and ‘own voices’ because I had no idea what you meant:)

  31. Susan says:

    Would any of these count for #diverse or #ownvoice?:
    • Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
    • The One in a Million Boy by Monica Wood
    • The Color Purple by Alice Walker
    • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

    • Anne says:

      YES. TOIAMB gave me pause (although I am not the book police 🙂 ) but then I remembered my interview with Monica Wood for the Summer Reading Club, and how she said she based one of her main characters (I don’t want to say too much!) on her own experiences as a child. Go for it!

  32. Adrienne says:

    My list, so far….
    Based on the cover
    – The Stargazer’s Sister – Carrie Brown (Check out the cover! It is gorgeous)
    Un-put-downable
    – All That Followed – Gabriel Urza
    Book to Re-Read
    – A Soldier of the Great War – Mark Helprin
    Juicy Memoir
    – By Myself – Lauren Bacall
    Book about Books/Reading
    – Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
    Genre I Avoid
    – ??
    Dying to Read
    – Mariana – Susanna Kearsley
    Backlist/new favorite author
    – I’ve pretty much read everything by my favorite authors, so nothing here yet…
    Recommended
    – Everyone Brave is Forgiven – Chris Cleave
    Newbery Winner/Honorable Mention
    – ??
    Over 600 Pages
    – Drumns of Autumn – Diana Gabaldon
    Book of Poems/Stories
    – About Time – Jack Finney; Third Level – Jack Finney (Time Travel Stories, which is one of my favorite genres)
    Pulitzer Prize Winner
    – Everything I Never Told You – Celeste Ng (Not a Pulitzer Prize winner but has won several other awards)

  33. PJ says:

    The Westing Game is a top ten, desert island book for me. I highly urge you to read it- it’s the kind of book that stays with you and stands up to multiple re-reads.

  34. Guy Austin says:

    A book you don’t want to admit you’re dying to read:
    The Magnolia Story – Chip and Joanna Gaines
    Yep I am dude that loves them fixer uppers. (Chip’s Awesome)

  35. SoCalLynn says:

    I hope you pick Travels With Charley. I’ve read it several times. There is so much timeless wisdom and amazing insight into humanity. I have not even started my lists, but I plan to read only from my current stash of unread books.

  36. Ashley says:

    Great list! I’m currently reading/listening to Russell’s Living Danishly. I’m not much of an audiobook person but have been loving Lucy Price-Lewis’ narration. In fact feel I wouldn’t have enjoyed the book as much if had read the usual way!

    If choosing between Living Danishly and Steinbeck’s Travel with Charley…hands-down I’d recommend Travels with Charley.

  37. Beth says:

    I haven’t decided which list I’m doing yet–I might do half and half because there’s one or two categories on each list that I’m just not excited about (ex. juicy memoirs)–but I’m excited about your choices. Little Bee is fantastic! Can’t wait to hear what you think of it.

  38. Nicole says:

    Love your lists! You might be way ahead of me, but as a big fan of the podcast and your lists, I was wondering if you planned to discuss these on your podcast at all or chat with others about their lists? I’d love to hear how you decided on certain books and such! Happy Holidays! =)

  39. Mary Kate says:

    The Stand is one of my favorites of all time.

    Never Let Me Go and The Shadow of the Wind are also absolutely incredible. Six of Crows was a great, fun read.

    And there’s so much more I haven’t read yet!

  40. Emily says:

    SO excited about this. I’m doing the “Reading for Fun” challenge. Anne, thank you for giving me the freedom that I am already feeling to just choose books I am excited about! I am in a book club that reads a Pulitzer winner each month and have felt monopolized by that in 2016.
    I am going to make one modification to the Reading for Fun list, though. I cannot stomach reading a book again when there are sooooo many on my to-read list, so I am instead going to read a book I have not yet read by an “old standby” author–an author that I know I love and whose books I have read many of already (kind of the opposite of the backlist of a new favorite author category). For me, this includes James Herriot (The Lord God Made Them All), Jhumpa Lahiri (The Lowland), Daphne du Maurier (Julius), Larry McMurtry (Terms of Endearment), and Cormac McCarthy (Child of God). Not sure which I’m going to choose!

