Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion

Use this space to discuss books you're reading or that might fit the 9th Read Harder task.

I looked through my TBR to find older, less popular titles. This was easier than trying to see how many reviews a newer book has or be worried it would have lots more by the time I read it. I actually had quite a few that would work, but I think I'm going with The Mermaid's Daughter by Joyce Gard written in 1969. It only has 3 reviews and 16 ratings.

If I get to the end of the year with this one and am desperate, I am going to cheat and go with an entry in Daisy Meadows' interminable early chapter series Rainbow Magic. Most of them have almost no reviews because all of the books are literally the same story over and over again.

I pick up a lot of random paperbacks at used book shops and will probably read one of those, but I’m keen to see what others come up with! If all else fails I’ll go with a book called The Cheese Murder which I’m fairly sure was a self published low key book by a person I use to know!

Dark Side of the Moon

I have set up a shelf just for this category:

RH 9

There are 37 books on it. I have read a few of them, but most are from my TBR list, so I don't know what's good and what isn't. I haven't decided what I'll read yet, but I'm posting the link in case anyone else finds it helpful.

I would suggest looking into local authors in your area for this task.

I've got a few older sci-fi paperbacks sitting on my shelves that definitely have less than 100 reviews, so I'll be reading one of those. Probably Entry to Elsewhen.

This one is a possibility for me: I'll Never Change My Name: An Immigrant's American Dream from Ukraine to the USA to Dancing with the Stars. He's a from a Jewish family from Odessa, Ukraine, just like me. I think my parents even know people that know the family. And the Kindle book is available from my library.

Like Allison suggests, I'm going local.

Mission to Space by John Herrington fits three categories: this one, book by an AOC about space and children's book that won a diversity award. The author is Chochaw Indian. And it's less than 25 pages long. I am a sloooooow reader and to be able to finish this challenge, I will need all the help I can get.

I think I'll just go by number of ratings since the number of reviews is almost guaranteed to be less than the ratings.
I've actually managed to find a book on my TBR with 0 reviews or ratings - Modern Scottish Women Poets.

I have quite a few on my TBR that don't have so many reviews, Eden: A Novel, Leben mit dem Feind: Amsterdam unter deutscher Besatzung 1940-1945, Hell-Go-Land, Eine Hand voller Sterne: Graphic Novel, Meine Cousine Emilia, Sudden Death and quite some others.
It is easy with books that are not English originally. You can find a lot, if you look for non-anglophone books.

I found one while I was looking for Women who won awards in 2018 and it works here as well and got some good reviews from a handful of friends... Funny because it only has 46 reviews.

The Fish Girl

The Forgotten Storm: The Great Tri-State Tornado of 1925 is my choice.

Would it count if the book isn't even listed on Goodreads? It feels like cheating somehow . . .

I swear I made a thread in general listing a bunch of suggestions that fit both this and self-published too. . . but I can't seem to find it to C&P my answer. =/ Here's to hoping I can remember them all.

The Index Series by Katherine Gilraine (4 books in it so far; I personally enjoyed the first 3 and have book 4 slotted on my list)

Jeffrey Cook has a number of series that would fit this such as the Fair Folk Chronicles, the Dawn of Steam series, the Gothcraft series, etc. - just to name some of them. His page lists them. I'm pretty sure all of them are self-pub/indie but can't say 100%. I know at least Dawn of Steam qualifies(also epistolary qualifier).

Casia Schreyer has some books that fit this task. Nothing Everything Nothing by her is on my TBR so maybe I'll get to it this year. I've heard really good things.

Daryl J. Ball has two books I've heard good stuff about as well. The Tannis Project I believe is his new one.

Kelly Blanchard writes the Chronicles of Lorrek series. It's fantasy and gets lots of praise.

I feel like I might be missing some that I listed originally, but for now this is all I got. . . though if I think of more I'll come back to post them. My read for this is going to be Revival by Katherine Gilraine.

I really wanted to choose something for this task that I had hopes for actually enjoying reading. Also, doubling-up is the name of my game for this years challenge. That said, I have chosen In the House of My Father which is a poetry collection. I am also using this book of poetry for Task #3: A book written by a woman and/or AOC that won a Literary Award in 2018.

The2CarolinesAndBooks wrote: "I really wanted to choose something for this task that I had hopes for actually enjoying reading. Also, doubling-up is the name of my game for this years challenge. That said, I have chosen [book:I..."

Just realized this also works for Task #24: A collection of poetry published since 2014

I found mine!!! A Town Divided by Christmas, by Orson Scott Card had only 11 reviews, when I looked at it. Woo Hoo!!

On my list so far : The Rise and Fall of Merry England: The Ritual Year 1400-1700 explores the religious and secular rituals which marked the passage of the year in late medieval and early modern England, John Medicinewolf just because it looks interesting and different, ParallelShana Chartier an alternate universe fantasy and Peninah's Passion, a woman's journey of self-discovery.

I seem to have a thing for obscure books, so this prompt should present me with lots of options. If I hurry, Josephine Baker's Last Dance might still count for this.

If you have any niche nonfiction laying around, it's likely going to work. I have a book on African-American childrens' playground rhymes I've been meaning to get to forever.

Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺ wrote: "I would suggest looking into local authors in your area for this task."

Reading local authors is a great idea - there are a few books I have on my TBR list from some of my creative writing teachers and local authors that I have seen at readings. A good excuse to visit and support the local bookstores!

I saw Chloe Leisure read some of her poetry this fall - she has an upcoming book due out next year that won't work for this task, but her debut collection from a few years ago The End of the World Again will.

