Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion

Use this space to discuss books you're reading or that might fit the 15th Read Harder task.

Artificial Condition. It's the second book in the Murderbot Diaries series, release May 2018.

It's sort of difficult to plan this one but I'll go with The Hidden Staircase because I often devour Nancy Drew novels whole lol

This is one I'll pick the moment I start & finish a book in a single sitting. If I try to pick now I'll probably go with something short like a graphic novel. But I want to allow for getting sucked into a longer book that's so good that I can't put it down until I'm finished.

This is one of the harder tasks for me, because I generally take my time reading. I am thinking a book of poetry or a comic book would work well here.

Candace wrote: "This is one of the harder tasks for me, because I generally take my time reading. I am thinking a book of poetry or a comic book would work well here."

I'm having the same problem. I'm not typically a read in one sitting kind of reader, so I'm leaning towards a comic for this one.

I'll probably go for a YA or children's novel for this one. I read Wonder by R.J. Palacio in one sitting this year, so that may work for this challenge for others.

I'll finally make a point of reading March: Book One.

Candace wrote: "This is one of the harder tasks for me, because I generally take my time reading. I am thinking a book of poetry or a comic book would work well here."

I read The Sun and Her Flowers in almost one sitting. And I remember Out of the Dust being a quick read.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Niel Gaiman is short but excellent for a one sitting stand alone book.

Like many of you, this is one I'll see what happens with rather than plan in advance. I do want to give a shoutout to The Lover's Dictionary, though, which is a charming little book that I've read in one sitting multiple times. It's like an indie film in book form. From A to X: A Story in Letters is also a book I read in one sitting (I'm pretty sure), which I loved.

Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own for me!

Riah wrote: "Like many of you, this is one I'll see what happens with rather than plan in advance. I do want to give a shoutout to The Lover's Dictionary, though, which is a charming little book ..."

I can definitely second The Lover's Dictionary. Great book, and a very quick read.

Rachel wrote: "Riah wrote: "Like many of you, this is one I'll see what happens with rather than plan in advance. I do want to give a shoutout to The Lover's Dictionary, though, which is a charming..."

It is a great book! Actually almost all David Levithan books are quick reads. Highly recommend his Love Is the Higher Law

Don't know if it counts/helps anyone, but I was able to read Misery in one day on a long car trip-there and back.

I was in a bookstore in South Kensington this morning and saw a display of Penguin Little Black Classics. They are these small pocket sized books and only cost about £1. They would probably be good for this challenge.

http://www.littleblackclassics.com/

I'm going with We Should All Be Feminists.

This one is going to be next to impossible since I have a 6 month old. I'll probably double this category with one of the comic books.

If you have a 6 month old just use a book you read to her. They are all one sitting books.

I think I will finally read Make Trouble

I'm using this opportunity for a light read and going with The Uncommon Reader.

Here's a great resource for this challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1103-32-short-books-to-help-you-win-your-reading-challenge

I got The Clothing of Books for Christmas, and it's pretty short. So I think that'll be my one-sitting book.

Two recent short books are The Festival of Insignificance and All the Dirty Parts

The Clothing of Books is lovely and quick!

Breakfast at Tiffany's is very short (and much, much better than the movie!).

Chronicle of a Death Foretold is wonderful, and would be a great intro to the work of Gabriel García Márquez (and a real gem if you’re a fan but have missed out on this one!).

The Pleasure of the Text is a good entry point for reading Roland Barthes—and the writing is just lovely.

This would also be a good task for poetry! Motherland Fatherland Homelandsexuals is brief and fascinating.

The last great one I read is Grief is the Thing with Feathers.

The third Binti novella (The Night Masquerade) is coming out in January!

Kat wrote: "The third Binti novella (The Night Masquerade) is coming out in January!"

I can't wait

Definitely has to be a very short book for me to be able to read in one sitting. Therefore I am going with a children's book. Before She Was Harriet

The challenge isn't "read a book in one sitting" it's "a one sitting book," which says to me you don't necessarily have to read it in one sitting, but that it could be read in one sitting, because it's short, or maybe you have 10 hours to do nothing else. I'm going to choose something short, but I'm not too worried about stopping if I have to.

One of the two Once Upon A Time comic books probably.

Karen wrote: "The challenge isn't "read a book in one sitting" it's "a one sitting book," which says to me you don't necessarily have to read it in one sitting, but that it could be read in one sitting."

That's how I'm interpreting it as well. My "sittings" rarely last longer than 10 minutes, but I have books that other readers could easily finish in one sitting.