  41. Amy says:

    I need to have some fun in my life, so I’m taking the fun list.
    CHOSE FOR THE COVER – I’ll wait and see
    REPUTATION FOR BEING UN-PUT-DOWNABLE – 11/22/63 by Stephen King or Legend by Marie Lu
    SET SOMEWHERE YOU’VE NEVER BEEN BUT WOULD LIKE TO VISIT – I know I’m behind in the Ladies #1 Detective Agency, so I’ll pick up one of those
    YOU’VE ALREADY READ – I’ll see what hits me
    JUICY MEMOIRS – Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
    ABOUT BOOKS OR READING – Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
    GENRE YOU USUALLY AVOID – I’ve got an anthology of short stories from NC writers.
    YOU DON’T WANT TO ADMIT YOU WANT TO READ – Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann or Lace by Shirley Conran (it’s been way too long since I’ve read a trashy novel!)
    BACKLIST OF A NEW FAVORITE AUTHOR – The Cuckoo’s Corner by Robert Galbraith

    RECOMMENDED BY A PERSON WITH GREAT TASTE – My sister has been finding awesome books for me since I was young, so a couple of her recommendations are Sisi or All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

    YOU WERE EXCITED TO BUY OR BORROW BUT HAVEN’T READ YET – I’ve got plenty of options on my shelf.

    ABOUT A TOPIC OR SUBJECT YOU ALREADY LOVE – Oh, so many choices! I’ll see what hits me when the time is right.

  42. LadyWoman says:

    One of the most effective ambiguous/unreliable novels I’ve ever read was A nihilation, the first in Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy. It is CREEPY, though. Not all out horror, but it is a strange, suspenseful story. So we’ll done.

    Also, The Different Girl by Gordon Dahlquist. I recommend that one endlessly.

  43. Amy says:

    Little Bee was fantastic on audio. I don’t know if I would have gotten through a hard copy. (I listened about 3 years ago during a long drive from Tampa to Chicago.)

  44. Mary Hunt says:

    Redwall by Brian Jacques is wonderful. Be careful there are a lot of other books based on the Redwall characters. I love them all!
    I never realized The Westing Game is a Newbery winner! I read it along with a 7th grade English class I was interpreting many years ago. This year I will need some reading for enjoyment/escape, so I will take that one.

  45. Hannah says:

    I just discovered your blog this week and goodness I’m delighted with this reading challenge. Over the past few years I’ve fallen out of the habit of reading and kept thinking I’d pick up a book when life got a little more settled, but with a 9 yr old, 5 yr old, and two 2 yr olds, it’s going to be a while before that happens! Instead I’m diving in! Redwall certainly deserves that spot on the “un put downable” section; my husband is currently reading it aloud to our kiddos from the tattered paperback copy I’ve since elementary school.

  46. Greg says:

    DO you (or any of your readers) have any more thoughts on a book about books or reading? I can’t seem to find anything that interests me? Thanks.

  47. Kate says:

    Mistress of Spices is a must, I would like to reread Forever by Judy Blume. It was on a Do Not Read List at one time. Hamilton is going to be my BIG effort. I may get the audible if it is too unwielding.

    Discovering Modern Mrs. Darcy is the best site I found in 2016. It provides not only reading advice, but a great place to visit and feel welcome. Thank you so much, Anne(with an e)
    None of Green Gables is my favorite book and video❤️❤️❤️

  48. Noel says:

    You have some terrific picks on your list! I’ve read and love Wendell Berry and Wallace Stegner both; Never Let Me Go and Atonement were favorites a few years ago!
    I’m working on my list. So far in the fun category:
    Un-put-down-able: The Likeness, Tara French or A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
    A book set somewhere I’d like to visit: Before We Visit the Goddess by Chitra Banerje Divakaruni or The Persimmon Tree by Bryce Courtenay
    A book I’ve already read: Winds of War, Herman Wouk, or When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
    A Juicy memoir: The Stranger in My Genes by Bill Griffeth
    A book about books: The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
    A genre I usually avoid: H is for Hawks by Helen MacDonald or Another Man’s Mocassins by Craig Johnson
    Don’t want to admit I’m Dying to Read: Lady Cop Makes Trouble
    Or something by Jojo Moyes
    Backlist of a new favorite author: A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny; or The Child in Time by Ian McEwan
    Recommended by someone with great taste: I’ll pick from one of Anne’s recommendations!
    A book I was excited to buy: The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
    A subject I already Love: any new genealogy book

    In the Reading for growth, I would add
    current Events: Ghettoside by Jim Leovy or The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
    Pulitzer Prize or National Book Award: The Shipping News by Annie Proulx or The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

    Whew!

