2023 Monthly Reading Challenges

I had a super fun time this year reading so many books. Though I enjoyed how my effort was a spontaneous one, the thought came to me to incorporate some monthly reading challenges for the upcoming year (Insha Allah) to make my reading journey more eventful and exciting. I can share this initiative with my friends and possibly family, but if no one decides to commit alongside me, that is alright since at the end of the day, I am doing this for me. And my mind. And my future. And... okay, maybe I am doing this for a lot of silly reasons but they all come back to me! 

JANUARY New year, new beginnings. Read at least one book chronicling a 'first time' beginner journey of its main character. Examples may be, but are not limited to: characters moving out of their country to another, main character moving away for university or post-secondary studies, becoming a first time parent, list goes on.

FEBRUARY Love is in the aiiiir. Let's make the topic of love more confusing than it already is... read a piece of classical romantic literature. Challenge your mind and standards, settle for no contemporary romance. 

MARCH March towards your goals. Read about a pioneer in history. Extra points if it is about a woman since March is known as international women's month. 

APRIL Welcome the season of spring by reading books with a fruit or vegetable in the title. 

MAY Mother's day is featured in this month so read a story about a mother, and perhaps her relationship with her daughter? 

JUNE A book set in summer... 

JULY ... Not another book set in summer. Celebrate America's independence from the English empire by reading any American classic. 

AUGUST Read a historical fiction book set in a country I don't know any one (directly) from... have fun with this. Not knowing someone means having not interacted with them directly in person (or online -- online mutuals don't count) before. 

SEPTEMBER September is Hispanic Heritage Month, read a book set in Latin America. (Other ideas: books where the protagonists goes insane)

OCTOBER Spooky season. Your challenge is to read a horror/mystery/thriller novel that does not include supernatural creatures such as vampires. 

NOVEMBER A story told from a villain's point of view. 

DECEMBER Doctor main character OR, has the name of a country in the title. 

End of year goals: amass 2,000 pages from this challenge alone. That is an average of 167 pages per novel, per month. 

I did it!!

This evening I accomplished my goal of reading 52 books in the year! I'm really grateful alhamdulillah and proved myself... to myself. 

I read 15, 424 pages across those 52 spines of books. The wifi at home is still quite disruptive and I only have a few minutes to catch up on some homework and update my humble blog on this great achievement, but, once things are 'back to normal,' I look forward to uploading a review on the books I have read this year and ranking them. Until then! 

A short list of books set in SWANA

One of my reading goals this year was to read more content set in the South West Asian and North African (SWANA) regions. As of this post, I have read about ten books set in that region. I noticed that most of the countries I read from are Iran and Afghanistan which I'm not upset about, those countries produce amazing artists and authors as well as extremely heart wrenching tales. I'd like to read more books set in Arab countries or South Asia like India/Pakistan. 

The books I read set in SWANA are usually tagged with the following: contemporary, fiction, historical, literary, and romance. 

Example of books that are in this genre (contemporary fiction set in SWANA): 

A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza 

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni 

Ali and Nino by Kurban Said 

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseni

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (country is not named but critics say it is most likely based in Syria) 

Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa

Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji 

She Wore Red Trainers by Na'ima B. Robert

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseni 

The Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther 

The Stationery Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamali 

When the Apricots Bloom by Gina Wilkinson 

I read 'Rooftops of Tehran' back in April during Ramadan and loved it very very much. I think it has to be one of my favorite books of the year. I am working on a small review on it, hoping to post it before the end of the year. 

I am currently reading 'The Saffron Kitchen' and tbh, it's not what I had expected. I don't really enjoying reading much of Sara and Julien's romance since I feel it is irrelevant to the plot. However, I did like reading about Maryam and Ali. Maybe I enjoy reading more when the setting is in Iran? I feel like when I read stories that are set in the (Muslim majority) 'home' country, I am able to relate more somehow. Being a muslim, reading about muslims, who are living in a muslim country; all of it combined piques my interest. I had a similar experience when reading 'The Stationery Shop of Tehran.' I really enjoyed reading the flashbacks of Roya's childhood in Tehran compared to her senior years in the United States. But still, I did enjoy that book a lot more than I did for 'The Saffron Kitchen.' 

Currently I have 'Mornings in Jenin,' by Susan Abulhawa, 'The Beekeeper of Aleppo,' by Christy Lefteri, and 'The Saffron Kitchen' by Yasmin Crowther checked out from the library, the latter which I am 72% through. I am aiming to start either of the two other books by the end of this week. 

That's all for today's post. Thank you so much for reading to the end.