After pressing ‘publish’ on the 2020 Diversify Your Reading Challenge, I headed straight over to my bookshelf to decide what I am going to read for my own personal challenge. My goal is to read every book on this list plus every group read from the DYRC Facebook Group – in total, 2 books per genre.
Here’s a peek at what I’ll be reading – this list is made up entirely of books already on my shelves (physical and virtual) – I’m trying my hardest to read everything I already have before buying more (dream big, right?)!
Historical Fiction: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
I’ve absolutely loved every Kristin Hannah book I’ve read so far, and I’ve been wanting to read The Great Alone for awhile now. I purchased the Kindle edition back in March when it was a Kindle Daily Deal, but haven’t actually read it yet. Kristin Hannah portrays relationships beautifully – from friendship in Firefly Lane to sisterhood in The Nightingale to mother/daughter relationships in Winter Garden. I so look forward to reading The Great Alone…and every book she comes out with in the future!
Romance: Regretting You by Colleen Hoover
Funny enough, Romance is the one genre that I tend to buy to read right away, so I don’t own a ton of unread Romances. However, I do have this book as a pre-order coming soon. 2019 was the year of my first Colleen Hoover book, and I’m hoping that 2020 will be the year of many more. I read It Ends With Us and absolutely devoured it; so, when I saw she had a new book coming out, I had to pre-order it. This one will be arriving with me in December – TBD whether I’ll be able to wait until February to read it! If I end up reading it before then, I think I will purchase Meet Cute by Helena Hunting for February’s pick.
Self-Help: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
I have had this book sitting on my shelf for so long! I purchased it while on a major blogging kick when anything with the word ‘creative’ in it caught my eye. It also showed up on a couple of podcasts that I listen to, so I knew that it was worth checking out. I really want to get back into “self-help” reading – especially with regards to motivation, creativity, and mindfulness – and I think Big Magic will be a step in the right direction!
Young Adult: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
We Were Liars was a spontaneous charity shop purchase – I really can’t turn down a second-hand book in perfect condition! This is a thrilled classed as YA and it’s only 220 pages, so I feel like it’s definitely something that can be read in a day. Plus, it just sounds awesome – a private island, teenagers, love, lies, etc., etc., etc. It sounds like the perfect weekend read!
Science Fiction: The Summer of Impossible Things by Rowan Coleman
Sometimes I buy books that aren’t even really high up on my TBR and I can’t even remember why. This is the case with The Summer of Impossible Things; however, I’m so happy I found it on my kindle because it sounds so fun! Time travel, mother/daughter relationships, the 70s? Check, check, check.
Non-Fiction: Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker
I’m not gonna lie. This is going to be like my fourth time attempting to read Cork Dork. And it’s weird because every time I start it, I really enjoy it. But then I get distracted and end up completely forgetting about it to the point where I have to restart it. Most of you are aware that I’m a total vino – the idea of becoming a sommelier (or even just a master taster) sounds incredible, and I love that Bosker embarked on this journey so we can all sit back and read about it. With a glass of wine in hand, of course!
Suspense/Thriller: What You Did by Claire McGowan
When I first discovered Amazon First Reads, I so looked forward to picking a new book every month, and would read them almost immediately. Now, I find that my TBR list is so big that I pick out a book but they just sit on my kindle. In fact, I can’t even remember the last time I actually read one of these. However, I love a good thriller, and What You Did sounds fantastic! There’s something about a big reunion between friends going wrong that makes for an excellent read.
Contemporary Fiction: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Celeste Ng came onto my radar when Little Fires Everywhere was a Reese’s Book Club pick. I read Little Fires and absolutely loved it; so, when Everything I Never Told You popped up as a Kindle Daily Deal, I pressed purchase without even thinking twice. And I have no idea why I haven’t read it yet! Recently I’ve been so drawn to books that highlight family relationships – particularly those between parents and children – so I really look forward to finally diving into this one.
True Crime: American Kingpin by Nick Bilton
I’ve always been fascinated by (and have never completely understood) the dark web. It’s just insane that, in a world where everything on the Internet is so public, there is this space that is also public (if you want to go there) where so much crazy stuff happens. True Crime is a great entry into the Non-Fiction world because it often reads as Fiction, even though the stories are 100% real. I’m really looking forward to reading this.
Fantasy: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
I see this book everywhere and hear about it all the time. I’m not huge on YA Fantasy, but apparently Six of Crows is a MUST. READ. First off, I love a good heist novel (has anyone read Heist Society? I loved the books so much as a teenager, along with Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls series!). Second, this book has 4.46 stars after over 220,000 ratings. That’s just incredible. And, third, this books has come recommended by multiple book bloggers that I trust. So, I have a feeling I’m going to love it once I finally get around to reading it. And DYRC20 looks like it’s going to be my chance to read it!
Memoir/Autobiography: I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell
I can’t resist a Waterstones BOGO offer and, when I popped in one day last year, I saw I Am, I Am, I Am sitting there on the table just asking to be picked up. this seems like such a unique memoir and one that would make for a great discussion. Not quite sure I’m going to make it all the way to next November before I read this one – another memoir on my radar (that I don’t own yet) is Know My Name by Chanel Miller, the woman in the Brock Turner case only known as ‘Emily Doe’ until now.
Mystery: Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
I first discovered Magpie Murders when creating a list for the Popsugar Challenge. I think I needed an alliterative title and stumbled across this in the recommendations thread. Then, I was planning to use it for a mystery prompt the following year. But, I still haven’t read it thanks to my ever growing TBR. I love that there are literary elements in this mystery (those are the best kind!) and can’t wait to finally sit down and read it. It’s a chunky one, though!
What are you reading for #DYRC20? Post your lists below – and, if you need ideas on what to read, check out these 36 books to read for DYRC20.