  49. Brandyn says:

    Seriously stumped by “A book you don’t want to admit you’re dying to read”. I feel like I’ve eradicated all bookish shame – if I want to read it, I read it. Maybe I’ll just plug in a book a read on a whim when I have a back list of books I “SHOULD” read.

  50. Jennifer Sheridan says:

    I tweaked a few of the categories to fit books in my To-Be-Read stack.
    For Fun:
    Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
    The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
    Travels in Alaska by John Muir
    The Once and Future King by T. H. White
    The Marches by Rory Stewart
    Romantic Outlaws by Charlotte Gordon
    Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
    The Green Ember by S. D. Smith
    Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss
    Essays of Elia by Charles Lamb
    The Floating Admiral by The Detection Club
    Journal Keeping by Luann Budd
    For Growth:
    The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
    Beowulf
    Ivanhoe by Walter Scott
    poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge
    Settle for More by Megyn Kelly
    It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas
    Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
    three books by Gene Stratton Porter
    The Voice that Challenged a Nation by Russell Freedman
    To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
    The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
    The Wright Brothers by David McCullough

  51. Malvina says:

    Hi there, I’ve chosen the Reading for Fun List. And this should indeed be fun!
    A book you chose for the cover: THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS by Meg Waite Clayton
    A book with a reputation for being un-put-downable: BIG LITTLE LIES by Liane Moriarty
    A book set somewhere you’ve never been to but would like to visit: IN THE BARREN GROUND by Loreth Ann White
    A book you’ve already read: DAVID COPPERFIELD by Charles Dickens
    A juicy memoir: ROUND IRELAND WITH A FRIDGE by Tony Hawks
    A book about books or reading: THE READERS OF BROKEN WHEEL RECOMMEND by Katarina Bivald
    A book in a genre you usually avoid: DARK HORSE by Michelle Diener
    A book you don’t want to admit you’ve been dying to read: THE AWAKENING OF MISS PRIM by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera
    A book in the backlist of a favourite new author: MY GRANDMOTHER SENDS HER REGARDS AND APOLOGISES by Fredrick Backman
    A book recommended by someone with great taste: THE ONE IN A MILLION BOY by Monica Wood
    A book you were excited to buy or borrow but haven’t read yet: WHEN ALL THE GIRLS HAVE GONE by Jayne Ann Krentz
    A book about a topic or subject you already love: WILD ISLAND by Jennifer Livett

  52. Libby H says:

    Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a fantastic unreliable narrator novel. I think NPR (or maybe it was just my local station?) had a segment on the unreliable narrator in the past year.

  53. Kari Ann says:

    The War That Saved My Life was recommended for my 8 yr old by an 8 yr old bookseller (there with her Mom) at a trip to Parnassus Books last summer. My daughter loved it. I should really read it as well!

    • Hannah says:

      I listened to this one on Audio. Well done!! A favorite and one of the better books I read this year…or listened to 🙂

  54. Joyce M says:

    I’m thinking I’ll be doing both. Last year was the first year a friend sent me this and so I finished 2016 and then started 2015! Some of these books suit more than one category plus some of those I’d have to buy may get swapped for library books, so there is very likely to be change.
    2017 – Fun
    a book you chose for the cover – Look Who’s Back – Timur Vermes (Already just read – is that cheating?)
    a book with a reputation for being un-put-down-able – Me Before You – Jojo Moyes
    a book set somewhere you’ve never been but would like to visit – The Orchid House – Phyllis Shand Allfrey (Have to get on with this as the trip is booked!)
    a book you’ve already read – Cry the Beloved Country – Alan Paton
    a juicy memoir – Something Fierce – Carmen Aguirre
    a book about books or reading – Out of Sheer Rage: In the Shadow of D. H. Lawrence – Geoff Dyer
    a book in a genre you usually avoid – The prince – Niccolo` Machiavelli (This covers several genres: history, politics, books my husband thinks I should read…
    a book you don’t want to admit you’re dying to read – The Heartfix: An Online Dating Diary – Stella Grey
    a book in the backlist of a new favorite author – Mr Oliver’s Object of Desire – VG Lee (Reading this now and wishing there were some likeable people in it. Probably should wait and see.)
    a book recommended by someone with great taste – Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett (Recommended by my son.)
    a book you were excited to buy or borrow but haven’t read yet – According to Yes – Dawn French
    a book about a topic or subject you already love – The Wild Life: A Year of Living on Wild Food – John Lewis-Stempel

