Reading Challenge 2024: How We Got On!

Alisha

I know I’ve said it before, but I really do like to use the reading challenge prompts to help me select and decide on what to read next. Especially if I don’t know what I’m in the mood for!
A highlight for me was The Summer Book by Tove Jansson, using the prompt ‘A Seasonal Book’- admittedly towards the end of summer- but I wanted to prolong the thought of summer for as long as possible! After reading Moominland in Midwinter last year, recommended by Marianne, I’ve been meaning to read more by Tove Jansson and this was the perfect opportunity to. Opening with a statement from Jansson’s granddaughter, you’re hit with nostalgia for past school summer holidays of made up games and adventures to fill the long summer days.
Another book I’m really glad I picked up was Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad, with the prompt ‘ A Book that has been Shortlisted for a Prize’. Enter Ghost, a very timely book, was shortlisted for The Women’s Prize this year, along with other great books by women. It’ll bring up a lot of emotions within you, but it’ll definitely make you laugh and cry.
A couple of other prompts I used and was very glad I did, was 'A book with a Cover in your Favourite Colour' (purple) with Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto and 'A Book about Books' with Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs. Every book I’ve picked up using the reading challenge prompts have been great reads and I haven’t regretted any!

Olivia

I've successfully managed to tick off the 'Non-fiction Book' prompt of the Willoughby Reading Challenge, having read and loved Africa is Not a Country by Dipo Faloyin. I've mentioned this book a couple of times already, but it's still very much at the forefront of my mind and I think it will definitely shape my non-fiction reading in the future. I really love factual writing with a personal touch, one that goes beyond the standard omnipotent authorial voice, one that has wit and a passionate curiosity beyond the academic. Writers like Emma Dabiri, Jon Krakauer and Akala are also great examples of writers who successfully write in this way. A copy of Patrick Radden Keefe's Say Nothing, his award-winning narrative non-fiction about The Troubles, is crawling its way up my To-Be-Read pile, too!

As a 90s baby, I'm always intrigued to read novels set in the decade of my birth. It always feels like it was only a few short years ago, but whenever I consume books, films, or music from the time period, I feel awash with nostalgia. Mrs S by K Patrick is presumably set in the 90s. You never get a fully fleshed out time or setting for the story, but the details that Patrick writes of make it pretty clear that it's perfect for the 'A Book Set in the 1990s' prompt! It was a quietly intense novel, filled with forbidden passion and longing between an Australian school matron and the headteacher's wife. Scandalous! It's also set in a boarding school, which was was perfect timing for my Autumn campus reading. I know I will continue to seek out that hit of 90s nostalgia when I next scour my local bookshop!

Marianne

I've enjoyed the daftness of some of our reading challenge prompts this year, and they have definitely encouraged me to read outside my comfort zone and take risks on books that I might not have automatically picked up. I've read second-hand books (never a problem as I love trawling for second-hand gems!), and I've read a few really great non-fiction titles, kicking off 2024 with Emma Dabiri's Disobedient Bodies and followed straight away by Naomi Klein's Doppelganger, both great reads. I've read several books that have been given to me, and I always like novellas, so I might have lingered on that prompt for quite a few titles! Some of my favourite reads of the year have been from reading challenge prompts, but also some of my least favourite (ACOTAR, read as 'Book in a Genre You Wouldn't Usually Choose', I'm looking at you!).

I have made inroads into my TBR pile with the prompt 'Book that you Have Been Meaning to Read For More Than 2 Years' but still have so far to go. How is it possible for the stacks to grow so very fast, yet my reading rate just seems to decline?

2024 was a good year's reading. I didn't read as many books as I'd hoped, but I did read some absolute crackers that I'm still raving about months later. I'm looking forward to getting stuck in to 2025's reading challenge very soon!

Aishah

The stand-out reading experience for me this year was reading The Mercies Kiran Millwood Hargrave on camp in Norway for the 'Book Set in the Country You’re In' prompt. On the same trip, I read How the Girl Guides Won the War by Janie Hampton, which felt like a fitting choice for the 'Non-Fiction Book', considering it was a Scout and Guiding camp!

For the 'Funny Book' prompt, I opted for the wonderful A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon. It's not a laugh-out-loud funny book, rather a witty reimagining of the common anime trope of “magic girl saviours”. If you grew up consuming Cardcapter Sakura or Sailor Moon, you'd enjoy this and appreciate the elements of parody and satire.

Finally, I'm seeing the challenge out with Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake, which fits perfectly for the 'Seasonal Book' prompt. I loved her previous trilogy, especially Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, so I think I will really enjoy this one.

I didn't complete every prompt but I really enjoyed using them as inspiration for which books to read next!