Author: Danika Ellis

Hello, everyone! First, a quick introduction. My name is Danika, and I’ll be helming the Read Harder ship this year. I’ve been writing for Book Riot since 2015, and I’ve been working here full time as an Associate Editor for just shy of three years. I am a co-host on All the Books, and I also write the LGBTQ books newsletter Our Queerest Shelves.

I’ve watched Read Harder grow and change over the years — can you believe this is the TENTH YEAR of the challenge?? — but a couple things always stay the same. One is that the challenge pushes us to diversify our reading in all senses of the word, helping us to discover our new favorite books that we never would have picked up otherwise. The other is the community of passionate, well-read, compassionate readers that has sprung up around Read Harder. That’s why I’m so excited to have a central place for this community, so we can have our own cozy, supportive, moderated corner of the internet to ourselves.

But it’s not time for Read Harder 2024 yet! We still have a little bit left of 2023 to go! Have you finished your Read Harder 2023 tasks? Are there any you’re hoping to squeeze into the last week or so of the year? Or are there other reading goals you’re hoping to reach by the end of December 31st? Let’s chat in the comments!

Obviously, numbers aren’t everything in our reading lives, but the Goodreads Challenge is popular for a reason. It’s fun to try to reach that goal you set at the beginning of the year. And if it’s looking like you’re just shy of meeting it, then this post is for you: here are some of my favorite short reads that you can squeeze in before the end of 2023. These are all under 200 pages, ordered from longest to shortest.

The Truth About Stories by Thomas King (184 pages)

This is one of my favorite books of all time; I think about it frequently. It’s also a quick read, and you can even listen to King’s original lectures instead. This collection of essays/lectures explores the nature of storytelling, specifically looking at the kinds of stories told about Indigenous people in North America. If you’re reading this, you’re passionate about books and stories. This book will leave you thinking about the power and importance that the kinds of stories we listen to and tell have.

Spear by Nicola Griffith (184 pages)

This is a gorgeous, queer, Welsh take on King Arthur. Getting used to the Welsh names might take a little while, but after that, this is a precisely plotted novella that packs an expansive story into a small page count. It follows a main character who grows up isolated, with a deep connection to nature. Then, she disguises herself as a man and decides to head to King Arthur’s court to try to become a knight. There are also a few illustrations included! Be sure to read the author’s note at the end for an exploration of the nature of Arthuriana.

…

Check out all seven recommendations at Book Riot! Let’s chat in the comments: Did you set a Goodreads Challenge this year? Do you think you’ll be completing it? How many books are you hoping to read in 2024?

It’s finally here: the 2024 Read Harder Challenge! Would you believe this is the TENTH YEAR of the Read Harder Challenge? Every year, we have fun cooking up the perfect tasks to get you out of your reading comfort zone, discovering your new favorite books. As always, there are 24 tasks: two for each month of the year.

You can approach this challenge any way you want: use one book to complete multiple tasks, or only assign each title once. Yes, audiobooks and comics count! Make this challenge your own. The important thing is that you branch out and pick up books you wouldn’t otherwise have tried.

This year’s tasks include all sorts of fun challenges, including some timely reading projects (we really need to collectively improve our media literacy skills), trending genres (cozy fantasy, anyone?), and tasks to diversify your reading in all sorts of ways.

Not sure where to get started? You’ll be receiving emails with recommendations for each task throughout the year! Free subscribers will get a couple book recommendations for each, while paid subscribers will get access to the whole list — plus more crowd-sourced in the comments! We’ll also be doing weekly progress check-ins for paid subscribers, where we can discuss what we’re reading, what we recommend for each challenge, and which tasks we need advice on how to complete. If you want to join the Read Harder community, you can subscribe for $6 a month or $60 for the year. Community features will go live in January!

Without further ado, here are the 24 tasks for the 2024 Read Harder Challenge! And if you want the downloadable PDF, you can grab that here.

1. Read a cozy fantasy book.
2. Read a YA book by a trans author.
3. Read a middle grade horror novel.
4. Read a history book by a BIPOC author.
5. Read a sci-fi novella.
6. Read a middle grade book with an LGBTQIA main character.
7. Read an indie published collection of poetry by a BIPOC or queer author.
8. Read a book in translation from a country you’ve never visited.
9. Read a book recommended by a librarian.
10. Read a historical fiction book by an Indigenous author.
11. Read a picture book published in the last five years.
12. Read a genre book (SFF, horror, mystery, romance) by a disabled author.
13. Read a comic that has been banned.
14. Read a book by an author with an upcoming event (virtual or in person) and then attend the event.
15. Read a YA nonfiction book.
16. Read a book based solely on the title.
17. Read a book about media literacy.
18. Read a book about drag or queer artistry.
19. Read a romance with neurodivergent characters.
20. Read a book about books (fiction or nonfiction).
21. Read a book that went under the radar in 2023.
22. Read a manga or manhwa.
23. Read a howdunit or whydunit mystery.
24. Pick a challenge from any of the previous years’ challenges to repeat! 

We’re counting down the days until the 2024 Read Harder Challenge drops on December 13th, but in the meantime, we wanted to give you a sneak peek of what’s changing this year. As always, we’ll be posting 24 tasks to get you out of your reading comfort zone. But in 2024, this newsletter will look a little different!

One of our favorite things about Read Harder is the community of passionate readers that has sprung up around it over the years, scattered across many different social media platforms. That’s why this year, we want to host a Read Harder community right here, with a tight-knit, moderated discussion group.

Every two weeks, you’ll get an email with book recommendations that complete one of the Read Harder tasks. On the off week, we’ll let you know about other cool reading challenges, readathons, and more across the bookish internet. Free subscribers will have access to a couple of recommendations, while paid subscribers get access to the full list, plus the recommendations shared by other Read Harder community members in the comments! We’ll also have weekly check-ins for paid subscribers, where we can share our progress, let each other know what we’re reading, and trade advice for completing different tasks.

The Read Harder community is made up of some of the most interesting and well-read people we know, so we’re excited to host that community right here on Book Riot, in a private, cozy, and supportive corner of the internet.

If you want to keep getting free Read Harder newsletters, you don’t have to change anything! Your subscription will stay the same in 2024. If you want the full experience of being part of the Read Harder community, including the complete lists of recommendations plus access to community discussions, you can subscribe for $6 a month or $60 annually. Subscriptions will open up on December 13th, and you’ll get the details on how to sign up then.

We’ll be back soon with the Read Harder tasks for 2024! See you in the comments!