    2017 – Growth

    a Newbery Award winner or Honor book – Holes – Louis Sahar
    a book in translation – Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami
    a book that’s more than 600 pages – A Man in Love: My Struggle Book 2 – Karl Ove Knausgaard (607 pages in hardback!)
    a book of poetry, a play, or an essay collection – A Lover Sings – Billy Bragg
    a book of any genre that addresses current events – Outsider in the White House – Bernie Sanders
    an immigrant story – White Teeth – Zadie Smith
    a book published before you were born – The Catcher in the Rye – J D Salinger
    three books by the same author – Rebus series – Ian Rankin (new to me so starting with book 1)
    a book by an #ownvoices or #diversebooks author – Tipping the Velvet – Sarah Waters (unless this should be more contemporary?)
    a book with an unreliable narrator or ambiguous ending – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
    a book nominated for an award in 2017
    a Pulitzer Prize or National Book Award winner – Let the Great World Spin – Colm McCann

  55. Dayna says:

    For big prizes I try to be international and always look at the Mann Booker Award and the Bailey Prize for Women’s Fiction as well. I also like science fiction and fantasy so I watch the Hugo and the Nebula Awards. Can’t wait to start working my way through my own lists. Thanks for the challenges; I’m going to try to do both.

  56. Jan says:

    I signed up for the reading challenge over this past weekend and have not received the kit as yet. Please check to see if I signed up correctly. Many thanks.

  57. linda says:

    My choices for Read for fun are:
    1. for the cover: THE GIRL IN THE GATEHOUSE by Julie Klassen/ THE END AT THE OCEAN’S EDGE by Colleen Goble.
    2.Un-put-downable: TBD
    3.place never been: ELENI by Nicholas Gage/THE SCENT OF WATER by Elizabeth Gouge
    4.already read: THE VELVETEEN RABBIT by Margery Williams/THE VELVETEEN PRINCIPLES by Toni Kaiten D’Antonia
    5. memoir: THE JOURNAL KEEPER by Phyllis Theroux
    6. about reading: THE PLEASURES OF READING IN AN AGE OF DISTRACTION by Alan Jacobs
    7. Genre usually avoid: THE HOBBIT by J.R.R. Tolkien/ THE BOYS IN THE BOAT by Daniel James Brown
    8.dying to read: IN A PIT WITH A LION ON A SNOWY DAY by Mark Batterson
    9.new favorite author: THE HAPPINESS DARE by Jennifer Dukes Lee
    10. recommended:TBD ? 11-23-63 by Stephen King
    11. Excited to buy: TERROR ON TYBEE ISLAND by Deborah Malone
    12. subject or topic you already love: THE FRIENDS OF JESUS by Karen Kingsbury
    READING FOR GROWTH LIST:
    1. Newberry book: PRINCESS ACADEMY/THE MIDWIFE’S APPRENTICE by Karen Cushman
    2. book in translation; CHESS by Sefan Zweig/ The ALAPHBEt HOUSE by ?Adler
    3. 600+ pages: ANNA KARENINA by Tolstoy
    4. poetry, play/essay;: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST by Oscar Wilde/FELICITY by Mary Oliver
    5. current events: TBD
    6. immigrant story: TBD
    7. before I was born: MEGGY MACINTOSH by Elizabeth Janet Gray
    8. 3 by same author: MERE CHRISTANITY, THE PROBLEM OF PAIN, A GRIEF OBSERVD by C. S. Lewis
    9.own voices or diverse author: ESPERANZA RISING by Pam Munoz Ryan
    10. unreliable narrator or ambiguous ending: WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart
    11. nominated for award 2017: TBD
    12.Pultizer Prize or National Book award: BROWN GIRL DREAMING by Jacqueline Woodson

  58. Claire says:

    This is my first reading challenge and I am very excited. I have alot of books on my TBR shelf and I will take categories from each list and see what books I have that fit into the categories. I think someone else here mentioned they were doing this – a great idea as I have vowed to buy no more books until I get through some of the ones I already have.