84, Charing Cross Road. I sat, I read, I cried. It was finished. I was left wanting more. And it's only day 1.

I have heaps of other books that I can finish in one sitting. We'll see where the year takes us.

I've already finished River of Teeth, which I started after midnight, so that would definitely work for this task! It's a really fun alternate history hippo caper, set in Louisiana in the 1890s.

For this one I'm reading The End We Start From by Megan Hunter, I already had it borrowed from the library and it's only like 160 pages.
Like others, my one sitting is incredibly short, so as long as I can reasonable finish it in a day I'm counting it.

I'll most likely be going for a graphic novel or a trade paperback (need to get caught up on DC Bombshells!) but if anyone's looking for a bit of fierce non-fiction for this challenge, I recommend Women & Power by Mary Beard. Polished it off in about two hours.

I want to read Women & Power too, but it wouldn't be a one sitting book for me. I've already completed this one by reading a gift-book called Sisters. I read it in 15-20mins. I was going to read a short story published on its own by Ruth Rendell, but it was 60+ pages and that would be more than 1 sitting for me. Guess I've gone literal with this challenge!

Yrinsyde wrote: "I want to read Women & Power too, but it wouldn't be a one sitting book for me. I've already completed this one by reading a gift-book called Sisters. I read it in 15-20mins. I was going to read a ..."

For me a sitting is a couple of hours so Women & Power would be well within the limits, but I did spread that one across a couple of days - had to fit it in with breaks at work during the silly season!

It's actually been interesting to read how different people view a single sitting. I'd consider it a few hours, ideally curled up in bed but right now I'll settle for any air conditioned spot I can find, given the Aussie summer!
I suppose if you can get really stuck into a book, one sitting can be quite lengthy!

Jodie wrote: "Yrinsyde wrote: "I want to read Women & Power too, but it wouldn't be a one sitting book for me. I've already completed this one by reading a gift-book called Sisters. I read it in 15-20mins. I was..."

Hah Jodie!! Well, I had a bit to do so it was a squeezed in moment. If I had more time, I would have gone with the Ruth Rendell story. It's predicted to be 40c this weekend in Melbourne so I will have more time to read as I probably won't want to do much else!! PS can't wait to get to the Mary Beard book - she is someone I really admire.

I completed this task today with A Christmas Memory, One Christmas, & The Thanksgiving Visitor - by Truman Capote. Very enjoyable collection of three short stories. I read the Modern Library edition over the early evening hours of New Years Day.

For me one sitting mostly means one day. The ones where one sitting is what I would do if I didn't have other things to do ...which means both books I books I read today
The Jewel and Her Lapidary andSpells and Oregano

Unexpectedly completed this task on the first day of the year! Hunger by Roxane Gay. Couldn't put it down.

Just knocked this one out with Behind Closed Doors. Not a perfect book by any means, but it was fun (in a thriller kind of way) and fast. I’ll confess that it wasn’t actually one sitting, but it could easily have been if I hadn’t started late at night and had an appointment in the morning!

First book finished was The 12 Cats of Christmas for this challenge. I haven't done my review yet but it was a cute short story.

I just read And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman for another challenge. It is 76 pages. About a son and a grandson of a man with Alzheimer's. I laughed, I cried, I ugly cried.

I am going with Yiddish with Dick and Jane.

Brandy wrote: "I just read And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman for another challenge. It is 76 pages. About a son and a grandson of a man with..."

I loved this one so much. I also ugly cried. I had planned to re-read it in 2018, but didn't even consider it would fit this prompt!

I re-read The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry on the regular ... it's my go-to book when I'm feeling down, when I need advice about love or when I just need a little bit of hope. It's like 93 pages in print and about an hour on audio.

I read Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast for task #1 (posthumous publication), but it turned out to be a one-sitting book, as well.

Maid-sama! Vol. 05 will suit me here. Manga is a quick read. Would send me to the poor house if my local library weren't so good at stocking it.

I guess this could count as comic by POC, but it's not like Japanese mangaka are considered POC in Japan, so I won't take the easy out on that.

Picture book biographies are perfect for this category. There are so many great ones, and they allow you to quickly learn a bit about someone new. Look for ones about artists (Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keefe), writers (Pablo Neruda) and more. For this challenge I read Buddha, The Story of Siddhartha by Whitney Stewart. It has the advantage of a forward and afterward by the Dalai Lama, and gorgeous pictures by Sally Rippin.