Tuesday, January 5, 2016

2016 Diversity on the Shelf Challenge


I'm happy to see someone's hosting this challenge again! This will be my third time participating. The first time made me realise that almost everything I read is by white people. The second time made me a little more aware of that and I did a bit better, but still way off balance. In hopes of continuing this trend, I'm moving up a level this year to 2nd shelf, challenging myself to read 7-12 books by or about people of colour.

Update: It is October and I've passed 12 books! So I'm now in the 3rd shelf level of 13 to 18 books. With all these graphic novels I've been reading I might just reach the 4th shelf!

Update: It's December 11th and I'm so pleased with my progress! I'm now up to 21 books, putting me firmly on the 4th shelf! If I can squeeze in 4 more by year's end (and I've got 3 in my pile at the moment) I'll reach the top level of the challenge!

I'll list the books I read for this challenge below.
  1. Stealing Nasreen by Farzana Doctor
  2. Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story by David Alexander Robertson
  3. Princeless, vol. 2: Get Over Yourself by Jeremy Whitley
  4. Princeless, vol. 3: The Pirate Princess by Jeremy Whitley
  5. Princeless, vol. 1: Save Yourself by Jeremy Whitley
  6. Amulet, vol. 1: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi
  7. Amulet, vol. 2: The Stonekeeper's Curse by Kazu Kibuishi
  8. Amulet, vol. 3: The Cloud Searchers by Kazu Kibuishi
  9. Twin Spica, vol. 1 by Kou Yaginuma
  10. The Good Little Book by Kyo Maclear
  11. Twin Spica, vol. 2 by Kou Yaginuma
  12. Twin Spica, vol. 3 by Kou Yaginuma
  13. Deadlight Jack by Mark Onspaugh
  14. Amulet, vol. 4: The Last Council by Kazu Kibuishi
  15. Amulet, vol. 5: Prince of the Elves by Kazu Kibuishi
  16. Beyond the Hundred Kingdoms (The Courageous Princess #1) by Rod Espinosa
  17. Amulet, vol. 6: Escape from Lucien by Kazu Kibuishi
  18. Twin Spica, vol. 4 by Kou Yaginuma
  19. The Unremembered Lands (The Courageous Princess #2) by Rod Espinosa
  20. Twin Spica, vol. 5 by Kou Yaginuma
  21. Xander's Panda Party by Linda Sue Park
Honourable mentions:
  1. Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer - Takes place in future China and therefore I assume most characters are Chinese, including Kai.
  2. Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer - If Kai is in fact Asian then this one would count too, but again, it isn't made clear.

2016 Women Challenge


I'm always happy to sign up for the one challenge I never fail! :) A little over half of everything I read is written by women. But even though the challenge is easy for me, I like that it keeps me aware of the genders of the authors I read. I will once again be signing up for the level of Wonder Woman, requiring me to read 20+ books written by women.

I'll list the books I read for this challenge below.
  1. Winds of L'Acadie by Lois Donovan
  2. Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon
  3. Stealing Nasreen by Farzana Doctor
  4. Room by Emma Donoghue
  5. No Humans Involved (Women of the Otherworld #7) by Kelley Armstrong
  6. Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth
  7. Born With Teeth by Kate Mulgrew
  8. Dead Boy by Laurel Gale
  9. Small Saul by Ashley Spires
  10. Fairest of All (Whatever After #1) by Sarah Mlynowski
  11. The Attack (Animorphs #26) by K.A. Applegate
  12. Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen
  13. The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
  14. Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill
  15. Startled By His Furry Shorts (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #7) by Louise Rennison
  16. The Insomniacs by Karina Wolf
  17. Love Is a Many Trousered Thing (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #8) by Louise Rennison
  18. The Selection (The Selection #1) by Kierra Cass
  19. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne
  20. The Exposed (Animorphs #27) by K.A. Applegate
  21. The Experiment (Animorphs #28) by K.A. Applegate
  22. Binky to the Rescue by Ashley Spires
  23. MRS by Noa Grey
  24. The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kierra Cass
  25. The Good Little Book by Kyo Maclear
  26. Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer
  27. Squirmy Wormy: How I Learned to Help Myself by Lynda Farrington Wilson
  28. The Sickness (Animorphs #29) by K.A. Applegate
  29. Stop in the Name of Pants! (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #9) by Louise Rennison
  30. Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
  31. Stars in Her Eyes (Sparkstone Saga #1) by Clare C. Marshall
  32. Roses and Rot by Kat Howard
  33. Xander's Panda Party by Linda Sue Park
  34. Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer