Challenging Challenges (aka Rachel takes on the Year of the Asian Reading Challenge)

This year promises to be a really good year in terms of new releases and debuts. I’m particularly happy to see more titles with Asian protagonists by Asian authors. As a long-time reader, this has been something sort of like a dream: to see characters who share my lineage, my culture and language – to see a bit of myself on the pages of a book I’m reading. I know there’s still a ways (lots and lots of them) to go, but this, finally, feels like a good start.

So, to celebrate this, I decided to actively seek out titles by Asian authors. This doesn’t just apply to new releases, though getting my hands on them is very much on my agenda, but also to older works because I’m sure I missed a couple of them. To help me with this goal, I’m taking on the Year of the Asian Reading Challenge hosted by Shealea from Shut Up, Shealea, CW from The Quiet Pond, Lily from Sprinkles of Dreams, and Vicky from Vicky Who Reads.

As my professors and clinical instructors drilled it into my brain when I was in college (Ugh! All those patient care plans!) I’m setting an entirely reachable and realistic goal this first year of the challenge. 11-20 books for the Indian Cobra (ain’t he cute!) badge. I already have one book under my belt this month – The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi, which was an absolute delight to read!

I want to go over the books that I already own but haven’t yet read first for this challenge. Here’s my first YARC 2019 TBR.

I’ll be adding to this TBR as I go. I already have a few books in mind to follow these 5, but I got to finish the books in this first TBR before I go on a another buying spree. In the meantime, check out the hosts – Shealea, CW, Lily and Vicky – because they have other cool stuff connected to Year of the Asian.

Here’s me hoping for the best!

💗💗💗