Last Updated on December 7, 2020 by ThoughtsStained
Hello, dear readers!
I am super excited about today’s post, as I’m participating in my first EVER Reading Challenge!
*throws confetti and celebratory balloons*
I don’t normally do reading challenges, for a couple of reasons. It’s mostly due to being such a mood reader and not being able to plan that well in advance, as well as not wanting to feel “restricted” or “pressured” with my reading (though I know that’s not the intent with reading challenges at all and they can be very motivational!). But after reading about this challenge over at Shut Up, Shealea (who has always been one of my favorite bloggers and I am so excited about her re-branding and her new adventure with this blog), I knew it was something I wanted to join. The Year of the Asian is also cohosted by CW from The Quiet Pond, Lily from Sprinkles of Dreams, and Vicky from Vicky Who Reads.
I read a lot of books, but when you deeper, it’s apparent that I read a lot of white men. That’s not surprising to anyone, as not only does that demographic dominate my preferred genres (fantasy and science fiction), but publishing as a whole. I’ve always wanted to be more purposeful with what I’m reading and try to branch out more and I’ve done that a little bit, focusing on reading more women and more LGBTQIA+ books, but we can always improve our awareness and read more widely. I’m really excited to start focusing on Asian authors and being more aware of what I’m reading!
Check out the post linked above on Shealea’s blog for more details, where you can learn about the challenge itself, follow the Twitter account, participate in monthly challenges, enter giveaways and hopefully even sign up yourself!
There are multiple challenge levels (and the buttons are so cute) and I really wish I could commit to the top tier (both because I want to read more diversely and that Bengali tiger graphic is so cute). However, I usually only read roughly 60 books a year and between SPFBO commitments, ARCs and other books I’m hoping to read this year…well, a girl’s only got so much time.
As such, I’m challenging myself to reach the second tier or the Indian Cobra, which is reading 11-20 books this year.
I won’t lie, I’m aiming for the bottom half of that, hoping to reach 11 books. For my first ever Reading Challenge, I think that’s a fair goal to push myself, yet also not feel completely overwhelmed or unreachable. I’m going to track my progress here, updating this post with the books I’m able to read, though I’ll be posting each review in a separate post throughout the year. I know I still have a lot more research to do–and I’m glad this challenge will help me more actively seek out and pay attention to Asian authors!–but below is a list of books I’m hoping to read this year:
There are some killer books here that I’m seriously stoked about (in particular, Blood Heir, which is described as a dark Anastasia retelling which I am so here for)! Anyone else participating, I’d love to see what books you’re reading and if you plan to read any on my list! Obviously, I still have a few spots to fill, if I’m going to hit my goal of 11 books, so I’m excited to see who else I discover!
Thanks to Shealea and the three other hosts (whose blogs I didn’t discover until this challenge, so I’m excited to follow you all) for hosting this challenge and putting so much work into it. I’m so excited to meet and connect with other bloggers and start supporting more #ownvoices along the way!
Read on!
![Hello, storytellers and wordsmiths! 👋🏻
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I don’t happen to have any of your books on my TBR. i do have The Stars May Rise and fall by Mirai. It’s a Japanese retelling of the Phantom of the Opera. I’m looking forward to it!
That one sounds really neat! I hope you enjoy it!
First of all: I teared up when I read that I’m one of your fave bloggers. I can’t even. 😭💕 And I am so glad to have your support with my rebranding – it means the world! Thank you!
I don’t do many reading challenges myself, tbh, but I’m glad you decided to participate in this one! I promise we’ll make things as fun as possible.
And btw, I spy Jade City in your TBR! You’re going to love it. Happy reading! ❤
Awww, yes, you absolutely are!! And I love how your new site has turned out and I hope it’s been a positive experience for you and everything you wanted out of taking this leap!
I am *really* excited about this one! I hope I can actually get involved in some of the chats and whatnot (as I’m usually pretty bad at doing those sorts of things).
I can’t wait! I kept meaning to read Lee, but just haven’t gotten around to it yet. So definitely excited to check her out. <3
Good luck! It’s a good year to do this challenge as it feels like I’ve added a lot of Asian-themed SFF coming out by Asian authors lately.
Really?? I’d love to hear any recommendations you have, because I felt like I was drawing a blank, even though I had the same feeling about it? And thank you!
Blood Heir and Spin the Dawn were two of them. Off the top of my head, also Descendant of the Crane by Joan He and The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo. This yearI’m also looking forward to S.L. Huang’s Null Set and Zen Cho’s The True Queen (though both of these are sequels, you might want to look into the first books of each series). For titles released in previous years, Wesley Chu’s Tao trilogy is great! And omg Ken Liu’s The Grace of Kings is a work of art, one of my favorite fantasy novels ever. That’s all I can think of for now without looking through my Goodreads, but I’ll let you know if more come to me!
Shoot, I *definitely* want to read Wesley Chu’s Tao trilogy, I’ve heard so many good things! Seriously, Mogsy, you are the BEST, as this list is fantastic. Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me all of these! <3 <3
Oh I thought of one more! The Girl King by Mimi Yu. I think this one just came out, I’ve been meaning to get a copy!
YAAAAASSS, I’ll be reading those along with you! Can’t wait for their release!!
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. I’m pretty stoked about them and my library is going to get pretty annoyed with me. 😛