  59. Lindsey Back says:

    This is probably a bit late but I am catching up on emails from before the Christmas rush. I noticed that you have one of Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s books listed…The Shadow of the Wind. Do you know that there are 3 books with the same characters? The Angel’s Game and The Prisoner of Heaven. I read the Angel’s Game last and when I got to the end I wished I had read it first as it deals with events and people who appear in The Shadow of the Wind. I probably shouldn’t call it a series but they certainly carry on the story from book to book but jump backwards in time and focus on different characters who are linked in all three books. They are a really great read, I hope you enjoy them.

  60. Evelyn Cruze says:

    I need to have some fun in my life, so I’m taking the fun list.
    CHOSE FOR THE COVER – Drive Thru SA by Rich Bradwell
    REPUTATION FOR BEING UN-PUT-DOWNABLE – Vintage by Susan Gloss
    SET SOMEWHERE YOU’VE NEVER BEEN BUT WOULD LIKE TO VISIT – Good Intentions by Marg McAlister
    YOU’VE ALREADY READ – Fanta C by Sandra Brown
    JUICY MEMOIRS – Shockaholic by Carrie Fisher
    ABOUT BOOKS OR READING – Kindle Buffet by Steve Weber
    GENRE YOU USUALLY AVOID – Half Bloods Rising by JT Williams
    YOU DON’T WANT TO ADMIT YOU WANT TO READ – Don’t Punch People in the Junk Kelly Wilson
    BACKLIST OF A NEW FAVORITE AUTHOR – Cowabunga Christmas by Anna Celeste Burke (She has had a very interesting life and you should have her on your show, Anne!)
    RECOMMENDED BY A PERSON WITH GREAT TASTE – Boom by Tom Brokow
    YOU WERE EXCITED TO BUY OR BORROW BUT HAVEN’T READ YET – The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katherine Bivald
    ABOUT A TOPIC OR SUBJECT YOU ALREADY LOVE – Writing Your Way by Julie Smith

    Now some of these could change or I could read more than the ones I’ve listed as I did for my 2016 challenge!! Thank you for this challenge Anne. My mom would do this for me each year and I have missed it since her stroke in December 1996! She was a teach for over 35 years and you can bet I had to read a lot of classis, but she challenged me to Gone With The Wind, too! The year I was 9 I read Nancy Drew, Susan Barton, book in our library’s junior room about various careers different women pursed. Thee next year when I was 10, She gave me GWTW, Agatha Christie, The Brontes, 3 Jane Austins, and The Scarlet Letter. I had to give her reviews so she could see I understood what I read! We also had some lively discussions!! I’m sad I don’t have Twitter to join some of your other readers.

  61. Teresa Dominie says:

    I’m kind of working on both lists and trying to decide on books. I’m new to this so: What does “A book in the backlist of a new favorite author” mean? How do I find such a title? Any responses would be appreciated. BTW, I love these challenges and it has really boosted my reading.

    • Brandyn says:

      A lot of times when we discover an author it’s something they’ve recently written. My example is “The Living” by Matt de la Pena published in 2013. So I’m going to go back and one of his early books “Ball Don’t Lie” published in 2005. There are so many books out there that recent books get more attention. It’s a way to find books from 10-20 years ago that might be a great fit for you.

  62. Elaine says:

    Hi All,
    So very happy to find this community! My mother-in-law has been my reading partner in crime. We loved to go to the bookshop around the corner (The Bookies, in Denver, CO). My dear reading partner is 92 and somehow stuck in Ann Purser land. She reads the series over and over. I am sad to say I have not shared her love for Ann Purser.
    Last year I read only 2 books, even though I went to the library weekly, purchased books from our dear Bookies, and books from our local thrift stores. However, I could not read the books I choose. I have considered the possibility that I can no longer focus on the big historical novels I love and have no patience for weird and strange books that were my calling card. Then I found Ann’s podcast. It took a while to actually read a book but listening infused me with excitement about reading again.
    It isn’t about the numbers, but in other years I did record my reading and enjoyed revisiting it immensely. And I must say Ann and her listeners have encouraged me to be the reader I am!
    So in my pile, (1) The Girl in the Spider’s Web, David Lagercrantz. Because, I was hopeful. Almost
    (2) The One In a Million Boy, Monica Woods. So much better than I expected from cover. From reading just to read to lingering over every sentence, beautiful. I will own my own copy to read and mark up someday soon.
    (3) A memoir, new for my reading. Sleeping with Cats, Marge Piercy.
    This is my favorite read today. I love this book mixed with Piercy’s poetry, her love for her cats, her gritty coming of age, and her racialzation, and the history of the polictical movements of the 60’s and 70’s.
    (4) Picnic at Hanging Rock because of the recommedation on the podcast. I was sure I knew about this book and movie and I was wrong. Trying to listen on Audible, first try to listen before sleep.
    (5) Elizabeth George, A Great Deliverence, because Mikael Blomkvist
    reads George to relax. Always wanted to try her. I am a fan of Louise Penny and Maise Dobbs.
    (6) I am on page 372 of Lonesome Dove. Like it want to love it.
    That’s what I am reading now.
    Coming up: Henna House, Nomi Eve; Selected stories of Eudora Welty;
    A Kate Morton I might drop; Firefly Lane, Kristen Hannah (because I loved The Nightingale). I also have a pile of books under the bed that I dropped last year (still paying for). Love to you all!

  63. SallyHP says:

    I can’t believe you haven’t read The Graveyard Book yet! This is even one that you’d have a great time reading aloud to your kids. I think my two older boys were 6 and 9 when I read it to them. Some parts are a little scary for them but it’s SO good!

  64. Marcy says:

    There’s also the Cybils, I don’t know if you consider that a “big” award or not.

    I’ve decided not to read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, as some people I trust said that to them it read so much like bad fanfic that they wished they hadn’t read it. And that to them it ruined some things at the end of Deathly Hallows. However, I’ve seen so many different opinions on it, your mileage may vary!

    For an unreliable narrator, I have to recommend Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. You definitely need your tissues, but I’m pretty sure it’s my favorite unreliable narrator story EVER. The key, for me, is that the narrator isn’t unreliable because of any sort of character flaw — no, it opens with someone captured and tortured by the Nazis making her confession and telling her story. She’s very self-deprecating about how she’s cracked under torture, but you still have no idea how much of the story you’re supposed to believe. I mean, the title kind of sums it up there — when someone insists she’s telling the truth, but Verity is her *code* name, is she or isn’t she?? It’s FANTASTIC. (And in case you’re worried, yes, there are allusions to torture, but it’s not something the novel dwells on in gory detail.)

    Now, I had heard it was a really hard read, but it takes a little while to get there, so at first I was like, “Huh, maybe it just isn’t hitting me as hard as it should be for some reason? I can tell there’s some hard stuff here, but…” But then as you get closer to the end, um. Although I still think it’s a fantastic book, I WILL warn you that it rips your heart out of your chest and stomps on it, and I was pretty much sobbing by the end of the book. So, um, yes, there’s that.

  65. I’m so excited to start this challenge! I’ve posted on my blog what I’m thinking about reading for each category. I’m thinking “12 Years a Slave” for my memoir. If you’re interested in reading the rest or starting a dialogue you can check out rachelclaireunworthy.com. I love Modern Mrs. Darcy and all of her suggestions and I linked back here in my blog. Thanks!

  66. Joni says:

    Coming from the state of texas…..a book nominated for an award in 2017…..The Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee’s are out. Nominated for this year…..for the 2017-2018 school year. I will be reading one of those.

  67. Lacey says:

    Typical librarian, I decided to double down and try to complete both challenges.

    “For Growth” I’m reading: 1. Flora & Ulysses 2. The Little Prince 3. Alexander Hamilton 4. A Streetcar Named Desire 5. Bernie Sanders Guide to Political Revolution 6. Brooklyn 7. A Nation of Immigrants (already completed) 8. A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings & A Storm of Swords 9. When Dimple Met Rishi 10. Finnegans Wake 11. The Underground Railroad 12. The Sympathizer

    “For Fun” I’m reading: 1. The Language of Thorns 2. The Hunger Games 3. Ulysses 4. Matched 5. Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? 6. Fahrenheit 451 7. American Gods 8. The Art of the Deal 9. The Host 10. The Federalist 11. The Code of the Woosters 12. Lincoln in the Bardo

  68. Hilary says:

    Hi, Anne! I just finished the 2017 Challenge (actually, both of them!) yesterday and I’m wondering when the 2018 Challenges will come out. Thanks!!

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