There are two books that I have flagged for the Business Book category which would also fit here (and the self-published one too)

No Ceiling, No Walls: What women haven't been told about leadership from career-start to the corporate boardroom
and
Make the Most of Mentoring: Capitalize on Mentoring and Take Your Career to the Next Level

I wasn't going to start the challenge until 1 January, but I've just finished a book I got for Christmas and it currently has less than 100 ratings, let alone 100 reviews, so that will be mine! "2024 QI Facts To Stop You In Your Tracks" by John Lloyd, James Harkin and Anne Miller.

I'm intrigued to see how many ratings it's got by the end of 2019!

I picked up a copy of Sovereign Traces Volume 1: Not (Just) (An)Other and it only has 6 reviews...

I am hoping to double-dip on this one. I'm going to read Sons of the Profits: There's No Business Like Grow Business. The Seattle Story, 1851-1901 for the business book (been on my TBR list forever and sitting on my shelf just waiting), and it currently has 99 reviews. I will read it on Jan 1 and screenshot the 99! Cross your fingers for me.

Woo Hoo another double dipper

I have discovered that basically all of E.R. Braithwaite's books (except To Sir, With Love of course) have less than 100 reviews on Goodreads. That was easy!

Melissa wrote: "Would it count if the book isn't even listed on Goodreads? It feels like cheating somehow . . ."

I don’t think that’s cheating at all. One of the titles I’m considering didn’t have a Goodreads record, so I created one for it. I’m guessing the point of the challenge is to read a book that is not very well known, and perhaps call attention to it for others who might not otherwise know it is out there.

Happily, both of the books I am reading as my personal goal in 2019 have <100 ratings:


They are 1 novel & 1 short story collection about Urdu poets in north India during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Tracy wrote: "I found one while I was looking for Women who won awards in 2018 and it works here as well and got some good reviews from a handful of friends... Funny because it only has 46 reviews.

[book:The Fi..."

This sounds amazing! I think I'm going to read it too.

Fall To Grace by Kerry Casey - My real life book club read this book in 2018 - we all loved it. It's one of those books that you find yourself still thinking about months after. Set in MN, the boys that are the main story, play hockey. But that is secondary to why they meet. Both lose their fathers to accidents on the same day and we see how they both deal with this loss. Only 51 reviews. Also appears to be self-published.

Dinosaurs On Other Planets has 70 reviews at the moment. 11 short stories in contemporary Irish settings by Danielle McLaughlin. I've just finished it today and really enjoyed it.

Still deciding on this one but I am leaning towards The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded: Poems. This is a book of poetry in which the poet imagines the lives of people committed to the titular asylum. But I'm considering a lot of other books. I think this is one of the topics I'm most interested in seeing what people choose to read!

I'm going to read When the Humor is Gone by James Bean, a local author I know.

Any Postmodern Jukebox fans? Founder Scott Bradley published a memoir in 2018 called Outside the Jukebox: How I Turned My Vintage Music Obsession Into My Dream Gig. As of today it only has 33 reviews.

I might read a local author but I'm thinking about reading Memories: My Life as an International Leader in Health, Suffrage, and Peace by Aletta Jacobs...I became interested in her after reading one of Russell Shorto's books where she is mentioned.

Just finished another book that turned out to have less than 100 ratings, "City Lit: Paris" edited by Heather Reyes. One of the very few reviews was by my husband!

Mermaids And The Vampires Who Love Them: A Hachette Audiobook powered by Wattpad Production is in both audio and ebook format, both of which have less than 100 reviews. It was also initially self-published through Wattpad. I don't know why the two formats have different authors listed, though.

Hi there, I'm putting together lists of everyone's suggestions for the challenges in case that's easier for people (I know it is for me!) c:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

I've got Behind the Bedroom Door: Getting It, Giving It, Loving It, Missing It for this one. It's an essay anthology all about sex, and I picked it up just for one but I looked it up on here and it's only got 29 reviews so I guess it's a win-win for me.

I found that the self published book I picked also qualified for this category (I'm trying to read a currently self published book, not an originally self published book).

I found it using both of these sites and looking through reviews:

https://www.selfpublishingreview.com/

https://indiereader.com/

I recommend Gaia Twist by Doug Walker! It's a science fiction novel about a mega corporation attempting to contain a pandemic on a futuristic Earth, and how a small group of people try to stop them.

I started reading Homicide: The View from Inside the Yellow Tape because I like true crime and it was available on kindle unlimited. Just realized it only has 34 reviews so I'll be using it here.

Megan wrote: "The Forgotten Storm: The Great Tri-State Tornado of 1925 is my choice."

My father-in-law was in this tornado when he was young and so I'm looking forward to reading this one. I've had to order it from Half Price Books.

“Unbuttoning America: A Biography of Peyton Place” is interesting and still has only 87 reviews. It is also a business book for people looking for “double dippers” ... it goes into detail about publishing deals and mid century marketing tactics. I read it last year for a micro history category and enjoyed it.

For my pick I read “Where We Live: A Benefit for the Survivors of Las Vegas” which oddly only had about 80 reviews earlier this week (I say oddly because some big names contributed to this collection). It was intense but worth the time if you can find it before the reviews pass the 100 mark.

I stumbled across one. I decided to try to let my creativity flow in 2019. For January, I am tackling a different origami fold. I bought this book today and it only has 2 reviews. It does have some history and background information in it, but is otherwise a light read. Origami for Mindfulness: Color and fold your way to inner peace with these 35 calming projects

For this task, I will be reading "Vivid: Notes and Poems on Color" by Julie Paschkis.